Low mileage, low spec or high mileage, high spec?

[pussyfooting]

That's it really - I have the choice between 2 Mitsubishi Outlanders, both roughly 3 years old and in similar condition. One is pretty basic but 42,000 m, and £3,500 more expensive. The other has a higher spec (sunroof, satnav, better radio system, heated seats etc), is cheaper, but has 74,000 m on the clock. Don't know what to do!! I'd expect to keep whatever I buy for about 8 yrs. can anyone give me some welcome advice?

Buy on condition - if it's been looked after then high mileage is nothing to worry about. Check the service history - ask for old invoices, not just stamps in a service book - a stamp will only tell you at what mileage a service was done, not is they used good quality oil and other consumables, or whether they replaced brake fluid or just checked it, etc. etc.

To me their both high spec cars so I would lean towards the low mileage one without frills.

Are you likely to do high mileage yourself? Yes - go for low mileage. If no, go for high mileage. (But yes, WMittens is right, condition is key).

Higher spec, higher mileage, provided it has been well looked after. You've got to live with the thing after all, and for a while by the sounds of it!

The answer depends to some extent on the mileage you expect to do. Assuming you are doing 12,000 miles a year and keeping it for 8 years that will put 96,000 miles on it. At the end of that one will have done 138,000 miles and the other 170,000 miles.

At 138,000 miles a modern Japanese car should still be quite solid, although showing some wear and tear. At 170,000 miles it's likely to be getting expensive to maintain, but still usable. If you are doing less than 12,000 miles p.a. the high mileage example would be my choice, more than that and I'd go for lower mileage.