Best value (how much mileage to settle for on a used car)?

[Anonymous]

I know, it's a terrible time to buy a used car but unfortunately I was hit and the car can't be saved. I'm pricing used Honda Pilots and trying to decide which is the least bad deal? I'm looking at 2019 and newer for safety features and my only other non-negotiable is leather seats (worth the price bump to keep the car generally cleaner.)

Overall, it looks like my options are as follows:
~10k mileage: $39k
~20k mileage: $37.5k
~30k mileage: $35k

Which would you buy - is an additional $4k worth getting a car w/lower mileage or vice versa? Or is the midpoint the right compromise?

Thanks for any input - I hate making decisions under pressure but I need transportation plus used cars are selling quickly so my usual temptation to over-research is killing me.

[Anonymous]

I would pay attention to the date the car was first purchased to figure out how much of bumper to bumper warranty remains and how much the car was driven per year. And of course if it had accidents. You can find it on carfax.

[Anonymous]

How much do you drive per year? We got a 2016 in 2017 that had 15K miles on it and that was basically nothing because we drive it more than that in a year.

[Anonymous]

Honestly late model Japanese cars have such fantastic low depreciation they are not great new car buys.

I say fear as we went looking a very late model off lease Accura SUV. Like three years old with 36k and my wife who hates American cars ended up with a Brand new GMC Acadia with a 7 year extended warranty same price.

She just could not stomach paying that much for a used car. And ironically did not wave a used American car. She went with new American as with 7 year factory extended warranty it worked out. But not pleasant

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honestly late model Japanese cars have such fantastic low depreciation they are not great new car buys.

I say fear as we went looking a very late model off lease Accura SUV. Like three years old with 36k and my wife who hates American cars ended up with a Brand new GMC Acadia with a 7 year extended warranty same price.

She just could not stomach paying that much for a used car. And ironically did not wave a used American car. She went with new American as with 7 year factory extended warranty it worked out. But not pleasant

I mean, it all evens out. The Japanese car will mostly last longer and have fewer repairs, which is why people will pay more for them. It’s not like they’re paying more for some random feature.

[Anonymous]

They seem priced to reflect the various mileage. I would def scrutinize the carfax report and see if one seems more well-maintained. Then I’d just base it on color or something intangible—or whether the $4k in my pocket would make me feel better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly late model Japanese cars have such fantastic low depreciation they are not great new car buys.

I say fear as we went looking a very late model off lease Accura SUV. Like three years old with 36k and my wife who hates American cars ended up with a Brand new GMC Acadia with a 7 year extended warranty same price.

She just could not stomach paying that much for a used car. And ironically did not wave a used American car. She went with new American as with 7 year factory extended warranty it worked out. But not pleasant

I mean, it all evens out. The Japanese car will mostly last longer and have fewer repairs, which is why people will pay more for them. It’s not like they’re paying more for some random feature.

But brand new America vs used Japanese same price is different. My wife has a 7 year bumper to bumper warranty American. She can dump it by year 7 if problems. Any Japanese holds value better but if she sold year 6 it be a six year old American car vs a nine year old Japanese ok

[Anonymous]

Realistically, American cars will need to be replaced at the end of your 7 year and it just won’t be as nice to drive. We have a 4ish year old “Japanese” brand (which is ridiculous since it’s manufactured in the US and many “american” brands are assembled in Mexico), and thanks to the current market it’s worth nearly as much as we bought it for. Toyota’s in particular hold their value very well bc you can drive them to 250-300k. The ride in an Acadia v an Acura/Toyota/Nissan is not comparable; or even a Kia/Hyundai, but if she wanted new, glad she is happy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Realistically, American cars will need to be replaced at the end of your 7 year and it just won’t be as nice to drive. We have a 4ish year old “Japanese” brand (which is ridiculous since it’s manufactured in the US and many “american” brands are assembled in Mexico), and thanks to the current market it’s worth nearly as much as we bought it for. Toyota’s in particular hold their value very well bc you can drive them to 250-300k. The ride in an Acadia v an Acura/Toyota/Nissan is not comparable; or even a Kia/Hyundai, but if she wanted new, glad she is happy.

While Japanese cars may be more reliable, it’s ridiculous to say an American car will need replacing after seven years.

[Anonymous]

I always try to buy a car with 10-20K on it, I feel like that’s the sweet spot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly late model Japanese cars have such fantastic low depreciation they are not great new car buys.

I say fear as we went looking a very late model off lease Accura SUV. Like three years old with 36k and my wife who hates American cars ended up with a Brand new GMC Acadia with a 7 year extended warranty same price.

She just could not stomach paying that much for a used car. And ironically did not wave a used American car. She went with new American as with 7 year factory extended warranty it worked out. But not pleasant

I mean, it all evens out. The Japanese car will mostly last longer and have fewer repairs, which is why people will pay more for them. It’s not like they’re paying more for some random feature.

But brand new America vs used Japanese same price is different. My wife has a 7 year bumper to bumper warranty American. She can dump it by year 7 if problems. Any Japanese holds value better but if she sold year 6 it be a six year old American car vs a nine year old Japanese ok

Sure she can dump it—but then she has to buy another new car. The saving man really come later, as you continue to drive a functioning older vehicle. It’s cool if that’s not your thing, but that’s what a lot of people are paying for.