Can You Buy a Car With Zero Miles?

Can You Buy a Car With Zero Miles?

When you want to buy a new car, you do not wish to buy a car that has been used.

This is understandable since used vehicles may have functional and operational issues. However, you need to ask yourself can you buy a car with zero miles?

Technically, No! it’s impossible to buy a car with zero mileage since such vehicles are not yet tested at the assembly plant. Although every new vehicle will have some miles seen on the odometer, there is an acceptable threshold for such mileage.

Additionally, they may have some parts that are on the verge of needing replacement. Therefore, it’s not uncommon for many to desire to buy a new car straight from the factory.

Many people assume that brand-new cars have zero mileage. More often than not, this is misplaced. So, what mileage should be seen on the odometer of a new car?

This is the threshold that, once exceeded, you are not looking at a new car. At such a point, it would be better to ask for a negotiated price to cater for the usage.

Consequently, no buyer should close the deal without a closer look at the odometer.

It’s not unusual to expect about 5 miles on the odometer of every new car. The factory movement occasions this mileage during the finishing of the vehicle.

The mileage also emanates from the movement from factory to shipment.

It’s also needful to point out that some more mileage will be accrued during the examination and maintenance as the car gets to the dealership.

Cumulatively, it’s easy to have an odometer read as many as 10 to 15 miles on the lower side.  

Can you see a car with zero miles on the odometer?

There are very few people who have ever seen a car with zero miles on the odometer. The people who see zero mileage are the workers in a vehicle manufacturing plant.

The workers are the ones that turn the key for the first time.

After turning the key, they normally drive the car to the dynamo meter and then allow it to run on rollers for several miles.

After this, they will take it for a short test spin and then park it before going for another.

What Is Delivery Mileage?

Perry’s News describes delivery mileage as the few miles on all-new, unregistered cars that result from transporting the vehicle to the dealership, then to the buyer.

Delivery mileage should not be considered a bad thing by the buyer.

They cushion the buyer from transportation fees that the buyer would otherwise have to fund.

This also makes it possible for the buyer to drive away with the car on the day of purchase.

This makes room for a significant discount that the buyer enjoys.

Additionally, new vehicles with delivery mileage also have the manufacturer’s warranty registered in the buyer’s name as the first buyer.

Delivery mileage is a thing that you need to desire if you want to enjoy your warranty.

Additionally, you do not want to buy a car that has not been tested for suitability and standards.

There is no readily available way to achieve this without registering a few miles on the odometer.

Therefore, if you initially believed that a few miles on the odometer are bad, it’s time to reconsider your perspective.

Without such miles, you can never be assured of the car’s stability on the road since it would mean that the car has not been driven on any road whatsoever.

How Many Miles Should a New Car Have?

It’s not factual to get an overall estimate of the number of miles that a new car should have.

The number reading on the odometer of a new vehicle may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer and from dealer to dealer.

However, there is a general rule that puts the threshold at 200 miles.

Two hundred miles is considered normal since it’s unlikely for any technical issues to arise from a car whose mileage is below 200 miles.

However, many new cars have, on average, 10 to 50 miles on the odometer.

To consider what is an acceptable number of mileage for a new car.

A buyer should factor in short journeys from storage compounds, loading to ferries, unloading from ferries, and also inspections.

Additionally, the price of the car and your preference will be handy in determining how many miles are too many.

Reasonably, you can expect a car to have 10 miles on the odometer reading, but if that reading exceeds 200 miles, it is fine to reject the delivery.

However, bear in mind that you may never see a new car whose mileage is zero.

Take the few miles on the odometer positively since it is not a bad thing at all. It’s a good thing to be sure that someone has test-driven your car.

Is It Better To Buy A Car With Almost Zero Miles?

You can buy a car with a few miles on the odometer clock. However, it may not be possible to buy a car whose mileage is about zero.

You may certainly not wish to have your new vehicle reading more than 100 miles on the odometer.

However, there are many benefits associated with this. Suppose a car has a reasonably high number of miles. In that case, it means that it has been test-driven and broken in.

In most cases, those who want to have their car odometer reading zero as they buy it are ignorant of the dynamics in the car assembly industry.

Once they are familiar with the basics, they welcome a few miles on the odometer and consider it an unavoidable requirement.

After all, any number of miles that does not exceed 100 is technically not high. It can be accounted for in the assembly plant and the dealership stores.

Again, there are some miles accrued by the car being taken from a showroom to a showroom.

Test drives at the dealership facilitate the break-in process. It’s best to have the break-in process commenced before acquiring the car.

Piston rings are sealed when you drive a new car.

This process ensures that the rings and pistons can handle the pressure and heat with regular operation.

When you buy a broken-in car, the process becomes easier as well as faster.

What to consider when buying a used car?

There are many things for consideration regarding those who wish to buy used cars. Indeed, there may be much that you need to think about if you desire to buy a used car.

Everybody has different tastes. Your preferences for color, fuel type, and gearbox can all come into play.

All car sellers and dealerships prioritize mileage in their adverts.

It’s common for people to see a car they like but after looking at the mileage, decide otherwise. A 100,000 miles figure can turn away many potential buyers.

However, if you do not mind much about mileage, read on to ensure that you make the best decision while buying a used car.

To some extent, 100,000 miles may not be a lot of miles today. The time that these were many miles is several decades back.

Indeed, today, cars are kept for many years with thousands of miles on the odometer.

In many cases, there is no legit reason to make you worry about mileage. However, there are several things that you cannot ignore when you want to buy a used car.

For instance, if the car is less than three years and has already clocked well over 100,000 miles, this should make you worried.

There is a high likelihood that the car has been used as a taxi.

But since new cars are very robust, you may not have a good reason to worry. After all, this is the greatest way to save a lot of money when buying a car.

All the same, ensure that the tires and brakes have been changed unless you want to buy and incur other costs of changing the same shortly.

Under normal circumstances, a three-year-old car should have covered, on average, 30,000 to 45,000.

Therefore, a three-year-old showing 10,000 miles may appear as the best thing to go for.

Unfortunately, this may be misleading. If the car has only been used to run some short trips only, this is a cause of concern.

The relevance of such usage is that the short trips never allow the engine to warm enough to ensure that water vapor escapes from the engine.

This will occasion slow engine deterioration.

On average, modern cars are designed to last a lifetime of about 150,000 miles. If the vehicle is well maintained, the lifespan can be doubled or even tripled.

Service must never be skipped if this is to be achieved.

What can be said to be Too Many for a Used Car?

On average, the miles are driven per year range between 10,000 and 15,000. This is an excellent guide to follow as you compare the miles with the age of the car.

Therefore, if you consider a 5-year-old SUV with 124,000 miles, that should set off alarm bells.

Remember that the number of miles left in a car’s lifespan is an excellent way to determinant the price of the vehicle.

More importantly, as long as the odometer is on its second lap, the remainder of the useful miles is less than half.

As already implied, if the car is well maintained, it should do more miles beyond its expected lifeline.

For instance, a well-maintained driven 20,000 miles per year on sparsely populated highways;

With few stop signs will be better than a similar vehicle that has done only half of the same miles on low-speed city strips.

Lots of idling accompanied by frequent stops exact a toll on wear and tear. In comparison, driving on the highway with a few stops or slowdowns is easy on the vehicle.

Likewise, an eight-year-old car with only 50,000 miles is quite enticing.

However, if the owner only changed the oil and ignored other routine maintenance, you are courting danger.

Miles definitely exact a toll on a vehicle’s overall health and lifespan.

Age, rust, neglect, how it was driven, where it was driven, and other factors also exact a toll on the overall health and lifespan of a car.

It is, therefore, needful to have a qualified mechanic carry out a thorough inspection if you wish to buy a used vehicle. This should be done before you can buy the car.

Otherwise, there is no way you can say that you have done a meaningful assessment of a used car. The odometer reading may be misleading.

Conclusion

Mileage comes as the first thing to think about when buying a car. Indeed, mileage showing on the odometer provides the number of miles that have been done by the vehicle.

The relevance of mileage when buying a new car cannot be overemphasized. From the clock, you will know if the car has been used or it is new.

A clock that reads over 200 miles means that the vehicle has been used, and you can either reject it or negotiate the price. However, things operate differently with used cars.

It’s misleading to rely on the odometer alone when gauging the suitability of the used car that you want to buy.

Largely, the best way to gauge the suitability of a car is how it has been used, where it has been used, the number of years it has been used, and the reading on the odometer.

In some of the instances, it’s better to buy a car with many miles on the odometer than one that has far fewer miles if the age is the same.

The rule of thumb is to calculate the number of years with 10000 miles and see the difference.

There should be a small deviation from this calculation if you want to be safe when buying a used car.