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What Is Considered a Low Mileage Vehicle and Why Would You Care

When searching for a used vehicle, people tend to look at several aspects, among them high on the list being the mileage. Most of them believe the lower the mileage, the better the car is, but this is not always the case. Here’s what you should know.
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What is considered a low mileage vehicleWhat is considered a low mileage vehicleWhat is considered a low mileage vehicleWhat is considered a low mileage vehicleWhat is considered a low mileage vehicle
Anyone who looked for a used car has probably shortlisted the ones with the lowest mileage, among other things. It is a common belief those that were driven the least are the best on the lot. Dealers acknowledged that, and so the legend began to spread. We're talking about the legend of the old lady only driving to church on Sunday.

Soon everyone wanted a low mileage vehicle, and dealers obliged, some even rigging the odometers to satisfy the customers. But how important is the mileage, and what is considered a low mileage car in the first place? Well, not everyone agrees, so keep reading to see what’s the most important to you.

The average American drives between 12,000 and 15,000 miles a year, so we’ll take this as the starting point. Considering a 4-year car, we expect it to have between 48,000 and 60,000 miles on the odometer. This is an average mileage, and from here, we talk about a low mileage when it has a lot less on the odometer, say 7,500 miles a year. If the numbers are ridiculously lower, we can even say it has very low mileage.

The thing is, the mileage is not that important; it’s the way it was maintained and driven that counts. In fact, very low mileage should be a red flag for anyone looking for a new ride. That’s because people who drive less often forget to take the car in for service. Also, it might be that a vehicle with fewer miles on the odometer was improperly driven for shorter distances, resulting in a lot of wear and tear. Besides that, the engine not having enough time to reach the proper temperature means the carbon deposits build up on the valves.

It’s even worse if the car sat unmoved for longer periods. You see, the engine needs lubrication to run, but when it stays still, this leads to corrosion. The tires develop a flat bottom if unmoved for longer, and other fluids degrade and could cause damage to metal and plastic parts. If you really need to buy one that was barely driven, we encourage you to service it as soon as possible and change all the fluids.

When you’re in the market for a used vehicle, it is more important to look for the maintenance records and proof the car was well taken care of. Even when it has high mileage, it can still be a good ride, provided it was serviced according to the manufacturer’s recommendations.
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About the author: Cristian Agatie
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After his childhood dream of becoming a "tractor operator" didn't pan out, Cristian turned to journalism, first in print and later moving to online media. His top interests are electric vehicles and new energy solutions.
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