[murajith]

I voted for 26 to 49000 (49K) Kms.

As someone who bought 11 pre-used cars and traded 12 cars in last 12 years, i look at the re-sale potential of the car as well, from kms run stand point .

I generally keep a pre-used car for 2-3 years (rarely, 4-5 years), would want to sell it before it goes down in re-sale space. Hence I prefer to pick something with in 30K or worst case 50K and use it for few years and sell before it hits 80K.

I had got one 3 years back that had clocked 60K and tried to sell before it hit 100K. As it was at 93K it took significantly longer to sell, even though the car was in good condition.

Other aspect to check along with Kms is the warranty. I might by a car with 50 or >50K kms, but if it is still on warranty (say 100K/ 5 year warranty)

I am in hunt for a car now and warranty is a factor that is heavily influencing the decision. More so, as the value of the car goes up.

[sridhar-v]

I have an intresting experience:
I have a 2008 Santro AT that has been with me since new and has done approx 67K kms.
In 2015 I bought a 4th hand 2007 model Grand Vitara AT. It had done about 74k kms when I bought it.

Both have been properly maintained by me and both have had their suspensions totally overhauled in the past 12 months.
The Grand Vitara just does not give the same niggle free experience that I get from the Santro, inspite of it being a CBU. I put that down to the fact that in its initial years it had not been as strictly maintained as I have the Santro.

I console myself with the fact that I have saved a hefty amount on purchase of the Grand Vitara and am resigned to spending more on current maintenance.

The Grand Vitara will be turning 15 in 2022 and the Santro in 2023.
I will definitely extend the registration of the Santro for a further 5 years.
Not too sure about the Grand Vitara though. Unfortunately there just isnt any reasonably priced vehicle available that can easily replace the Grand Vitara. My only hope seems to be the new 2021 Scorpio.

[groom]

I bought a 38 thousand miles run Toyota Corolla and ran it for an year, added around 11 thousand miles. Later sold it for a profit of 700dollars after an year.

I am currently using Nissan Cube Cubic, single owner used it for 10yrs, clocked 46k kms, now i have added 12k kms in three years. Might sell it soon, but will loose lot of money due to bad reuse market in Japan.

I am a fan of used cars when i dont intend to retain it for longer time. As you see from my above choice 35 to 45k kms is ideal mileage for used car purchase.

I bought 7 new cars in India and not purchased any used one here. Longest i have owned one is for 7yrs.

[Sasanka_Sanga]

I purchased a 2013 Mahindra Thar CRDe 2013 4X4 that had an ODO of 79,800 KMS. It was used for 5 years. I checked the service history and has taken to a renowned car evaluation center and guess what, the vehicle came out with flying colors.

Now the vehicle has logged 92,000 KMS (2 years span). No issues, extremely smooth and reliable on-road and off-road.

Apart from oil change and regular service, nothing major was done till date.

I think, vehicle inspection is mandatory and also you need to have an element called luck to find that right vehicle.

[2000rpm]

Originally Posted by GTO

Quite surprised to see more votes for 100,000+ km cars than the 50000 - 99000 range combined .

I think the 50000-99000 range is the first major service zone where a lot of parts are near their Mean time between failure. With >100000 kms cars, people must be assuming that whatever can fail, has failed and been replaced. (which is not always true).

I would touch a car above 100000 kms only if its a Toyota! But then I bought a 80000 k VW, so you never know!

[turbowhistle]

Voted for I'm okay with 100,000+ km cars

I purchased 3 used vehicles and none of them were selected on the basis of mileage done. It was purely the condition of the car and how it was maintened by the previous owner. Did not have issues with 2 cars and 1 car gave me a lot of trouble because the previous owner abused it.

Current generation cars are built to last atleast 200000 km if maintened properly. There is a mental block against high mileage cars which gives you an extra bargaining power. As long as you know what you are getting into and have good connections with FNG, it should not matter how much the car has run.

[jetsetgo08]

Originally Posted by 2000rpm

I think the 50000-99000 range is the first major service zone where a lot of parts are near their Mean time between failure. With >100000 kms cars, people must be assuming that whatever can fail, has failed and been replaced. (which is not always true).

This is true. If the service history has all that's needed to replace anywhere within 1.2L km's like suspension,brakes,timing chain,water pump,a/c compressor, tyres etc. then most likely that car is good for another 80k km's with needing just regular services.

[bordeaux]

My criterion is <12,000 KMs/year at the time of purchase. This falls under mostly office usage category which does not lead to all the wear and tear. Also, it will depend a lot on the brand e.g. a Toyota/Hyundai with more KMs on the odo will get an exemption while I'd keep the bar way lower for a Mahindra/Renault and I'd never buy a used Nissan. Bought my Honda City at 49,000 KMs when it was 4 years old. It got the advantage of being driven by an elderly person as office commuter. Also, it got the advantage of being a Black City as Honda didn't have a black color option around 2013 and I'd not buy a car in any other color. If Honda was selling a new black City, I'd have gone for a new one. Current odometer is at 1,60,000 KMs and apart from cosmetic degradation because of my poor upkeep, the heart is still the way it was.

[vasanthjn]

I voted for the 100000 + KM Cars.

In my entire life I have never bought a New Car. I think this decision of mine purely revolves around who owned the car and what brand it is.
1. I purchased a W124 in 2009, which was 14 years old then with 72K KM on the ODO. This was from a very well known Family in Chennai. It was a daily runner. I used it for another 30K in 4 Years and sold the same.
2. I purchased a Corolla Altis AT in 2019, which was 8 Years old then with 100K KM on the ODO. I have clocked another 12K KM in the last 10 Months with just regular oil change.
3. Have bought a 1996 Mahindra Classic in 2004 with no idea about the ODO. Just love this. Have done a complete engine rebuild.
4. Have bought a 1980 RE in 2005 and continue to use them till date.

Regardless of the ODO, I would any day love to own a W123.
So it boils down to the Brand and who owned the car for me.

[McLaren Rulez]

This thread reveals a lot about our attitude towards risk. If you're reading this post, there's a good chance that you're already passionate and knowledgable about cars. And yet, most of us second guess ourselves and choose the safe option of lightly used cars. Believe in your ability and use it to profit. This is an area where you have a huge advantage over the average used car buyer.

There is nothing complicated about evaluating high mileage i.e. 100,000+ km cars. It's the same knowledge you need to evaluate low mileage cars with some additional checkpoints. If it was maintained badly, you can spot it. If it was maintained well, you can also clearly see it. De-risk them sufficiently and you have far jucier deals than anything you can get for <50,000 km cars. The only question is whether you want to invest a little extra time into both the search and the evaluation process or not. Yes, you lose the "showroom feel" but this is something every used car loses to some extent.

100k+ cars can be had for throwaway prices with nearly no depreciation cost. Heck, you can sometimes buy a car of that mileage, use it for a couple of years and sell it for more than you bought it for. If you're buying a used car anyway and need to spend time on evaluations, there is no reason to set arbitrary psychological thresholds on mileage or age. Trust your knowledge and instincts and evaluate the car in front of you - you will do better than you think.

[neoonwheels]

I voted for under 50K KMs but the current car that I bought had done 61K KMs. Reason I bought this car was:

1. It was VW owned and maintained car - All services done at BUB Pune with all history
2. Its major 60K KM service which costs around 40K was done 1 month earlier
3. The car had 6 months worth of Insurance still valid
4. Car had only a single scratch under left ORVM
5. BUB did a thorough checkup and gave a green signal
6. New tyres - Has 30K KMs worth of life still remaining
7. Only 2.5 years old when I got her. Also got it for less than half of its invoice price in 2016

It was as good as showroom condition car and so did not bother too much abut the KMs on the odo.

My Jetta MT which I had bought in 2017 however had done only 41K KMs.

[mh09ad5578]

Originally Posted by McLaren Rulez

This thread reveals a lot about our attitude towards risk.
There is nothing complicated about evaluating high mileage i.e. 100,000+ km cars. It's the same knowledge you need to evaluate low mileage cars with some additional checkpoints.
100k+ cars can be had for throwaway prices with nearly no depreciation cost.

Incredibly insightful and well said post. Will agree to most points. Another point to consider now that we're in 2020; is what will happen in next 5 years? How the change to electric should affect the resale values of these cars. I've found two mouth watering deals, a 2005 Hyundai Terracan for 2.5 lakhs and 2011 Hyundai Fanta Fe for 6 lakhs both 4wd as a stand by/ leisure car. Dropped the idea as I think these will be junk once things move to electric.

[BB311]

I'm Okay buying cars with 1 lakh km's + on odometer. A good number of cars with under 50k on odo have a tampered odometer value (esp. in NCR). Personally we have sold cars with that low mileage only because they were lemons and we didn't want to spend any time/money fixing the issues, this personal deed makes me more cautious of such gold mine finds. So low mileage that can not be verified (read - fake/missing service records) accompanied with significantly higher prices do not serve a purpose for my buying quest.

[Carpainter]

Voted for 26-49K kms but frankly speaking I've never bought an used car before and don't plan to buy one either in the near future. I believe it's better to hold on to your current car and delay your purchase if you're on a tight budget to save some more and buy new when possible. Few things that come with a new car is the warranty, relative peace of mind, snob value and that feeling and smell of a brand new car. I know used cars can come cheap and can be a great bargain but I just can't shake the feeling that I'll be using a car that has been used by someone I don't know and god knows what he or she did with the car. Here is an example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0lSWBk6sqI

P.S. Sorry to dampen your moods who are going to buy used cars in irresistible deals.

[jd10ent]

I voted for <25,000/- because you get a car that is relatively new. Along with less than 25k kms it needs to be within 3 years. That way you get some warranty, probably a third free service, like I got with my latest purchase. 25 months old, 17k on the odo, with 3rd free service and about a year of warranty. It's almost like buying a new car, with the advantage of paying about 60-70% of the actual cost.