Asking mechanics if car mileage or age more important? #mechanics

We asked our mechanics... Is car mileage or age more important when buying a used car? Some of our technicians said mileage was the most important of the two while the others said they were equally important when it came to buying the right car.

According to Consumer Reports, when it comes to buying a used car, the most important thing is to scrutinize the car you're considering purchasing.

Look at the maintenance and repair records to see whether it’s been well maintained,” says Gabe Shenhar, associate director of Consumer Reports’ auto test program. “But if the mileage is unusually low, you want to really look it over because you don’t want a car that’s been sitting for a long time.” On the other hand, High-mileage cars may need pricey service and repair work, such as a timing belt or fuel pump replacement.

Another factor you want to take into consideration when deciding between age and mileage is the advancements in technology that occur between one model year and the next.

“I would lean more toward newer vehicles, even if they have more miles,” says Jennifer Stockburger, director of operations at Consumer Reports’ Auto Test Center. “And the reason I say that is because there have been so many advances in terms of safety and fuel economy. Think about things like electronic stability control, backup cameras, forward collision warning, and automatic emergency braking. The older the vehicle you get, the more likely you may not get one of these key safety advances.”

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#age
#mileage

[NathanielDillinger]

They're both important, car mileage is important in how the car has been driven and how well the maintenance has been kept up with. Car age is important in the sense of how the car was stored, where it was stored for its age, and also the amount of maintenance done. Either way, it always comes down to how well the car was maintained.

[unsulliedsickness]

The guy who said it depends on where you live is right. I've worked on 50 year old cars from out west that were in better shape than 5 year old cars from up north. Aside from that, I'd probably say mileage is more important.

[ZavHustles]

Cars are meant to be driven, I’d much rather take a newer car with a lot of miles, as opposed to an older car with low miles. You see all those cars with very low mileage but they have a ton of problems because they sit for too long and aren’t driven

[dr.charlesedwardflorendobr]

If its a Toyota, neither. Toyotas with high mileage or old age still function perfectly.

[johnrpizzaguy]

This looks like a 5 year UTI reunion. I like the depends on where you live, here on the coast of California car last longer than in the rust belt. But what do I know 2 days ago I celebrated my 40 years as a certified mechanic.

[havelpants]

Age has its own variables, such as how it's stored or how often it's used.
Mileage also has it's own variables like idle time, engine hours etc.

[DouglettDD]

Some cars don’t track it but imo engine hours is probably more important to me. My cars have a lot of miles but basically only commute on the highway everyday so they still feel very good

[buckdesystem]

I don't often disagree with professional mechanics, but this time I do. Cars wear out more with age than distance driven. Cars wear out just sitting parked. I would never pay good money for an older car with low mileage, everything will need to be replaced anyway, so you might as well pay a lot less and get a high mileage one.

[brettcarter]

I’d say age. If you have an older car with only 10, 000 miles on it, but it has been sitting, unused for months or years at a time, the low mileage won’t matter - the seals will be dried out and the tires dry rotted. Also, the fluids are breaking down while it sits, so if the owner doesn’t flush them out and re-fill them with fresh fluids before starting and using the vehicle after long periods of disuse, then that alone will cause damage. Time takes a toll.

[jorad]

there was this guy who has 4 classic cars in the 1950s-1960s, he was the original owner with low mileage, it is still running because it was garage kept, he constantly cleaned his cars and took care of them, now these cars he has back then has mileage of nearly 700k because he did oil changes every 2k miles and when asked about how his cars was still running so long he said it was maintenance, changing everything out such as belts, water pump, oil change and tune up, so selecting mileage your car is nearing it's half life and end life because of the engine block being abused the later year with few mileage is the way to go, let's wear and tear on your vehicle.

[jw]

This is a nuanced question. Mileage generally matters more I think, but age absolutely matters when you factor in how it has been stored (garage vs open field), how heat or age may have affected wiring and or plastic connectors... so it's really not a simple answer.

[fjb]

Depends who owned the vehicle and where you live. You could have 20k miles on a 30 year old car but was it stored outside inside?
Driven in the winter or summer or both? Did the person do regular maintenance or drive the thing and never change the oil since day one?
Too many variables to give that question a good answer

[williamzhang]

That depends on if it's garage kept. If it is, then mileage is more important. If not garage kept, then age is more important.

[travispitts]

Both are important... A 66 Chevy C10 with one mile parked in a field or barn until now would probably be in about the same condition as one you picked up from your local tweaker, it would just need a different kind of maintenance

[PabloGonzalez-hvtd]

Not all mileage is created equal. Long distance drives where everything comes up to temp are much better for engine wear than repetitive short trips especially in cold weather.

[sohess]

There’s many variable. A 50 year old car with 0 miles will immediately start leaking out of every hole when you start it. A car needs to be exercised. Rubbers wear out when they sit. With that being said, was the car garaged, was it all city or highway miles? There’s too many things to consider

[msw]

Depends how well maintained. Garage or no garage. Low mileage well maintained and used periodically is IDEAL. Heated garage can actually damage car possibly. Car cover is fine too. High mileage cars well maintained is fine too.

[scoobysid]

You can see the age but not the life, so mileage all day 😂

[Hallowsaw]

Idk, im not taking a 20 year old car with 100k miles over a 5 year old car with 100k miles. That 20 year old car most likely has rust, carbon build up, bad gas, poor tires. All kinds of things could be bad. But 100k miles in 5 years tells me its been on the highway quite a bit which is the best mileage for a car.

[johnlibonati]

Depends on where you live was the best answer.