Does mileage matter?

[Lostatsea10]

Looking at buying a new car. Most likely a Hyundai Tucson and unsure about how important the mileage is?

Option 1- 2019 (19) plate, 22,989 miles. £14k

Option 2- 2020 (70) plate, 35,022 miles. £13,449.

It’s probably silly but it’s such a big purchase that I’m worried to get it wrong. Thanks

Option one has been used less often so should in theory have less wear and tear , tyres in better condition etc

I would check if both have been serviced regularly too

An engine tends to have a limited lifespan and as mileage goes up servicing costs increase which is why a low mileage car is often preferable

Of course the driver of the first car could have raked the engine and driven terribly during those 22k miles !

Both have F/S/H, both recent (within the last 3 months) MOT, both 1 owner. It’s the age/cost/mileage I’m fretting about. We’ve previously only bought cars for a few thousand and so not such a big potential mistake. It’s that, that I’m struggling with.

For £500 difference I'd go for one with 12,000 odd less miles if I'm honest. Certain parts of the car wear out with more mileage like PP said.

I’d go for the first option but try and get them down a bit on price - shy bairns get nowt as they say up here

Option 1, but haggle a bit.

I would go for lower mileage very time but try and get a price reduction as that seems
high compared to the newer car even taking into account the mileage.

I Newley brought a Tucson in January but decided to get a smaller car although not much smaller. The Kona.

I would say be aware of the dealership and check things like mot and the findings on it plus ask to see any job sheets etc.

I say this because I have had a never ending nightmare with mine and 9 months on it is still not sorted. I brought from a main dealer as well as wanted the security of a main dealer but that’s not proven to be the case. Dm me if you want the name of the dealership. They are a big chain and have several main dealerships for several makes.

Around 10k miles a year is fine. I'd be more concerned at low average mileage than high mileage as that can indicate mostly short journeys which are more wearing than long journeys ("one careful lady owner" isn't always a good thing). But these days cars go on forever. A car registered in 2020 is still likely to be going strong in 2035 and 150k miles if basic servicing, repairs and renewals are kept up to date.

For the PP that mentioned tyres - on any secondhand car over 3 years old I'd budget for new tyres. Tyre wear is normal.

There's nothing in it between those two. Go for the one with the spec and colour you like. And haggle a bit on whichever you choose if it's from a dealer.

Completely disagree. Cars aren’t meant to stand around. I wouldn’t want anything with much less than 10k miles a year on the clock.

All other things being equal, I'd take Option 2. It will always be the newer vehicle for resale, and the mileage you add to it will be the determining factor in five years.

Even the higher mileage car is still reasonable mileage for its age. Personally,
I'd be looking at spec. Heated seats are must for me. I also prefer auto high beams, auto-folding wing mirrors, keyless entry, car play and parking sensors.

Thank you all for your help. I should say we’re fairly high(ish) mileage drivers so it will reasonably get 10-12k a year on it.

It’s too stressful spending so much on a car, I much prefer spending £3-£5k and not feeling so worried about the wrong choice!🙄

Those mileages are not far enough apart to worry, if it was 100K it might be an issue. I would choose the newer of the two, especially if you are not a high mileage driver and will bring the average per year down during your ownership. Younger car presumably still has some manufacturers warranty?

Buy the car you prefer
Both are similar age and similar mileage in the grand scheme of things
Smell them first - one may have had pets or smoking in it which would sway my decision.

My car has done 200K and didn't need anything mechanical at last MOT

It kind of does. But depends whether you know the kind of mileage.

I would probably prefer a car that had done a lot of motorway trips over one that had done lots more short trips. Engine wear when cold is greater. Turbos too. Clutch wear tends to be worse driving round towns. Short trips are very bad for diesels and the filter system.

But most of the time you buy a car you will not be able to tell the type of mileage it has done.

Hyundais have very expensive parts so if that's your only choice I would go for lower mileage.

The mileage is low on both options. Check the spec.

Much of a muchness in that case I'd say, assuming they both have a full service history. Pick the one you prefer

One thing I'd also consider if number of owners, if one has had more of changed hands very recently. Ask for the log book, anyone that won't show it before you buy, walk away.

We stupidly bought a car that had had three owners within four years, garage said someone else was out with key to log book but had definitely only had two owners so telling porkies. Car didn't have anything massive wrong with it, but we were constantly having so many niggly things go wrong and we found it often took a few goes to get it to start - had it checked by a couple of garages for this and no one could work out why.