It was good to hear from Richard as he lit the blue touchpaper on one of my favourite topics. He’s driving a 2014 Volvo V60 D4 SE Nav Lux. It was a fleet car that he bought a year ago with 85,000 miles on the clock and a full service history. The car has covered another 10,000 miles since and now he’s looking to trade up to an SUV. His question: “Would it be sensible to sell the car before 100,000 miles or is there very little difference in value at these high mileages?”
As we all know, cars with six figures under their wheels can be perfectly reliable. However, the perception of many buyers is that a car that has done in excess of 100,000 miles is worn out. So if you want to sell, even though the actual value is very similar, it’s best to do so sooner rather than later. Quite simply, Richard’s Volvo is more saleable with 95,000 miles on the clock than it is with 100,000. What this flags up is that there should be some great high-mileage bargains out there.
Jaguars always go off the boil in the used car market and depreciate attractively thereafter, so I find myself drawn to a 2015 Jaguar XF 2.2D SE. Here’s a one-owner example with a main dealer service history and another fettling about to be carried out. Seems like the perfect large saloon and it has 128,000 miles on the clock. That shouldn’t be anything to worry about and it comes with a big-name warranty, so its £6990 asking price seems like excellent value.
Small cars can take big miles, especially when they are made by Honda. That’s right: a Honda Jazz isn’t just for the fortnightly supermarket cat-food run. Here’s a 2014 1.4 i-VTEC ES Plus that has covered an impressive 129,000 miles, in tip-top condition and at an independent dealer for just £2999. That’s a bargain for someone after a small family car.
For a bit of fun, how about an Alfa Romeo with a six-figure mileage? Not as rare as you might imagine. A 2014 Mito 1.6 JTDM Sportiva with 104,000 miles, and fitted with sat-nav, cruise control, a Bose sound system and funky 18in alloys, has an asking price of just £2999.
Let’s finish with a high-mileage premium flourish: a 2014 Audi A3 2.0 TDI SE Sportback. This has 180k miles, all backed up with a main dealer history including a recent cambelt. What’s significant here is that this is a one-owner example, which, allied to the complete history, makes it a very safe buy. And the price – £4750 – seems fair enough for a premium family car finished in fashionably white paintwork. The mileage really is irrelevant – in a few years’ time, you will still get a few grand for it with 200,000 up.
