Whats your limit on mileage on a vehicle purchase?

[reb78]

I'm curious as to thoughts on here. I keep an eye on D3/D4/L322/L405 land rovers out of idle interest. If a nice L322 came up at the right price I would be tempted. BUT... I keep seeing vehicles with fairly astronomical mileages on them compared to the prices being asked. Some of these are 160/170k miles plus and people are still asking £10-15K or more for them - I couldn't take that gamble with the mileages they are advertised for, even with a service history and the 'motorway miles only, honest guvna' additions to the adverts. Would you??

[Simon_CSK]

Reb

I have been buying a few D3's RR Sports and L322's. Most of them are around the 150k mark with a couple at 175k and above. I have run them for about 5k and then sold them on and all of them have been very good cars. Currently I have an L322 with 80k, a L320 with 155k an L320 with 110k (rebuilding) a D3 with 170k a D3 with 185k. Most are in good condition and although they all have issues once sorted some of them will be sold on. I intend to keep the L20 with 110k to use. I think 155k is the longest I want to keep it for which for me is a couple of years.

I would never buy a car with more than 190k unless it was for spares but I am noticing more and more cars available with starship mileage.

[Escape]

Mileage is not important for me at all. Often a car with many miles has been taken better care of. To rack up the miles, you need a car that is reliable every time, so you're less likely to skip on maintenance/repairs. Garage queens that only come out 3 weekends a year on the other hand can be run a shoestring budget for many years as it 'doesn't really matter'. This is perhaps more relevant for older/classic cars, not so much the more recent Range Rovers and Disco's. But one could argue that after a certain mileage, most known problems are probably already addressed, like the known gearbox problems around 100k miles for the L322 TD6. Of course the price should reflect the mileage, as there will be more general wear & tear (worn seats, stone chips etc).

Filip

[elbekko]

I have to say, my P38 is now at ~230k miles, and I'd have to say probably no more than that. She's well taken care of, but you still notice everything is more tired than on a less used model.

[FridgeFreezer]

I never really care about mileage - condition is more important. Only time I'll look at it is if the odo claims low mileage and the condition suggests a very high mileage.

Chattting to the guys at Gotts their courtesy car is an ex-highways D3 with interstellar mileage, but always properly serviced, and they reckoned it's one of the best D3's they've had through the doors even compared to customer vehicles with a fraction of the miles on.

[Nonimouse]

2 hours ago, FridgeFreezer said:

I never really care about mileage - condition is more important. Only time I'll look at it is if the odo claims low mileage and the condition suggests a very high mileage.

Chattting to the guys at Gotts their courtesy car is an ex-highways D3 with interstellar mileage, but always properly serviced, and they reckoned it's one of the best D3's they've had through the doors even compared to customer vehicles with a fraction of the miles on.

That's because we threw money at the D3's and 4's - really aggressive lease terms

The D5's will be a bargain as they are owned, not leased and so ALL the multitude of issues are stealer fixed asap (including the one now on it's seventh turbo!)

I've had a few ex Police cars and they have always been good - again they replace stuff when it's needed.

My T4 Dub has 260k on the clock. The gearbox is tired, but all in works well

[Ed Poore]

I bought my L322 with ~100k on it but had a years warranty (third party) for £16.5k. On the more modern vehicles I'd be wary of lower mileage ones as they'll have sat around not doing a whole lot, as others have echoed condition is far more important.

One of the issues I have with "motorway miles" only on something from a Land Rover stable is that it won't have had all of the features exercised (for example the selectors for low box have a tendency to seize up). The other aspect (I think more prevalent on the 8spd boxes) is that cruising along at the limit the engine isn't really getting a workout because top gear is so tall for economy. If it's been regularly given the beans then at least it's had a chance to build up heat and burn off all the EGR related carp in the intake system.

I'd say do the research on the specific model and check the history of it. If everything's running as it should then why not irrespective of mileage provided the price is right.

[Blanco]

3 hours ago, Ed Poore said:

If everything's running as it should then why not irrespective of mileage provided the price is right.

.... that there is the nub of it, you need to pay the right price for higher mileage examples. I also think each type of vehicle has it's own age of maturity where the equation moves away  from one of pure age and mileage, to one of condition driven value.

[Mo Murphy]

I really don't understand why people buy these cars as every day vehicles.

For the same money I buy a euro box. No miles. No bother. Manufacturers warranty. No further investment bar annual servicing. No pain. Nice brand new car smell 😉

Buy whatever you want, I just don't get worrying about mileage and buying second hand.

Mo

 

 

[Ed Poore]

10 minutes ago, Mo Murphy said:

I really don't understand why people buy these cars as every day vehicles

Because some of us have a different everyday to you Mo .

I mean if it wasn't in pieces with an engine transplant going on the 6x6 for me would be the most suitable day to day vehicle. But I appreciate not everyone needs to pick up half a tonne of sheep feed or a couple of bulk bags on their daily outings...

[FridgeFreezer]

15 minutes ago, Mo Murphy said:

I really don't understand why people buy these cars as every day vehicles.

For the same money I buy a euro box. No miles. No bother. Manufacturers warranty. No further investment bar annual servicing. No pain. Nice brand new car smell 😉

Buy whatever you want, I just don't get worrying about mileage and buying second hand.

Well most folks don't / can't afford new vehicles - isn't the "average" car on the roads about 5-10 years old and on its 3rd owner or something like that? If you need the space or towing ability or 4WD ability it's not unreasonable to be looking at a used LR rather than a brand new Ford Focus, and you get a lot more car for your money.

Also life's too short for a boring daily driver.

[Mo Murphy]

12 minutes ago, FridgeFreezer said:

Well most folks don't / can't afford new vehicles - isn't the "average" car on the roads about 5-10 years old and on its 3rd owner or something like that? If you need the space or towing ability or 4WD ability it's not unreasonable to be looking at a used LR rather than a brand new Ford Focus, and you get a lot more car for your money.

Also life's too short for a boring daily driver.

It's not so much about cost though fridge, surely, the cars mentioned above third hand are in smaller new car price territory and I'm pretty certain most won't be carrying bulk loads or have any more than one person in.

I'm not criticising, Ed, but trying to understand. Most cars are designed to last their 3 year warranty and after that it's "God, I've got to get the body off change this or that"

You know I have a 90 to change gearboxes and work on, why would you want to do it on your daily driver ?

Mo

[Ed Poore]

Like you I wasn't criticising - just I guess I've fallen into the camp now that my daily driver needs to be able to carry half a tonne in the back on a fairly regular basis.

I'm an anti-social bugger now and don't get out working from home so when I do go out it's for stuff for the farm and/or work and/or work around the place so load carrying capability or towing. Land Rover's whatever guise that is fit the bill quite nicely. Same reasoning when I had the L322 - wanted something comfier / more powerful for longer journeys but ultimately because of what I did when I got there I needed the 4x4 capability.

Horses for courses.

[mickeyw]

You can get a lot of car for your money buying older luxury models. They depreciate heavily. I bought my 1990 Vogue SE back in 2005 with 90k miles on it for a mere £1900. That car was IRO £30k new. It had been well looked after and drove beautifully.

I've never had to travel huge mileages for work, so a luxury barge is far more appealing than a eurobox.
My car buying budget is pretty low, and rarely exercised. I think my 8th hand 1986 V8 90 was the most expensive car I ever bought. It was 8 years old with 40k miles on, but it had suffered massively from lack of use and lack of maintenance.

[Simon_CSK]

1 hour ago, Mo Murphy said:

I really don't understand why people buy these cars as every day vehicles.

For the same money I buy a euro box. No miles. No bother. Manufacturers warranty. No further investment bar annual servicing. No pain. Nice brand new car smell 😉

Buy whatever you want, I just don't get worrying about mileage and buying second hand.

Mo

 

 

My brother has a 2004 Discovery 2 TD5 which he bought new. He is a mechanical engineer so his car he has maintained himself to a very hight standard. He covered the seats, from new, with waterproof seat covers and covered the carpets with off cuts of carpets and a mat. The last time I looked at his MOT history, within the last year, the car had covered 44k. This is a second hand Discovery that I would very much like to buy as it has been impecably maintained and hardly used. He buys Vauxhalls to run around in on a daily basis.

I, on the otherhand, don't cover my seats or my carpets and run my cars as necessary covering 30k per year. I really enjoy driving and love driving my toys and enjoying them. I buy cars frequently, tinker with them and sell them on after I have put 5k or so on it. I have a P38 and a Classic for admiring and occasional use but cannot for the life of me imagine why my brother has the Disco and has never had the chance to enjoy it. My P38 was my daily driver as was my CSK until they were "retired"  I keep them because I love them and intend to use the P38 as a back up when I get the ECU synced with the BeCM.

[reb78]

19 hours ago, Mo Murphy said:

I really don't understand why people buy these cars as every day vehicles.

For the same money I buy a euro box. No miles. No bother. Manufacturers warranty. No further investment bar annual servicing. No pain. Nice brand new car smell 😉

Buy whatever you want, I just don't get worrying about mileage and buying second hand.

Mo

 

 

Its simple Mo... I just cant bring myself to buy a eurobox. I have had some really nice secondhand motors for sub 10k. A couple of really nice 5 series BMWs, the D3 is nice but not my favourite. Much nicer drives than a eurobox, slightly higher maintenance and fuel (maybe) costs and so much more comfortable for the long mileages I do. 

[reb78]

17 hours ago, Simon_CSK said:

My brother has a 2004 Discovery 2 TD5 which he bought new. He is a mechanical engineer so his car he has maintained himself to a very hight standard. He covered the seats, from new, with waterproof seat covers and covered the carpets with off cuts of carpets and a mat. The last time I looked at his MOT history, within the last year, the car had covered 44k. This is a second hand Discovery that I would very much like to buy as it has been impecably maintained and hardly used. He buys Vauxhalls to run around in on a daily basis.

I, on the otherhand, don't cover my seats or my carpets and run my cars as necessary covering 30k per year. I really enjoy driving and love driving my toys and enjoying them. I buy cars frequently, tinker with them and sell them on after I have put 5k or so on it. I have a P38 and a Classic for admiring and occasional use but cannot for the life of me imagine why my brother has the Disco and has never had the chance to enjoy it. My P38 was my daily driver as was my CSK until they were "retired"  I keep them because I love them and intend to use the P38 as a back up when I get the ECU synced with the BeCM.

I have a similar way of thinking.

 

I guess my question was stimulated because the main components (engine and gearbox) - the ones that are a costly pain to replace and in some of the more modern stuff impossible to repair economically, must have a lifespan. I realise that is related to how good the servicing is, but whats the limit on how long a TDV8 (for example) will go really with even the best servicing??

There is a difference too with a car that you have racked the mileage up on vs one you buy secondhand with a high mileage that someone else has put on it. My 110 has 200 and something thousand miles on the clock - all put there by me and I have absolute faith in the engine. I wouldnt have that same faith if I was buying it from someone else...

[mad_pete]

I had a merc with 225,000 on the clock and it was fine. Test driven some very tired nearly new cars that at 30,000 felt like they were about done. 

[Simon_CSK]

4 hours ago, reb78 said:

I guess my question was stimulated because the main components (engine and gearbox) - the ones that are a costly pain to replace and in some of the more modern stuff impossible to repair economically, must have a lifespan. I realise that is related to how good the servicing is, but whats the limit on how long a TDV8 (for example) will go really with even the best servicing??

There is a difference too with a car that you have racked the mileage up on vs one you buy secondhand with a high mileage that someone else has put on it. My 110 has 200 and something thousand miles on the clock - all put there by me and I have absolute faith in the engine. I wouldnt have that same faith if I was buying it from someone else...

the TDV8 I am told by a Range Rover Specialist is bullet proof and a good strong engine. I currently have the Range Rover Sport TDV8's one bought for spares because the engine was blown, one I cannot start yet because I am rebuilding the front end and don't have keys but the third is my daily drive and goes like the wind. The daily driver I have done 1k without problems. My L322 is also a TDV8 with 80k on it and in January the gearbox failed. (Another reason for the Sport TDV8 for the gearbox) 

I think after 200k everthing is getting a little tired and therefore prone to failure. 

[Ed Poore]

The ZF box in the TDV8s is pretty bulletproof and has been around for donkeys years so can be rebuilt easily enough.

The main issues with the TDV8 itself seem to be ancillaries and EGR causing sticky EGRs then breaking off and potentially lunching the turbo and engine. As long as you keep on top of the maintenance and perhaps clean it out I don't know of any other issues

[Cornish Rattler]

I watch a guy on youtube ( Kevtee ) he goes around the country collecting end of life vehicles as well as ins wright offs and in most cases the high mileage smashed up ones you can tell before the accident the car was well looked after and the very low mileage cars are really rough.

[Simon_CSK]

8 hours ago, Cornish Rattler said:

 in most cases the high mileage smashed up ones you can tell before the accident the car was well looked after

I have found that the MOT history tells you everything you need to know about the car. I have bought quite a few no runners, without keys and no history but with really clean MOT's and have not been disappointed yet.