When used car shopping, certain people are very particular about what they want… for instance, if there’s a certain body shape/style for a certain year that later gets changed, they’re willing to get the “older” version specifically to get “the look” they want for that vehicle. Which is more important when buying a used vehicle– age or mileage?
Age vs Mileage
Typically, mileage matters more than age. The more miles on a car, the more it has been used and the less “life” the engine has, so a car with 30,000 miles on it is worth more to buyers than one with 130,000. After all, engine parts, suspension components and other parts on a car are only designed to last so long before they need to be replaced, repaired and/or junked. Now what about what kind of miles the vehicle has on it? If they vehicle was primarily driven on the highway for much of its past life, then there’s less wear and tear on it compared to one involved in the starts and stops of city traffic life. And you also have to consider the owner– did he or she take meticulous care of it for “all those miles,” getting it regularly serviced and maintained… or not?
How about the age of the used vehicle? Can it be even more important than its mileage? In some cases, yes! If the vehicle is quite old but doesn’t have many miles on it, what does that say about it? Most likely, it hasn’t been used enough! Older rubber parts and other components don’t age well if they’re not exercised regularly. If the older vehicle has spent much of its life just sitting, that could be a problem.
Besides age and mileage what really should matter is how well the vehicle has been taken care of during its life. Who was the previous owner? Did he or she do maintenance proactively and/or as-needed, or not? You can’t really judge a car or truck based just on its age or mileage… there are other things to think about, and it’s always good to have a vehicle (that you’re interested in) inspected before you buy it– that way you know exactly what you’re buying with no surprises.
If you’re looking for dependable used vehicles in the Lehighton, PA area, check out the inventory at 443 Auto Sales.