If you’re looking to sell your used car in Oakland, or wider California, it is always best to know the key milestones for a used car’s milage and what that means for its resale value. There are many companies across the U.S. that will buy your used, companies such as Cash for Cars in Oakland, but before you sell, first check what the milage on your vehicle is.
While any other reputable dealership should give you a fair and accurate quote for your vehicle, it is always good to know yourself roughly what your vehicle is worth, and a big factor in this will be the vehicle’s milage.
Websites such as NADAGuides can give you a good estimate of your vehicle’s value based on its age, make, and model, but your vehicle’s current condition and milage will also play an important role in deciding the value of your car.
Milestone 1: 30,000 to 40,000 miles
Most dealerships are in consensus that a car with less than 50,000 miles clocked on its odometer are the premium of used cars. As the reasoning goes, these cars have only required basic servicing up to that point, and most of the vehicles major functions that degrade the fastest – parts such as the brakes, tires, and battery – are still in decent condition.
Obviously, the less the milage on your car the better in terms of its value, but for most people who wish to actually use their vehicle for a decent amount of time first, selling it within this first milestone is usually the best option. Around 36,000 miles roughly equates to three years of driving for the average owner, the time a vehicle’s first major servicing is required, and when its warranty expires.
To get the most of your used car, it is probably worth cleaning it up and getting it serviced before selling, with the upfront servicing cost generally being a hit worth taking to increase its resale value at reputable dealerships across the country.
Milestone 2: 60,000 to 70,000 miles
By 60,000 miles, your car is likely suffering from significant wear and tear – no matter how tough the make and model is. It is at this point things like tires and brakes start to need replacing while general servicing becomes more and more important for maintaining the vehicle in a roadworthy condition.
Other common repairs and replacements for cars at this milage range include the battery and the timing belt, both of which are absolutely necessary to a car’s functioning. They are also, unfortunately, pretty costly.
Selling your used car at this milage range is not the worst, and your vehicle’s value should not have taken too much of a dive so long as you have kept it in decent condition. Nevertheless, its age will start to affect the price much more significantly in this range band.
Milestone 3: 100,000 miles and beyond
This is really the tipping point for your vehicle’s resale value. At 100,000 miles or more, the resale price of your vehicle will start to drop off a cliff, no matter the age, make, or model.
Though the car should still be perfectly usable at this point, with almost all modern cars designed to last way past 100,000 miles of use so long as they are regularly serviced and well looked after, selling your used car at this point will not get you very much.
Dealers generally view these cars as wholesale-only vehicles to be sold at auction, greatly reducing the price they can get for them. If you can, sell before this point.
