Finding Your New, Pre-Loved Ride

Buying a new car isn’t cheap. In fact, other than a house, a car is probably the most expensive purchase a person will ever make in his lifetime. But if your budget isn’t that big, going for the alternative pre-loved car route might be a better way of managing your finances responsibly. Note that we use “pre-loved” because buying one that’s been well taken cared of and loved by its owner will give you more value for your money.

- Kris Lim

In the world of second-hand cars, mileage is one of the biggest factors that a buyer should consider. Naturally, a car with 100,000 kilometers on the odometer will cost less than another with only 20,000. But how many kilometers should a used car have to be considered a good, solid purchase?

In general, a car that has racked up an average of 20,000 kilometers for every year it’s been on the road and is relatively young (example: 60,000 kilometers for three years) still has much to offer in terms of reliability. Some models, however, are quite resilient overall. To get the best deal, it pays to know how mileage affects the value of your used car purchase.

Mind the numbers