Mileage vs. age is one of the oldest and most common challenges people face when searching for a used car to buy. In this article, you will find how to unravel the age vs. mileage dilemma and choose the best car to suit your needs.
Age and mileage are among the main factors influencing used car pricing. These values are often the first pieces of information you can see in ads, classifieds, and user car dealerships, helping buyers to have a first picture of the vehicle’s condition.
It’s not that simple, as there are other crucial considerations to be made. For example, not all vehicles are built with the same quality standards, receive the same maintenance and care, or are driven in the same conditions, among others. These factors result in what is known as the “age vs. mileage dilemma” in the pre-owned vehicle market.
However, age and mileage are still key elements that contribute to determining the value of used cars. Despite other factors, it’s important to understand their weight in the decision-making process.
Let’s take a closer look at these two essential components and how they influence the decision-making process when choosing a used vehicle.
Car mileage is the total distance expressed in miles or kilometers a vehicle has covered since it left the assembly line. It’s displayed in the odometer on the instrument cluster and shows how far the vehicle has been driven over its lifetime.
Car mileage matters because it gives a general idea about the vehicle’s overall condition. Low-mileage cars have been used less, so they may have experienced less mechanical stress and tear and wear than cars with higher mileage. Some parts, like the brake system, suspension, and engine components, can be refreshed with proper maintenance, but structural components like the chassis are almost impossible or very expensive to repair.
Mileage is strongly related to the price of the vehicle, as it’s assumed that low-mileage cars are in best shape than high-mileage cars and won’t need as much maintenance, resulting in lower running expenses and longer lifespan.
Both high-mileage and low-mileage vehicles have their advantages and disadvantages. Let’s take a look.
A car can have more than one age. One refers to the time passed since the vehicle was manufactured, and the other to when the car was registered or left the dealership. Under normal circumstances, there shouldn’t be much difference between these dates. For vehicles with large production runs, time starts counting since the car has been registered. In the case of exotics or vehicles that, for some reason, were sold a year or more after they were made, it’s important to use the production date as an additional reference since some components should be replaced no matter whether the vehicle was used or not.
Age is also an indicator of a vehicle’s overall condition. Besides, some components fade over time, regardless of the mileage. Good care also plays a significant role in this department; for example, a car that has always been stored in a roofed garage is not in the same condition as one that wasn’t. Plastics, rubber, paint, and other components fade due to contact with UV rays and other external elements. Besides, age plays a significant role in setting the price of the car, regardless of mileage.
Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of older and newer cars, focusing specifically on similar models and versions. Comparing older and luxury cars with newer, entry-level models is outside the scope of this article.
Both factors are essential to consider when choosing a used vehicle and give you a glimpse of the overall condition of the vehicle. Mileage can help you determine how much stress the unit has endured. At the same time, age reflects the passage of time and the potential for deterioration of some components that wear independently of the mileage.
In the first five to ten years of a vehicle’s life, age impacts its retail price more than mileage. After that time, the importance shifts, and mileage becomes the most significant factor that affects the vehicle’s price.
Mileage measures the vehicle’s usage, and age helps measure component deterioration and, in some cases, aesthetic aspects.
Mileage and age are equally important information. As you will soon discover, both factors are closely related and, which one weighs more at the time to choose a used car over the other is determined by other factors and your personal preferences.
The “used car mileage vs age dilemma” is easy to solve as you can analyze each factor and start considering their significance on the vehicle’s price, driving experience, reliability, maintenance cost, etc. Besides, it’s interesting to understand what deductions you can take when you analyze how age and mileage reflect data such as potential component deterioration, tier and wear, and the resale price. Finally, the weight given to mileage vs. age depends on personal preferences and other factors that sometimes are hard to decipher, such as how or under what conditions the car was driven.
The more information you can have about the car’s history, the dilemma will become easier to solve. Below, you will find some tips to help you evaluate the mileage and age of a used car:
All the above being said shows a close connection between mileage and age when buying a second-hand car. Finding the perfect vehicle is difficult, but if you can find a balance between price, mileage, age, intended use, and how much time you plan to keep it, you will be able to crack the dilemma, which finally, it doesn’t have a unique solution, there is a different answer that suits every used car buyer.
