The first question should be; "Will this be an daily driver?" Followed by the question; "Are you mechanically inclined?"

If you answer yes to question one and no to question two you really need to think long and hard about buying a car that is 8 or more years old with 65,000 or more miles on it.

I learned the hard way buying an MGB that was a financial drain because of my lack of mechanical ability. The guy I sold it to 10 years ago has kept it running and it looks better every time I see it. It was a very expensive lesson. Luckily it was not my everyday car or I'd have been screwed.

If you are making payments, can you also afford to pay for repairs?

Can you afford to lose a days pay if the car leaves you stranded?

I don't care who makes the car, it will be needing repairs as it gets older. Things wear out, stuff happens and exotic foreign cars are often more expensive to repair.

I'm new around here and dont want to get kicked out before my Mini even gets delivered but I keep seeing threads about buying a $17,000 Mini and nobody seems to be asking the right questions.

 

1 word. "Extended Warranty" !

 

I had an MGB GT when i was in the USMC and before going anywhere would pick up a mechanic from the motorpool! And just got a MINI on a trade for my motorcycle, with 173K miles on it. And now 3 mechanics in town are my new best friends.

 

Depends on how much you want to spend and if you can live with one that was optioned by someone else. Also you can get one that is 1 or 2 years old for a decent amount off of what a new one cost and get the extend warranty and have a really good car.

 

Cars today are a heck of alot more reliable than in the past. I own an 07 lexus is250 and would not hesitate to drive it across the county and back. The odometer currently reads just over 135,000.

 

That is what I have always done. But always do research on the model and year of the car you want to buy. Be an informed buyer.

 

Yeah and I have a 93 BMW 525i Touring that has 197k on it and I am driving it across the US.