How many miles?

[Blossom]

I'm looking to buy my first car, and have about �1,200 to spend - bearing in mind I wont be buying a GREAT car, I wondered how many miles should be on the clock, on average?

[DrWu]

Research...that's the answer! Get a copy of Autotrader magazine for each week for a week or two and have a look through the bargain section. That should give you a good feel for what's out there. Alternatively have a look at the Autotrader website which is very easy to navigate and again should give you an idea what's out there http://atsearch.autotrader.co.uk/www/cars_search.asp Happy hunting! That

[buchanan]

8-12K miles for each year of its life. Going Diesel is a good bet with an older cars - they just run and run - and make sure you get an AA check for peace of mind.

[Mattk]

high mileage is not necessarliy a bad thing.an engine works best when warm so a high mileage regularly used car may very well be in better condition than a low mileage car used only for short 'cold' trips

[Ouisch]

High mileage sometimes is not detrimental if they're "freeway miles" (I guess "motorway miles" in the UK). That is, the miles were accumulated by straight driving, not stop-and-go city traffic. <8-12K miles for each year of its life.> Wow. I remember leasing a car in 1993 and it had a 15K miles per year limit, which was extremely difficult to maintain. A co-worker of mine had a lake cottage up north that he visited almost every week-end, and put 52K on his car in six months! I guess lack of public transit in these parts is part of the reason that we drive more than our European counterparts....

[stoo_pid]

visit this website before you part with any cash. Use the free car price guide http://www.parkers.co.uk

[Oneeyedvic]

I personally will always go for a high mileage car - my current Saab is only 5 years old and has 150,000 miles on the clock - picked up a bargain and (touch wood) has not had any serious problems in last 2 years

[cheyenne]

yes stoo-pid,parkers is a great site,i bought my car after getting their expert advice.