2nd hand miles?

catoutthebag

Currently looking for a 2nd car...do miles really matter for Germanic cars?

I know the average they say is 12k/year..but the kind of age/price I'm looking at brings them close to 100k (petrol). I know it depends on motorway/road miles too...but overall?

Happy to go for around 80-90k for 7-9 year old car..just waiting for them to come up, as they do...but frustratingly some are on the wrong side of these miles. :mad:

andygb

Here you go

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201302105278493/sort/default/usedcars/maximum-mileage/up_to_100000_miles/fuel-type/petrol/model/5_series/make/bmw/onesearchad/used/onesearchad/nearlynew/onesearchad/new/postcode/me21dp/page/7/radius/1501?logcode=p

Lovely comfortable cars, and can be very reliable if you look after them.

catoutthebag

Probably a few too many groups high and old :rotfl:

But you have illustrated my point...that's the sort of age (04-06) I'm looking at, and these Germainac cars have that Mileage ... does it matter, from a value point of view? They hold value, always sought after, and insurance companies will pay out if written off, based on this? But then, at that age...clutch, cambelts, etc go wrong.

patman99

Did you see the MSN survey on car reliability by make ?. The bottom 10 contained Audi, Mercedes & BMW. German cars are not as good as they used to be back in the 1980/90's.

andygb

patman99 wrote: »

Did you see the MSN survey on car reliability by make ?. The bottom 10 contained Audi, Mercedes & BMW. German cars are not as good as they used to be back in the 1980/90's.

I would totally agree with that, which is why I linked to the E39 model, which was developed in the 90's. I actually prefer the earlier E34 model but that would be too old for the OP.
The OP needs to give a clue to the engine size and possible models really.

andygb

catoutthebag wrote: »

Probably a few too many groups high and old :rotfl:

But you have illustrated my point...that's the sort of age (04-06) I'm looking at, and these Germainac cars have that Mileage ... does it matter, from a value point of view? They hold value, always sought after, and insurance companies will pay out if written off, based on this? But then, at that age...clutch, cambelts, etc go wrong.

Cambelts need changing on all cars at around the 36K mark (unless they have an internal camchain - some BMW's do). I have had loads of cars go well beyond 140K on original clutches. The biggest worry nowadays, with the state of the roads is wearing out suspension components and wheels/tyres - very expensive on some German cars.
Not all German cars hold their value - M3/5's, convertibles, Quattros, R8's being the exception.

catoutthebag

andygb wrote: »

I would totally agree with that, which is why I linked to the E39 model, which was developed in the 90's. I actually prefer the earlier E34 model but that would be too old for the OP.
The OP needs to give a clue to the engine size and possible models really.

Mid noughties mk5 VW golf 1.6 petrol, which I guess wasn't on the list?

cootuk

Lexus?
Depends how many miles you expect to put on, whether you want to run on biodiesel etc etc

TradePro

catoutthebag wrote: »

Mid noughties mk5 VW golf 1.6 petrol, which I guess wasn't on the list?

Buy a Focus instead. Better in every way, and you probably will get one inside your budget that didn't drop the Mars rover off

catoutthebag

TradePro wrote: »

Buy a Focus instead. Better in every way, and you probably will get one inside your budget that didn't drop the Mars rover off

Had an old focus, and they're ok, but more common than a golf Like to change cars completely and not go back to the same ones.

TradePro

catoutthebag wrote: »

Had an old focus, and they're ok, but more common than a golf Like to change cars completely and not go back to the same ones.

Well, I can pretty much guarantee you won't buy a second Golf!

They're truly terrible, and not exactly rare - read up about some problems on forums etc. to avoid disappointment.