would you rather a 30k miled car that had only driven about town or a 100k car that had done motorway miles?

I know a few people who are quite obsessed with getting low mileage cars all the time and this dawned upon me.

surely the 30k town miles car has had potentially a harder life than the 100k motorway car, hasnt it?

Im not fussy either way tbh, but with a larger miled car you will have to replace maybe more consumables but it has survived the mileage.

pointless... maybe, but I had a thunk

 

Damn. Read below reply.

 

Depends what car it was - if it was diesel car then possibly the motorway muncher, if it was a performance car then probably around town.

 

its just that there is the potential for a lot more engine wear on a car thats only driven around town isnt there?

 

Err.....probably the lower miler.

If you said 70k miles in town or 100k motorway I'd say other way round.

Depends on condition really.

 

I suppose there will be more wear on the transmission also as they will be up and down the box all the time.

I recon it would be 50/50 - possibly the lower milage car due to the fact that it's lower milage and that it would be easier to sell once you'd have finished with it.

 

"Up and down the box all the time".

Sounds good to me!!!

 

I always wonder how these "All motorway cars" get to and from the Motorway, in and out of services, from one Motorway to another. Get the 100K car - it's probably done 30K of non motorway anyway.

 

Providing the car has been well looked after mileage isnt an issue.If the big miler has been oil changed and generally serviced regulaly then there should be no issues

 

Try trading in a 100K miler though, and see what happens.

The term "motorway miles" is a trade term for selling some old ex company hack, which if offered to them as a trade in, would have been offered very cheaply indeed for them to take it in the first place, and will be very unpopular when you come to move it on again in the future.

Unless of course, it is a diesel, where there will always be a willing buyer.

 

Higher mileage and Motorway...

I've had 5 cars that I've done over 130k in each from new... 95%m-way... not one of them has had a problem... And I mean no problems at all...! and all of them ran better than most other cars i've driven...

Engines really do settle into doing the miles well if used like this...

I've done 30k's worth of Mway miles in my Sti in a year and a bit and its now really smooth, really settled in and super quick... And i've found this with the other cars... my old Astra was the same, compared with with my colleque who's had the same cars as me but does only local and town work... driving his cars after mine has been a real eye opener... they simply don't want to go...

Every one has felt like it was holding back, did this in the Asta, Vectra, BMW 330 ... all the same, infact my 330 was considerably quicker than his.. and exactly the same car... at 135k the 330 felt like it had done 20k...

The same in the STi... it feels so much better now than it was... But then i always use top quality oil and never miss services..
In this respect mileage is really not a problem in a modern car... any new ish car is good for 200k its not like 15 years ago... 90-100k and they were knackered...

I'd be much more concerened witha car that had just pottered about, around town in and out of gear, or simply driven about localy being thrashed...

As an exaple I've just changed my front pads... @ 30,000 and its had 1 tire fitted due to a pucture... P Zero Nero's...
And before you asked no i don't drive like my mum anyone who knows me knows i don't hang about...

 

My second car - a Nissan Primera M Reg Diesel is sitting at 194,000 miles at the moment and again has just sailed through the MOT - no faults.

They can and will last. High miles on a WELL looked after car (ie much more regular servicing than manufacturer especially an Impreza etc) is never to be feared. Motorway is ALWAYS better than town - cars are running hot, fewer cold starts followed by 2 mile journeys. Anyone with proper gauges will know how long it takes a car to REALLY heat up - not just the thermostat.

My Impreza - about 20k a year - oil changed 5 times, serviced twice by Subaru, in the last 16,500 miles. I want it to last the distance.

Brian

 

Amen to that!!!!

I have just purchased an 'ex fleet hack' 2001 Passat 130 tdi on 94k.

It is like a new car.

Full VAG history, naturally, and the lease company basically had the front paintwork flashed from the stonechips, fitted all new consumables, had the alloys refurbished, and you would swear it had just come off the forecourt.

It drives like a dream, is more immediately punchy in any gear at most revs than my scooby is, and I just did 360miles on half a tank crusing at 100mph.

I no longer get fuzzy head from the road noise, I can hear the (fantastic) stereo, my arms don't ache from stopping it tramlining, I don't get any lower back pain even after a few hours non stop, expansion joints and potholes no longer mean a trip to the osteopath, and it still flies around corners thanks to the ASR.

And it doesn't attract Chavs.

And the boot space is

And mudflaps only cost me £70

And I don't have to rev to nearly 4k to get away from lights and junctions.

I have to say I wouldn't swap it back for the scoob, even tho I paid 5k less for this than I sold the scoob for.

I've seen cars with the vag 1.9tdi still going strong at 250k.

 

Good on you edcase.

Brian

 

If you don't mind me asking Edcase, how much?

 

Sold my 52 plate WRX with some nice mods (sti rack, springs, morrettes, color coded uk300 lip and skirts) for £12800, bought the Passat for £7700 with a 'proper' 2 year warranty!!!

Also paid £200 for 2year vrp so that I get the full whack if I have an accident or it gets nicked, as the insurance company would likely try to give me less because of the mileage.

Talking of which, my insurance excess and repayments have more than halved.

The money I save over winter will buy me a nice caterfield ready for next years track day season

BTW if anybody sees a nutter in a metallic anthracite Passat flashing and waving, it's just me!!! A couple of people have just looked at me as if I am mad

 

Bloody boring though.

 

I've got a cheaper 'second car' -a Sport - that was meant to do all the big miles but it is so hard to have the self control and not take the WRX, so much in fact that my 70,000 mile service is due this week, it was new in Nov 2002! I hope that it'll do the mega miles! Gulp!



Mike

 

My dad bought a low-mileage old-ish car (it was actually an '89 Saab 900) and it was nothing but trouble. The owner lived in London, so all of those miles were over speed bumps, round corners, up and down the gearbox, short journeys with a cold engine, etc. So there was plenty of engine wear, steering wear, suspension wear, gearbox wear, etc.