to think most cars have not "been around the clock once or twice"?

[DitaVonCheese]

Arguing with DH. We want to get a new (secondhand) car. He thinks a car that is ten years old with 50-odd thousand miles on the clock will have been around the clock at least once.

MN jury?

"I think an average mileage per year is around 5000-6000 but he was googling and coming up with 10000-12000 being average so was arguing that 50,000ish was therefore unbelievably unlikely confused It was a bit of a weird argument tb."

Actually your OH is correct. The average mileage is about 12,000 miles a year, but that takes all cars into account - from low mileage users to people who drive long distances every day. I used to drive 30,000 miles a year, but now do about 6,000, so it is perfectly possible to find a ten year old car with 50,000 miles on the clock. Providing the car has a full service history it should be easy to check whether the mileage claims are true.

A car would have to be over 80yrs old to have clocked up a million miles based on average annual mileage. I think you might be able to distinguish such a vehicle quite easily from its more modern companions on autotrader.

10,000 as an average leaves potential for plenty of cars to do 5,000 miles a year or less. The second car in a household can easily be quite low mileage - my first car was my mum's before I had it, and she drove it ten miles a day to work and back (termtime only as well) and that was it, bar the occasional solo shopping trip. Anything else, they took my dad's car.

That said, my car only does 7 or 8,000 miles a year, and that's our only family car, so my (short) commute, DD's clubs, all the shopping, holidays, everything.

Perfectly possible especially if (say) it was a Motability car from new (usually on a 3 year lease) then sold to someone who didn't commute in it.

@ MitchiestInge

My 40 year old car has, apparently, done 23,000 kilometres (german import - see profile for pic)

It has been around the clock once.

At 50k and ten years old, it's done 5000 miles a year, roughly equivalent to a 20 mile a day commute. Not an unreasonable amount. I'm on a 6000mile a year policy (because it's a classic) which covers 4-5 shows at 300 miles each way, plus daily commute (i now walk to work, though, so will hopfully be well within)

If it's been well maintained there's nothing to worry about

I think average mileage for a family car is 10-12K, but if it is a second 'run around' then 50k total is totally realistic.

DH and I do about 20K together, but we both work and commute 30+ miles roundtrip a day plus lots of visits to family who live 100+ miles away. Plus we go on roadtrip-type holidays!

When I was on maternity leave, I could quite easily make a tank of petrol last 6 weeks if I wasn't visiting family.

I had a car that went round the clock once. It was a very exciting moment. I don't think it was a 6 digit clock though...

My DS recently sold an old mini (first registered in 1984) that had done 16,000 genuine miles since new. He owned it for just over a year when he sold for more money than he'd paid for it. It was a beautiful car that started first time, every time and sailed through it's MOT. The only reason he got rid was because he works til midnight and in the winter months found it no fun driving home with the windows open to defrost the inside of his pretty little car.

Its vey likely
My first car was 12yrs old and had only done 25k, all servce history, even the factory battery and tyres. It had been garaged kept and he lady used it once it a week to do the shopping, full service history too.

My first brand new car which i just sold i clocked up a massive 89k in 2 yrs and most of that was pleasure going up and down the motorway to see friends.

Lost tons of money on that one, as noone would touch it cos of the milage.

Lots of fun nights out thou

'Round the clock' used to signify 100,000 miles and a 10 year old car could easily of done that, but could also of only done 50,000.

If it has a new style odometer it will go up to 999,999 before 'going round the clock' and back to 000,001. Is he saying it has been clocked ?

FWIW my car is 11 years old, has a digital odometer and has done 144,000 miles

I got my car from a local dealer who has an arrangement whereby you tell him what you are looking for, given the guide price in the reference books, and he searches it out goes to the auction and buys it for you. I can give you the details if you like; we got a 3 year old Volvo V70 ex-company car all checked out an were v pleased. It took less than weeks.

Re very low mileage not being such a good thing either; it's true. A car that only ever does very short trips never heats up properly so you end up with corrosion in the exhaust.

Something like that.

Anyway, it does a car good to have at least the odd blat.

I was told the same as Old Lady, also that if it is a low mileage it does not do well on battery life as it does not get a good long charge and it will have been more likely to have had short distances in low gears.

My car is 11 years old and has only done 67,000. Just make sure you have service history, and/or repair bills, and MOTs.