AIBU to consider buying a car that’s done 100k miles?

My last five cars over 25 years or so have all had over 100,000 miles and I run them until they can no longer get through an MoT. First two were old Volvo estates (one sadly written off in an accident), an old diesel Discovery, two diesel Kia Ceed. Old diesels can easily do way over 200k miles. The Kia has a timing chain rather than a belt, no DPF, cheap to insure, cheap to run. Definitely avoid any of the wet belt Fords.

You can pay to get it a good going over OP. The AA charge a couple of hundred quid the last time I checked and they'll fine tooth comb it.

I personally wouldn't get a car with that kind of millage.

I wouldn’t touch a modern diesel - ad blu and DPF issues are rife and cost a fortune to repair. I’d go for a petrol, unless you’re buying a much older diesel.

And as others have said that’s a really rubbish service history. It would be a no from me.

Is there a suitably sized Japanese car that you can consider?

That model has chain issues as well as the belt recall, I’d avoid.

DPF - check for tailpipe soot, diagnostic scan of soot levels, back pressure test, distance since last regen

What’s your budget @Bordercollierunmaybe we can help

there is also a great thread on Reddit cartalkuk that recommends cars based on your needs

If the cam belt has been replaced and can be proved it should be good. I have a 2013 VW Golf and the garage reckons with service it should be good for unlimited miles.

Which engine is it? HDi 1.6/1.5/2.0?
What was it used for before?
It sounds like it has the long life service interval. As long as it’s had the correct oil used, and it hasn’t been used as a taxi, it should be perfectly fine. Ideally it’s been serviced at a Citroen garage.
Plenty of Citroen forums where you can ask.
Diesels are more complicated than petrol, and a new DPF is very expensive if it fails, as is a turbo.
The cambelt should have been changed by now, with the water pump.

It doesn't sound to have been serviced to schedule as only ever 20-25k miles is usually far too long for most diesels. When I was doing very high mileage in a diesel, I'm pretty sure I was having it serviced every 10-12k miles (which was roughly every six months!) which was as per service schedule. So you need to check that. It's pretty easy to google if you put in the exact make and model etc.

Only having the oil changed every 20-25k if the service schedule says 10-12k miles could have caused excessive wear/damage to the engine that may not be evident now but could cause expensive repair bills and breakdowns further down the line, i.e. effectively reducing the life of the engine/components.

Also check if it was serviced at the manufacturer's main dealership rather than an independent as an independent (or other manufacturer's dealership) may not have performed all the checks on the manufacturer service schedule for that car, or may have used the wrong grade of oil, etc.

A petrol would be fine too. Modern petrol engines can easily do 200k miles if looked after. In fact petrol is often a better bet as they are less complex and there aren’t so many expensive things to go wrong - like DPFs.

100k miles is a psychological barrier to some. It’s a
hangover from the good of days of the British car industry of the 1970s and 1980s, where it was something to be celebrated if your car got to 100k miles without falling apart.

These days most modern cars can easily do 200k miles or more - whether diesel or petrol.

If it’s been maintained well and the price is right, no reason not to buy it.

Do you have a tame mechanic who could check it out for you?

It might be OK for another 100K miles if it's in good nick.

I'm a driver of French cars and the electrics are usually are dodgy.

I just bought a 2013 Ford galaxy with 125k on it. Spot on service history and maintenance receipts. Partner likes tinkering with cars and will keep it running. He kept an 08 Mondeo running to 300k with very little cost as he does the labour on evenings and calls it fun.

I’ve had two diesels that I bought with over 100K miles on them. I needed them both to last me 5 years or so and they did with no major problems.

I don't think the service history is particularly good to be honest. My annual mileage is only 3k a year and I alternate between a part service one year (with oil change) and a full service the next. You need a car with a full service history at every 10k max. Also, I would go with Japanese cars if you're going down the high mileage route. You'll pay more but they'll give you years of trouble-free motoring. I'm on my second Honda which I highly recommend.

4 or 5 services in 7 years isn't good service history.

New & Used Cars for Sale - Autotrader UK

Def check the timing belt..... mine is a chain and I didnt get much change out of £4k 😤 so will be driving mine into the ground now..... diesel engines are designed for long mileage as long as they are looked after. Does it have a DPF? Another potentially expensive job if it goes (bitter experience).

Oh and yes, my timing chain has just been done as 100k - at the cost of £1200. Definitely something to consider

Absolute maximum between servicing should be 10-12k miles or every year. I wouldn't touch a car that had only been done every 24k

We’ve just bought ds a car for 2k that’s done 20k.

I’d be asking the garage for their thoughts in writing about the service history in particular asking about the delayed oil changes and get them to confirm that turbos, pipes cylinders, timing chain all look good, nothing is blocked or has sludge build up. They can do pressure tests etc.

ask them to run a diagnostic test and provide you with the result (you can offer to pay for this should you go ahead with the purchase)

what engine is it, some are worse than others

ask if there were any intermediate oil changes

check under oil cap for build up

I always buy higher mileage diesel VW - if regularly serviced I’ve got them to 280000 miles plus and then it’s not the engine that’s been the problem - current one is on 205000 and I’m hoping to keep it another 4-5 years

My diesel is serviced every 10k (which is twice a year at the mo!) 20-25k seems a very long interval. Usually it’s every 10-12k or every 12 months whichever comes soonest.
As someone else posted if it hasn’t already had it done the cambelt will be possibly very overdue, mine is every 80k

As you might tell by my name so do I and I have been so burned

That’s good for a diesel engine - you want to avoid lots of short journeys

if it’s not had any major repairs I’d be setting money aside for new battery, belt, and maybe some other bits.

what guarantee is the garage providing, and have you looked for other high mileage options of the same car?