Attempting to pluck experiences from people who have bought high mileage used cars. I'm referring to good condition used cars and not cars where metallic paint shows rust and doors about to fall off etc.

Usually at what mileage can a car last if it's well taken care of with scheduled servicing all carried out regularly? I'm aware that if parts such as suspension, engine mount get worn and need replacement, these are normal and not an issue. Or the steering rack needs replacement, not an issue too if parts are available. What I'm concerned is at what point if judging on the mileage, the car will be close to its lifespan and will not fit to be driven anymore. In other words, what do people mean when they talk about the "lifespan" of a car.

A quick search on the Internet showed this :-
In the past, the average lifespan of a car was significantly lower than it is today. Now, you can expect a standard car to last around 12 years or about 200,000 miles. More advanced vehicles like electric cars can go even longer, up to 300,000 miles.

200,000 miles is about 320,000 km. So, say the vehicle is close to 300km, it has seemingly reached its lifespan. What does this mean? If replacement spare parts are still available even at 300,000 km, can the car continued to be driven? Or perhaps the performance of the engine or transmission may have gone down with wear and tear as the power or acceleration is not as good when compared to new. In this case is it possible to restore the performance of the car to original new condition and if yes is it worth it.

Any thoughts appreciated.

For petrol vehicle maybe 300k km

For diesel is further. U read forum 500k km like normal some hit 700k km before need engine overhaul

depending on the car

i know ppl refurbish entire 300k km car, whole halfcut including interior, wiring from highest spec JDM model to their current 15year car with less 100k km.

I have only bought used cars with well over 100,000km on clock.

Ok thanks for the responses. Looks like I'll avoid getting a used car that is above 200,000 km if I ever consider one.

Hopefully you can find one where meter have not been tempered. Haha
Malaysia used car most have been tempered.
Accident free, careful lady driver, dr driver, low mileage, no flood.

Mileage does not paint the entire picture of the car's health.
It all boils down to how well the car is maintained.
200K KM is equalvalent to 124K Miles. For American cars, thats just the beginning.
For them, crossing the 200K Miles (322K KM) is a celebration.

I rather have genuine mileage than fake mileage tweaked by dealers.

You should have a look at this FB group called Mileage Impossible. Though majority of them are based in US, but seeing some is able to clock up to 1 Million Miles, and they still happily drive their cars.

Thats because in Malaysia we dont have such thing like CarFax, whereby they review the actual service and mileage.
Therefore rampant mileage tampering is done without guilt.

Can say 99.9 person used car by dealer will be tempered. Can believe mileage by personal owner only. dealer, cannot. thats why if someone want to buy, for example bmw. they should only go to premium selection or individual owner.

depending what u need the car for.

As a reliable daily car and your only car to work and run errand, get something below 150k km. u NEED a car that does not fail you when u need it most.

However acquiring a second car, project car, collector car, classic or antique car, the mileage doesnt matter because reliability is not your requirement for that particular car. u just want the feel, or the look, or the sentimental value. so it make sense getting a high mileage car.

BTW, those US high mileage car often being kept and used in certain climate which are almost corrosion free like those hot and dry area eg arizona the car literally are free of rust. but for our tropical climate, hmm.... damp - heavy down pour - flash flood, the car bodies are more often exposed under high humidity than in dry condition. so they aged and deteriorate much faster compare to US.

This post has been edited by yamato: Feb 12 2023, 06:00 PM

I’ve work/drive for 16.5 years and my mileage is about 800k and I’ve driven 4 different cars.

The longest car I’ve driven is a Camry bought in 2010 for 9 years. Mileage was 400k. Never once broke down. Never did any major repair or overhaul. Always do schedule maintenance on time even if I had to do it twice in a month. The car was brand new but the car I used before and after are used. No major issues, just different needs for a car that require a change

It’s okay to get a refurbished / used car as long as the previous owner takes care of it. Of course it’s tricky to get that info unless you know the owner. And Of course the lower the mileage the less likely for the owner to abuse the car. That’s why some used car offer a full service record of their car and is marginally higher price. I think it’s worth paying that extra price.

PS. I did not put into consideration for type of cars as the better cars obviously are more likely to last longer under same situation. Just explaining to you that your hard cap of 200k is wrong because of my experience. Back then, a new Camry can be purchased below rm150k. Now I don’t think it’s worth buying new.

High mileage cars would probably can be considered at European countries but definitely not ours. Those ang mos are more likely to take care of their cars. The mentality of locals here are drive till car cannot move then sell and the cycle continues. So be prepared to fork out heftily on tear and wear parts for used high mileage car.

If I am considering used cars, will only buy from actual owner and all servicing record available. I will not consider buying from used car dealers.

Throughout my 25+ years driving experience, this is the first time I might be considering buying a used car. All my previous cars are bought new.

I appreciate the sharing of your experience as well as others. As others have aptly pointed out, card which are well taken care of will have a high chance of lasting a lot longer. My capping of 200,000km is a matter of preference as I do not wish to own a car with high mileage anyway although it can be in good condition. Also, all things being similar, a low mileage car will have a higher chance of being in better condition than a high mileage one if judging from apple to apple basis.

By the way, the used car I'm considering is not a reliable type such as Japanese Toyota or Honda etc. so I will expect costly repairs when something fails. Hence, a lower mileage vehicle will be a better choice than a high mileage one.

Besides from getting a real non tempered meter, the next thing to consider is where n how the owner drive the ride.

If the owner always drive in city with most of the time trap in traffic jam, u need to at least 2X or 3X the meter Km as the engine is still operating, wearing down even during traffic jam. Thus why a lot of city cars are easy to accumulate carbon and start parts failing even with low mileage after 3~5 years due to long time period idling.

Although not always the case, your post reminds me when I was in my 20s driving a Proton Waja. During that time before I sold the car, I drove over speed bumps as if they don't exist. I actually wanted to test the limits of the suspension to make it fail but surprisingly it can take all the abuse thrown at it.

The car was still in one piece before I sold it to a used car dealer. It was still in fairly good shape though and the suspension is still original and working when I got rid of it. 😂

Put it this way ~ A really well kept 2nd hand car, usually won't end-up at the hands of a car dealer if the owner had to part ways with it while having a heavy heart (maybe have to upgrade / change car type, size, etc.). They would usually sell it to a family member or a close friend knowing the car's life will continue in good hands. Problematic cars, tend to get pushed to car dealers because if anything happened, cannot blame the owner, but responsibility lies with the car dealer.

Malaysian car dealership - very notorious for rewinding the mileage, throwing away service records, etc. Unless you can buy those 2nd hand cars cheap (1-3 years old), with full service records and under warranty, better save yourself the headache and buy brand new.

addressing your questions directly:

1) High Mileage Used Car Good Idea?
no. however, in general, it depends.
in an ideal world, you get what you paid for. more mileage/older cars = cheaper in cost, but you pay in wear and tear/maintenance/replacements etc.

2) Usually at what mileage can a car last if it's well taken care of with scheduled servicing all carried out regularly?
too vast of a variable to give a solid answer.
brand, model/make, year, which generation, what engine/transmission/drive train is being used, the environment it is driven at, country, what conditions (traffic jam? only highway? refer to recent honda oil life reminder, that is a VERY GOOD calculation/algorithm for majority of layman) owner usage etc.
owner can pamper it best best, regular wash, give it the best lubricants, all servicing tip top.
but if its being used for taxi, daily Touge and/or Sepang runs, that car is probably worse than a daily beater only being washed once a month or few times a year, sometimes overshoot maintenance or even so called "life time fluids" like BMW/Mazda

3) it has seemingly reached its lifespan. What does this mean?
no meaning, that is defined by seller/buyer/owner etc.

4) If replacement spare parts are still available even at 300,000 km, can the car continued to be driven?
why not?

5) In this case is it possible to restore the performance of the car to original new condition
why not? so long you got money, just about anything is possible.

6)and if yes is it worth it.
that is up to an individual like yourself to determine if it is worth it.
one can never justify sentimental value and/or preference, hobbies etc.

That’s the point. Both car and parts are designed to last for certain years and mileage especially the wear and tear parts. Thrashing will definitely cut short the lifespan. Worst chances on high mileage car.

The car was in one piece and working when u got rid of it doesn’t mean those parts will last for whoever took over the car.

As the matter in fact and speaking from personal experience, used cars with high mileage are for those with plenty of cash and time to spare as the wear and tear parts are bound to fail one after another even after replacement.

Nothing beats the lifespan of original parts that are fitted with precision in the factory. Also not all rubberized material can be replaced outside the factory thus affects the quality of the ride.

This post has been edited by kirakun: Feb 13 2023, 06:26 PM

The problem in Malaysia is that out of 10 cars advertised with low mileage, more than 9 are fake

I think even cars more than 300k km can still be used, just need to change more parts, possibly top overhaul and engine mounting etc

Current car already more than 300k and still running ok,

Not great but still ok

i used this site when import my car - same like carfax https://cheapcarfaxreport.net/