What’s a Good Mileage for a Used Car?

Shopping for your next pre-owned car? At Cloninger Toyota, we want to offer some tips to enhance your experience. Many drivers near Salisbury and Huntersville have wondered: What’s a good mileage for a used car? Generally, an average of 12,000 miles per year is a good yardstick to use.

Drivers near Mooresville and Lexington can learn more about mileage on used cars below. See where the above figure come from and how much leeway you have as you shop!

Finding a Used Car: Mileage

On average, most cars are driven 10,000 to 15,000 miles per year, so 12,000 miles is the sweet spot in the middle! As you shop pre-owned cars, you should calculate mileage per year since the day the car was first driven off the lot.

Keep in mind though, that it’s not all about finding the average: Cars may have been driven more in some years than others. The CARFAX® Vehicle History Report™ will help you determine the odometer readings each year, under every owner.

Of course, there’s no magic number that qualifies as “good” mileage. More important is how those miles were accrued, how well the car was cared for, and how many more miles you can expect to get out of it.

How Was the Vehicle Cared For?

The CARFAX® Vehicle History Report™ comes in handy here, too. (You should always give it a look before you buy a pre-owned car!) Cars that have undergone routine maintenance, from oil changes to fluid level inspections to brake repair, are often more reliable than those that haven’t.

Most dealerships, including ours, perform a top-to-bottom inspection on every pre-owned car that goes up for sale. You can have an independent technician inspect it as well, if you’d like a second opinion.

How Many More Miles Do You Need?

A well-cared-for, 8-year-old with 100,000 miles on the odometer may have more life left in it than a neglected, 4-year-old car with 50,000 miles on it. Keep that in mind, but also consider your own needs. How much mileage do you need from the vehicle, and how long do you plan on keeping it?

Your answers to those questions inform how you evaluate all the other information we’ve covered here. A daily driver that racks up 100 miles per day will need to be more robust, potentially, than a secondary car you drive only occasionally on the weekends.  

Shop Our Selection of Used Cars

We hope you find these tips helpful! There’s no set mileage number to target for every situation, though drivers near Salisbury and Mooresville may find 12,000 miles per year to be a handy benchmark.

Ready to shop used cars? At Cloninger Toyota, we have a vast and varied selection available to you. Our Toyota Certified Pre-Owned program includes cars no more than 6-years-old with up to 85,000 miles on them.

You’ll get a free CARFAX® Vehicle History Report™, too. Evaluate the most important information before you take off near Huntersville and Lexington! Contact us today!