This is a great question. You may hear your mechanic or your friends discussing vehicles and mileage. During the course of these conversations, it’s not unusual to wonder what the difference is between an old car and a car with high mileage. Generally speaking, about 15,000 miles a year is considered an “average” number of miles per year for an individual with a car. Moving forward with this assumption, that means that for every five years, a car would gain approximately 75,000 miles. Any car that is over 75,000 miles is considered to be a car with high mileage.

In order to make a car with high mileage last longer, it’s important to maintain a rigorously steadfast schedule with regard to maintenance. When the oil change is due, make an appointment immediately. Instead of conventional oil, switch to synthetic oil, which can increase the longevity of your engine, and is proven to increase the time between oil changes. Another way to make a high-mileage car last is to choose high-quality replacement parts when they are needed. This is done to ensure that the functionality of the engine and vehicle are increased when possible. Finally, it is important for car owners to follow their maintenance manual. This means checking the tire pressure, rotating tires, and maintaining fluids. At the end of the day, ignoring regular maintenance during your car’s early life will spiral into larger problems down the road.

If for instance, you are considering purchasing a vehicle that happens to have high mileage, it’s important to consider what you must factor in. For example, while it is true that most vehicles engineered today are supposed to last longer than 100,000 miles, it doesn’t mean that routine maintenance has been enforced for the vehicle. In other terms, the previous owner may have made incidentally poor vehicle choices. If the previous owner has made such choices, and the mileage is at 100,000 or more, the car could actually have aged considerably more than the mileage indicates. Mileage translates into life left for the vehicle before it eventually falls into the undrivable territory.

With regard to the question of whether high mileage cars are reliable, all roads point to the determination of how well the car was designed and developed. If the design of the car is incredibly efficient and streamlined, it stands to be true that it may perform well at the 300,000-mile mark. Cars such as the Honda Civic, the Subaru Legacy, and the Toyota Tacoma, all perform well with proper maintenance and oil changes. Thus, with the collaboration of excellent car maintenance and good design development, a high mileage car stands to be quite reliable indeed.

There are a number of ways for homeowners to maintain their car after 100,000 miles. For one, (as previously mentioned) read the owners manual and take the directions and recommendations seriously. Car manuals are intended to help car owners get a feel for the vehicle, and were written by the technicians who developed the car. Another helpful way to maintain your vehicle is to take a look under the hood of the car every once in a while. Locate the coolant tank, and if the coolant level is too high, visit a service technician. If the fluid is too low, add coolant as soon as the fluid is cool. The color of the coolant should be a bright orange or green, depending on the brand. Regular maintenance is key for such vehicles – car washes, check in and check-ups all help keep cars working at a high level.

While it is important to understand that most mechanics view mileage as an indicator of age, there are cases where the mileage does not necessarily have a correspondence. As previously maintained, maintenance is a must, as is replacing old or defunct parts with high-quality alternates. There are cars in existence that are well over 300,000 miles. In fact, ordinary citizens have made it a mission to get their car to the million-mile mark and succeeded. It just goes to show that a car can perform for years on end when taken the proper precautions are met.

Most people employ the sense that purchasing a high mileage car is risky. This can most certainly be true. After all, the risk factors involved with taking on such a project can be detrimental to many car-owners wallets. Thankfully, there are cases when a high mileage vehicle performs extraordinarily well despite its age. In some cases, an extremely desirable car will be put on sale with the lackluster factor of also possessing high mileage. Nonetheless, it is important to request a mechanic friend to inspect the engine and parts to ensure that a good deal is really a good deal. Engine rebuilding can truly breathe life into an older vehicle. In cases like these, it may be worth it to invest in such a vehicle with the added benefit of knowing you can install high-quality alternative parts later.

A car’s life is not necessarily predicated upon how many miles it has under its belt. If you own a car, it’s likely that you’re going to want for it to last longer and perform better than the last car in your experience. After all, the average age of cars on the road is a little over eleven years, which is the highest it’s ever been. Mileage is simply one indicator of a car’s condition. Other indicators include whether or not high mileage car maintenance has played a role, and whether it has been driven or not. Cars that have high mileage, are regularly driven, and well-maintained perform better than their equivalent counterparts.

There are a number of problems that can occur with your vehicle when it has high mileage. Consult the following list to determine tips that will help your high mileage vehicle.

At American Engine Installations we work towards experienced installation and associated repairs for every single vehicle we encounter. Call our professional roofing contractors at (404) 920-4252 to hear dependable information about high mileage car maintenance in Marietta and Atlanta, GA.

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