Buying cars that have done 200,000 km and above

If the price is much cheaper by 2000 to 3000 dollars than a comparable same model and year car.

Is it a good idea to :

-Buy cars that have done 200,000 km and above

closed Comments

        • @tyler.durden:

          No worries, enjoy hypothetically driving your hypothetical car.

          When you do actually decide to look at and compare a couple, maybe then you might actually listen to advice.

        • @Spackbace:

          no worries

          I don't want to see any more of your posts in here
          since it is giving u a headache..

          good bye

        • @Spackbace:

          u don't have anything better to do than to respond to someone giving u a headache?

        • @tyler.durden:

          I just want to help you realise my headache. I want to compare this headache, against the other one that's similar, but different. What do you think, should I make a forum post for that?

        • @Spackbace:

          no i don't give a shit about your headache

          same as u don't give a shit about this thread..

          you can do whatever the f u want

          please go

        • @tyler.durden:

          Yep see, now you get it, now you're seeing the level of headache!

  • +12

    How long is my other piece of string?

    • Twice the length from the middle.

      • No, the other one.

        In my middle hand.

        • +2

          The one under the bonut ?

        • @Baysew: well yes, when the car is somewhere between 1 and 50 years old like the OP is looking for it is most definitely a good idea to check inder the bonut things.

          If the big thing is leaking, just walk away

    • What's worth more, metallic paint string or string with mag wheels?

      • for someone that has better shit to do..

        you seem to respond to this thread a lot..

        and counting votes or whatever it is u do for fun

  • 180,000 kms is when things start going wrong on small vehicles usually. Some sedans u can get over 200,000 out of them eg. Toyota, Ford, Holden. $1-$2,000 isnt really much of a saving when u consider u might have to fix it a lot. You should go for a car that has low kms and regular service history will save u money in the long run.

    • What if the car is Toyota?

      Would it be worth getting?

      • +1

        Look for one with peeling clear coat and over 280,000km. It'll be cheap as chips and you'll probably still get a few years out of it.

      • I dont know I personally wouldnt touch anything over 200,000kms but other people will take the chance. You hear some Toyota, Ford, Holden sedans making it to 300,000 and theyre still ok. If its a v6 with regular servicing maybe. Also country kms are different to city kms too less wear on the engine but most cars would be city kms. I dont know you could buy a high km car but I wouldn't recommend it

        • If you aren't mechanically minded, pick a lower km, newer car. If you aren't scared of taking a chance on an older car then buy one. If you want to save some money, and have some spare cash for repairs get an older one.

        • @Euphemistic:

          toyota parts are generally cheap and easy to find

          if you dont know much about cars you should google what major services need to be done

          i.e timing belt will cost you 300-1000 depending on whether or not you know a reasonable mechanic
          180k car will probably not have it done yet whereas the 200k car should have it done already

          i guess my point is that a car with 180k might need some pretty pricey work done within the next 1-2 years
          so the difference could be 1k on initial purchase plus an extra 500 work to be done

    • I've got 250 on my BMW. I reckon its got another 50k in it.

  • -1

    AS AN EXPERT IN THIS FIELD I CAN TELL YOU: AS A GENERAL RULE ITS BEST TO STAY RIGHT AWAY FROM ANY CAR THAT HAS DONE OVER 200,0000.
    In fact I recently advised my son who was looking to buy his first car to only buy cars under 140,000km.
    Regardless of service history: the more a car has travelled the more wear and tear it has suffered hence the more you can expect for fork out for repairs. What you save on the purchase price you spend on repairs. Both demand and resale vales drop right away over 200,000km so you will have lots of trouble selling the car later - if you can find someone to buy it from you.
    PS: In NSW cars under 10 years old and under 160,000km that are purchased from a motor dealer are covered by a 3 month warranty thats almost as good as a new car warranty. So worth considering!

    • +4

      are covered by a 3 month warranty thats almost as good as a new car warranty.

      NO! It's not the same and it's miles from it! This is the 2nd thread in as many days that I've seen this come up! Statutory warranties are nowhere near a factory warranty! They are very limited warranties that don't cover many, many things on the car.

  • +6

    Sigh.

    Daily Neg Limit exhausted by 9.30 am

  • +1

    42

  • +2

    Another stupid forum post. OP is being way too vague with the question. Unless OP has actual cars for us to compare then this discussion is just going to go nowhere.

    • +1

      I wouldnt go that far. However if you buy a car over 100,000km you're probably buying something that is 5yrs old (avg. km for 5yrs) and hence out of warranty.

      If the car is well presented and everything works at time of purchase then that's all I can expect.

      Its a gamble. If I buy a car over 100,000km then I prepare for all mechanical issues that might happen.

      200,000km? Jesus. Many people get rid of cars at 100,000 and you're talking 200,000?

    • not really

      there are other threads I seen that does not have a specific car mentioned…

      https://au.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=201102110307…

      The reason I initially ask it like that is so it can apply to any car
      not just my own choice…
      which may change to something else later on

      Do i need to then create a new thread each time..

      Also if someone also in a similar situation, it can apply to them as well..
      rather than just my specific car.

  • +1

    I haven't bought a car in the last few years with under 500,000 ks on it.

    I pick up straight out of service taxi's and clean them up ($1000-2000 for an 08-09 FG falcon), my personal car was pushing 600,000 ks before it was written off last month. Before that I drove a BA falcon with 990,000 ks on it while still on the original engine.

    • Agree with this however buying at this end you acknowledge that there is little to no resale value (residual) so as long as the car you are purchasing with 200k plus Kms you are prepared to dump after use - then all good. I currently have an AU taxi pack with 500+ Km, I love it - drives like a spaceship. It costs more to register this car each year than I could achieve by selling it.

  • Cars with 200k + are great for back packers, or just short trips to the station if you have another car that you wouldnt want to park there.

    Mrs had a corolla with 380+k klms when we sold it, burt oil from a valve stem from new (it was a hand me down from her mum) apart from that was mostly ok.

    We had it about 3 years, only needing an alternator which was because it had headers too close to it.

    If i had to drive to work i would just buy a cheap 400cc+ scooter and filter my way to work. Can carry a case, 2 people and sit on the highway easily.

    • This. Cheap second car.

      My wife has the good car, 2011 model, 47k on it when bought, this is also our family car. I have the cheap car. I'm not paying a premium for something that lives outside and rarely gets a decent run.im fully prepared to pay for repairs and know that the savings I made on the purchase price because of the higher kms go to knowing that repairs have been done properly (timing belt for example) as opposed to the previous owner just saying it's been done.

  • +1

    I think buying a 200k+ car is not a bad idea IF you know a lot about cars. Since you're asking it doesn't sound like you do (neither do I!).

    *Cheap
    *Reliable
    *Cool/Powerful/featured Car

    Choose two.

    What I usually do is buy cheap reliable cars. This usually means I sacrifice the coolness and power…etc. I just bought a hatchback Holden Barina 07 for $2700. Its only done 87,000kms. So I should get some mileage out of it. But you might be after something else.

  • It also depends on the type of car.
    Personally I wouldn't touch euro cars (especially bmw's) over 200k they are notorious for various electronic and gearbox issues as they age.

    Anything Japanese is usually a safe bet

  • No it's much more worth it to spend $5000 more for cars with much lesser km. Like my mother's car, it's 5 years old with 10k.

    Car price decline by age. The km make a bit of difference. Hence lesser km is the bargain. As long as both cars have complete logbook n no accident.

  • Generally its not a good idea unless its your first car and you are paying less than $3k.

    Something like old Falcon or Camry, they happily run 500,000 km plus and are dirt cheap to fix. If you are happy to DIY a quick trip to the wreckers can fix pretty much anything because their engines are simple.

  • I own a 1996 Toyota corolla seca hatchback. Bought it for 700 bucks from my uncle. 210kkm when I first bought it. Only had a log book for 2 years. I bought it knowing that it was never looked after. Uncle said he had it for 3 years and never serviced it. I changed only the oil and spark plugs and it's been running for another 4 years as my daily. 340kkm on the Odom now.
    Sister owns a Hyundai i30 2010, bought from brand new. Broke down in 2012 with 15kkm on odom. Warranty covered it, then windows stopped working, transmission stutters, plastics are starting to crack lol. Now the warranty is over and she has to fix all of these components. $1800 full repair and service.

    So it really does matter which brand u go for.
    I'm very biased with my brands of cars haha.
    You can never get the "right" price for second hand cars, only what price suits you.
    In my opinion, buying a car is cheap. Maintaining it, rego, insurance, is where all the money goes.
    Expect 200kkm cars to be expensive to maintain. I wouldn't buy it if u don't know much about cars, also safety and inconvenience if it breaks down halfway while driving.

    1. 160,000km or higher and your car does not come with a statutory warranty.

    2. Mag wheels are not expensive. Depending on the size and stud pattern, it could be $500. At that price, you're definitely getting cast wheels and at that travel 2. distance, you're probably looking at buckling to some extent.

    3. If the car has cosmetic blemished, metallic paint is more difficult and expensive to repair.

    4. What was done at the previous service? This is probably more important than the mileage. How's the brake rotors, brake pads, tyres, gearbox, timing belt…

  • Wow, well I guess this post established most of ozbargain has no idea about cars, or is too young to have owned one.

    Cars cost money, no matter if it's a brand new car or one with 300,000 on the clock. You're still going to have to fork out for servicing and issues will pop up.

    The advice to never consider anything with over some arbitrary number like 150,000km is absolutely bizarre. Unless you buy a shitheap (In which case it'll be a terrible car even if it has 10k on the clock), cars can and do last well over 300k.

    With that said, the question itself isn't a very good one because we don't have any details. One car with 200k on it may be in a lot better condition than one with 150k. Or vice versa. Missed services will kill an engine pretty quickly.

    It depends what you want. If you buy a brand new or new-ish car you're going to cop a LOT of depreciation. By the time the car gets down below 10k most of that depreciation has been done. You can then move it on after a few years or run it into the ground. The choice is yours.

    • Sounds like you're not familiar with the car scene.

      the reason why people talk about 150,000km (or 160,000km) is that a second hand car dealer doesn't have to honor statutory warranty if the car has 160,000km on the odometer when sold. There is a huge difference between 200 and 150.

      A missed service doesn't mean much to engine longevity. A lot of cars now run on fully synthetic which can take a heck a lot of beating. I've sent some oil for analysis from an engine that's done 30,000km from the same oil… the oil was still in near perfect condition.

      Sure, it may have nothing to do with mileage, more to do with the owner but either way, you're not going to know what's happened to the car. All you have to go by is the warranty.

  • As a general proposition, I would rather buy a newish car with a lot of ks than an older car with less.

    Nothing wrong with a lot of ks accumulated in a short time. Most wear on an engine is accumulated during startup, when its warming up. Long haul driving on the highway is pretty forgiving on a car compared to a car being driven short distances multiple times a day. I bought an Aurion off a rep who had done a lot of long haul driving in it, it was a good car even with 200 000 on the clock.

    • how old was the aurion?
      and what was the price?

  • These look alright and are in NSW, not sure if its what youre looking for:

    Toyota Corolla 2001 Man Hatch White Serviced 116,000kms $4300 - http://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/Toyota-Corolla-20…

    Toyota Corolla 2003 Auto Hatch Black Serviced 128,203 $5500 - http://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/Toyota-Corolla-20…

  • I really want to know what StewBalls said at 22:12 :)

    • Probably said what everyone's thinking, which can't be posted because it can't be worded in a way that doesn't sound like a personal attack ;)

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