The term "low Km" is used very loosely...

[DRAGN6]

I purchased my 99' AU Forte Classic with 198000 kms on the clock 3yrs ago.
I now have 231000 kms on the clock.
That's 33000 kms over the past 3 yrs. That 33000 kms that I have done in it include the initial 3000 kms that I covered when I picked it up and drove it back to SA from NSW. I travel to Adelaide and back regularly throughout the year and still only clock 11000 kms per year.

This is purely only my opinion, but considering the trips that I do etc, any more than 11000 kms per year pretty much = being a fleet or sales reps car.

[Chopped]

I thought Low Kms were done in the valleys and High Kms were done in mountains....

What is "Low Km" ? - It's all relative, almost a trick question.

[flappist]

Originally Posted by Drift66

I purchased my 99' AU Forte Classic with 198000 kms on the clock 3yrs ago.
I now have 231000 kms on the clock.
That's 33000 kms over the past 3 yrs. That 33000 kms that I have done in it include the initial 3000 kms that I covered when I picked it up and drove it back to SA from NSW. I travel to Adelaide and back regularly throughout the year and still only clock 11000 kms per year.

This is purely only my opinion, but considering the trips that I do etc, any more than 11000 kms per year pretty much = being a fleet or sales reps car.

My wife is a teacher. I bought her a car to drove to school every day and other that the weekly shopping trip she does nothing else in it.

She does over 15000 km per year.

There are thousands of people who live in the Goldy or Sunny and work in Bris. All of these would do more than 20,000km per year (some lots more) just driving to and from their office jobs.

Australia is a big and diverse place, not everyone drives for the same reasons you do......

[DRAGN6]

Originally Posted by flappist

My wife is a teacher. I bought her a car to drove to school every day and other that the weekly shopping trip she does nothing else in it.

She does over 15000 km per year.

There are thousands of people who live in the Goldy or Sunny and work in Bris. All of these would do more than 20,000km per year (some lots more) just driving to and from their office jobs.

Australia is a big and diverse place, not everyone drives for the same reasons you do......

OUCH ......... I've just been FLAPPED!!

Very valid point there mate and yes, I didn't stop to consider those points

At the end of the day KMs are just KMs. My car has done the 231000 KMs and the last 33000 KMs have been fairly easy.
It really comes down to what stress/load has been put on each car during the KMs that they have travelled.

For me, my car has NEVER had a tow bar, so I'm more than certain that the guts haven't been pulled out of it. I'm definitely not refering to any of you guys, but how many people do you see, towing fully overloaded trailers etc?? The distance covered might be minimal, but they are seen as HARD KMs and therefore doesn't even show it's impact on the odometer.

I don't know if I made that easy to understand, but I know what I was trying to say

Whether it be this so called 'Low KMs' or what not, that's in some way irrellevant. It comes down to the stress that has been applied to the vehicle over it's travelled KMs

[XAGSV8]

Originally Posted by flappist

There are thousands of people who live in the Goldy or Sunny and work in Bris. All of these would do more than 20,000km per year (some lots more) just driving to and from their office jobs.

......

Me been one of them until recently. Everyday I would average at least 128km's getting too and from work. The car had it easy as 120 of those were on the highway with cruise control on. I added about 30,000km's on to my Fairlane in one year doing this and the car has now clicked over 189,000 km's just the other day. Not bad for a 13 year old car.

Fast forward too now. Work is 3km's away and the car is not even warmed up when I get to work. I may average 40kms a week. I can easily see how the stopping and starting through five different sets of lights and a round about will add wear and tear quicker to the car even though the km's are non existant.

[FPVGT500]

Back in 2010 I bought a 2003 BA XR6 with ~87,000Km on the clock she was a beaut I miss her till this day

[Sprint]

ford escort 60,000
xr8 sprint 125,000
r33 skyline 60,000
ba xr8 33,000

low kms to me would be around 50,000kms

my cars see less than 5,000 a year atm.

[RAPID_BA]

Hi

Im not having a dig at higher mileage cars. Im just trying to determine what we define as low km. Dealers are guilty of overusing the term. You never see a sign on the hood that says "high km".

The dealers have double standards. When they sell high km cars they call them "low km"

If you accept their definition and buy the 166000km ba xr8 ute, drive round the corner to the next dealer and try trade it in saying its "low km", they will boot you in the *** and laugh you out of the yard. Suddenly the definition changes to "anything over 100,000km is high km" .

Thats why there should be a definition so we can talk apples for apples buying and selling.

Again im not saying higher km cars are no good, just pointing out an anomaly.

[dave351cid]

perhaps in the `70s a car with 100 000 might be getting worn out but todays cars should be able to do 3 -4 hundred thousand km without too much trouble. i have seen quite a few hyundia excels with over 300000 on the ckock so if a falcon cant match that then i would be very disapointed.




i have clocked up 204000km in my BA ute in 9 years and 2 months. it still runs and drives as good as when it was new. thats approx 22255km a year and i mostly dont drive it work days as i often have the work ute. i dont consider that to be high milage for this car.

my XF had 264000km on it when i sold it at 15 years old so that was only 17600km a year and it was showing the stresses of age. i had had the head recoed and replaced most of the front suspension , steering and wheel bearings. etc.

my XB has 245000km on it and its 37 years old. thats 6620km a year average. the original 302 clevo was removed at 134000km and the replacement 351 has been rebuilt twice ( the last time in `93) and all suspension bearings steering etc has been replaced at least once.

[dave351cid]

Originally Posted by HULK_BA

Hi

Im not having a dig at higher mileage cars. Im just trying to determine what we define as low km. Dealers are guilty of overusing the term. You never see a sign on the hood that says "high km".

The dealers have double standards. When they sell high km cars they call them "low km"

If you accept their definition and buy the 166000km ba xr8 ute, drive round the corner to the next dealer and try trade it in saying its "low km", they will boot you in the *** and laugh you out of the yard. Suddenly the definition changes to "anything over 100,000km is high km" .

Thats why there should be a definition so we can talk apples for apples buying and selling.

Again im not saying higher km cars are no good, just pointing out an anomaly.

your trying to make used car dealers, lodgic and standards all work together ??????
mate , give up while you can because that will never happen. .

[Shonky.]

Originally Posted by HULK_BA

Im just trying to determine what we define as low km

wouldn't you expect the answer to be the same as that for any other subjective question........depends who you ask?

how fast is too fast?

when are you too drunk?

is that girl REALLY hot, or just hot?


number of opinions = number of people you ask divided by 1

I wait with baited breath for the final results of your poll

[In Focus]

Low kilometres* = low kilometres NOT low kilometres per year or type of car or where the driving was done.

* I'll leave what the magic number is up to you, but for me under 50,000 is "low" kilometres.

[SPArKy_Dave]

How about my 86 spac wagon - 47,155km?

Is that low enough?





And who says low k's makes stuff break?
Mine is 99% original from 1986, suspension, leads, belts, gaskets and all .......

[SPArKy_Dave]

But then on the other side of the coin, I also have an 85 Fairmont, with over 300,000km on the clock.
My late Grandpa bought it early 1986.

It still has 3 of the original leads, and two of the original motorcraft belts
and the motor's never been opened.

Plus it's been on gas since March 1986. (not been run on petrol since)
And the gas system has never needed attention either.
And it runs like a clock.

................ a very quiet, very smooth (very slow) clock.





The suspension bushes on the other hand....... sqweak, rattle, clunk clunk.....

(oh yeah, and about the paint.............. she's getting a bit thin these days.)

[302 XC]

Originally Posted by HULK_BA

Hi

Im not having a dig at higher mileage cars. Im just trying to determine what we define as low km. Dealers are guilty of overusing the term. You never see a sign on the hood that says "high km".

The dealers have double standards. When they sell high km cars they call them "low km"

If you accept their definition and buy the 166000km ba xr8 ute, drive round the corner to the next dealer and try trade it in saying its "low km", they will boot you in the *** and laugh you out of the yard. Suddenly the definition changes to "anything over 100,000km is high km" .

Thats why there should be a definition so we can talk apples for apples buying and selling.

Again im not saying higher km cars are no good, just pointing out an anomaly.

Well they kinda do advertise a high K car, by not claiming it "Low Ks"
A large selling point of any retail car is its Ks,to an extent,so on any add that doesnt mention Ks travelled, she has more than the average
The good ol sales pitch, well its not different than getting a heavily discount new car price for last years plated car,yet when its unload time , that can make a big difference on what your trade will be,but theres many a yard who mentioned"2003 plated,2004 regoed",and charge for this
Another good playing on words selling
The newish stuff is hardly worthy of getting hung up on,wether this years, last years ,a coupla years, or later,regardless of Ks, their value is dropping rapidly
The average price of any model will drag down the price of those that are immaculate

[Rodge]

Originally Posted by HULK_BA

Hi

Im not having a dig at higher mileage cars. Im just trying to determine what we define as low km. Dealers are guilty of overusing the term. You never see a sign on the hood that says "high km".

The dealers have double standards. When they sell high km cars they call them "low km"

If you accept their definition and buy the 166000km ba xr8 ute, drive round the corner to the next dealer and try trade it in saying its "low km", they will boot you in the *** and laugh you out of the yard. Suddenly the definition changes to "anything over 100,000km is high km" .

Thats why there should be a definition so we can talk apples for apples buying and selling.

Again im not saying higher km cars are no good, just pointing out that many second hand car dealers are full of B.S..

Fixed that for ya.

[tranquilized]

Imagine if cars had an hours clock, like forklifts and a lot of other machinary, in addition to the odometer. Would take away a lot of doubt as to the kind of life the car has had. But apart from the second hand car buyer, it wouldn't be in anyones interest.

Which makes me wonder, who decided that cars should have odometers at all? And why were they increased from 5 digits to 6 in the 70's? (On Australian cars at least) Was it done with the change from miles to km's?

I remember sometime in the late 1990's, I was at my grandfathers place and he was telling me how his XW Fairmont (that he bought brand new) was about to hit 100,000 miles, but he was confused as to what it would show as there weren't enough digits. He didn't quite believe me when I told him it would go back to zero.

I so regret not buying that car He traded it in 1999 on an AU Forte in Silver, which has now done about 25,000km...

[Kable72]

I have an early 04 BA with 155xxx on the clock. Is that low ks? In my opinion, yes it is. I have a few mates with BAs and BFs and I have the lowest of them all.

[2011G6E]

Depends greatly on the year of the car. In fact it probably depends solely on the year of the car, compared to the kilometers it's done.

Our G6E has done 60,000km in eighteen months...that's over average, so is probably relatively "high kilometers" for it's age.
Our 1982 Celica has about 140,000km on it. That's a fair amount of kilometers, but not when the car is thirty years old.
My mothers little 1996 Mazda 121 Metro has about 60,000km on it...which again isn't a lot.

It's all relative and has to be kept in mind compared to the age and service history.

[RAPID_BA]

The pole sort of indicates that the definition should be

less than 15,000km per year to a limit of 100,000km?

After that a car might be "well maintained" but not low km.

[Cashie]

Where does the poll say "to a limit of 100,000kms"?
The most clicked answer was under 15,000 Kim's per year full stop wasn't it?

[GT450]

[QUOTE=In Focus]Low kilometres* = low kilometres NOT low kilometres per year or type of car or where the driving was done.

]

Exactly right it's not down to a per year average it's the lowest number travelled period. Others may justify their odometer reading anyway they like but the lowest number is what counts.
GT450

[Resurrection]

I only regard any car which has covered less than 10,000km per year as low mileage.

[private9]

Another high quality and thought provoking thread, thanks HULK_BA!

[DJM83]

I know for me ill drive my car when and where ever i want, i aint preserving it for the next owner i want to get my monies worth. I wont ever buy second hand again anyway unless its a crapper to commute in.
My XR5 had just passed 47k kms in 2 years, that said ive done 3 interstate trips adding 8k

[RAPID_BA]

The km argument is similar to the "Immaculate" or "mint" condition terms used loosely.

How many times do people sell a car as "immaculate" when you turn up there are scratches all over the shop, imperfections at every glance. Then they backpedal to "great condition for its age" comments.

This thread even demonstrates a disposition in definition. Country km, meticulous service history, km per year or km absolute??

It seems the definition changes relative to the km on our odometer and if they are a buyer or a seller, a variable/negotiable definition?

[Cashie]

Originally Posted by HULK_BA

The km argument is similar to the "Immaculate" or "mint" condition terms used loosely.

How many times do people sell a car as "immaculate" when you turn up there are scratches all over the shop, imperfections at every glance. Then they backpedal to "great condition for its age" comments.

This thread even demonstrates a disposition in definition. Some say its low km full stop, then people try on the low kms per year argument, then when that doesnt wash, they pull the country km argument and finally when there are no more straws to draw its all about the meticulous service history.

It seems the definition changes relative to the km on our odometer and if they are a buyer or a seller, a variable/negotiable definition?

EVERYTHING is comparative to something.

[ebxr8240]

Depends on age and general condition ??
A nice 40 year old car with 150,000 would possibly
be considered low miles ???
Actually it would show 50,000 miles...
Yes low miles..

[DJTNarellan]

i dont really have a say on the kms ive just purchsed 98 AU series 1 fairmont
from a car yard with the classic " As Traded" sticker on it with 241998 kms on usally i would steer clear of a as traded car but i went out on a limb body is ok has a few blotches the trims where shoty but mechanicly it runs like a dream doesnt thud in the gear box like a lot of fords doesnt have that truste ford tick smooth and quite like its just driven off the floor even if the out side is shoty lol so i guess higher ks with in reason dont matter

[mike_nofx]

Then there's the low kilometers of Falcon Vs Commodore.

200k in a Falcon is worth 100k in an equivelant Commodore!