Age or mileage ?

[thedon42]

So in a quandry .....

Looking for a specific vehicle and came across some very different ones ....EX:

#1) 2008 with 80,000 miles
#2) 2004 with 50,000 miles
#3) 2010 with 90,000 miles

The 2004 actually drove the nicest and has a fantastic price but...

Never bought a used vehicle that old !!!

Is it about age or mileage ???

The Girl DON

[Passin_Thru]

Rust would be my concern.

[Vulcaneer]

thedon42 wrote:
Rpms wouldn't go over 100 .

If the rpm's would go over 100, I am surprised you made it to the side of the road. Gues you found out why all the bad press for the 6.0L psd.

[thedon42]

What a lesson learned !!! I swear I couldn't make this up . We took the 2004 for a test drive and hubby took it out on the highway . Went through a toll and check engine light came on , car would not accelerate ! Rpms wouldn't go over 100 . Had to limp the truck over to side of road . Dealer had to send a car to pick him up . So I got my answer on this specific vehicle . Wow .

[C_Schomer]

My wife had a 05 g35 and it wasn't any better than the gm vehicles we've had and a lot worse than the dodges. In 95k miles it took about $5k in repairs. Now she has a morono and the 36k maint cost $1200. Looks like significant maint costs are a sure thing with Nissan. My 03 dodge has cost $169 for a tps, $28 for a tstat and $400 in ac repairs in 74 k miles. My 97 dodge ctd cost me $90 in oem repair parts (abs sensor and a heater damper servo) and $330 for a radiator and tstat in 94k miles. I would rather try a Toyota before another rebadged datsun. Craig

[zman-az]

More miles = lower price
Older unit = lower price

How well the owner takes care of the RV would be my #1 factor. I would rather have a clean well taken care of RV. Year and miles would be next.

[BenK]

thedon42 wrote:
So in a quandry .....

Looking for a specific vehicle and came across some very different ones ....EX:

#1) 2008 with 80,000 miles
#2) 2004 with 50,000 miles
#3) 2010 with 90,000 miles

The 2004 actually drove the nicest and has a fantastic price but...

Never bought a used vehicle that old !!!

Is it about age or mileage ???

The Girl DON

Both and the third is how they used/maintained it

TV's towing heavy should be on the HD or severe duty maintenance schedule
and use the best materials

Folks here advise that it is okay to over load all the time. Even
push over both loading and speed.

Noodle that in reference to your question on those TVs and then
think of this...

If the one with less miles was driven by someone who had the throttle
nailed all the time (WOT)...would that be a good one?

If the higher miles one was driven by that proverbial little old who
only drove it to church...would that be a good one?

If one was only driven on the highway not towin...would that one
be a good one?

If one has had it's computer chipped/flashed/modified for performance
would that one be good one? Even if they put it back to OEM spec's ?

That is the biggie when buying used...how was it used, how was it driven,
how was it maintained, etc...

Why buying for an organization with 'resources' helps a bit. More so
if you do not wrench it yourself....aka warranty vs private party and
no warranty

I buy used and look them over but have been burned a few times. Accept
that and a forever learning process for me

[Lowsuv]

if you want the best result , it will require work .
your best bet is to not buy from a dealer .
this means you need to find some original owner car guy who takes good care of his stuff .
this means that you have to scour the ads diligently and frequently and be prepared to go look at a moments notice .
the good private party rigs sell to the first person responding to the ad .
by interviewing the original owner and observing how he takes care of his vehicles , house , RV , boat you will know when you have a winner .
for a used vehicle the original conscientous owner is far more important than the brand .
you will need to be a student of the PAYLOAD and towing capacity of each individual rig .
a used 3 /4 ton will hold up much better than a half ton , so you could consider a pickup with a supercab / crew cab and a snugtop type canopy over the bed .

[APT]

Check the payload. Loaded up luxury SUVs tend have the same GVWR as the base models which can weight 500 pounds less. So, the Infinity QX would be the same as the base Aamada. 2006+ vehicles have a Tire and Loading sticker like this one which give as equipped payload, with a full tank of fuel. I have not personally seen any Armadas or QX, but I have seem highly optioned competitors under 1200 pounds.

Payload should be enough for the family, things to occupy their time while traveling, and trailer tongue weight.

[thedon42]

We are currently towing a 2013 Passport elite 28bh with a Landrover LR3. We use a 4 point E-Qual-izer hitch and Prodigy brake controller.

It actually tows well but we are also safe and stay relatively close to home ...

It seems like it would be nice to have a little more power though. Wheelbase would be greater as well ....Finding a used Armada this way is near impossible , it seems.

And yes we are in the " salty place." Good point that I didn't really think about .....I am going to look at the 2004 again today for a closer inspection but I think we will just keep looking.

[APT]

What do you plan to tow with this?

[MegaCab_PL]

I vote for 2004, older but less miles.

[Vulcaneer]

I break it down this way. Age is a body interior thing. Mileage is a drive train thing. So they are two distinctly different considerations. But both go to make up a good decision.

If the body and interior are in equal condition go for the lesser mileage. If the body/interior on the older one is significantly worn, or the paint is faded/scratched, carpets worn, then the newer but a little higher mileage may be better. As long as the maintenance records check out.

But the question is...how will it look in 5 years of your use? Will the interior/exterior still look good on the old one.

Consider this...the older one with less miles may have spent more time sitting in a nice protective garage. While the newer one with higher mileage, may have actually spent more time in the hot sun, while running the roads. But if in the north the newer one may have spent less time in the salty winter.

A lot of that depends on where the cars were used. The sunny south vs the rusty north. Once you have determined the difference, then weigh it against the price.

Without knowing those details, I would lean toward the much lesser priced lower mileage vehicle.

[benalbert]

If you are in a salt state, I wouldn't touch a 10 yr old vehicle. Thats when I tend to get rid of them. If the car is from Phoenix it wouldn't bother me a bit.

[stetwood]

Is the vehicle from the rust belt. If so in 3 or 4 years that 04 will show it.