What’s More Important When Buying a Car: Miles or Age

 

 Car Miles – What You Need to Know

 

If you’re considering buying a used car, two of the main issues to think about are the amount of miles on the vehicle and its age. Newer vehicles typically cost more than similar older ones, as they usually have less wear and tear. And cars with lower mileage usually cost more than similar ones with higher mileage.

              Makes sense, right? But in some cases, a newer car can have more miles than a comparable car that is significantly older. Additionally, some miles are harder on a car than others. For example, if a vehicle has been through a lot of city driving (stop and go), it’s bound to have more wear and tear on components such as brakes and transmissions than vehicles that have seen mostly highway driving.

So which factor is more important: age or the number on the odometer?

Let’s explore.

 

What is Good Miles for a Used Car?

 

What determines whether a vehicle would be deemed “high-mileage” for its age? While there’s no hard and fast rule, it’s fair to say that average annual miles on most vehicles is about 12,000. So for a car that’s four years old, you might reasonably expect it to have around 48,000 miles. But once again, it’s important to consider what type of miles the car has been driven (city, highway or a mix) and how well it was taken care of.

 

 Are Some Cars Better than Others with a Lot of Miles?

 

Some auto brands (such as Honda and Toyota) have gained a reputation for being more reliable over the long haul than others. And Jeeps, while not always scoring near the top of reliability ratings, seem to have a loyal following of motorists who keep them for an extended period. But that doesn’t mean that every model from the higher rated brands will always outperform those from its competitors.

“How well a car has been taken care of and how it’s been used can go a long way in determining its life expectancy,” said Sean Pour, an automotive analyst with a car-buying firm.

Again, a vehicle with a lot of less-taxing highway mileage is probably going to have more life left in it than one with heavy city miles that age a car more quickly.

 

 

Age of a Car: What You Need to Know 

 

Mileage on a vehicle is an important factor to consider when purchasing, but age also merits serious consideration. Used vehicles that are newer and have low mileage (at or below the 12,000 mile per year gauge mentioned above) might be well-positioned to provide long-lasting, reliable service. But, Pour said, “reviewing its service history and getting an idea of how the vehicle was used is always a good idea when possible.” A vehicle used for short- to medium-length commutes in stop-and-go traffic is bound to have taken on more wear than one that accumulated most of its miles on long highway trips. And cars with detailed service records showing that routine maintenance was followed religiously have an advantage over those that don’t show such care.  

 

  

Safety Features to Consider 

 

Another factor to consider is the number of safety features on the vehicle. As technology has advanced over the years, safety features have improved. That would tend to favor newer models.

“Features like lane-departure warning, which tells you when you are veering out of your lane, and blind-spot monitoring, which warns you when a car is approaching in an area outside your viewpoint, help avoid collisions that can cause longer-term damage,” Pour said.

Other safety features that have become more common in recent years, such as backup cameras and automatic collision-avoidance braking, also help prevent accidents that can damage a vehicle and reduce its lifespan.

 

Maintenance Considerations 

 

How well a car has been taken care of is essential to its longevity. Just as humans tend to live longer when they eat right, exercise and get good medical care, cars usually last longer when they get proper routine maintenance.

That maintenance includes changing your oil and filter on a regular basis, replacing the air filter every few months, making sure fluid levels are where they need to be and examining belts and hoses for wear and tear.

“If you neglect the basics of vehicle maintenance, that’s the quickest way to ensure you’ll have problems with the car in the future,” said Anthony Wright, a service manager with Pep Boys. “On the other hand, if you keep up with everything that’s recommended in your owner’s manual, you’ll probably have good luck with keeping the car on the road for a long while.”

 

 

 

What We Think 

 

While it’s a good idea to consider the age of a vehicle and the number on its odometer, it’s more important to look at how it’s been maintained. A car that is 10 years old and has 100,000 miles on it may have gotten more TLC than a five-year-old model with 50,000 miles. Other important factors to consider are the type of usage the car has had (less demanding highway mileage vs. stop-and-go city driving) and the type of vehicle (how a model stacks up in reliability rankings). So before buying, it’s always a good idea to have a car checked out as thoroughly as possible to ensure it’s in good condition.

 

More Car Buying Related Articles

• Buying a New Car
• Buying a Used Car
• Buying a Certified Car
• How to Buy a Car

 

 

With High New-Car Prices, Consider These Tips if a Used Car Purchase is in Your Plans

 For consumers planning to purchase a lower-priced new vehicle, recent trends may be disheartening: manufacturers are producing far fewer affordable cars. 

According to a report from Cox Automotive, 36 vehicle models with a price tag of under $25,000 were manufactured in 2017. By 2022, that number had dropped to 10. Used vehicles might be looking like a promising alternative. Georgians in the 13 counties that require emissions testing (Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, Paulding and Rockdale) will want to take an important factor into consideration when buying a used vehicle. 

“Georgia law requires that all sellers of gasoline-powered cars and light-duty trucks located within metro Atlanta's 13-county testing area have a current, valid passing vehicle inspection report (VIR) if the buyer plans to register the vehicle in the 13-county testing area,” said Michael Odom of the Georgia Environmental Protection Department. “A buyer should confirm that the vehicle has a current, valid passing VIR before purchasing it.” Vehicle inspection reports can be obtained on Georgia’s Clean Air Force website using the vehicle identification number (VIN). A guide entitled “Buyer Beware: What To Do Before Buying A Used Vehicle” is available (in both English and Spanish) from the website as well. 

Additional best practices for buying a used vehicle include:

• Have your mechanic perform a pre-purchase inspection of the vehicle.
• Ask to see service records for the vehicle.
• Determine if the vehicle is offered with a warranty, and if so, what is covered and what actions invalidate it.
• Ask the seller to provide the CARFAX or other vehicle history report. If the seller is unable or unwilling to do so, consider obtaining a vehicle history report on your own using the VIN.
• Research any recalls, technical service bulletins, and manufacturer warranties for the vehicle. 

Lebanon, Va.: Small-Town Charm in SW Va. Mountains

 

AAE recently visited Lebanon, Va., a small town nestled in the mountains of southwestern Virginia. Amid the rolling hills of Clinch Mountain, Lebanon serves as the county seat of Russell County. The town was established by the Virginia General Assembly in 1819 and was chartered in 1831.

 The area supports a diverse economic environment including agriculture, mining, manufacturing and high-technology industries. Numerous families have made Lebanon their home for generations, giving evidence to the quality of life the town has to offer. The continued growth of new families and industry, with forward-thinking community leaders, produces an area ideal for both career and family. Enjoy the opportunities of the future in the surroundings of a quaint, easy lifestyle believed only possible in the past.

Tips for Staying Safe this Summer

 

Summer is here - the time of family cookouts, beach outings and swimming pools - and with it comes the possibility of unexpected injuries from fireworks, extreme heat and outdoor activities.

“Typically, in the main emergency department, you’re going to see heart attacks, strokes, people with collapsed lungs and difficulty breathing,” says Sofia Khan, chief of staff at Emory Decatur Hospital in metro Atlanta. In the summer, the types of injuries her team encounters change, Khan said.

Common Summer Injuries

In general, Khan says summer holidays bring more “secondary injuries,” which are injuries caused by environmental factors, like heat, water or fire. “We see a lot of burns from firework usage or misuse,” Khan explains. “We also see pool-related injuries and more dehydration.”

Common summer injuries can occur in several summer situations.

• Dehydration is more common when people spend more time outside at parties and during the holidays, and it’s a risk that especially affects older people. “They don’t have the same reserve when it comes to hydration,” Khan says. Outdoor activity can cause them to become severely dehydrated, which can cause disorientation and confusion. Learn more about symptoms of dehydration and heat exhaustion.
• Swimming means more patients visit the emergency department because of drowning or when they aspirate, or breathe in water. “Some of the water gets in their lungs instead of their stomach, so they can develop a pneumonia,” says Khan.
• Fireworks can cause a number of injuries throughout the summer and are usually burns that affect the hands, feet and face, but can affect other parts of the body depending on their placement or where viewers are. “Burns are tricky,” Khan says. “Unless it’s a very small burn, less than the size of a quarter, I usually recommend patients come to either urgent care or an ER.” Khan says “a burn on your face or hands is treated very differently than a burn on your torso or legs; even a small burn on the face can be very dangerous.” Learn more about fireworks safety from the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Khan explains that sometimes burns can first look like just a red patch, but later can blister and become much more serious. She also recommends against wrapping a burn and cautions people to refrain from putting toothpaste on their burn. “It makes it feel better, and it’ll kind of cool the burn sensation,” she says, “but in the long term, it delays healing.”

People might also arrive at the ER because of a car accident, especially if one driver has been drinking. And around holidays, visits for mental health reasons increase because patients may feel lonely or isolated if they aren’t celebrating with family or friends.

Staying Safer During Summer Fun

Khan has a few tips for staying safer during summer activities:

• Take cooling breaks. Khan says, “If you’re at a barbecue, ask to go inside and spend about 5 or 10 minutes inside so your body has some time out of the heat.” She adds, “If you’re at the pool, get in—hydration is really important.” Finding shade is another good way to prevent heat-related injuries. “The shade is usually about 10 degrees cooler,” she says. “You won’t perspire as much, which doesn’t lead to as much dehydration.”
• Hydrate. “Be mindful of the food you eat because fruits and vegetables have a lot of water content in them [making them good choices].” In addition to drinking water, she says you can increase your water intake through those kinds of nutrient-dense foods.
• Don’t let kids handle fireworks. “Kids want to be a part of it—not necessarily lighting the firework, but maybe placing it,” Khan says. “And I usually recommend parents don’t do that. You don’t know if it’ll misfire, you don’t know how kids might react, or especially what younger kids are going to do with it.” Even sparklers can injure children, so the safest option is to attend a professional show and not handle fireworks at all. But if you do choose to have fireworks at home, use only those that are legal for consumer use in your location and never let children handle them—even to place them.
• Drink responsibly. “I usually tell people there should be one adult who’s not drinking,” says Khan. “You’re not necessarily intoxicated, but your inhibition and guards are down, so you’re more likely to [have lapses in judgment].”
• Keep a first aid kit nearby. “I tell people to keep first aid kits with them because you’re more likely to have something happen. Pack that along with your cooler of ice and drinks,” Khan says. Make sure to add sunscreen and bug spray to your kit.

Preparing the Emergency Department for Holidays

Around July 4th and other holidays, Khan says patients who come into the ER are typically very ill and experiencing true emergencies. “If it’s not related to the burns or broken bones, the injuries I would see from a holiday weekend, then I really take a pause for every patient to ask, ‘What could this really be?’ because most people don’t come in on holidays unless they’re really ill,” she explains.

What To Expect at an Emergency Department

If you do need to visit an emergency department, Khan says you should expect a few things:

• You’ll talk to a lot of people. “You may need to tell your story a lot of different times to a lot of different people,” she says. “There’s a lot of information and communication that occurs.”
• Waiting is normal. Patients might expect emergency departments to always be ready to go, but since other emergencies are also being treated, care may not always be immediate or patients may have to wait longer than expected. “If someone has a heart attack and can’t breathe, that person may have come in after you but they’re going to be seen sooner because their acuity is higher.” In emergency and critical care medicine, measures of acuity—the severity of a patient’s condition and the level of medical attention needed—are a part of determining how urgently care is needed.
• Testing still takes time. “If you visit your primary care physician and tell them you have stomach pain, they’ll order tests and you’ll follow up with your doctor to review the results—that can take as long as three weeks,” she says. “But the expectation in the emergency department is that it should happen in seconds. However, if you’re getting blood work, an X-ray and a CT scan, and it was all done in three hours, that’s actually pretty good.”
• Don’t hold anything back. Khan says giving your doctor the most information you can will improve your care. ”If there’s anything that’s bothering you or that’s on your mind that you think may not be related to the illness, it’s still really important to bring that up.”

2023 Chevrolet Silverado: Still Solid Like a Rock

 

Trucks have long been the key component of the General Motors lineup, especially Chevrolet trucks. Some of you more senior folks might remember the "Like A Rock" campaign for Chevy pickups back in the day. Fast forward to current times, and trucks are still key for GM, and the 2023 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 shows you why.

This popular full-size pickup comes in regular-cab, double-cab and crew-cab body styles. It has cargo-box lengths ranging from 5 ft. 8 in. - 8 ft. 

This rugged truck lets you take on your work chores with relative ease, and provides ample power for getting out on the highway. 

The two-wheel drive model gets 19 mpg city, 22 highway, while the 4WD is rated at 14 and 17.

Pricing starts at around $37,000 and ranges to around $72,000. 

For a traditional pickup that can work and play as hard as you need it to, check out the Chevy Silverado.