Does mileage matter?

Apodemus

BeenThroughItAll wrote: »

Key thing to remember is that...

Volvo V70 (112K) I got rid of because I didn't need an estate at the time
Jeep Grand Cherokee (96K) I gave to my dad - now has 120K on
Audi (98K) my wife drives daily, now on 108K
BMW 330Ci (122K) I got rid of because 18MPG was getting tedious
Honda Accord (127K) I bought 28th Feb and use every day, now on 129K.

...

...none of these are the OP's VW Up!

BeenThroughItAll

Apodemus wrote: »

...none of these are the OP's VW Up!

And?

The title of the thread is 'Does mileage matter?'.

I answered that question.

Joe_Horner

Walcott wrote: »

genuinely interested in understanding why warming up the engine on the motorway once it has done the harsh part of the journey is making the better car 2nd hand buy

It's mainly down to the oil. You inevitably get a certain amount of condensation inside the engine, which adds a small amount of moisture to the oil. That moisture can form fairly nasty acidic compounds given time.

Running the engine hot drives off that moisture, but that only happens when the oil is hot - which takes a lot longer than heating up the coolant.

With modern oils and regular servicing it's unlikely to be a big problem but service intervals have been stretched by the makers and, as mentioned by others, very low mileage drivers often skip oil changes so it could be the same damp oil in there for a coupe of years at a time.

Apodemus

BeenThroughItAll wrote: »

And?

The title of the thread is 'Does mileage matter?'.

I answered that question.

No criticism intended

However make and model are critically important and your list would all have expectations of being good for high miles. The jury is probably still out on the Up! but I would be surprised if anything designed as a city car will give the reliable high mileage of the types that you have kept.

My own 14 year old Volvo is at 215,000 miles, still on its factory fitted clutch and catalytic converter and the rest of the original exhaust lasted to about 190,000 miles/12 years. (It's also currently giving me 43 mpg). I wouldn't expect an Up! to match its longevity.

System

jimjames wrote: »

Conversely if you do low mileage it could be worth getting a high mileage car so when you sell it is average to low rather than high. Then you win with depreciation.

Personally I prefer high mileage cars. I've never found them any less reliable and high miles gets the price down. My current car was 30% of the new price at 3 years old because it had 110k miles on it.


The difference is the 20k miles car gets a chance to warm up on every journey. The low miles one doesn't and gets turned off before the oil has even warmed up.

BeenThroughItAll wrote: »

Hot oil boils off any condensation that's been created inside the cold engine whilst it's been sitting. Cold engine doesn't boil off the condensate.

Water when mixed with combustion by-products forms acid inside the engine which is, obviously, !!!!.

Thanks for the explanation

mcpitman

Walcott wrote: »

Thanks for the explanation

Afternoon, it's not just the engine/oil concerns for "town cars", also clutch, brakes and suspension components get far less hammer when driven on a motorway.


I don't worry about mileage as much as service history etc.


I have a car that I have taken from 22k miles to 113k miles with only regular servicing and tyre costs.


In 90k miles I have not had any new brakes (will be due shortly), no new suspension components, no requirement for clutches or DMF yet either, all due to the fact they get used far less when 90% of my driving is Mway based.

almillar

People who do low mileage are often tempted to skip servicing, on an 11'000 mile car, you could well find it's never even had an oil change

Fair point, but no need to guess in this case - just check the service book for stamps (or technical modern equivalent).

That is what I don't get. So what if one has warmed up and the other hasn't? Both have done their harsh town miles in the cold.

Short journey means the battery may not have been recharged for long enough after the strain of starting the engine. Will need replaced more quickly. Oil doesn't protect the engine until it's up to temperature - it's in the sump and all thick until it gets pumped around and warmed up. Engine being cold more often means proportionately more time run 'unprotected'. I drive my cars gently before the temp gets up, but how do you know what the seller of the car does? The catalytic converter also doesn't work properly until up to temperature, and indications of short journeys can mean proportionately more speed bumps, kerbs etc that will wear suspension components faster.
It's not a science, but these are indicators. Some things you can look at and check, but without shards of metal falling out of the sump plug, the engine is more difficult to check.

There's a good point above about car type - if you're looking at a VW Up! you're looking at a more city type of car - these will mostly be lower mileage. Conversely for city cars, if they're high mileage I might be more worried, little 1 litre 3 cylinder engines would have to work hard to munch up motorway miles! I guess you're looking for a car to be used (and serviced) as the manufacturer intended.

System

Walcott wrote: »

I'm no expert but I've never really got the whole low milers stay in traffic argument. No one lives on a motorway so even the high milers would have significantly done a damaging amount of miles of cold town miles just to get to the motorway.

I did 18-20,000 a year for most of the last three decades until I changed jobs at the beginning of the year. The majority of my journeys involved a half mile drive through town from my house to the outskirts then out of the next 28 miles to the motorway there were two short one mile 30MPH stretches and a 1 mile 40MPH stretch with the rest being NSL. Other than slowing down for the lower speed limits and negotiating two roundabouts the entire journey from the 0.5 mile point onwards involved sitting in 5th gear and unless I needed to stop at the roundabouts, no use of the brakes. Compare that to driving 3-4 miles through a city where you'll be braking many many times per mile, changing gear infinitely more.

Brake discs and pads have always lasted ridiculous amounts of time. If I change a set in less than 70k I'd be surprised. My last car I bought at 3 years old with 90k on the clock and it had 165,000 on it when I sold it still on its original clutch, turbo and injectors when I sold it. The original exhaust only needed the rear section replacing once it had got near 150,000 miles.I've done over 80,000 miles in my current car now on 119,000 miles. Still the original clutch, turbo, injectors, exhaust. Discs and pads were done at 72k. Its never needed anything for MOT, the only repairs it has had done in its 119,000 miles are two suspension bushes.

I currently also own a MK3 MX5 which I have as a weekend car. It barely covered 2000 miles in the last year and has averaged 7000 miles a year over its lifetime. Its had to have both front callipers replaced at 72,000 miles because they were seized, one of the rear ones was replaced at 67,000 miles when I'd bought it, the exhaust is seriously rusty and when I did an oil change just 3000 miles after the last one it looked well knackered, completely black and smelled of petrol. Compare that to my Mondeo where even though its done 119k the oil is still usually partially yellow in colour at its next service after 12,000 miles.