Would a small car like a Suzuki Swift still last for ages if it had 120Km on clock or would it be better to spend a few thousand more and get one with 60Km on clock. If a small modern car is looked after how long should it last. Would it get to 200Km alright.
lazzo,
Dec 6, 5:07am
Yes it should easily get to 200,000km. Engine life usually depends on how well they are serviced. If you can afford a better one you should buy a better one.
saxman99,
Dec 6, 6:08am
All modern cars should do 500,000km easily IMHO. Less is unacceptable in this day and age.If a basic old early 90s Merc 190e can do 1.2 mill then 500k should be a cakewalk.
grangies,
Dec 6, 6:22am
But those old Mercedes cost much more when new, compared top the cheap cars that are available now. In comparative terms those old 190 and 230e Mercs were $50,000 plus in todays $$ for a medium sized sedan.
How can you expect to buy a brand new car for as little as say $25,000 and expect it to last for 500,000 kilometers!
m16d,
Dec 6, 10:44pm
Cant imagine a Cruze or similar doing half a million K's without chucking heaps of money at it.
bwg11,
Dec 7, 12:26am
IMHO, you will find in all "cheap" and "mid-market" cars virtually all component are built to a cost/weight design life. After, say 300,000 km most parts are on the way out, - not just engine and gearbox, but suspension, steering gear, door hardware, switchgear, trim etc. They get to a stage where you fix one thing and wait for the next bit to fail.
Just to be controversial. I would suggest from my experience, this "design-life" may be 600,000 kms for the likes of Toyota and 250.000 kms for some Korean and European makes.
zetec,
Dec 7, 7:13am
bwg that is an interesting point you make. In my experience, around 200km+ parts like alternators, wheel bearings etc start to fail so you have to budget for them. What used to cost $300 to fix now costs $500 due to inflation. But when you factor the low purchase price and lower depreciation, a higher km car can be good buying. It takes a lot of repairs to equate to depreciation on a new or near new car. I would look for a car that has had a long term owner as they have probably maintained and driven it well.
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