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[Dave Elite]

So what your looking for is a Low Mileage car!
For some reason this is vital to you so please bear in mind.
Low mileage is at best are a reflection only of the number of revolutions the wheels have done
If I in car A where to drive to Glasgow a couple of hundred motorway miles, I would start the car once, it would warm up fully in say 3 miles, I would make say 10 gear selections and 10 clutch depressions. The car would spend say three or four hours cruising at say 3000 rpm. Then later on I return home the opposite way.
Or
I could in Car B do 20 two mile shopping trips of 2 miles there and back in heavy traffic at an average of 5mph (not as ridiculous as you think). I would start the car twice press the clutch and select first or second gear maybe 50 or more times, use the brakes every 10 seconds, the car would never get warmed up, and I might hit 4 or 5000 revs nipping into a gap. and then repeat it all again on the way back.
so now I have two cars
CAR ACAR BMileage400 miles40 milesRunning Time7 Hours8 HoursGear Changes202000Miles Spent on cold Engine640Starter Motor Usages240
So okay its an extreme and contrived example. But you tell me which car is more worn.
What we are saying here is the type of driving is more pertinent than the miles covered.
Remember 75% of engine wear occurs when the engine is started, its cold the oil hasn't circulated metal grinds on metal.
Ask yourself why lots of newer cars now use a service indicator rather than having a fixed schedule.
A Mercedes will light up the tell tale sign anywhere between 7 thousand and 19 thousand miles. So in terms of wear and tear a 35k model might be exactly as worn as a 95k model. After all its had the same number of services.
The use of Mileage to judge quality is a strange phenomenon related only to Cars. Most other forms of Transports, Aircraft, Boats etc don't quote mileage. They tend to quote a much more useful figure - hours running time.
The other question is how do you verify that low mileage. If a car is displaying 100,000 miles its probably correct or close. If a car displays 20,000 is it correct, are you sure , can anyone prove it.
You've only got yourselves to blame for the clocking scams, after all its you who makes a low mileage car worth so much extra money, and as such makes turning the clock back such a very tempting thing to do.
It does seem strange how we are all so stuck in the middle part of the last century. Remember in those days most cars never got any where near 100k before either falling to bits or being totally uneconomic to repair. In the good old days 70 or 80k was considered high, and many of the best engines (XK Jaguar) had design lives of less than 100k miles. Today any modern car that wont make well over 100k would be considered fragile.
Its worth noting the kind of owner the car has had previously, If the car has come from company lease hire no matter what the mileage its service schedule should have been adhered to the letter. As these schedule routinely replace major items and fixed intervals

Just to show you how ridiculous it all is consider an advert I saw for a classic car recently. It went along the following lines.
1934 ... Rare sought after classic in need of full restoration. ... Some parts missing ....warranted genuine 35000 miles only .... serious offers only in excess off .........

So *#@*##*!!! what, half of it was missing the rest was rusty, who cares how many miles its done.



So there you go if you want a low mileage car, pay no attention to the cars general condition its baggy clutch and crunchy gearbox and smoking engine as long as its speedo displays a low mileage by preferably a careful lady owner you will be fine.

[cruisetopoland]

So what your looking for is a Low Mileage car!
For some reason this is vital to you so please bear in mind.
Low mileage is at best are a reflection only of the number of revolutions the wheels have done
If I in car A where to drive to Glasgow a couple of hundred motorway miles, I would start the car once, it would warm up fully in say 3 miles, I would make say 10 gear selections and 10 clutch depressions. The car would spend say three or four hours cruising at say 3000 rpm. Then later on I return home the opposite way.
Or
I could in Car B do 20 two mile shopping trips of 2 miles there and back in heavy traffic at an average of 5mph (not as ridiculous as you think). I would start the car twice press the clutch and select first or second gear maybe 50 or more times, use the brakes every 10 seconds, the car would never get warmed up, and I might hit 4 or 5000 revs nipping into a gap. and then repeat it all again on the way back.
so now I have two cars
CAR ACAR BMileage400 miles40 milesRunning Time7 Hours8 HoursGear Changes202000Miles Spent on cold Engine640Starter Motor Usages240
So okay its an extreme and contrived example. But you tell me which car is more worn.
What we are saying here is the type of driving is more pertinent than the miles covered.
Remember 75% of engine wear occurs when the engine is started, its cold the oil hasn't circulated metal grinds on metal.
Ask yourself why lots of newer cars now use a service indicator rather than having a fixed schedule.
A Mercedes will light up the tell tale sign anywhere between 7 thousand and 19 thousand miles. So in terms of wear and tear a 35k model might be exactly as worn as a 95k model. After all its had the same number of services.
The use of Mileage to judge quality is a strange phenomenon related only to Cars. Most other forms of Transports, Aircraft, Boats etc don't quote mileage. They tend to quote a much more useful figure - hours running time.
The other question is how do you verify that low mileage. If a car is displaying 100,000 miles its probably correct or close. If a car displays 20,000 is it correct, are you sure , can anyone prove it.
You've only got yourselves to blame for the clocking scams, after all its you who makes a low mileage car worth so much extra money, and as such makes turning the clock back such a very tempting thing to do.
It does seem strange how we are all so stuck in the middle part of the last century. Remember in those days most cars never got any where near 100k before either falling to bits or being totally uneconomic to repair. In the good old days 70 or 80k was considered high, and many of the best engines (XK Jaguar) had design lives of less than 100k miles. Today any modern car that wont make well over 100k would be considered fragile.
Its worth noting the kind of owner the car has had previously, If the car has come from company lease hire no matter what the mileage its service schedule should have been adhered to the letter. As these schedule routinely replace major items and fixed intervals

Just to show you how ridiculous it all is consider an advert I saw for a classic car recently. It went along the following lines.
1934 ... Rare sought after classic in need of full restoration. ... Some parts missing ....warranted genuine 35000 miles only .... serious offers only in excess off .........

So *#@*##*!!! what, half of it was missing the rest was rusty, who cares how many miles its done.



So there you go if you want a low mileage car, pay no attention to the cars general condition its baggy clutch and crunchy gearbox and smoking engine as long as its speedo displays a low mileage by preferably a careful lady owner you will be fine.

Add to this that many car experts would pick a newer higher mileage car over an older lower mileage car any day, beacuse of the above.

Another factor (does not relate to Omegas) is that a 100k 3 year old car at the same price as a 30k 5 year old car will likely be a more modern design with lower emissions, better kit and safety standards.

That relates more to high mileage in a short time-a 10 year old car with any mileage will have age-related issues that differ due to mileage; for example-suspension etc wear on high miler, whereas a town used low-miler will have clutch and cold start wear issues.

[Lazydocker]

Hence why I don't really look at mileage when I buy a car... I look at condition

[mudflap]

Agreed condition is a major factor, you can tell if a vehicle has been looked after - freshly polished body work free of ingrained dirt, especially round the doors and engine compartment, unscuffed tyres proving care when parking, clean inside and not been used as a rubbish tip or trips with bin bags full of junk, little things like broken lights and switches not replaced.

A car that has been driven badly, neglected that has done 80,000 is worse than a car that has been driven carefully, regularly serviced, carefully kept all the paperwork and cleaned and has done 120,000.

Those little signs count. 

[tunnie]

when i was looking for the GS, i was looking at 3 of them, 17k, 20-somethin and 35k miles on each. 17k one looked in a right state lot of corrsion on the head plates, scuff marks, heavily worn, gearbox felt rought.

20k one just as bad although this had more leccy toys, adjustable suspension and such.

35k mile bike rode like new, rode just as well as the 750 mile 09 demo bike infact. 35k is a lot for a bike, but it felt new, came with impressive mottard warranty, so i bought it.

Tis a 56 plate, but bumped into a mate at Tesco, walking up to me (wihout seeing the plate) asked if it was brand new  8-)

[cruisetopoland]

when i was looking for the GS, i was looking at 3 of them, 17k, 20-somethin and 35k miles on each. 17k one looked in a right state lot of corrsion on the head plates, scuff marks, heavily worn, gearbox felt rought.

20k one just as bad although this had more leccy toys, adjustable suspension and such.

35k mile bike rode like new, rode just as well as the 750 mile 09 demo bike infact. 35k is a lot for a bike, but it felt new, came with impressive mottard warranty, so i bought it.

Tis a 56 plate, but bumped into a mate at Tesco, walking up to me (wihout seeing the plate) asked if it was brand new  8-)

Not for a big BMW-I did 20k in 6 months on my 2005 R1200RT, which replaced my high mile R1150RT, which replaced the high mile R1100RT....

Older BMW bikes last better; finish on the 2005 was poor.

My colleagues 5 year old GS looks tidy though..

[mudflap]

Another point is this - two identical cars, same year  for sale, one 55,000 miles, one 103,000 miles, the low mileage one is say £800 dearer.

The high mileage one has been regularly serviced - radiator, cambelt, clutch, head gasket all replaced.

The low mileage one has all the above yet to be repaired...?  :-/

[tunnie]

when i was looking for the GS, i was looking at 3 of them, 17k, 20-somethin and 35k miles on each. 17k one looked in a right state lot of corrsion on the head plates, scuff marks, heavily worn, gearbox felt rought.

20k one just as bad although this had more leccy toys, adjustable suspension and such.

35k mile bike rode like new, rode just as well as the 750 mile 09 demo bike infact. 35k is a lot for a bike, but it felt new, came with impressive mottard warranty, so i bought it.

Tis a 56 plate, but bumped into a mate at Tesco, walking up to me (wihout seeing the plate) asked if it was brand new  8-)

Not for a big BMW-I did 20k in 6 months on my 2005 R1200RT, which replaced my high mile R1150RT, which replaced the high mile R1100RT....

Older BMW bikes last better; finish on the 2005 was poor.

My colleagues 5 year old GS looks tidy though..

Early GS1200's did look a bit poor, there was a spec update in 2007 model year, which mine is, updated dash cluster few bits and bobs.

Turns out place i bought it from, sold the bike as new, to someone who made signs for the NHS, and did nothing but motorway miles.

Everyone who see's it can't belive its 3 years old and 35k, hope weather picks up soon, i fancy taking it out

[unlucky mark mv6]

As said before on here somewhere,ive never had a low milage vx,all high and never had no serious trouble with em,only general things like tyrebatteries etc.Sounds crazy but i will always prefer to buy a high miler,as sometimes the common faults the car has when manufactured,has more than likely just been put right anyway,so you end up with new parts on the car,and a nicely run in engine.Seemples

[cruisetopoland]

As said before on here somewhere,ive never had a low milage vx,all high and never had no serious trouble with em,only general things like tyrebatteries etc.Sounds crazy but i will always prefer to buy a high miler,as sometimes the common faults the car has when manufactured,has more than likely just been put right anyway,so you end up with new parts on the car,and a nicely run in engine.Seemples

Someone tell this to my car 

[Kevin Wood]

If I in car A where to drive to Glasgow a couple of hundred motorway miles, I would start the car once, it would warm up fully in say 3 miles, I would make say 10 gear selections and 10 clutch depressions. The car would spend say three or four hours cruising at say 3000 rpm. Then later on I return home the opposite way.

I'd love to know what route you're proposing to take.

It's true that mileage is irrelevant to a point, but there comes a mileage where a car is guaranteed to be basically worn out. It probably used to be 70/80 K. It's considerably more now (150-200K? maybe more?).

Once a car has got to that mileage you will be replacing wheel bearings, gearbox, diff, any suspension parts that haven't already failed and so on. Engine wear isn't the only issue. Keeping it on the road much longer could become a labour of love.

Until you reach that mileage, it's not that relevant IMHO. Service history, etc. is much more important, although it's surprising how long a modern car will soldier on even if completely neglected IMHO.

Kevin