Mileage on a v6, 150k too high??

Jake1989

Jake1989

Active user
Sep 29, 2014
60
10
Bracknell
Hi guys,as some of you may know I'm hunting for a nice v6, seem to of come across 2 now and am looking at them over the weekend.
but both of them have 150,000 miles on (152k and 153k)
i know shouldn't buy on mileage as a 70k could of been hammered and knackered too but..
What life's left in the engine as it must of done a fair bit of work over this amount of miles!!
both seem to of been looked after,what mileages have you guys done on a looked after engine?
cheers
 
I had one at that mileage with a sweet engine, ultimately the Cougar is a GT-esque vehicle they were generally not bought for "pottering" in their first flush.

If one has been well maintained then that mileage shouldn't present a big issue, it could be argued by virtue of reaching that mileage that it's a proven engine.

Are you planning on doing another 100k in the vehicle realistically?
 
See that's my problem I'm split between both your views,
on the one hand I agree its high mileage and inevitable things will be worn and need replacing much sooner rather than later, but on the other if it's reached 150k running sweet and been looked after then surely thats a testament of it being a good engine.
think will go in with an open mind.
 
Look at the work that has been done on them if there is no history or very little I would walk away. But you need to have a good look at them.
 
It all comes down to history and condition.

A car that has mile-munched on billiard table motorways will suffer far less mechanical stress than one that's done fewer miles but used as the family minicab.

I'm not saying it's wrong to find a lower mileage one at all, but drive a good bargain on a leggy one and you might get a steal or a heap.

Oil changes, structure and body are the important bits, the number on the dash doesn't reflect all that much sometimes.

Find the right car, negotiate on the mileage.
 
Jake, like you I agree with both Mike (for practical reasons) and Andy (because...reasons).

Andy is right in that the V6 will merrily do hundreds of thousands of miles as long as it's well maintained. Your problems might be ancillaries or body condition, but if it's been looked after there is no reason to reject a car that has high mileage just because of the mileage. Not these days.

On the other hand, there are some good ones with silly low miles coming out of the woodwork at the moment (just look at Lucid or SPJMorris for recent examples) and you're not really going to pay any extra for the low mileage. Not on a car that's almost fully depreciated.

So my advice would be to hold out for a low-miler if you're in the game long-term, but don't discount a high-miler with all the paperwork and which doesn't have lace sills.
 
I would suggest you don't worry about milage, it is much more important to be rust free, look for a cougar that has a good rear subframe, solid rust free floor pan and check all the fluids, worth noting the wishbones usually last about 90,000 miles and are a big expense.
 
...My first Cougar had done 170,000+ and was still running perfectly when
I parked it up for good...I've also seen many Duratech engines with much
higher mileages...like many of the opinions here I believe it just comes
down to how the car has been treated by it's previous owners...
 
In my view, milage is only relevant for resale value, and the Cougar is near worthless - so don't worry about it.

Engines have gone pop from 29k upwards within this club.

Subframes and sills rust regardless of whether it's been driving or just sat outside.

Any car that reaches 100,000 will have limited clutch, CV joint, damper and bush life left and if they haven't already been replaced they will need it soon.

A 150,000 mile car is little worse than a 100,000 mile car or even a 70,000 mile car of this age. They'll all be absolute nails if they haven't had a steady stream of cash and time flowing in to them.

If it were me personally, I'd inspect all of those with service history and looked cosmetically good, and buy the one which has had the most parts renewed recently. I'd buy a 150,000 mile car with a new clutch, fresh dampers and bushes 10 times out of 10 over a 90,000 mile car which has "never needed anything".
 
Also depends where all those new parts were fixed on. It depends... I maybe would take a car with original clutch but for less money than a car with aftermarket clutch fixed in some dude's garage without torque wrenches etc... I'd say look at the body and the engine first. All those suspension parts are peanuts... take off all spark plugs, inspect them, check compression, any rattling (chain, bearings) any leakage, smoke...
 
Thanks for all the opinions but too late as I bought a nice one on 78k last week and has been fine bar a noisy fuel pump!
Seems all in good shape as far as I can see (y)
 
I'm on my second frosty ,my first one went straight through the mot in late 2014
mane had over 215,000 miles on clock with original engine and gearbox
then was involved in accident and insurance writ it off.
bought myself another with 90,000 on clock in January 2015 and that's now got
118,000 on it .
as long as regular oil changes ect.
they will keep going and sounding sweet.
mine is mainly 100 miles a day round trip to work
when not on my bandit .
cougars need their legs stretching not shopping runs
 
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