when buying a used car...what is the highest mileage you would consider buying?

[Used 2 B Hu]

Yes, Carfax can be manipulated. If someone hands you a packet of receipts for oil changes and wheel balancing, you can't dispute that.

I've never owned a brand new car. The closest I ever came was buying an 86 Dakota off my older brother in 1989 because he wanted a new Cougar.

 

[outofyourmind]

I would never buy a GM or Dodge new, much less used. Ford new, but never used.


Q: How many owners has this car had??
A: If it's in great shape it doesn't matter how many owners it's had.


If that BMW breaks, no matter what it is, you won't be able to afford the repair.
Go look at something else.


Honda should be the first choice. Odds are best that it will run virtually forever and nothing will break.


If you are all wrapped up in brand status and self image that certain cars give you, then by all means buy it.

 

[ckhokie]

I did just find this guy with 91k for $6,000 (makes me think something else may be wrong with it)

I would guess nothing is wrong with it. Prices on German sedans, as the get older, drop considerably because people are afraid of maintenance costs. If something mechanically were to go wrong, sure it would cost a bunch, but the chances of that happening are pretty low if it is well maintained. You'd have a better chance of experiencing an issue with some sort of secondary system, which can also be pricey to fix, but is certainly fixable and shouldn't hurt the drivability.

For what it's worth, the last two Audis my has had, he sold with 240k and 198k, and while they had quirks of being older cars, they were still running fine.

 

[757Hokie83]

I would never buy a GM or Dodge new, much less used. Ford new, but never used.


Q: How many owners has this car had??
A: If it's in great shape it doesn't matter how many owners it's had.


If that BMW breaks, no matter what it is, you won't be able to afford the repair.
Go look at something else.


Honda should be the first choice. Odds are best that it will run virtually forever and nothing will break.


If you are all wrapped up in brand status and self image that certain cars give you, then by all means buy it.

nope, just looking at cost and whats nearby and that was one of the first ones that popped up.

honestly, if it werent for gas mileage i would want a early 90s jeep cherokee

 

[ckhokie]

Honda should be the first choice. Odds are best that it will run virtually forever and nothing will break.

If you are all wrapped up in brand status and self image that certain cars give you, then by all means buy it.

What 'status' is associated with a 1999 car?

Maybe he is interested in driving experience too. A RWD BMW, even a 99 > any Honda.

 

[JuiceTheGator]

It's a wagon!

hell yeah, a wagon is the only type of bmw i would want

love me a good wagon

http://www.sportshoopla.com/forums/cars-automotive/93377-aston-martin-4-door-wagon-want.html

 

[mrwallace2ku]

nice looking BMW...
If it has a new timing belt, a clean accident history and the tranny checks out, hell yes. offer $5k.

SOLID advice H2S...major expensive service right there and very important to have behind a newer used car.

 

[williewilliejuan]

hell yeah, a wagon is the only type of bmw i would want

Maintenance costs on BMWs are ridiculous. I wouldn't go there.

 

[(Un)]

300,000

 

[jdwills126]

It's more important on who you buy the car from. Give me a elderly guy from a nice area I have a good feeling he had the engine serviced and the oil changed regularly. Give that car with 125K over someone that doesn't take care of their car.

 

[Davis_Mike]

80k was about my limit on buying a used car. I haven't bought one in a while. I bought a 98 Saturn in 05 with about 80k on it for driving to work for about $3k. After 9 years it's sitting at 150k miles & running pretty good. Of course I put a couple hundred each year in routine maintenance n' such to keep it running as good as it does.

With today's newer engines, if everything on the car checks out, I would feel okay buying a year 2000+ used car with 100k miles on it.

 

[fordman84]

40k. I figure if it has around 30-40k, they traded it in because they want another warranty. If they care about that, they probably take care of their car. I feel there is less chance I'm just buying someone else's problem.

 

[fordman84]

its a 99 BMW 540I Sport Wagon

I was warned one time about the 100k BMW internal oil filter change. Might look it up to see if it was a hoax or not, but supposedly htye have an extrnal and internal oil filter. It's why they last so long. but it is over $1K to replace it.

 

[fordman84]

I would never buy a GM or Dodge new, much less used. Ford new, but never used.


Q: How many owners has this car had??
A: If it's in great shape it doesn't matter how many owners it's had.


If that BMW breaks, no matter what it is, you won't be able to afford the repair.
Go look at something else.


Honda should be the first choice. Odds are best that it will run virtually forever and nothing will break.


If you are all wrapped up in brand status and self image that certain cars give you, then by all means buy it.

Can't go wrong with a honda, but IMO toyota is just as reliable and the Civic (owned once) and Accords I have driven are a lot louder on the road than the Camry. NEver driven a corrola

 

[4down20]

I don't have a limit. If it's a good deal, I'll buy it. If the interior looks good, then that says a good bit about how the car was cared for.

I don't take loans out for cars. My 99 lexus had 160k when I bought it, and it's been fine. Doesn't burn a drop of oil.

 

[HaroldSeattle]

Maintenance costs on BMWs are ridiculous. I wouldn't go there.

So true, if anything needs fixing and you can't do it yourself, expect a ridiculous bill.

 

[HaroldSeattle]

Can't go wrong with a honda, but IMO toyota is just as reliable and the Civic (owned once) and Accords I have driven are a lot louder on the road than the Camry. NEver driven a corrola

With a Corrola expect a lot more road noise, but better gas mileage. I drive a Camry for a everyday commuter, never a lick of trouble. Never owned a Honda, so nothing to compare to, but you really can't go wrong with either.

 

[HUBSTER]

I've been buying new since 82.

 

[fordman84]

I've been buying new since 82.

for some it is the way to go, for others, not so much. Do you keep them very long? A guy I work with will work OVER salesmen till he gets amazing deals. Like he will work a single salesman for a month. He only buys Lexus and gets a new one every year. He said that since he gets such a good deal, he trades it in every time for what he paid for it, so he figures he gets a new free Lexus every year. But he has been with the company for 30 years...he's got millions.

 

[HUBSTER]

for some it is the way to go, for others, not so much. Do you keep them very long? A guy I work with will work OVER salesmen till he gets amazing deals. Like he will work a single salesman for a month. He only buys Lexus and gets a new one every year. He said that since he gets such a good deal, he trades it in every time for what he paid for it, so he figures he gets a new free Lexus every year. But he has been with the company for 30 years...he's got millions.

I average a new vehicle about every five years. I have never spent more than $22k for a new one, either.