Why Are There So Many Used Cars With Less Than Five,000 Miles?
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Car Comparison
Hello, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to this week’s Ask Doug, wherein you — wait for it — ask Doug something about automobiles, and he then rises from browsing used-car listings on the couch long enough to string together a response.
If you want to participate in Ask Doug, you can! Send me an email at [email protected], or send me a message on my Facebook page with your question. I cannot promise that I’ll reaction your question, tho’ I can promise that I’ll switch your name in case you ask something stupid like, “I’m locked inwards my car. How do I get out?”
Anyway, this week’s question comes to us from a reader I’ve named Henry. Henry writes:
I’m in the market for a BMW 335/340i, and I have come across an abundance of used 340i models with Two,000 to Trio,000 miles. On a car that has yet to be on the market for a entire year, can you give me an explanation as to why there are so many of these low-mileage, basically fresh cars for sale?
Henry’s question is interesting, because it’s something that a lot of people have asked me about over the years. You go on Autotrader and you browse the listings, and there are tons of 1- or 2-year-old cars with only Three,000, Five,000 or 8,000 miles on them. So just where do all these super-low-mileage used cars come from? Do people truly trade in their cars after driving them a few thousand miles?
The reaction is: Yes, they do. There are people who get bored with cars very quickly, and they interchange them out permanently, frequently, several times a year. My friend Jordan is like this — He’ll text me and ask me what I think of the BMW X3, and then four days later we’re driving it to dinner. I am in awe of this individual. He also has a boat.
And then there are people who trade out a brand-new car for other reasons. Some people buy a car and quickly detect that they can’t afford the payments. Then it goes back to the dealer — either voluntarily or in one of those “Operation Repo” situations in which the repo man is loading it on his truck and the car’s holder is angrily pelting him with a barrage of objects such as toothpaste.
Still other people buy a car and don’t truly like it. This happens more often than you think. Someone gets in a car, takes it for a test drive, does all the paperwork, then gets home and realizes that the radio buttons just don’t feel right — and no, this is not something that can be just disregarded. Three thousand miles later, they’ve got a brand-new car with brand-new radio buttons. Of course, this could all be avoided by taking the car home on an extra-long test drive.
But an ultra-low-mile used car can also come from a few other catches sight of besides customer trade-ins.
One such place where dealers get ultra-low-mileage used cars is their own dealer demo or service loaner program. Think about it: Every time you display up for a service, they have a nice, freshly washed, brand-new loaner car sitting there waiting for you. You’ll notice that you never see 7-year-old loaner cars with a bunch of curb rash on the wheels and mustard residue on the dashboard. So where do you think those fresh cars go? The abyss? No! They’re washed and placed on dealer lots once their time is up.
Another remarkably fruitful source of low-mileage used cars: company vehicles. Many automakers suggest free or intensely discounted cars to their employees, and most automakers cycle through these vehicles at the rate of two or three per employee per year in order to minimize depreciation. Some automakers even suggest these programs to dealership employees, which brings thousands more cars into the fold. When they’re finished, they go to the same place as everything else mentioned in this column: right back on dealer lots.
And so, Henry, you might be astonished to learn that these cars aren’t to be avoided. They’re part of normal business for an automaker and a dealer, and they’re remarkably common — and I strongly urge you to consider one of these if you’re looking for a fine used car. I also urge you to test out the radio buttons before you buy.
Why Are There So Many Used Cars With Less Than Five, zero Miles?
Why Are There So Many Used Cars With Less Than Five,000 Miles?
Auto Display
Car Comparison
Hello, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to this week’s Ask Doug, wherein you — wait for it — ask Doug something about automobiles, and he then rises from browsing used-car listings on the couch long enough to string together a response.
If you want to participate in Ask Doug, you can! Send me an email at [email protected], or send me a message on my Facebook page with your question. I cannot promise that I’ll reaction your question, tho’ I can promise that I’ll switch your name in case you ask something stupid like, “I’m locked inwards my car. How do I get out?”
Anyway, this week’s question comes to us from a reader I’ve named Henry. Henry writes:
I’m in the market for a BMW 335/340i, and I have come across an abundance of used 340i models with Two,000 to Trio,000 miles. On a car that has yet to be on the market for a entire year, can you give me an explanation as to why there are so many of these low-mileage, basically fresh cars for sale?
Henry’s question is interesting, because it’s something that a lot of people have asked me about over the years. You go on Autotrader and you browse the listings, and there are tons of 1- or 2-year-old cars with only Trio,000, Five,000 or 8,000 miles on them. So just where do all these super-low-mileage used cars come from? Do people indeed trade in their cars after driving them a few thousand miles?
The reaction is: Yes, they do. There are people who get bored with cars very quickly, and they interchange them out permanently, frequently, several times a year. My friend Jordan is like this — He’ll text me and ask me what I think of the BMW X3, and then four days later we’re driving it to dinner. I am in awe of this individual. He also has a boat.
And then there are people who trade out a brand-new car for other reasons. Some people buy a car and quickly detect that they can’t afford the payments. Then it goes back to the dealer — either voluntarily or in one of those “Operation Repo” situations in which the repo dude is loading it on his truck and the car’s proprietor is angrily pelting him with a barrage of objects such as toothpaste.
Still other people buy a car and don’t indeed like it. This happens more often than you think. Someone gets in a car, takes it for a test drive, does all the paperwork, then gets home and realizes that the radio buttons just don’t feel right — and no, this is not something that can be just overlooked. Three thousand miles later, they’ve got a brand-new car with brand-new radio buttons. Of course, this could all be avoided by taking the car home on an extra-long test drive.
But an ultra-low-mile used car can also come from a few other catches sight of besides customer trade-ins.
One such place where dealers get ultra-low-mileage used cars is their own dealer demo or service loaner program. Think about it: Every time you showcase up for a service, they have a nice, freshly washed, brand-new loaner car sitting there waiting for you. You’ll notice that you never see 7-year-old loaner cars with a bunch of curb rash on the wheels and mustard residue on the dashboard. So where do you think those fresh cars go? The abyss? No! They’re washed and placed on dealer lots once their time is up.
Another remarkably fruitful source of low-mileage used cars: company vehicles. Many automakers suggest free or strongly discounted cars to their employees, and most automakers cycle through these vehicles at the rate of two or three per employee per year in order to minimize depreciation. Some automakers even suggest these programs to dealership employees, which brings thousands more cars into the fold. When they’re finished, they go to the same place as everything else mentioned in this column: right back on dealer lots.
And so, Henry, you might be astonished to learn that these cars aren’t to be avoided. They’re part of normal business for an automaker and a dealer, and they’re remarkably common — and I strongly urge you to consider one of these if you’re looking for a superb used car. I also urge you to test out the radio buttons before you buy.