Is it ok to buy a high mileage car?

Buying a used car is often a great way to acquire a great “new” car at an affordable price. You may even be able to purchase a car with a huge amount of mileage and still gain all the benefits of a vehicle with only a third of the engine life. The key is to look for used makes and models that are known for a long, long lifespan.

Subarus, in particular, can last well upwards of 200,000 miles. Certain other makes and models start to really die out at around the 135,000 mile mark. This is most definitely not the case with a Landers McLarty Subaru provided, of course, the high mileage vehicle has been properly taken care of.

A vehicle with a great deal of mileage has likely had many parts wear out. There is really nothing wrong with taking the steps to replace an old part. As long as the replacement work was done on time, then there really should not be any lingering problems.

How do you know whether or not the car was properly cared for?

Examining the maintenance log of a vehicle is an absolute must before purchasing a high mileage car. One reason for this is you do not want to inherit a lot of necessary (and past due) maintenance.

For example, if the timining belt was changed about 80,000 miles ago, you are going to need to change it again within 20,000 miles. That could be a $500 job. Keep things like this in mind when looking over used vehicles.

Probably the most important thing to consider when buying a older, used vehicle is to determine for sure when the fluids were changed. Driving a little extra on an old or worn belt is not too much of a problem. Driving on really dirty oil or transmission fluid for thousands of miles, however, can shave a great deal of life off the engine and gears.

As long as the previously owned model was taken care of, then it should end up being a great purchase.