Monday, October 04, 2021

Pat Goss answers this one- If a 2007 Honda CRV only has 110,000 miles on it, is that a red flag?

I’m constantly amazed how people are so concerned with miles on the odometers of cars. What does mileage really mean other than the rotations of the wheels. Miles tell you nothing about the actual condition of the vehicle and if you think about it miles can be very misleading. Consider that two identical vehicles are driven differently one is driven 50K miles at and average speed of 50mph while the second one is driven 25K miles at an average speed of 25mph. Most drivers would look at the second one and say wow that’s very low miles, that’s the one to buy, but is it? If you do the math you will quickly see that the number of hours if use are exactly the same and because he higher average speed is easier on the vehicle it might actually have less wear on the engine. Plus with more miles you will typically get a lower price so you might be better off with the vehicle with higher miles. Although miles are mostly responsible for the price of a vehicle they are not responsible for the actual condition of the vehicle. A thorough test of the vehicle before purchase is a much better way to decide. In other words a 25K mile vehicle that has been beat to death and poorly maintained is not a safer bet than a 50K mile meticulously maintained vehicle. Condition, history and maintenance are keys to to getting a good used vehicle.