Good Mileage Standards on Used Cars

At our dealership, our customers often ask the question, ‘how many miles is a good number on a used car?’. Whether our customers come from Youngstown, Akron, or live here in Cleveland, they all have the same concern. Everyone wants a low mileage used car. Used car mileage significantly impacts the car’s value, both from a monetary and reliability standpoint. Yet, the answer can mislead people for several reasons, which we explain here so that you can make an informed decision on your next used car purchase. To discuss your goals for your next car, speak with one of our team members and we’ll find a used car that balances low mileage with low price and payment.

What’s Considered Good Mileage on a Used Car?

Generally speaking, the lower the mileage, the better the car. The average driver puts 12,000 miles on their car, truck, or SUV every year. So a 3-year-old car with 25,000 miles would be considered one with good mileage. Conversely, you can view the same 3-year-old car with 45,000 miles as having bad mileage. As a rule, you can consider any car with less than 12,000 miles per year to be good mileage on a used car.

Which Means More, Mileage or Age on a Used Car?

No exact answer can definitively say which means more, mileage or age, because they both impact the vehicle’s wear. The odometer tells you exactly how far the car has traveled in its lifetime. The age of a car tells you exactly how many years the car was available for use—neither of these addresses how the vehicle was used and how it was cared for over time. An older car with low mileage might be a good value if properly maintained and wasn’t driven hard.

Sometimes, older cars with low mileage can present problems because they weren’t driven often. If a vehicle was parked in a driveway, exposed to the elements like high heat, rain, and snow, these can cause parts to wear out that usually wouldn’t if driven more often. Water from rain and melting snow can pool in areas you can’t see, causing rust to critical sections of your frame or other mechanical parts. Extreme heat over long periods can dry out rubber gaskets and hoses, leading to failure.

A newer vehicle with higher than average mileage might be a good value if it was well cared for and only driven on the highway. Yet, the same newer car with high mileage driven in constant stop-and-go city traffic might have less value due to the wear and tear of the driving circumstances.

Less is more in either case, meaning you should look for low mileage cars that aren’t that old as they offer the highest probability for longer life. At North Coast Auto Mall of Cleveland, we stock many used vehicles with low mileage under five years old, offering you plenty of quality cars, trucks, and SUVs from which to choose.

How Long Do Cars Last on Average?

Modern cars less than ten years old can run for up to 300,000 miles when properly maintained. That doesn’t mean they won’t need work, but engines and other components have been constructed to last longer than ever. Most cars last at least 150,000 miles when regularly serviced before needing any significant repairs. If you find a vehicle with 50,000 miles and only five years old, you can confidently predict another 100,000 miles or eight years if you drive the average 12,000 miles per year.

Every component on every car has a lifespan, and some last longer than the vehicle might ever run, while others were created knowing they have to be replaced repeatedly. If made from high-strength steel and adequately cared for, your vehicle’s frame should last 20-30 years. The brakes on your car need work every 1-2 years because the job they do wears them down.

Electronic parts have taken an increasingly more significant role in automobiles. Unfortunately, electronics can fail for various reasons, like exposure to moisture and high humidity environments, and often fail without warning. Most electronic parts will last years at the least, but there’s no guarantee.

So when you look at a car, you want to consider not just the mileage but how it was used to determine how much useful life might remain. If the vehicle was used as a ride-share car, it might have more mechanical and interior wear and tear than a vehicle used for short trips to the grocery store, church, and soccer practices.

Tips For Buying a Used Car With Good Value

When shopping in the Cleveland area for used cars, you should always consider age and mileage. You can take additional steps to help ensure you purchase a quality vehicle. Getting a vehicle history report should be a top priority. A vehicle history report provides lots of details. You’ll see if the car was in any accidents, it gives you the opportunity to inspect the repair work, and you can ask for the repair receipts to ensure the work was done correctly to factory standards and OEM parts. OEM parts and repair processes ensure the highest degree of future performance.

Vehicle history reports can be misleading. These reports only contain reported information. If a claim was never filed on an accident, the accident wouldn’t appear on the report. That’s why we recommend having your mechanic check over any vehicle before you decide to buy it. A good mechanic will know a repair has been done on a car and advise you on how well it was performed.

All our used vehicles at North Coast Auto Mall of Cleveland undergo a thorough inspection process to ensure quality and reliability. We understand the importance buying a used car represents to you and your family. At North Coast Auto Mall of Cleveland, we have an expansive selection of quality cars, trucks, and SUVs from all manufacturers. We offer many vehicles under $10,000 and have such a great selection of low-mileage vehicles at competitive prices that customers come to shop from Mansfield, Canton, Norwalk, and beyond.

Visit Our Used Car Dealership In Cleveland for Your Next Vehicle

We invite you to browse our full inventory online. You can speak with a representative online or by phone. For a more hands-on experience, you can visit our dealership on Brookpark Road in Cleveland. One of our friendly, knowledgeable staff will show you around and let you take your favorites for a test drive. We look forward to helping you find your next used car in Cleveland.