Knowing the mileage of a truck before you purchase it is important. Gas engine trucks with mileage under 100,000 are ideal. Diesel-powered, any mileage under 200,000 miles is okay. If the truck you want to buy has higher mileage than this, it’s important to look at the truck’s condition overall.
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Intro
Cars with a high mileage have been used more and therefore have technically experienced more wear and tear. This doesn’t necessarily mean that a used vehicle with lower mileage will be in a better condition than a used car with higher mileage.
How well the car has been maintained is just as important, and you may find the car with the higher mileage is in just as good a condition or better than, the lower mileage car.
A car, on average, will put on between 10,000 and 15,000 miles per year. A car with over 100,000 miles on it is considered high mileage. It may, however, still be in a perfectly good condition so just make sure to check the maintenance records and inspect the car properly before buying it.
Why Is Mileage Important When Buying A Used Truck?
The mileage of a pickup truck indicates the distance a vehicle has traveled and how long it will last before repairs may be required. In theory, a high mileage truck has been on the road for longer and has experienced a more extended repair and maintenance history.
This means that it is technically more likely to require more future repairs with the greater wear on the truck and have a shorter lifespan overall. However, low-mileage vehicles with an irregular maintenance history can have more issues down the road as parts that aren’t used frequently become weaker.
Used truck mileage isn’t the only factor that you should take into account when looking at purchasing a vehicle. Two trucks can have the same mileage but be in vastly different conditions. This makes it extremely important to have the truck examined properly.
How Many Miles Is Too Much When Buying A Used Truck?
There is no exact figure for how many miles is too much when purchasing a used truck. Each truck manufacturer will have an approximation of the lifespan of the vehicle. A truck usually lasts between 250,000 and 300,000 miles, but this depends greatly on if the previous owner looked after it properly.
It also depends on the type of fuel that the truck uses. If the truck has a diesel engine, it will have a mileage higher than a truck with a gas engine.
Diesel truck
A pickup truck that has a diesel engine will last, on average, around 250,000 miles if properly maintained. However, if the owner hasn’t taken good care of the truck, the lifespan can be greatly reduced. The maximum mileage of a diesel truck can vary greatly, with some well-maintained diesel trucks lasting for over one million miles.
Gas truck
Trucks with gas engines typically last a lot less time on the road than diesel trucks. This is due to the need for compression in gas trucks which causes them to wear much more quickly.
The average lifespan of these trucks is around 150,000 miles. After which, the performance of the engine is likely to decline somewhat. If the truck is not kept in good condition, the lifespan can be reduced to just 12,000 miles.
So, How Many Miles Is Good For A Used Truck?
As discussed before, mileage is only one of the parameters you use to decide whether to buy a used truck. A good rule of thumb for purchasing a used gas truck is to look for one with less than 100,000 miles. You can increase the acceptable mileage to around 200,000 miles for a diesel-powered truck.
Another factor to consider is what the truck has been used for. If it has just been used for highway driving, it will have less wear than a truck used to tow other vehicles. If the truck has had more than one owner, it may be more difficult to determine how well the truck has been maintained over the years.
What Is Considered High Mileage On A Used Truck?
If the truck is gas-powered, it must have over 100,000 miles to be considered a high mileage truck. If the truck is diesel-powered, it takes, on average, somewhere over 200,000 miles.
It is important to remember that higher mileage trucks do not necessarily mean that they are in a worse condition than lower mileage vehicles. If properly maintained, they can have about the same wear or even less than newer trucks.
Is 200k Miles Too Much For A Truck?
The quick answer is not necessarily. 200,000 miles is a considerable mileage for a truck; however, if it has been looked after properly, then it may still have a lot of life left in it. This is especially the case for diesel-powered trucks that can last up to and beyond one million miles if maintained correctly.
Risks Of Buying An Old Car With Low Mileage
The rule of thumb is that a lower mileage is better when buying a used car; however, there are some issues that can arise with this. Here are some of the problems caused by cars with unusually low mileage.
Risk of clocking
The first risk involves tampering with the odometer to deceive a potential buyer into thinking the car has lower mileage than it does. This is known as car clocking, when someone manually resets the mileage dial on the dashboard to increase the purchase price.
Inflated prices
Cars with a low mileage cost a lot more than similar models with a slightly higher model. If you plan on keeping the car for a long time, then opting for a more expensive, low mileage car might not make much sense when you can get a perfectly good car with a higher mileage at a much better price.
Lack of use
Lack of use is possibly the biggest problem that cars with low mileage can have. Cars have plastic and rubber components that will wear over time if the car is not used for long periods of time. Other problems that can arise with lack of use include engine and battery issues, brake corrosion, and exhaust system malfunctions. This can lead to expensive repairs on a car that’s hardly been used.
How Many Miles Can A Truck Last On Average?
On average, a truck that is properly maintained can last around ten years and easily reach 100,000 miles. This number can be increased greatly if the vehicle is checked often with regular oil changes and servicing. Also, a truck powered with diesel lasts longer on average due to reduced strain on the engine compared to a truck powered with gas.
Best Truck To Buy With Over 100k Miles
The goal of any truck manufacturer is to produce a vehicle that can last a long time before performance issues start to surface. Here is a list of 5 trucks that have been found to last around 200,000 miles:
- Toyota Tundra
- GMC Yukon XL
- Ford Expedition
- Toyota Land Cruiser
- Toyota Sequoia
These trucks have all been found to likely reach 300,000 miles or more if looked after properly, making them ideal trucks to buy even if they are over 100,000 miles clocked.
