Theoretically, the lower odometer reading the car has, the longer life expectancy of the engine and most components of the vehicle. If the car's odometer hits six figures, oil leaks can start cropping up plus the eventual wearing out of some key and expensive parts like the timing belt..
Detailed condition reports are the best way to determine if a vehicle is in good nick for its age and kilometre range. The magic number that buyers look for on an odometer is 200,000kms. Once a car hits this number, it is significantly reduced in value.
Should I Avoid Buying a Car with More than 200,000 km on It? If you find a car with more than 200,000 km on it, don't be too concerned. A vehicle that has gotten regular oil changes, tire rotations, tune-ups, and a little high-mileage maintenance, should still have some life left in it.
Do kilometres matter when buying a car? In general, buyers often want the car they are buying to have less than 100,000 kilometres on the clock at the time of purchase. But the truth is, there is no such thing as a car having been driven for 'too many kilometres'.
Thirty or more years ago I would probably have said don't touch it, but 180,000km isn't a lot for a car today. It does to some extent depend on how long you plan to keep it, but if it's in good condition and has been regularly serviced I would expect that you should get 100,000km and out of it, and probably more.
Service milestones. Generally, the fewer kms a car has driven, the better. But a used car that has higher kms can be a great buy if it has been maintained properly and driven sensibly. Like people, cars need tune-ups and checkups to stay high performance.
Passenger vehicles made up 75% of all registered vehicles in Australia and the average passenger vehicle travelled 12,607 kilometres a year or 34.5 kilometres a day. The average motorcycle travelled 2,557 kilometres a year, or 7 kilometres a day.
Average age of all vehicles registered in Australia was 10.1 years, unchanged since 2015. Tasmanian vehicles reported the oldest average age at 12.8 years, whilst the Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory had the youngest fleet with an average age of 9.4 years.
The automotive research firm and car search engine found that Toyota drivers, along with 3-row SUV and truck drivers, are getting the longest potential lifespan from their vehicles. (Also keep in mind that vehicles that durable and reliable cars also tend to hold their resale value better than the average car. )
But the technology and the materials used have continued to improve over the years, as have fuels and oil. The garage can also make a diagnosis more and more accurately and therefore perform better maintenance and preventive repairs. If you have your car well maintained, 100,000 kilometers should not be a problem.
It's always worthwhile to assess the service record of any used car, and if it hasn't been consistent, then it could be cause for trouble. Most cars around the 200,000-kilometre mark and above with a reliable service history should be an excellent purchase if the price is right.
A good rule of thumb is that a well-cared for car can run past the 100,000 mile (160,000 km) mark on the odometer.
While 20,000 kilometers per year is fairly standard, there are other options both below and above – including up to 24,000 kilometers per year for longer distance drivers.
To get an idea of what is considered a 'normal' mileage for a particular used car, you can divide the quoted mileage by the number of years on the road. If the result is higher than 7,500 this could be considered a high mileage car, and if the number is below, it's low mileage.
In retaining “like new” quality and inheriting a slower depreciation rate, the best used car age for buying is 2-3 years. In fact, Americans are saving up to $14,000 on a 3-year-old vehicle. For example, a car that may have cost you $30,000 when new would cost around $16,000 after just 3 years.
The typical life of a petrol engine is around 3 lakh kilometres before it starts wearing. However, a diesel engine's lifecycle can easily last 5 lakh kilometres. Mechanics says that if maintained properly a diesel engine would last for around 30 years.
Calculating a vehicle's fuel consumption is not difficult. Simply note down the distance travelled since the last top-up and then take a note of how much fuel it consumed to travel that distance, then divide the litres used by the kilometres travelled and multiply by 100 to calculate consumption in litres/100km.
What is considered high mileage on a car? Often, 100,000 miles is considered a cut-off point for used cars because older vehicles often start requiring more expensive and frequent maintenance when mileage exceeds 100,000.
Often, engines which approach mileage of 300,000km or those that have been poorly maintained will need more than an engine overhaul. They will require a complete engine re-build.
Why are Toyota's so reliable? Yes, Toyota's are known for their reliability. Toyotas have an average lifespan of 200,000-250,000 miles. If you make sure to keep your car with proper care and maintenance, Toyotas can be driven over 500,000 miles.
What is the most dependable car brand? Here are the brand rankings based on the number of problems per 100 vehicles, according to J.D. Power's 2023 U.S. vehicle dependability study. The industry average is 186. The highest-ranking premium brand was Lexus, and Kia was the highest-ranking mass market brand.
Topping that list is the Toyota Sequoia, which has a potential lifespan of 296,509 miles, according to a new study from iSeeCars.com. The automotive research website analyzed more than 2 million cars to determine which last longest and found that 20 models are able to endure for more than 200,000 miles.
According to consumer data, Mazdas have a long lifespan. If diligently maintained, they'll go between 200,000 and 300,000 miles without any severe problems. Anecdotally, some Mazdas have over 350,000 miles and are still hitting the road.
Statistically, according to consumer reports, Mazda is the most dependable car manufacturer, followed by Toyota, with the Corolla being the most dependable car. Honda's average reliability rating did not even place it in the top 10.