What to lookout for in older car with low KMs?

[treg50]

What are some things to consider about cars that have low KMs but are older?

I'm checking out some used cars and come across some cars with low KMs and decent price, sounds good. But then I notice the model year and they're a little older. For example, a Honda Civic: a 2009 with 80,000 vs. a 2006 with 80,000.

[Kramerica]

2006 is old?? my cars must be from the jurassic era then

get a maintenance history and have a mechanic (your own) look at it. Find out why it wasn't driven alot and why they're giving it up if you can.

[treg50]

Originally posted by Kramerica
2006 is old?? my cars must be from the jurassic era then

get a maintenance history and have a mechanic (your own) look at it. Find out why it wasn't driven alot and why they're giving it up if you can.

Hehe, maybe old isn't the right word... but you get what I mean. Good questions for me to ask, thanks! I just have to hope for their honesty. But cross-referencing with the maint. hist. and a mech. can validate the answers they give me --- kinda want to avoid shelling out cash up for stuff like a mech. insp. if i can avoid it --- does it help/ mean much if the car is 'dealer certified'?

I thought there might be some standard things that happen to parts, etc. when a 'new' car just sits there and isn't used much?

[Kramerica]

Don't cheap out on the mechanical inspection, while the money now may seem like alot it's better to just spend it and find something is wrong now than sink a ton of money into buying the car and it requires a ton of expensive work. Dealer certified varies from dealer to dealer and I'm sure there are decent ones out there, but in general I wouldn't trust them. Get a mechanic to look at any used car you're thinking of buying if you don't know what to look for. We've seen enough people on here not do this then come in crying afterwards because they got something worse than they were expecting.