Is 200,000 Miles on a Car Bad? - Municibid Blog (2024)

Last Updated on September 19, 2023

Most people in the used car market are on the lookout for high mileage vehicles, and understandably so. A high mileage vehicle usually means costly repairs. Cars with many miles tend to have a shorter life expectancy. There’s an increased likelihood for work brakes, transmission failure, and other worn out parts. That goes automobiles with 50,000 or 100,000 or 200,000 miles. The more mileage, the worse, people figure. No one wants to buy a car only to spend a thousand dollars more for service.

But is 200,000 miles on a car bad? Is 50,000 miles for a used vehicle too much? Not necessarily. And with the advances in technology for modern cars, reaching 250,000 miles is not unheard of.

Perhaps, you’re looking to purchase a used vehicle or are considering whether you should sell your current one. Either way, knowing howmileageaffects the price of a car is helpful.

How do parts and a vehicle’s age impact cost?

If you take two near identical cars—same manufacturer, same model, same year, driven under similar conditions—but one has highermileage, that car will cost less.That’s because with more miles driven, car components undergo more wear and tear. The car becomes less valuable.

When one or more essential components fail, the car ultimately breaks down. Replacing these parts extends the life of your car, but only until the next failure. This means knowing the lifetime mileage and actual mileage of important components is crucial in determining the vehicle’s operating costs. This information is also helpful when pricing any used car you hope to sell.

Below is a list of the most costly car components, an approximate price range, and how long you can expect them to last:

Keep in mind, a newer car or a modern car with a higher sales price tag will also have high component replacement costs.

How important is mileage?

If an automobile has 200,000 miles, but the transmission, suspension, tires, brakes, and struts were replaced 10,000 to 200,000 miles ago, then you know that for the next 30,000-50,000 miles, your biggest maintenance expenses will all be below $1,000 each.That’s an average of about two and a half to four years of driving.

If a vehicle has only 100,000 miles, but you haven’t yet changed out the transmission or suspension, and the tires, brakes, and shocks have only a few thousand miles on them, you can expect to pay more. The total cost will amount somewhere between $5,000 and $18,000 in the first 24 months of owning the vehicle to replace these parts.

Between these two examples, the car with the higher mileage would actually be the better vehicle, assuming all other characteristics are nearly identical. Not only would you avoid several costly repairs, but you would also benefit from paying a lower purchase cost and less on insurance.

What else determines value for high milers?

When two cars share near identical characteristics, except for mileage, then mileage becomes the determining factor for price. However, there are other factors which help determine a car’s value.

Here are the other top criteria for determining value:

• Vehicle condition
• Service history
• Driving conditions
• Number of prior owners
• Vehicle type

Vehicle condition

One question to always consider is what is the currentconditionof the car? This includes looking at the condition of the engine, the car’s interior, and its age. If any part of the automobile appears neglected, other parts may be too.Vehicle conditionis far more important than any other criteria.

Mileage is like age. People’s health deteriorates with age, but an older person isn’t always less healthy than a younger person. How you take care of yourself is also important. That applies to the automotive too. Mileage is just a number, vehicle condition matters most. And with proper maintenance, any car can remain in good condition even after the vehicle reaches such high mileage.

Service history

Learn as much as you can about a vehicle’s service history before making a purchase. Any car or truck that has been regularly serviced will most often require less repairs in the near future. You will also have an easier time planning out when the more costly service items, such as the suspension or transmission, will need to be replaced.

Government vehicles are generally cared for well, with service records intact. This includes police cars and fire engines. Even better, a used car that received regular maintenance and was well maintained affords you a good deal. On one hand there’s the affordable price, and on the other hand you have peace of mind that anything major was caught early with regular maintenance.

Driving conditions

Not all miles are equal. Highway miles cause less wear and tear on components compared to city miles, which require a lot more braking, accelerating, and turning.Therefore, if you have two cars, identical except for one having 90,000 highway miles and the other having 90,000 city miles, the former will have less wear and tear.

Similarly, a car that has higher mileage, but mileage resulting from highway use will sometimes be in better shape than a car with lower mileage whose use was primarily in the city.

Also consider the profile of the driver. How did they operate the vehicle? Aggressive driving causes greater wear. And don’t forget the road conditions on which the vehicle traveled. Routes with a lot of bumps or potholes cause components to wear quicker too.

Any car or truck used in fleets, such as rental and law enforcement, tend to have quite a few miles on them when they are put up for sale, but they are cared for quite well.

Number of prior owners

Speaking of driver profiles, be sure to investigate a vehicle’s history. The entire history. Before buying a car, you should know the number of prior owners. The reason being is that multiple owners usually means greater financial risk. Not everyone maintains their automobiles in good condition. A truck with a higher number of prior owners is worth less than a similar ride with fewer owners. That’s true even if the one is older and has more mileage.

People who own the same truck for 10 or more years, tend to care for it more than people who keep a truck for only a few years.

However, you have to rely on the current seller to reveal information about how the previous owners drove and serviced the vehicle. The seller could have difficulty remembering some of the information or may not have asked for certain details when making the purchase. Service receipts rarely get passed from one owner to the next, leaving a lot of unknowns.

Vehicle type

Certain models and brands have established reputations for longevity. For 2023,iSeeCarscompiled a list of the23 vehicleswith the highest percentage to reach 250,000 miles.

The Ford F-350 Super Duty, Toyota Land Cruiser, and Toyota Tundra lead the list at 49.1% and 47.9%, respectively. The latter trucks are both tied. Then there’s a slight gap until the next three: Toyota Sequoia (47.1%), Ford F-250 Super Duty (43.6%), and the Honda Pilot (42.7%). At the bottom of the list is the Toyota Camry at 20.4%.

Toyota does really well in this category, appearing eight times on the list!

According to the research completed by iSeeCars, the average car has a measly 11.8% chance of reaching the 250K mile mark. The number goes up when considering which automobiles will reach the 200,000 milestone.

Is 100,000 miles on a car bad?

An odometer with a logged 100,000 miles is far from being low mileage, but even cars with this many miles are viable. Consider the the type of car, the make, the number of prior owners and other factors. With regular maintenance, any ride can be kept running smoothly. Depending on the way and how often you plan on driving, and how well the car was maintained, you can find vehicles with this many miles and get a good deal.

Is 50,000 miles on a car bad?

Whether 50,000 miles is considered high mileage depends on the model year. An older car with this many logged miles is less concerning than a newly released model that has already reached this mark. Yet, in either case, with certain cars lasting until 250,000 miles, such a ride is still worth your consideration. Be sure to take into account other factors like the number of prior owners, service history, and more.

Conclusion

In the end, we can conclude that the 200,000 milestone is room for concern, but not enough reason to immediately turn down a high mileage car. Today’s modern cars can last well past that point when properly maintained.

Now that you better understand how mileage and other factors affects pricing, you can put away your anxiety about dealing with a high mileage car. A good car isn’t always new. Today’s automotive industry is rife with cars that can last longer than any other time in history. That’s one of the perks of modern technology. Once you decide how much you want for your used ride, make the sale.

Or if you’re ready to buy a car, why don’t you take a look at whatused vehiclesMunicibid has to offer. Our catalog consists oftrucks,cars, and more, some of which could be repurposed for work fleets orconverted into RVs!