Is 70k - 100k miles too much for a second hand car?

System

I bought my previous Mondeo at 3 years old with 90,000 on the clock one owner main dealer full service history. Sold it just short of 5 years later with 168,000 miles on and still with full service history from the main dealer. In that time it only ever failed a MOT once on a sticking rear brake calliper and other than the calliper the only non-consumable repairs it had were subframe bushes (common fault on the MK3), a split turbo intercooler pipe, an alternator and rear exhaust section in the 78,000 miles I owned it. Sold it to a mate who then subsequently wrote it off.

Check yourself: https://www.check-mot.service.gov.uk reg no EG04DVP.

As you can see from the mileage between tests, it got well used.

Tokk

Another thing not so-far noted...

You'll find plenty of cars that are scheduled cambelt changes at around 75k or 10 years, whichever is soonest - sometimes a car nearing that is sold because the owner doesn't want to keep it much longer and therefore doesn't want to pay to have it done, so you'd want to factor that in.

As noted, "full service history" to some traders simply means they have some kind of evidence of what's been done, rather than having all receipts and all scheduled maintenance complete - it's really worth taking a good read through, that knowledgeable friend is helpful again here.

parking_question_chap

Agree with the above comment, always research the cam belt interval and history.

Eternal1

Tarambor wrote: »

I bought my previous Mondeo at 3 years old with 90,000 on the clock one owner main dealer full service history. Sold it just short of 5 years later with 168,000 miles on and still with full service history from the main dealer. In that time it only ever failed a MOT once on a sticking rear brake calliper and other than the calliper the only non-consumable repairs it had were subframe bushes (common fault on the MK3), a split turbo intercooler pipe, an alternator and rear exhaust section in the 78,000 miles I owned it. Sold it to a mate who then subsequently wrote it off.

Check yourself: https://www.check-mot.service.gov.uk reg no EG04DVP.

As you can see from the mileage between tests, it got well used.

Oh cool I never knew you could view a cars mot history like that. I'll definitely be using this to get an idea of any cars I look at. Thanks

Eternal1

Tokk wrote: »

Another thing not so-far noted...

You'll find plenty of cars that are scheduled cambelt changes at around 75k or 10 years, whichever is soonest - sometimes a car nearing that is sold because the owner doesn't want to keep it much longer and therefore doesn't want to pay to have it done, so you'd want to factor that in.

As noted, "full service history" to some traders simply means they have some kind of evidence of what's been done, rather than having all receipts and all scheduled maintenance complete - it's really worth taking a good read through, that knowledgeable friend is helpful again here.

So how would I go about asking the dealership about this? Would I just ask if it's been changed recently or?

Herzlos

Eternal1 wrote: »

So how would I go about asking the dealership about this? Would I just ask if it's been changed recently or?

Ask for proof that it's been done or isn't needed. If they can't prove it has been done then you need to assume it hasn't and factor in the cost for that.

GunJack

DigForVictory wrote: »

Research the cost of insuring it before you buy it.

If it's your first-ever car, then this ^^^^^^

For example, my oldest started off with a £450 Suzuki WagonR, as the cost of the insurance for that for him as a new driver was minimum £550 cheaper in year 1 than your corsa/207/clio/etc, that difference bought him the car and a year's road tax. He's still got it 3 years later, has 2 yrs NCD and on the way to 3 yrs, and his last insurance renewal was under £500.

Also, if it's your first-ever, I would be looking for something older and cheaper (like around £3-800) until you've got a few year's driving experience and no-claims discount under your belt, and you have a better idea about cars generally. Breakdown cover including homestart is around £50 a year if you steer clear of the big names.

MEM62

You cannot judge a car just by its mileage. I have seen vehicles with 150,000+ that are perfectly fine. I have also seen vehicles that are wrecked with less than 40,000 on them.

You need the whole picture - or as much of it as you can put together. How many owners? What is the service history like? General condition? Any major work done?

To look at only one aspect of a used car is somewhat short sighted.

Richard53

Eternal1 wrote: »

Oh cool I never knew you could view a cars mot history like that. I'll definitely be using this to get an idea of any cars I look at. Thanks

Definitely. When I am looking for a car, I get my shortlist and before I journey out to look at any of them I get all the reg numbers together and check the MoT history of each one. You can weed out at least half this way.


I was very tempted by a Jag XJ a couple of years ago. Fair price, right colour & spec, FSH, immaculate in the photos. MoT history showed that it failed every test for the last 5-6 years on underbody corrosion, and it was becoming more and more serious every year. Huge number of advisories on the most recent, including brakes and suspension. And yet it looked so good ...


10 minutes on the net saved me a long journey and a lot of disappointment.


Having MoT history online is massively helpful.

System

Richard53 wrote: »

Definitely. When I am looking for a car, I get my shortlist and before I journey out to look at any of them I get all the reg numbers together and check the MoT history of each one. You can weed out at least half this way.

I've weeded more than a few out on Facebook that have been clocked by checking the MOT history.