How to Care for a High-Mileage Used Vehicle

Once your vehicle reaches a certain mileage, you need to start paying a bit more attention to maintenance. If you buy a used vehicle, it may be close to this point or already past it. If you’re wondering how to care for a high-mileage used vehicle, Thompson Sales is here to help. Follow these tips to help your vehicle run for as long as possible.

What Does High-Mileage Mean?

First, let’s define what we mean by “high-mileage.” Really, it depends on the type of vehicle you’re talking about. For instance, a hybrid vehicle can sometimes last past 300,000 miles, so would 100,000 miles really be that much? Other vehicles may be lucky to make it past 200,000.

Just to be safe though, we’ll say that around 100,000 miles you can consider your vehicle high-mileage. This isn’t an uncommon mileage for people to buy a used vehicle, so this information will be applicable to many vehicles on the road.

Oil Changes

One of the most important things you can do for a high-mileage used vehicle is regularly get the oil changed. You should do this no matter what your vehicle’s mileage is, but it becomes especially crucial if you have a lot of miles on your engine. Your options are conventional and synthetic oil, and they typically have high-mileage options for each. High-mileage oil doesn’t cost too much more, so we definitely recommend paying the extra money to get the extra life out of your vehicle.

Get Regular Inspections

Getting your vehicle inspected about every 4-6 months is a good rule of thumb to make sure everything is running well. Mechanics will be able to catch little things wrong with your used vehicle that you might not notice. A minor oil leak that could get worse, for instance, could be small and not affect performance, but wear and tear can make a bigger issue over time. This is something you’d want to know about so you can get it fixed soon. Checking belts, hoses and other engine parts will also help to ensure your used vehicle lasts you as long as possible. 

Buy a Used Vehicle from Thompson Sales

Of course, your used car won’t last long if it isn’t a quality vehicle. Thompson Sales has a variety of used and new vehicles for sale. We’re sure to have one that perfectly meets your needs. Come visit us on our lot today to see what we have to offer, or give us a call at (417) 763-6811.