Ten Best Vehicles to buy with 100,000+ miles

CarBuyerUSA buys cars 24/7/365, with over $3B in offers made over the last 12 months. We are America’s Top Rated Car Buying Company. Privately held and in business since 2012. So, we can proclaim with a reasonable degree of certainty, that we are experts in our field.

While it seems like there is a “Top 10” or “10 Best” list for just about every product or service in the free world, the US Vehicle Fleet Continues to age. The average vehicle in the US is 15 years old and has 150,000 miles on it, which means people are buying cars & trucks with a ton of miles on them.

We thought it would be a great idea to share some of the wisdom we have acquired in trading vehicles with higher miles on them. We base our opinion on resale, mechanical durability and performance in all geographic areas. Please recognize and receive that this is pure editorial opinion, there will always be exceptions. For example, the Toyota Corolla may be the most durable and dependable vehicle in the USA, but if abused for 100K miles with no maintenance, it will indeed become an outlier.

Considerations

We mentioned service history which is critical. Any machine, if properly maintained (clean air, gas & oil) will run longer without problems than a poorly maintained vehicle. Get the maintenance records or make sure they are clear on the CarFax. No maintenance, no purchase – write it down!

Transmission choices are also a very big deal. A standard (stick shift) transmission will cost far less than an automatic which may be at the end of its’ life if driven 100K city miles. Let’s not forget to make it painfully clear that under no circumstances would we recommend EVER buying a vehicle with a CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) with 100K miles. The CVT is a terrible design and no manufacturer has come up with a design that can withstand the driving habits of the American Vehicle Owner. So brush up on your shifting skills and buy a stick – you will feel young again and enjoy a vehicle with fewer problems.

BEST BUYS with 100K miles

1. Toyota Corolla
2. Honda Civic
3. Honda Accord
4. Toyota 4Runner
5. Ford Ranger (all)
6. Tesla (all)
7. Toyota Tacoma (all)
8. Toyota Camry LE
9. Lexus ES350
10. Lexus RX350

Worst Cars to buy with 100,000 Miles

1. Hyundai (all)
2. Kia (all)
3. Nissan (all with CVT)
4. Land Rover / Range Rover (all)
5. VW (all)
6. Ford F150 / Lincoln Navigator / Econoline 5.4L Triton
7. Jaguar (all)
8. BMW 5,6,7,8 Series (w/V8 Engine)
9. Chrysler / Dodge Caravan / Town & Country
10. Audi (all)

It’s important to consider that with any used vehicle purchase, condition is the single most important factor. The purpose of sharing this information is to educate people before they plunk down $15-20K for a vehicle with 100K miles and finance it for 60 months! Condition is single biggest indicator of how a vehicle was used & cared for by the owner. If the person selling the vehicle is Owner #3 and only had it for the last 20K miles, you should be concerned about how the other 2 previous owners drove and maintained the vehicle. The vehicle history report will also show where the vehicle was registered. If from the Northeast or Upper Midwest, RUST will be a huge concern. Vehicles with 100K miles have seen a lot of road use and they will show significantly more wear & tear than lower mileage vehicles. The vehicles on this list are all well-made and perform well in areas with inclement weather.

For more information about this article or pricing information please feel free to email us.