Mileage concerns on second hand cars

When buying a second hand car, there is always an element of risk involved, especially if buying off a private seller or a dealer offering you little warranty. Even main dealers that often put 12 months warranty on second hand cars will not always cover every mechanical failure.

There are often a few things to look out for when it comes to buying a second hand car and often people will check when it has last been serviced and if previous services were done when needed. They will also check MOT advisories and may even read up on the internet what are common issues to look out for that are associated with that make and model of vehicle. All of these are great, but another major concern should be the mileage. Although many people say diesel engines, in particular, will run well over a hundred thousand miles, once a car gets above a certain mileage and age, it may well start to deteriorate pretty quickly. Cars that have done less than 60,000 miles will often need less maintaining over a 12 month period than a car that has done 120,000 miles. You may find that when something start to go wrong on an older vehicle, it is very quickly followed by an ever growing list of other things.