Vehicle Model Year Vs Kilometres To Determine Used Car Value
I know someone who wants to sell her Getz. It is a 2007 model I think, but it has only 90 000km on the clock. Is this a good car to buy, or should you rather go for a newer car with more mileage?
The thing is the Getz looks old and feels more used than it should be. The vast majority of those kilos were done in short trips, heavy traffic, or both. And it was parked outside for most of those years, so although there is no rust, the paint is faded in parts and the upholstery is perishing.
But you can probably spend R10K and drive it for the next five years – that car will not depreciate anymore. So kilometres or years?
Kilometres
It really depends on how it was driven. Short hops or traffic driving will give you fewer kilometres, but those kilos will be hard on the engine. Stop-start takes a strain on the transmission, while short trips mean cold oil and engine, and gunk building up in the moving parts. An old car driving on the freeway will give you easy kilometres, with the engine running at optimum efficiency. The same applies to a newer car with loads of kilos – how were those kilos accumulated?
Age
Cars depreciate the moment you drive them out of the showroom, which is why used cars are so popular. Someone else paid for that drop in price. But after that, a car will continue to depreciate because of age, and outside factors such as mileage or condition.
A car parked for most of the time will accumulate its own problems outside of kilos driven. These will include dirt in the oil settling and forming sludge, and rubber parts like a fan belt perishing because of sheer age.
But the downside of an old car is technology. Tech has shifted the needle in a major way over the last few years, so you have to look at what the old car offers vs your minimum safety and luxury requirements. A five-year-old car will most likely not give you an infotainment system or daytime running lights, while the rearview camera, if there, will be fuzzy and prone to sunlight interference.
The Test
A new car with 200K on the clock is for the brave, no matter where or how it was driven. New cars can be more expensive than medium-old cars to fix, although really old cars can cost a fortune. Some German models will cost more than their Korean counterparts.
A good older car can be a pleasure if it is in good nick, and that is the test. Start by checking the service history. If complete, great. Any gaps, move on.
Check the car. If any rust or oil leaks, drop the price or look elsewhere. If the car is physically and mechanically sound, no matter the age or kilos, it should be okay – but depending on the price.
Checking The Price
So we don’t know about price vs age vs mileage. How do we compare? It is quite easy. Simply go to this handy tool and fill in your requirements. You will quickly get a good idea of vehicle availability in terms of price, mileage and age in the used car market. You may even find your ideal car right there, fully checked out and ready to be delivered to your doorstep by folks that have a good reputation and will stand by what they offer for sale.
