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I also hit the jackpot on my last car
2008 Town & Country limited (first year of this version with all bells and whistles)
One owner, all recommended maintenance was done
78,000 miles for ..... $12,000
Add to that, that my FIL gave us money to pay part of it, one year later, we only owe $1500
When I am shopping, I make a list of 4 cars I feel would make a good buy. In selecting the 4 , i look at reliability, crash worthiness,looks, and price.
So for a used car, i am looking for 4 to 8 Years old, Dealer trade ins from an auction or rental car sales is where i go to purchase.
You will find the best deals from $7500 - $14000 range for something nice.
For me, an fj cruiser , acura rl , honda element, or jeep wrangler all look like good deals right now.
Since I usually am looking for specific makes and models, service records are what's important to me. For example, when I bought my BMW I was looking specifically for a 2001 740i Sport and looked for the best one I could find, using service records and overall condition as the deciding factors. The next car is going to be a 2002-2005 Jaguar XK8/XKR convertible, so again, I'll be looking for the best overall condition and service records I can find.
Mileage doesn't matter to much to me so long as the common service areas for the model I'm looking at have been addressed.
All else equal I tend to gravitate towards lower mileage. However, often all else is not equal.
Most of the used cars I have bought tend to be older and higher mile ones, and not late model cars. I learned long ago, when all else is not equal, the lower mileage car can also be the worst condition, the higher mile the best, depending on how well it has been cared for and maintained.
Ultimately, it is not about one factor over another, but a total evaluation of everything.
I always get the vehicle that I want. If it is not what I want model, drivetrain, options, I just wait and keep looking. I have no problem driving flying out and driving 1000 miles or more to bring the car home.
Milgeage is not very important, condition is.
I also have several hard and fast rules. I will not buy a car that has been altered, especially not blingy alterations that show the owner does not understand cars/performance, or shows an immature owner/drive (who likely thrashed the car) - like lowering raising, aftermarket spoilers or body moldings/ground effects, BS air filters that supposedly increase performance and MPG but don't, water injection or other gimmicks, tinting, giant wheels or low profile tires, I will never buy a customized car or truck unless I know the person who did the work and I know exactly what they did and used and I know parts are available, even then it is very unlikely I would consider it. I might want the car upgraded, but I want to choose the upgrades and put them in so I know everything is done right, and I know where to get parts or replacements. I usually will not buy a vehicle form anyone under 30. I usually will not buy vehicle that has been run at a track on any kind of regular basis, I will not buy a vehicle that has lived in Florida, The Northeast, Alabama Arkansas or parts of Texas at any time in its life unless I can confirm is was not soaked in a hurricane or flood. Sometimes I will consider salvage title, but only if I can definitively confirm what the damage was and what was done (and never if it was in a flood or hurricane).
Price matters less than being exactly what I want and in great condition. While a phenomenal bargain is wonderful, usually, if I cannot afford a great condition example of exactly what I want, I will wait and save. I would rather drive a year or so in some POS beater the kids are done with, than settle for less than exactly what I am looking for.
Once in a while, like with my current truck, I will gamble and buy a vehicle at an auction if it is really cheap and otehrwise exactly what I am looking for. My truck was $7,000 below market, but I had no idea whether I woudl be able to drive it home until after the sale. I knew it ran and it would move three feet in each direction (all they woudl allow). Turned out ok. It has had some issues, but just normal Dodge disease stuff.
Last year we got 2 used cars. I never purchased brand new car due to cost & high depreciation. From all the research I did, it seems buying car 2-3 years old will give best bang for your buck. But to be honest, majority of those 2 year old car I saw were rental used before with high mileage. So I decided not to pay attention to year and instead give preference to mileage. For example, my husband got a 2011 car in 2016 while I got a 2014 car in 2016. Both of our cars had same amount of mileage. So my top preferences are
Low mileage
I don't pay attention too much to service but it is a bonus. I don't always get my service done by certified place, so I understand not every service will be on record. But it is a nice bonus if I see one with clean record. Same with single owner. It is a nice bonus but not top priority
General overall condition? None of the above is in and of itself. Some cars are old for their age, rode hard and put up wet, despite not being wrecked, old, or having high mileage.
It depends on the car.
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