How many kilometers is too much on a used car?
If you’re buying a used car, mileage is probably an important factor in your decision, but at what point has a car just done too many kilometers? We spoke to some of our dealers to find out what they think.
1. How many kilometers is too much on a premium used car?
“I’d say around 60,000km, I've had an 8-9-year-old car with that mileage, and it tells you the car wasn't owned by a daily driver. It was used on special occasions as it's like just over 10,000 a year which isn't a lot. I’d say that's what you're looking for especially for a premium car.” Sid Cary Sales, Manager from Mystic Cars in Dolphin Coast.
2. Has buying high mileage cars changed over the past few years?
“From my point of view, I try to look at how the whole dynamic has changed over the last couple of years. When I was a sales executive we used to kind of limit ourselves to keeping cars that are under 100,000km but obviously with price increases year-on-year that dynamic has sort of changed. So from my side, I try to limit it to about 150,000km, provided they are in good condition, and it's got full-service history. For me personally maximum between 150 and 200,000 KM” Steven Brand, Dealer Principal from Mekor Ford Claremont in Cape Town.
3. Is it worth buying a car with over 100,00KM?
“Well, 100,000Km seems to be the magical number that people are scared of in the car world, but I would probably say around 250,000km. If it has a good history and is well maintained then I would go for a higher mileage car.” Michael McManus, Dealer Principal from Durban North Auto Sales.
4. Does how many kms is too many, change from person to person?
“That’s a tricky question, but it really is demographic-specific.
So a doctor might want to buy a car with under 80,000 kilometers, they want something reliable, whereas a farmer who lives in a rural area, he's happy to buy a bakkie with 300,000 Kilometers, he's buying for purpose, and he's buying value. He's not necessarily interested in kilometers, he's more interested in the quality of the vehicle.” Ashruf Adam, Dealer Principal from Sure Drive in Durban.
Our take?
The most important thing is checking if the car has been looked after and well maintained. Found a used car for sale you like? Ask the dealership for the full service history to see how well the car has been maintained.
