Detailed condition reports are the best way to determine if a vehicle is in good nick for its age and kilometre range. The magic number that buyers look for on an odometer is 200,000kms. Once a car hits this number, it is significantly reduced in value.
It's always worthwhile to assess the service record of any used car, and if it hasn't been consistent, then it could be cause for trouble. Most cars around the 200,000-kilometre mark and above with a reliable service history should be an excellent purchase if the price is right.
In general most cars don't last more than 350,000km unless they've been well looked after. However this will depend on the make of the car and how well it has been maintained. Obviously the older the car, the more wear it has had, and the closer to the end of its life it will be.
The odometer reading is one of the essential value factors that should be taken into consideration when purchasing a used car. As a rule of thumb, fewer kms make for a car with a potentially longer lifespan than a car with higher kms.
In general, buyers often want the car they are buying to have less than 100,000 kilometres on the clock at the time of purchase. But the truth is, there is no such thing as a car having been driven for 'too many kilometres'.
I believe that, with proper care, any car can go 500,000+ miles. But that “proper care” phrase is going to be the key. Also, certain brands of cars will definitely meet your half-a-million-mile goal easier than others.
Average age of all vehicles registered in Australia was 10.1 years, unchanged since 2015. Tasmanian vehicles reported the oldest average age at 12.8 years, whilst the Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory had the youngest fleet with an average age of 9.4 years.
The more miles a car has driven, the more likely it is that it'll need some repairs or parts replacing. A vehicle's age is the key factor in determining car depreciation – that's how much value the car loses over time. The older a vehicle, the less it's worth.
According to the New York Times, in the 1960s and 1970s, the typical car reached its end of life around 100,000 miles (160,000 km), but due to manufacturing improvements in the 2000s, such as tighter tolerances and better anti-corrosion coatings, the typical car lasts closer to 200,000 miles (320,000 km).
According to Consumer Reports, the average lifespan of today's cars is about eight years or 240,000 kilometres. That's shorter, however than many well-built cars that are properly maintained.
30,000 to 60,000 Miles
It's a good idea to sell your car before it hits 60,000 miles if you don't want to spend a lot of money on repairs and replacement parts. During this mileage bracket, your car should be about five years old, meaning it'll still command a substantial amount.
The vehicle could also be a stock swap from another dealer. Most dealers will notify you if the vehicle has more than 50 kilometres on the odometer and most consider it OK if the vehicle has up to 100 kilometres on the clock.
Shortly, the internal combustion engine whether it is diesel or petrol lasts about 1,000,000 km/miles if it is maintained well.
With proper care, including servicing, Mazda's popular Mazda3 model should last for several hundred thousand kilometres. Parts will wear out in that time, however, so don't think you won't have to get your mechanic to look after your car.
Average engine lifespan
For some time, the average lifespan of a car's engine was eight years, or 150,000 miles. New designs, better technology and improved service standards in recent years have increased this average life expectancy to about 200,000 miles, or about 10 years.
The Toyota Sequoia leads them all in an iseecars study, falling just short of 300,000 miles of use. The website iseecars.com studied 2 million cars, trucks, and SUVs to see which ones had the potential to last the longest on the road. Turns out Toyotas are your best bet for getting over 200,000 miles of car life.
In retaining “like new” quality and inheriting a slower depreciation rate, the best used car age for buying is 2-3 years. In fact, Americans are saving up to $14,000 on a 3-year-old vehicle. For example, a car that may have cost you $30,000 when new would cost around $16,000 after just 3 years.
It seems like common sense that, as a car gets older, it tends to get worse and worse gas mileage. In reality, it's more accurate to say that poorly maintained cars are more likely to have worsening gas mileage over time.
High-mileage vehicles typically have lower resale values, so take into account how long you plan on keeping the car and what your future plans for it are. If you want to sell it in the near future, you should probably opt for a lower mileage car with a higher resale value.
A conventional car can last for 200,000 miles. Some well-maintained car models will reach 300,000 or more miles total. The average passenger car age is currently around 12 years in the United States. Choosing a well-built make and model can help extend your car's longevity.
When buying a used car that's 10-years-old or older, your primary concerns are purchase price and reliability. Don't pay more than that 10-year-old car is worth. And, pick a car with a solid reputation for dependability. No car is really too old if you follow those rules.
As Australians, we love our cars. Data from the 2021 Census notes that on average, there are 784 road vehicles for every 1000 people. Breaking that down further, as a national populace, we have an average of 2.05 vehicles per household.
For the most part, the major components of a car are 'lifed' for around 300,000km — that's the big stuff, such as the engine head, block, injection system, valves and camshafts, alternator and so on.
Many modern cars with 100K-150K miles are in great condition and will easily go another 100K. However, if a car has not been maintained properly and has been driven hard or previously wrecked, it can be junk with only 30K miles on the odometer.