Saw a 2005 Nissan sedan car on Gumtree with only 38,000 km mileage. That equates to 3,800 km a year. Is it dubious for a 10 year old car to have such low mileage? Reconditioned engine perhaps?
What are the risks in getting such a car?
10 year old car with extremely low mileage
[Deactivated] on 16/01/2015 - 20:18
Comments
My Nan car 2004 Nissan sedan it only has 31,000km mileage she never used only go to doc and 3 time a year for 40km that it i drive her in my car much nicer.
Odometer roll back can be checked thru the car history. Every time pink slip is issued, they record mileage. If someone wants to roll back, they have to do so before every pink slip and rego renewal to not get caught
Depending on what state the car is in. For example QLD don't record the odometer each year because they don't do pink slips at each renewal only when the car is advertised for sale it then needs a safety certificate and the odometer is only ever recorded with the Department of Transport during a sale of te vehicle.
Oops, i blindly assumed OP was from NSW.. My bad..
first 5 years pink slip not require and hence they can roll back the km start from the 6th year.
Even if they have a log book, it could all be fake or ripped out the other pages, you can't trust anyone these days unless they can prove they are the first owner..
Yeha i think the old addage, If its too good to be true, it probably is. How is it priced. Does it reflect the low mileage in the price
$8,800, for a 10 year old car.
You must be new to the car world.
~3500km a year isn't that rare. It is quite standard for someone with multiple cars. "Extremely low milage" might be 3500km for 10 years. I've seen very special cars with less than 500km for 10years of driving.
Nan car only 31,000km 2004 Nissan
Oh yeah I'm sure they are a collector with a mint 2005 Nissan to complement their vintage Aston Martin, Jag xk150 and Ford GT.
Do a few simple checks. Logbook. Engine number. You might be lucky. I only drive that much a year. Just weekend drive. So these cars do exists. Just be cautious. Maybe also get it checked by local aitonaticr club or similar.
I drive my car on the weekend as well for shopping and then few trips. From last 3 years, I have 5000 km in the odo in 3 years.
So if you get a car with low Kms in odo, look at the wear and tier of tyres and other parts. As others suggested, look at the car history log books.
I have a high suspicion odometer was changed. 10 years is a long time I don't think this would be a good investment.
Yeah I dont think you'd consider a 10 year old Nissan an investment under any circumstances.
Have you called them up?
Might be a transcription error. Maybe 138 000kms?Also if you call them you will find out who the owner is, if its an elderly couple that live close to their local shops the km's might be real.
My parents have had their car for more than 1 year and they have only driven 3000km, so there is a chance the km's are real
http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/runcorn/cars-vans-utes/nissan…
Looking at the ad suggests it is probably legit. Seems a lot of money for a 10 year old car though…
Maybe that's justified by the low mileage?
Not saying it's not worth it to someone (you may be that someone), but for my liking there are plenty of newer options with similar K's at a similar price.
After have a quick look on carsales, and GT I would think something ~$7500 would be the max for this car. Would I pay that for it, hell no, as there are better cars to buy in that price range.
Sure it has low KM's, but there is only so much you can sell a 10 year old Pulsar for.
logbook, mechanic etc.
However, be aware, many insurance companies get a bit 'ancy' over 130% of market value. That pulsars market value is worth between 5-6k so you may have trouble insuring it for what you want.
http://www.carsales.com.au/cars/results?q=(((Make%7B%3D%7D%5BNissan%5D%7B%26%7D(Model%7B%3D%7D%5BPulsar%5D%7B%26%7DBadge%7B%3D%7D%5BST-L%5D))%26Service%3D%5BCarsales%5D)%26Year%3Drange%5B2005..2005%5D)&cpw=1&sortby=TopDeal&limit=12
Also it's worth mentioning there is a car sales ad for the same model with 60k on it. So it could just be some oldies doing shopping runs
they is a 1989 commodore around the corner from my parents house. it has 25,000 k's on the clock. that said, it hasn't moved since 1991. has just sat there in the driveway of this house.
That's because it won't move.
They did 12,500 per year for 2 years when the car was new then the engine seized up?
Nah. Lost the keys
Car is in very good condition. Maybe it's legit and was a local drive car and he hardly went anywhere. Might of carpooled or caught the bus to work and that was just for the weekends.
I would do a VIN check just to be safe.
My car is 6 years old with 27k on the clock, 25km round trip to work 3 days a week plus mostly short (<5km) journeys on non work days. I am not an 'oldie' (37)!
Most cars I've ever had have been low mileage, the only exception being when I had a 77km round trip to work 6 days a week and even then I was only approaching most people's "average" mileageMy two bobs, In my experience later model cars that do low kms can have some issues. I put "can" because it depends on how the owner treated the car. For example if you look at a taxi, the car is on for more time than it is off. The components are not expanding and strinking all the time, hence alot less wear and tear.
I give my cars a 30+ minute run once or twice week to make sure I don't get too much moisture in the exhausts and cause them to rust over time.
Also if they sit for too long parts designed to help create less friction start to dry out.
This is just my experience however if I am wrong, the please let me know too :)It might be genuine. My dad's 2001 Mazda has only done 10k. He bought it as a spare car for my brothers and sisters to use but never got use much. When he finally decided to sell it, I will put on OB first.
Bad move. His depreciation on the car, regardless of mileage is stupendous.
Conservative numbers:
14 years of registration / third party insurance (please oh god I hope it wasn't comprehensively insured) = ~$10,000
Depreciation: ~$15,000
2 - 3 services = ~$400
Petrol: ~$900Cost per kilometer? About $2.60. Plus whatever else I've forgotten. Madness!
I drive <3000km a year… but I ride a bicycle 13,000km a year. At 38k… most of the parts should be still original including the tyres… but being 10yo tyres would have hardened compound due to aging making them more dangerous to drive on (less traction).
10yo tyres have a much higher chance of a blowout causing a serious accident, i would change them asap or sell the car if you don't want to spend the money, tyres should be changed every 4/5 years used or not used simply due to aging, also if you do so little driving work out how much the car is costing you, it might be better using a car share like GoGet
I bought a 1988 car last year with 92,000 km on the clock. I was pretty sus, but inspected the car and everything looked in good nick. Once I bought it found the logbook and it seemed legit, then I found a copy of a photocopied license for an old bloke (around 85 years old)… had no issues with the car!
Does the number plate match the age of the car? If not the car may have been damaged and sat in a shed for a number of years before being repaired or been part of a long running estate settlement.
TVT (as per the plates in the ad) isn't very old for Qld and definitely not the original 2005 rego. Probably been unregistered for quite a while.
Last November I bought a Toyota Yaris sedan 2006 with 23.900k km. on the clock. It has the logbook with all maintenances done and the last one was in Feb 2014. Since the last maintenance the car was only run for 400 km. It was sold by the daughter of an old lady who could not drive anymore and had to be sent to a nursing home. The car was spotless and like new. Very happy with it. Paid $10.000 for the car with automatic transmission.
I own this model Car best car i have own in my life.
You need a better car or a better life.
Car get me from A to point B that it.
""What are the risks in getting such a car?""
Exactly the same as any USED car.
Get it professionally inspected.
Being 10 y/o look at perished hoses / belts and cooling system condition.
Good tip regarding belts hoses etc. Well worth replacing anyway, unless full logbook history based on months, rather than a logbook that is in tact based on miles,and that covers hoses belts etc.
Also I wonder - is it better for a car to sit around doing very little, or for it to actually be driven regularly?Horses for courses…. If a car had been sitting for say 20 yrs then it would require a very good going over… transmission service if auto because some seals would have dried out also air conditioning as well. Brakes… master cylinder rubbers and brake calipers would need attention. Watch out for perished tyres as mentioned above.
Cars need to be maintained on time as well as k's travelled so high or low use needs different approach. We have one car that does 10k yr and another 7 y/o one that does 2k yr.
The best thing for a car is for it to be parked under cover, no miracle polish is a substitute for that.
In the end they all have to go to the crusher… :-)
In 2007, I bought a 2001 WRX from a dealership - it had recently been imported from Japan (belonged to one of their buyers over there) and only had 27,000km on it at that stage, absolutely immaculate inside, almost like a new car. Even now, It still only has 58,000kms on the clock - and no, I'm not a little old lady (well, not a really old one anyway LOL). I work part-time and until a couple of years ago my workplace was only 10 minutes' drive from home - working further away now, but still working part-time and don't tend to drive around much on the weekends. Live within walking distance of the local shopping centre, so unless I'm doing a major grocery shop, I'll walk there if I need to get anything.
Good tip to check belts, hoses etc. I've had the car serviced regularly at a place that specialises in Subaru (NOT a dealership, I'm not that silly!). Due to the age of the car, a couple of years ago I had the 100,000km service done on it (even though it had only just ticked over to 50,000km at the time!) and had the timing belt etc replaced to keep the car in good order. Every time I take it in for a service, one of the young mechanics keeps asking his boss if I want to sell it, as he'd love to get his hands on a WRX with (a) such low mileage and (b) that hasn't been thrashed LOL
Haven't read all the comments, but some pessimists about today, LOL.
We recently bought a 21 year old car with 25,000km. You won't have to wonder if the km are genuine - it's obvious, unless it's been sitting in the weather near the ocean.
I changed all fluids, new master cylinder (pedal unexpectedly went to floor at times), and it currently has a minor electrical fault with a solenoid, and the stereo volume control needs some CRC electrical spray. Apart from that it's brilliant - like stepping out of a time machine and into a car two decades ago.
- Probably suggested by others, but check and/or just change everything rubber - radiator hoses, timing belt, tyres.
- Change all power steering/gearbox/diff/brake/engine/radiator fluids.
- Watch the temp guage. Possible the radiator has gunked with sediment over time. I would just go ahead change it.
- Enjoy.
Having said that, I've not changed any of the rubber or the radiator. It was kept in a dark brick garage, so all that looks and feels like new, except the tyres. But the engine isn't the type that destroys itself if a timing belt breaks either. So just do all rubber as cheap insurance.
Ummm! No mention of log books in the ad. If they had them then that would be a strong selling point, and so I sus. not. I would want proof that the very expensive timing belt service was done when it was due. I believe it is time, and not kilometer, specific because they deteriorate over time.
Although the timing belt isn't due kilometre-wise on this for quite a while, I tend to agree on this, and it's best to err on the side of caution with you on this one.
Experience with out pulsar suggests that if they're not done to schedule it wll tend to split of its own accord not terribly long afterward.
They're not terribly hard to change yourself, just time consuming.
The engine in this Pulsar has a timing chain not a belt.
Our current car only did about 2000kms for each of. the first three years. Was serviced annually etc. Just didn't drive it that much as we bought a second car shortly after but rarely drove both at the same time so most kms went on other car . Then as our kids got older we drove both cars more. It's a 2007 model and now has 51000kms on it - still well below average.
Mate had a megane with incredibly low km on it. The reason for the low km was that it had been sitting off the road for 3+ years due to the computer getting fried when water leaked on to it. He ended up getting it repaired but almost all the electricals had to be replaced in the end. It started playing up again as he was driving it into a dealership for a trade in so he got rid of it just in time. Car looked immaculate. So if in doubt get an inspection… Could save you a LOT of money.
My dad's 2000 Alfa Romeo 156 has around 60k on the clock. He just rides his bike everywhere and rarely takes it out.
Considering the trouble he has had with the gearbox, the push bike is a lot more reliable anyway.
I was gonna say… Probably low Ks because it's probably broken more time than it's working.
I've got a 2003 toyota with 70k so it's not that implausible i guess
A lot of people here have obviously never bought a car from a senior citizen, quite often very good finds and almost always low km's. Normally they pass it down to their grandkids for some nominal amount.
Just to clear things up, low mileage does not equal to a good car. In fact, the less the car is used, the more it is prone to failure. Examples: oil sludge, engine wear, tire bold spots, rusts, plastic and rubber degrading.
It is similar to a human eating and sleeping everyday without doing anything else.
Thanks for the neg. sorry to bother you with facts. If you ask any competent mechanic, he would tell you the same thing.
More stop/starts and shorter trips definitely has a detrimental effect on the engine. Especially compared to a car that does longer trips but less frequently.
Kms just tells you how many kms the car has done…doesn't tell you how many times the car was started, how often it was idling in traffic, etc.
But I wouldnt make a blanket statement to say less kms means more chance of failure. There's too many factors at play.
Pevious GFs car, which I stil sometimes use, is a 10 YO Astra with a genuine 23000km on the clock. She rarely uses it. Mostly it just sits in the garage. It gets serviced & is registered - but for some crazy reason, she won't sell.
Entirely possible it's all legitimate. Just make sure you get all the pre-purchase inspections done and have a look over the log books.
My 2006 Toyota Corolla was sold in 2012 with under 20k on the clock as it was always garaged at home during the week while I caught public transport to work and didn't use it heavily on the weekends.
It depends on the owner's situation, but sometimes it's genuine. I bought a used car from an elder and she only drive 2000kms max per year to RSL only.
I own a 1998 Mazda 323 that's got 64K on the clock. It was purchased new and used by my grandpa for shopping and outings. When he passed on 5 years ago, it was given to me for use as a second car. When I received it in 2010 it had 26K on the clock.
Get someone with experience to check the car. The general condition of the car body, engine will tell you if the KM's have been wound back.
Keep in mind though that even with low KM's you're not buying a new car. I would have the radiator checked, as they tend to have corrosion issues around this age. So budget some money for a decent service (Radiator, Gearbox, break fluid changes).
Brakes and Tyres should still be original on the car, but you may also need to change the tyres at least, depending on climatic conditions, how it was kept, etc.
I recently sold a 2006 Nissan Tiida with 34,000 kilometers for a family member who no longer drove the car, so it is possible. We did have to replace the battery and two new front tyres.
But if you're unsure check the condition of the car in most cases should be like new depending on where it was stored etc. If you're still unsure have a mechanic check the car out and have them provide a report a mechanical report on it.
You can also tell if a car has genuine kilometers by the way it drives, if it drives smooth and responsive and quiet, this a big indication that it is genuine and well taken care of..
Pretty obvious but most major problems are well hidden, intermittent or difficult to detect for a long time after ownership.
All cars have difficult to detect problems, even new.
My car has 80,000 in 6 years. My father's car has 60,000 in 10 years. We both worked for the same company and it was only a few kilometres away. You're find certainly takes the cake.
So you do more weekend driving than him?
Yes. He also retired a few years ago.
Hobby cat gets apt 100km a year on the road.
The Astra is the second to main car and it dose rarely a trip a week the Jeep is the wife's First Choice in driving and I have the company car that I can use every day.It's doable but you have to look out for dodgy dealings but some times is hard to spot a bad deal.
Where the odometer has such a low reading it's important to check for regular servicing based on time, not distance traveled. My car has 15,000km between services but if the owner followed that rule they would keep the same oil, brake fluid, radiator fluid, etc in the car for more than 3 years. Not good. Hopefully they did yearly services, and if they didn't don't buy the car.
My first car in 2002 was a 1986 Gemini with genuine 64,000km. It was a great uncles that was only ever used to drive to the shops/around town and back. Stupidly I ended up selling it, I should have held onto it.
My grandparents had a 1971 LC torana that had 23000 miles on it after 16 years. They were legitimate miles.
My parents car would be lucky to do more the 3000km per year.
Don't think its as simple to wind back the clock either these days since its usually read off the computer. I'm sure there are ways, but it wouldn't be as easy as it was for older model cars.
I remember I had to replace the dashboard on my 95 lancer, and the new dash actually had slightly more kms. But just shows how easy it would be to alter the km reading.
With electronic odometers it can be easier than before…
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/aus.cars/uvGQ35UKUys
"Armstrong Holden in Woolloongabba said General Motors Holden provided a
tool that enabled a retailer to adjust an odometer of a Commodore when
it had less than 100km on it."Well there you go!
Edit: Wait just read the article, thats only if its less than 100km! Reading your post I though you meant 100,000kms. But still it goes to show the paramater can be altered progmatically.
I bought a 1996 Hyundai Excel last year with 42,000 km on it, always garaged with a full service history, it is pretty easy to tell if the ks are a lot higher than displayed, so yes there are older low milage cars but they are rare.
Check the wear on the pedals, carpet under the pedals, discs through the wheels, gear knob if manual, steering wheel etc. if it seems excessive run.
I bought my car new in 2007 and it's still under 30,000km.
I like public transport so rarely drive my car.
I don't understand people that buy a (new) car and barely drive it. Yearly Depreciation + Rego + Insurance = Not worthwhile. Petrol is $1/ltr now so go on a few road trips or something.
I can believe those kilometres, as I personally try to avoid driving when possible due to the generally high density of idiots you will encounter on the roads these days.
As a result, I have a 2011 model Mazda 3 with only 7000 kms on it including a drive I made in it from Sydney to Melbourne when I first moved down this way! The car has been invaluable when needed, but not needed all the time.
I have the car serviced based on time intervals rather than kms, so if the owner of that car did the same, it's probably a decent example.
its possible, main possible issue is that the odometer was rolled back, if they have no logbook for the car , or they recently bought the car its kinda risky to buy. And if they did change the engine that's a red flag right there.