Newer Car with High Mileage or Older with Low?

[zahid_36]

I'm looking to buy an estima 

Within my budget I am able to purchase a 2013 plate with a mileage of 80/90miles or something a year or two older with lower mileage 

What should I give preference too newer car with higher mileage or older with power mileage?

[FROSTYBALLS]

Depends on condition and known service history, if any.

[zahid_36]

I'm buying from auction in Japan,they have a range of cars,I'm unsure of service history albeit there is a grading of the car

[zahid_36]

If looked after well,what type of mileage does an estima run well until?

[Cyker]

Oooh, that's a hard one. If one is a newer model, I'd lean towards that. If they're both the same model, lean toward the lower mileage one, BUT it would be worth checking if there were any problems that were fixed in later versions of that model.

(Case in point - I bought a 2009 Mk2 Yaris with the 1.33 NR-FE engine, first year of that particular engine; Was a disaster, should have done more research, then I would have known to get one at least 2 years newer where they sortof fixed the massive oil burning problem the earlier 1NR-FEs were prone to)

Another thing is find out people who can support you for servicing etc. here - Esp. if you get the hybrid one (Which is not really recommended as it doesn't have any advantages over the normal ones), and insurance, as we've had a few people having trouble getting sane insurance quotes for Estimas.

 

[zahid_36]

I'm not keen on hybrid as I've been advised against it,so looking at petrol 

I'm just stuck on this one issue and can't decide what to give preference to!

[Cyker]

Yeah, regular non-hybrid ones also open the car up more options for maintenance as any half-decent mechanic can work on it with full confidence. I find most mechanics love working on 'normal' Toyotas as they're just easier to deal with than most other marques.

It's hard to say about the engine longevity as I don't know if it's the 2.4 or V6 or what, and don't know that much about long-term Estima ownership anyway, but generally Toyota engines last, esp. newer ones. I'd be more happy if the 90k was an older diesel as they last forever, but as long as it's been regularly serviced and well maintained even the petrol ones can last quite a long time. That's where the service history becomes very important tho'...

I think when the actual Estima owners wake up they should be able to provide more input! Assuming they're not stuck putting up bunting  

 

[RUToyota]

Wouldn't worry too much about age...condition is key.

My 53 plate MkII V6 is expected to easily reach 200/300k miles +...currently done less than 100k.

Generally, Toyota engines are very reliable...I've had my V6 for over 6 years and it's as smooth now as it was when I bought it...it's been utterly reliable and needed only normal service items.

I doubt you'd regret purchasing an Estima.

I never have.!

[Trg1244]

I’d also say at that age, condition and mileage would be more important. I had a choice of two very clean cars. One was a 2009 with leather seats, dvd screen in rear, big alloys, body kit, etc., and a plain, boring looking 2006 one on 17 inch tyres. However, that one had 30k miles and was an auction grade 5/a, so I chose that one. 

Quite a few threads on other sites about reliability of the 2gr fe 3.5 v6. Consensus seems to be they’ll do a couple hundred thousand miles no bother, as long as it is maintained. Many recommend changing the oil every 5-6 thousand miles to ensure longevity.

 

[RUToyota]

1 hour ago, Trg1244 said:

 Many recommend changing the oil every 5-6 thousand miles to ensure longevity.

 

That's the trick...good maintenance...I have the 3 litre 1mz-fe and the oil/filter is changed every 5k miles.

It's a peach of an engine.

[Hybridjunky]

Do not trust the mileage shown. I bought a 2007 Estima showing 58000 miles in good condition appearance wise but it had a weak hybrid Battery and I found service books in the car that showed that car had done at least 200000 KM. Japan  has strict laws regarding yearly tests and most cars will be very well serviced so it's hard to tell the mileage unless it is a nearly new car with some sort of recognised mileage warranty certificates.