Mileage On Used Cars..

[MonStar]

I was curious about mileage.. a lot of the 1994 - 1996 Toyota Celica's that I like that I am looking at are right around 100,000 miles... I have heard that after 100,000 miles, unless its a Honda - the car isnt going to go much further. I am hoping to put at least 50-75 thousand miles on it. :(:(

MS

[Accipiter]

average is like 10-12k miles per year

[iLUDEd]

if 100,000 miles is like 180,000km's then u wont be getin much more outa the engine.. when i got my car it had 120,000km's on it.. duno what that is in miles.. and i considered that to be high, but its a honda, and im not planin on keeping the engine for more than 3-4 years anyways..

[MonStar]

Yeah thanks guys well see what happens. It just seems like no older car has decent miles thats all. :rolleyes::rolleyes:

MS

[MonStar]

I totally believe that you can buy a Honda with around 100,000 miles and it wont be a problem at all, but with most other cars you cannot. There is a 1992 Prelude with 135,000 miles on it for $6 thousand. Thats a lot of miles though..

MS

[IceRgrrl]

100,000 miles is sort of the "cut-off" for what's considered average to low mileage for private individuals selling a used car. Dealers use around 50,000 as their "low mileage" number.

Really, 100,000 miles isn't the death knell for used cars that it used to be since engines are lasting longer. OF course, after about 60,000 miles or so you have to expect to deal with normal wear items like brakes, suspension, etc. and that is just ongoing maintenance. After 100,000 miles it's the engine/transmission you have to watch because they could be getting "tired" at that point. It really depends on how the vehicle was driven and maintained.

My 93 Cherokee went 187,000 miles before needing an engine and transmission rebuild...now it's like having a brand new vehicle.

[ElPietro]

Let me give you some good advice....swallow your damned pride. If you have to buy a car with that many clicks on it just to get a sports car you will just end up paying double with all the maintainance and repairs. Either buy a new reliable car or you are just going to kick yourself every day wondering why you spent all your money on a car and can't drive it, or are taking out loans just to fix it.

[MonStar]

Yeah thats true. Thanks guys. I think Honda is definitely my best bet.

MS

[Relentless]

Originally posted by ElPietro
Let me give you some good advice....swallow your damned pride. If you have to buy a car with that many clicks on it just to get a sports car you will just end up paying double with all the maintainance and repairs. Either buy a new reliable car or you are just going to kick yourself every day wondering why you spent all your money on a car and can't drive it, or are taking out loans just to fix it.

That's not entirely true, IMHO.

A lot depends on the car, the manufacturer and the service history, how they've been driven, etc..

I have two cars, a 1997 Intrepid and a 1995 Jeep YJ. Both have more than 100,000 miles on 'em. (well, the odometers are in KM, but I converted it for the sake of all the yanks on the board). I've had to replace a water pump on one and the intake manifold on the other, but other than that it's been all good... just basic maintenance costs.

New or old, you should budget for fluid and filter changes, consumables replacement (brake pads, clutches, etc.). Once a car gets up over 100,000 miles there's also some more core components that will probably need to be replaced (belts especially, but also other parts). There's going to be maintenance costs REGARDLESS. Keep that in mind. That said, as long as you don't drive the crap out of it, and it hasn't been abused too much by previous owners, there's no reason why you can't get many years and miles out of older cars.

Also, it's almost definitely not worth your while to invest in the 'after market warranties' that some dealers will try to package with their used cars . . .

Myself, i will never buy a new car again (unless I win the Lotto Super7 this week... 30 million!!). I also prefer to buy American, because the parts are cheaper, more available and the whole 'quality' thing is only really relevant for cars from the 70s and 80s... American cars from the 90s are basically just as good as most Jap or European cars for core quality and durability.

Unless you're stuck on the 'sport coupe' mystique of the Celica/Prelude 'rice boy' cars, you could probably get a '96 or '97 Intrepid or similar for the $6k you're thinking about. Nice V6 engine, lots of room, lots of trunk space. Amazing on the highway. There are some nice Saturns out there in that price range as well; an SC1 or SC2 could probably be had for that kind of $$. I can't speak too much to the engines in them, but the bodies ought to be in good shape with those polymer panels . . . :)


Just my 2 cents
Callahan

[Dave042581]

Hey,

100,000 miles isnt that much at all, if the car was taken care of properly. I dunno about the Celica you're talking about, but a lot of japanese cars need timing belt changed ever 60,000 miles, make sure that was done. We have a Mazda 626 with 180,000 miles on it, and its runs great. Its got minor stuff wrong with it (power antenna stuck, rear deforster, etc) but nothing major. Just make sure the maintanence was done on the car and good luck!

Dave

[TreeTrunks]

A car will last forever providing you do basic maintenance on it. Japanese cars are made the best IMO. Several reasons why, its not really important. Toyotas are, IMO, the most reliable cars on the road, Honda ranks right up there with them. But on a '94-'96 model celica , 100K is awefully high. I got a '89 dodge with 80K miles on it.

[MWB]

I have a 94 Nissan Altima with 120,000 miles on it. The only problems I've ever had to deal with were brakes and a new battery. My mechanic says the engine is in great shape and should get over 200,000 on it if i keep up the matenance.