Buying a car can be scary, especially with all of the potential duds out there you can get stuck with, not to mention how inflation is absolutely wrecking people’s bank accounts these days—being stuck with a vehicle that’s going to end up spending just as much time in the shop as it does on the road is a headache no one wants to endure.
Thankfully, some mechanics are willing to share their honest opinions about the vehicles they more than likely would never purchase given the sheer amount of times they see them brought into their shops. On the flip side, they’re more than happy to provide recommendations for what they would drive themselves to avoid an automotive money pit situation.
The TikTok account for Genuine Automotive (@genuineautomotiveatx) decided to post a clip that might help folks in their used car purchasing.
“What’s the max amount of mileage you’d buy on a used car?” the person behind the camera asks an auto worker sitting on a stool in the shop.
“100,000,” the worker replies.
The clip then transitions to the TikToker approaching another tech where he asks the same question.
“Probably 150,000,” the man says. The next tech gave a bit of a more detailed answer stating that not all cars are built equally when it comes to long-term reliability and usage.
“That’s tough because it depends on the manufacturer,” he says. “But I’d say, 60[k] is a good place to start.”
He seems to have surprised the next gentleman in the video who is walking around the shop. The tech turned around when posed the thesis for the video: “Oh probably 100,000 miles, man.”
“Hey Dwayne what’s the max amount of mileage you would ever buy on a used car,” the TikToker asks a final person at the end of the video.
He summarily gave his response, saying, “Probably right at 100,000 miles.”
@genuineautomotiveatx What’s the most amount of mileage you’d feel comfortable purchasing on a used car?
♬ original sound – Genuine Automotive
When it comes to the purchase of any vehicle, used or new, it’s evident that some brands are meant to go the distance longer, and with fewer problems, than others. Slash Gear writes that for luxury vehicles, Lexus is the most vaunted manufacturer when it comes to reliability, with its parent brand, Toyota, being the best when it comes to mass market dependability.
Motor Trend also puts Lexus and Toyota at the top of the list, while, in another Slash Gear piece, the outlet had favorable things to say about Honda/Acura and Kia.
When thinking about purchasing a vehicle, looking for any extended warranties through the manufacturer, which can often be negotiated, might be worth considering if the warranty company is highly rated. Looking up the specific make and model year of the vehicle, especially if the car is used and there are plenty of those specific models on the road, and looking up common problems they may undergo in internet forums is also something to look out for.
Also, detailed maintenance records of a vehicle from a previous owner should be requested if they’re available, as a car that was properly cared for will more than likely have a much smaller chance of giving you problems than one that wasn’t given as much love and attention.
Commenters who responded to the automotive shop’s post had their own thoughts about appropriate mileage counts.
One person wrote, “60k? That’s practically new.”
“130 – 150k is the right answer,” another replied.
Others thought that mileage isn’t as big of a deal as some people make it out to be, as long as the car was maintained right.
“People are SOO scared of miles,” one said. “I would buy something with 400k if it was in good shape and a good price.”
“Depends on the car, Toyota/Subaru I’ll take it at 200k older GM too,” another wrote, sharing their favorite used brands to purchase.
And then there were Toyota fans:
“150k is perfect for Toyotas gives ya 100k easily.”
“150k only on used Toyota!!!”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Genuine Automotive via Instagram direct message for further comment.
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