[Closed] (Stupid?) Used car question

Depends whats been done on it already.

Doesnt matter what you spend.

The issue is how it was looked after and how it was driven. - thus i go private and always let the owner drive it out - and i drive back. Im judging the owner as much as the car. I Dont buy off young drivers and i dont buy off folk that drive like nuts or melt clutch or drive in the gutter ....

For this reason i stick to low owners / good service history over miles and age,

Hasnt hurt me yet. - my cars are 10 ,13 and 28 years old...

nothing stopping any seller for inflating the price on a cheap car, cheap cars are cheap because theyve been hammered , expensive cars are expensive because theyve been hammered, decide on the car/colour you wanrt and spend what you want its all relative.

Would it help if I told you I know a guy who advertises "mileage correction" in the local newspaper?

"In peoples experience does spending more on a used car result in a longer lasting more reliable motor?"

No, or rather "not necessarily".

I've had a £300 car that refused to die, and a £5k car that was the biggest lemon I've had in my life.

As a *massive* generalisation a newer lower mileage car is less likely to be worn out but there's far too many other factors involved.

So look for condition & history. Although having lots of repair bills in the folder does not give the impression of a reliable car 😉

I would say safety is a bigger deciding factor for me in justifying a more expensive car. All other things being equal, a newer car equals a safer car.

But don't get caught out by buying a modern looking car that is just a facelifted 15 year old design. I had a '97 Citroen ZX, it was designed in 1990 and was still being sold as the Xsara (slightly stronger but same platform) until 2006.

Cheers all

I would totally concur with Trail_rat - well looked after, good history and not fussy about make, model or colour too much.