When looking to buy a used truck, how important is mileage to you?

We're in the market for a "newish" truck or SUV.
Price goes all over the board, and seems to have alot to do with mileage.
Just looking for opinions here....

For example...
I'd rather have a 1999 4x4 with 130,000 highway miles from a person that traveled alot, then to get the same exact truck from a kid who delivered pizza (stop-n-go, stop-n-go) and only has 50,000 miles on it.

Chances are, I'd get the 130,000 mile truck for up $5,000 cheaper, and in my opinion, it's probably a better truck.

I'm trying to stay under $10K, and have found quite a few decent (1999-2001) trucks and SUV's in that range, but they all have over 100K miles on them. The wife would rather we spend more and get a "better" one with less miles. I would argue that mileage doesn't actually determine if it's "better" or not. o No:
I know there's exceptions and all... I'm just talking "in general" here.

Agree... disagree ??
..penny for your thoughts.
:beer

 

Depends on if it was used to tow a GS arournd for 100K. Many people never use a truck as a "truck". Mileage never really bothered me as longs as it was taken care of and you can always tell. Just make sure it has the proper equipment if it was used to tow (trans cooler, oil cooler, proper gearing) because if it was used to tow without these things it will have a short life. Plus, I assume you will be using it to haul a Buick around and it is a whole bunch cheaper to have these items from the factory then to have to buy them aftermarket.

 

Yeah, I agree. Mileage doesn't tell the whole story. I'd rather have a well maintained vehicle with 100K on it that has seen regular upkeep and oil changes than a 50K mileage car with the original oil still in the pan and a front end that saw lube last at the factory. Hey, that reminds me of my Skylark when I first got it:laugh:

 

Rick,I agree with you and others.
High mileage on a vehicle that was maintained well and driven with care is a good reliable vehicle.
I bought a 1990 Beretta with 90,000 Hi-Way miles on it from a fellow employee in 1998.
It now has 144,000 miles on it and still going,only I beat the s--t out of it every day commuting.
It runs a 15.85 1/4.[vericom] gets 20+ MPG and I love it.:TU:

PS How much do I owe you for those parts??

 

used truck

rick, my advice would be to have whatever your buying checked out carefully. have the seller give you the truck for a few hours and bring it to a shop. our shop charges 40-50 dollars to inspect a used vehicle. the shop can tell you if its been maintained, they can tell if its a leaker, a lot of times they can spot potential problems the seller either didnt know or didnt wanna tell you. once you find the right truck it will be money well spent. remember also if you buy used from a private party youll have no warranty. ask for anymaintenance records the seller might have. good luck

 

I'll agree that the mileage of a vehicle isn't all that important when compared to maintainence.

I bought my 96 F-150 2 1/2 years ago with 68,000. The first thing I looked at was the tires. The truck had passenger car tires on it which told me it wasn't used as a 4x4. I put it in 4 high and in low range to make sure they worked. I checked the tranny oil to see if it was at least red. The bed was a little dented, and the dealer thru a new bedliner in it to cover it up. But its a truck, the bed supposed to be a little dented (you should see it now). I also saw an oil change sticker in the widow that said change by 69,000 miles.

Those few things and my tendency to recognize BS made me decide it was a pretty good vehicle. I have over 120,000 on it now and the only thing I've fixed was the power steering pump. It died soon after I put bigger tires on. Although I will be putting a new windsheild wiper motor in this week (Its growling and going slow) and I need to change a radius arm bushing.

IMHO...if you want to stay under $10k I would look at a 96 or older F-150. Parts are plentiful and there's a billion of them out there. They're simple to work on and its easy to enhance their performance. If you do look at these trucks, hold out for a 351. I wish I did.

 

Geez... my original post was only 7 1/2 hours ago.....
...and I just just parked my new Yukon in the driveway. :laugh:

1999 with a gazillion miles...
Yukon SLT 4 door, 4X4, HD tow package (Reese hitch, tranny cooler, 3:73 posi rear end, HD charging system), Front/rear A/C, Am/FM/CASS/CD, leather, captain seats (heated!)
Used by a HVAC contractor (original owner) as his "go around and look at jobs" vehicle, and also to make several trips a year up to his cottage in northern Canada from Ohio. The only thing he ever towed with it was his boat.
It was serviced at the dealership where he bought it from every 3,000 miles religously.
It was about 90 minutes away from here.

Thanks for the replies guys. Our search is over. Time will tell how the miles effect the quality.
o No:

:beer

 

Great Choice

Rick, you are gonna love that truck. My parents had a Z-71 Tahoe with the same equipment and that thing will tow like a dream. Load up the car hauler and set the cruise on 65 and forget about it. Mileage was even halfway decent. That Tahoe made a few trips to BG with a Buick in tow. Good choice:TU:

 

Thanks Chris.
I used to have a 96 Yukon and loved it.
I leased it, and turned it in when the lease expired instead of buying it. I've missed it ever since.

I never towed with it, but I liked everything else about it.
The only thing I ever had to do to it was replace the water pump. And after I replaced the water pump, I swore I could smell antifreeze every time I drove it. But it never leaked, and I never had to add any coolant. It was weird. o No:

My project for today is figuring out how to program the "HomeLink" in the overhead console so it'll open my garage door. That'll prolly take a few hours. LOL :gt:

 

Rick, depending on the opener you have it may not be compatable.