Aibu to want to buy a 77k mileage car.

[Roundtumble]

All advice appreciated!

It's a 2010 Alfa Romeo Mito
Will be my first car & I'm in love with it. Only thing is the mileage. My brother says I can find better for less money and less mileage. But I've been saving for a while now for this purpose & researched somewhat about mileage; the amount doesn't necessarily reflect the condition of the car.
I'll go for a test drive and possibly get it checked out by an independent garage. The car is beautiful imo, dealership says it's been kept in great condition, drives well etc but of course I don't want to waste my money on something that's not going to last long.
What do you guys think?

The 3 year old skodas with 77k would probably be ex-private hire taxis. They all appear to be Skodas where I live!

4K for a a 9 year old car is too much OP, don't let mileage be your deciding factor though. Do you know any mechanics who can take a look at any car you choose before purchase.

4K is a lot. You could get a similarly aged with similar miles Audi or BMW for that.

I loved my Alfa but god it was a nightmare.
I'd not recommend buying one.
Certainly not as a first car.
Certainly not 8-9 years old.
77K miles for an 8-9 YO car is actually not bad.
That's under 10K miles a year.
But just..... NO
Sorry!

ThanksForAllTheFish 8.5k miles for a 2009 car I'm thinking of going for a 2010 Punto evo sporting but still looking. I passed recently and just want to get behind the wheel. Trying to be patient!

Taking heed and turning a blind eye to the Alfa guys :(

Most cars at 77k are becoming elderly.

Nonsense. Certainly not with a Skoda, they’re just getting into their prime at that mileage!

But I agree with the PPs that an Alfa is not a good idea.

I'm thinking of going for a 2010 Punto evo
sporting but still looking.

Don’t. Stay away from french and Italian!

As advised look at Japanese or German.

Loving all the "experts" spelling it "Alpha" too :)

Don’t. Stay away from french and Italian!

Do! Get the car you want.

German cars are overpriced and overrated - you paying for marketing and snob value, nothing more.

Pop quiz for all the people saying Italian cars have unreliable electrics - who makes the electrics that go into most Fiats and Alfas?

Further pop quiz - did you know some Minis and Peugeots use the same engines?

Thought not.

You are being conned if you think "German" cars are all put together by super efficient Germans using only German parts in Germany.

Worst car I ever had was an alpha (tbf I was an idiot and bought a Spider because I thought it looked cool).

Worst car I ever had was an alpha

No such car :)

Some erroneous facts on here, for example mini and Peugeot no longer use the same co developed engines, mini is now manufactured with bmw engines.

AR does have a reputation for poor reliability I'm not sure if it's still warranted, but as this is an old vehicle I think you're probably doing right to steer clear.

I wouldn't spend that on a first car. You're very likely to prang it.

Eh? Why would OP be likely to prang their car?

Pranging the car will be the least of her worries!

If you’ve only just passed your test then I strongly recommend buying a car that’s very similar to the car you learned to drive in.

If you’ve only just passed your test then I strongly recommend buying a car that’s very similar to the car you learned to drive in.

Why?

Honestly no wonder we see so many daft posts about driving on here. You do not need to buy a similar car, how bloody bizarre.

German cars are overpriced and overrated - you paying for marketing and snob value, nothing more.

That much is true, the German stuff is only average when it comes to build quality and reliability. If you want quality then Japanese every time.

BTW everyone knows about engine/component sharing. It’s not a secret.

Honestly no wonder we see so many daft posts about driving on here. You do not need to buy a similar car, how bloody bizarre.

You’re absolutely right. P plates looked great on my Aston Martin. Until I drive it into a tree

VW / Skoda or Honda are best long term apparently

BTW everyone knows about engine/component sharing. It’s not a secret

Well, we'd had our Volvo about 4 years before our mechanic broke it to us that it didn't have what you'd think of as a traditional Volvo engine that would last forever and allow you to do 250K in the car in it, but it had the same engine as a Berlingo

but it had the same engine as a Berlingo

Well, it’s the same block at least. PSA diesels are genuinely quite long lived though. I suppose some Mercedes owners might be shocked with their Renault engines.

Until 3 or 4 years ago, taxis in Sydney were Fords and they are regularly sold off on ebay at 700,000kms - that's not a typo. Between 500,000 and 700,000. Those Fords run and run....and run.
My Toyota has over 400,000. It's a 2007 model but I do a lot of driving. The only thing I've done to it is tyres, servicing and a new alternator.

77k is not “ high miles”. Cars seem to wrong between 50-60k and once the bits are replaced are fine for years with servicing.

Hondas are amazing. You could buy one with 100k on the clock and it will do another 60k easily.

Perhaps you should factor in the cost of the insurance, the more expensive servicing, fuel consumption as well as more likely repairs and consider just how much the purchase will cost you.
Cars are hugely seductive and it is so easy to make expensive mistakes. Once you have assessed the possible cost you could see what else is available which maybe more economical.

fuel consumption

as well as likely repairs. Cars are seductive and it is easy to make expensive mistakes