Is Mileage or Age More Important When Purchasing a Used Car?
If you’re buying a used car, age and mileage are two key considerations, but which is more important? We spoke to some of our dealers to find out for you.
1. Is mileage more important than age, or is age more important than mileage when purchasing a used car?
“I think the mileage. The year model doesn't generally make a difference, you need to look at how this car has been used before you've driven it, the mileage can tell you a lot. ” Ameenah Abdurahman, Dealer Principal from Myaa Auto in Cape Town.
2. Is age or mileage more important when buying a classic car?
“No, it's neither. I mean, I've got a 1929 Rolls-Royce that you get in, turn the key, and it drives! It still goes and it's done hundreds of thousands of kilometres. I think the important component here is to actually purchase a vehicle from people that have a technical connection to the cars because a person is capable of looking at a car, and they'll go, “well, that's a very pretty car” and they'll buy it, and it will give them years of trouble, because it was all pretty on the outside and at the bottom it was rotten.” Clinton Laude, Dealer Principal from Laude Classics in Cape Town.
3. Should I take condition into account over age and mileage?
“I think that it is very much based on the condition of the car. So you can have a 10-year-old vehicle with low mileage that's been well serviced and kept in good condition, yet you can have a two-year-old vehicle that's got 200,000kms on the clock, and it's been driven badly and not well looked after. So I really think that each vehicle has to be looked at individually. To me, it's very much about the condition and obviously the service history, you can immediately see by the way that somebody has serviced the car how it's been looked after.” Steven Brand, Dealer Principal from Mekor Ford Claremont in Cape Town.
4. How do I decide the right balance between age and mileage?
“So it's all relative. The simple statement is this; contextually I would always recommend an older car with lower mileage than a younger car with higher mileage. And the anecdote is this, I'm turning 44 this year and as I keep saying to everyone, the more mileage I get, the more things I drop. And the same principle applies to any car”. Jamie Surkont, Dealer Principal from GETWORTH in Cape Town
Our take?
Make sure to take a good look at the overall car condition and service records before you buy. 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.
