• This topic has 35 replies, 30 voices, and was last updated 11 years ago by hora.
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  • Is 130,000 miles alot?
  • hurbum
    Free Member

    Guys & Girls,
    Looking at an 05 plate Audi A3 TDI. It has ~130,000 miles on the clock with a full dealer service history.

    Would you be put off by the milage?

    user-removed
    Free Member

    No. It’s A LOT. Two separate words.

    ormondroyd
    Free Member

    It really depends on the price.
    I bought a 150,000+ Volvo 740 once, but I only paid £400 for it.

    psling
    Free Member

    I wouldn’t be put off by the above average mileage but I would expect the price to reflect the high mileage. If I was a high mileage user myself though I would be looking at something with a lot less mileage on it.

    CaptainFlashheart
    Free Member

    alfabus
    Free Member

    nope.

    i have a 55 A4 with 135k on the clock… mine is neat and tidy, and it is obvious that the miles are mostly motorway miles.

    I’d be more worried by one of that age with 30k on the clock, because you’d know it had only ever done school/shops runs from cold and everything would be knackered.

    long story short – don’t let the mileage put you off. Check it out and test drive it. If it feels like a rep mobile, perfect 🙂

    Dave

    will
    Free Member

    Depends how much it costs.

    Personally on newer cars whilst the engine maybe fine for 300,000 plus it’s the extra electronic stuff which could go wrong and be costly to fix.

    Assuming its the 2.0 pd engine they’re strong and if the price is right then why not I guess. Cambelt done at 120,000?

    ormondroyd
    Free Member

    And it depends how much motoring you’ll be doing. If you’re a 20,000 mile a year driver, you’ll have a *very* high miler very quickly.

    And it depends on the condition. Etc etc. Personally I’d spend the same on a Focus TD and probably get half the mileage, but I’m boring.

    ponngoe
    Free Member

    Beleive they had injector troubles around that year was a recall

    martinhurton
    Free Member

    Not a lot at all, not with full dealer history on that engine. Just make sure the cambelt has been done at the correct intervals (should have if it’s dealer history).

    Obviously brakes, suspension etc may be worn or need replacing, but under the bonnet I wouldn’t have any concerns.

    pegasus
    Free Member

    we bought an 03 plate VW van with 195,000 and it was the thick end of 4.5k. Mind you it had a new clutch and a reconditioned gearbox. Goes like a dream. It was a windowfitter’s van and was very tidy. From what I’ve been told, modern diesel engines, if looked after properly-regular oil change etc-can go and go. For us it was the bodywork that concerned us because our previous van, Mercedes Vito, simply feel apart at the sills……

    thisisnotaspoon
    Free Member

    Depends.

    They were probably fairly stress free motorway miles. But unless you’re doing similar annual milages are you likely to make the diesel pay for itself over a much lower milage petrol (which doesn’t have the threat of iminant financial armagedon under the bonet)?

    nano
    Free Member

    Depends on who was driving and where.

    The engine may well be good for 200k plus but springs, bushes and bearings will be on their last legs if they haven’t been replaced already.

    I ran the same car at the same time as a colleague. His car went through two clutches and its engine replaced at 80k doing broadly the same type of driving.

    I brought a one owner M class Merc a couple of years back with 65k warranted mileage and FSH. Turned out to be a lemon with head gasket and £1000 of work for its MOT so FSH and / or mileage isnt always a good guide either. A car (in particular a diesel) can get just as knackered going to and from the shops only in town can be in worse shape than a car that’s spent it’s life at a constant engine speed on the motorway.

    In summary – caveat emptor 🙂

    njee20
    Free Member

    I think it depends as well on how much the ‘little things’ bother you.

    I’ve got a 2003 Golf TDI PD 130 with 108k on the clock, whilst it’s mechanically sound the interior looks more tatty than a car that’s been used less – scuffed dashboard, worn seats etc. Not the end of the world by any stretch, but to be honest as I spend time looking at the inside of my car that would probably influence my decision at least a little.

    trail_rat
    Free Member

    i would buy a high milage car BUT VAG badge snobs have artificially inflated the prices of them to silly levels – i saw a van with 169k on the clock advertised as low milage ? compared to what the starship enterprise ?

    high milage french motors – base model with as little electrics as possible. If it has tidy body work , good service history and no obvious issues

    would i pay anything more than 2k for that audi ….would i **** – even if parkers says thats its book price.

    gee
    Free Member

    Yes but Nick’s Golf also has unique holes in the glove box from an exploding gas cartridge, so not usual wear and tear

    GB

    skids
    Free Member

    depends on price and what parts have been replaced on it already

    stevewhyte
    Free Member

    The engin is the least of the issues at that mileage, there are all the other parts of a car to take into account, clutch, dampers, electrics suspension, brakes.

    Most of it is easily fixed but bill could mount up.

    I would draw the line at 100k miles assuming the car was a 1 or 2 owner. If it had 5 owners and was 100k miles i would walk away.

    As long as the price was right then maybe.

    njee20
    Free Member

    Yes but Nick’s Golf also has unique holes in the glove box from an exploding gas cartridge, so not usual wear and tear

    😆

    That was my 206, happy times! But yes, it turns out the flash point for an Innovations “Seal n’flate” is lower than the cabin temparature of a car in direct sunlight. AND they can make a big hole in your glovebox when ‘ignited’.

    Taff
    Free Member

    It’s depend on price Jon. If it’s got FSH and receipts then see what was done. Look at when the cam belt/chain is next due. Try and find out who owned it previously ie was it a fleet car, they’re serviced regularly and are normally well looked after.

    xiphon
    Free Member

    Quality! That made me chuckle 🙂

    rocketman
    Free Member

    Wouldn’t touch it tbh

    xiphon
    Free Member

    Unfortunately, 130k is a long way for a car to be neglected. But that’s the risk with any second hand car (or 3rd or 4th hand by the time you get it).

    Aidy
    Free Member

    It’ll likely be fine – full dealer service history, so chances are it’ll have been reasonably looked after.

    Always worth budgeting for a few repairs with any second hand car, though.

    hitman
    Free Member

    Bike forum?
    Thought this was your MTB mileage for the last few years 🙂

    stumpy01
    Full Member

    What is it? The 1.9?

    Assuming 7 yrs old that’s not even 20k miles/yr. My 03 reg Ibiza has got 205k miles on it, so a few more annual miles than the car you are looking at. If it has decent service history & is a good price I wouldn’t be concerned at <20k miles/yr.

    hora
    Free Member

    Looking at an 05 plate Audi A3 TDI. It has ~130,000 miles

    That and VW – Any other car you’d get the car at a very agreeable price. The sale price would reflect the mileage.

    Would you buy a 130k 05 Focus diesel just off book value? No. Yet you’ll be sold the legendary Audi mechanical quality.

    VW or Audi though- they have a perceived quality of mechanics. Yet they are just as average failability as anything else mechanically.

    strike
    Free Member

    Which diesel engine – the 1.9TDI (generally great and will last forever) or the 2.0TDI (can be troublesome)?

    At 130K you need to know a bit about cars (or take someone who does with you) IF you’re buying it without any comeback. At this mileage you’ll want to be checking that the dual mass flywheel is ok (highly likely it’ll be on it’s way out at 130K – but good if you have proof it’s been replaced). Listen for a knocking noise when the engine is idling, and also juddering when pulling away. If you do need a new dual mass flywheel, then parts alone are around £500 or so (you have to buy a new clutch at the same time), and it’s gearbox out to fit it, so labour will be costly too.

    Don’t assume it’s bombproof even at that mileage – VW’s and Audi’s are not what they used to be……

    Imabigkidnow
    Free Member

    I think as a broad statement average mileage usage in the UK is 12-15k a year.

    Anything above that is high .. 7 year old car puts you around the 105k mark.

    I quite literally just brought a 55 plate motor and was looking between 40-70k, the majority were 60-90k for something tidy. still had a new alternator and ‘stat within the first month (1300 miles) but the freezing spell may have aggrevated that. Thankfully under warranty though.

    As someone else said it depends what you’re gonna use it for. I wanted low mileage because it’s already a 7 year old car and I’m going to whack on 20-25k a year now with my new job

    My Brother in Law just sold is 02 plate Golf 2.0 TDI at 120k coz it was getting pretty shoddy around the edges (and his uncle’s in the biz which means he could’ve had stuff done cheap too) but it was a hop’n’stopper.

    flyingfox
    Free Member

    Loads of 2.0 TDIs have issues between 02 and 05. This may be one? Porous heads and problematic bottom ends. Worth checking? I’ve seen a fair few now. Turns out the older 1.9 TDI has been more reliable.

    Northwind
    Full Member

    I wouldn’t be put off by mileage alone, judge on condition. We had a Passat with 150000 miles, mechanically and cosmetically bang on but electronically senile, frinstance. My Focus was low-ish miles but ratty and every damn bolt was rusted in, changing the wheel bearings and brakelines became my life’s work.

    stAn-BadBrainsMBC
    Free Member

    depends if your running 26″ 29″ 700cc or 650b wheels ? Bigger wheels cover more distance for less revolutions etc.

    Of course you would then have to factor in tyre choice and pressure – slick tyres high pressure = fast rolling less resistance etc.

    130,000 miles is approx’ 10,000 hours worth of cycling for someone with decent level of fitness (of course terrain and wind play a big part etc.)

    Oh it’s a car ! Sorry I thought we were on a mountain bike/ cycling forum !!!! 🙄

    birney29
    Free Member

    Imabigkidnow – I quite literally just brought a 55 plate motor

    Really? From where did you bring it?

    aracer
    Free Member

    I just bought an 08 plate with 121k on the clock, so I’d say that’s quite low mileage for an 05 plate. Mind you, that was a Mondeo and the price I paid did reflect the mileage – the amount I saved ought to easily cover any extra bills due to the extra miles. Like many others on here I’d spend my money on a younger lower mileage Focus rather than the A3 you’re looking at. Oh, and I disagree with the assertion about lots of other things wearing out – a lot of those don’t get an awful lot of wear doing miles on the motorway, and tend to wear out more with age than miles.

    Imabigkidnow
    Free Member

    birney29 – Member

    Really? From where did you bring it?

    🙄

    hora
    Free Member

    Aracer has the right idea.
    DONT be fooled by a polished/valeted car. Buy on condition?

    How unless you own a hydraulic ramp and are a good mechanic able to spot things? A one driver/90% one perdon in the car majority of the time will equal a tidy look no doubt.
    Also dont expect full used sale backup.
    A used trader can successfully argue any mechanical etc claims post sale if the mileage is seen as high etc etc.

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