What is an acceptable # of miles for a new car to have?

[Internal Combustion]

Inspired by the test drive thread, assuming you didn't order from the factory, what is an acceptable # of miles for a new, on the lot car to have? If I ordered it, it better have less than 5 miles on it. But given that people are so liberal to test drives, what would you be fine with? 50, 100, 400? Assume most test drives are a 10 mile loop.

[Aonarch]

<500 unless it was a dealer trade.

Most full PDI's are around 30 miles.

[Lucian1988]

lustine toyota tried to sell me a corolla, in 2005 that had 3200 miles as brand new. apparently they used it as the test drive/loaner car. they wouldnt drop the price even with so many miles on it.

although, i test drove a CC that had 55 miles on it, and was still wrapped in plastic and vynil on the hood. no idea how they could drive so much with it covered like it was.

my car had 24 miles on it. that was enough

[adrew]

I like them to have less than 50, though I did buy my '03 Civic Si with about 250 miles on it. It had been on the lot for almost a year so I got it at a substantial discount ($15,990).

It it had 500 or more miles on it I would probably pick a different vehicle unless I could negotiate a really good deal.

[Shomegrown]

I dunno, maybe 100 or 200 miles?

Depending on the car company, your 5 mile expectation may be completely unrealistic. I question the rationality too, but that's your call.

And I feel sorry for people who fret about this.

[AndyG86]

<500 unless it was a dealer trade.

Most full PDI's are around 30 miles.

+1

When I was at the honda dealership in HS all the PDI cars had around 30. We made some trips to long island for dealer swaps, which was about 300-400.

[ModelCitizen]

Any number is acceptable if the price is right! My GTO had 300 miles on it, but it was a great deal, so I didn't care. It was also a lease, so I didn't care that those 300 miles were probably driven with some "enthusiasm". Like the Civic above, mine had been sitting around for quite a while.

[Nourdmrolnmt]

Note that the Manufacturers Warranty does NOT start until the car is sold. At which time the mileage is documented and the warranty begins.

[warren_s]

Mine had 7km on it, but it was built-to-order.

Off the lot? I dunno, 100km seems fine to me if it's been sitting around for a while.

[In 4 Bagels, Left Hungry]

Never bought a new car. Couldn't tell ya

[Chris16vRocco]

although, i test drove a CC that had 55 miles on it, and was still wrapped in plastic and vynil on the hood. no idea how they could drive so much with it covered like it was.

It was probably test driven at the factory as part of quality control.

[330iZHP]

my last new car had 52 miles on it

[Gvr4-330]

The dealer I bought my 04 Mazda3 from sells it as a demo car if it's over 500.

[dennisjai]

my altima had about 4 miles, after my test drive it was at 10-12 miles so i bought it with 10-12 miles on paper.

[MrKevkevL]

Bought my car with 5 miles on the ODO

[Mosbius Designs]

I'm all over the place, the golf had 7 miles on it when we test drove it - it was right off the truck. The GTI, on the other hand, had 1100 miles on it and it was at the dealership for 11 months. Still a new car, without the new car price

Make a long story short, it depends on the situation. If the dealer is willing to deal on a car that's had lots of test drives/nights home with dealership staff, the miles on a new car won't bother me.

[eluwak]

Most of my new cars had <50 miles on them (we've had 15 new vehicle purchases in the last 17 years).

The Acadia was a leftover model that had been sitting around and had 500 miles on it. It has 20k miles now without any major issues, but second only to my 2001 Jetta TDI for things fixed under warranty... I really miss that Jetta

[wrigh003]

The last new car we bought had about 2k on it, lot demo. It was the exact color/ model my wife wanted, warranty started then, and I made them knock another $1k off for trying to sneak it past me, like I wouldn't notice.

We've had it ten years now, I figure it all worked out OK in the end.

[VadGTI]

lustine toyota tried to sell me a corolla, in 2005 that had 3200 miles as brand new. apparently they used it as the test drive/loaner car. they wouldnt drop the price even with so many miles on it.

although, i test drove a CC that had 55 miles on it, and was still wrapped in plastic and vynil on the hood. no idea how they could drive so much with it covered like it was.

my car had 24 miles on it. that was enough

If you saw my Passat thread, it was picked up with 10 miles on the odo (by the time I snapped a pic, it was 12). Still wrapped in plastic. However, the black one we test drove (the one closest to the driveway), still had plastic wrap all over (I actually had to peel the plastic off the gauge cluster halfway through the test drive and we pulled over to rip off the flapping white hood plastic) and now has more than 10 miles on it. So, it's just the luck of the draw, I guess.

[someguy123]

Under 30.

Demo's are for test drives, I don't see why they would randomly grab a new car for a test drive.

[Mr.Veedubya]

Ive never gotten a car with less than 5-10 miles on it, and none of them have been test driven before picking them up. Its standard from the shipping/PDI process.

[moose82]

My gti had 175 miles on it when I picked it up. It was a dealer trade from out of state. It didn't bother me at all, especially considering the deal I got

[SgtArky]

[dwagner88]

The Veloster I test drove already had 150 miles on it, and it had only been on the lot for a week. I'm certain it sold pretty soon after that, but it was a 6 speed, and I know all 150 of those miles were hard.

[Kar98]

Never bought a new car, but if I was, it damn well better have less than 30 miles on the clock.

[tgilb2007]

Never bought a new car personally, but my parents have gone through a few over the years, trading around every few years

Current:

2009 (I think?) Honda Ridgeline - Dealer demo, was sold "new", but about $5k off the sticker, when it was all said and done. Car had roughly 1500-2000mi on it, from just under a years use. Dealer provided the service record (since, it was in for 2 oil changes) as well.

2011 Impala - 25mi. Dealer had the car for a few weeks, tested twice. Mom loved the car and color, so they got it

2008 Impala - Under 100mi, but was a car that was on the lot for 11 months. Purchased at a massive "fire sale" to clear the 08 models, to make room for the 09s.

2000 Focus + Explorer - Bought at the same time, and both were around 500mi. Both dealer demos, both bought a few hundred off sticker (and a free oil change for each).

Others, I really don't remember too well.

[Grey Mouser]

My wifes 2002 Protege 5 had 2 miles on it when she bought it.

[leitmotif]

My tiguan had 350 on it since they had to trade with a dealer in bum **** Arkansas.

[VR6JetPilot]

got my mini countryman with 9 miles

[compy222]

i think 50 miles is a reasonable number. if you want BRAND new, you can always order a car specially and ask to be there when it arrives.

[Brendan@bwalkauto]

Having worked in sales for years and seen the full spectrum, I'd say sub 300 is fine. New car warranty starts at delivery mileage, so as long as the deal is right, it's no big deal.

[Stereodude]

In Europe, at least some brands, they just 0 the mileage when you buy the car.

[sbarrett4]

Only new car I ever bought - 04 Elantra had 4.2 miles and all the shipping wraps on it. I test drove a different one and saw the one I bought on the dealer's storage lot during the test drive - we had to stop there to get a plate.

[dentinger]

my mazda3 had 7kms
my dodge ram had something around 300 kms i think.

[Nourdmrolnmt]

Under 30.

Demo's are for test drives, I don't see why they would randomly grab a new car for a test drive.

You ****ting me?

You expect a dealership to have one demo of every model?

not to mention trim?