MECHANICAL CONDITION
This one is objectively the most important factor in a used-car purchase.Obviously, the newer and lower mileage the vehicle is, the less problem
areas one should expect—both because it’s been on the road for less timeand because the number of problems per vehicle (PPV) continues to
decrease on newer cars. JD Power, the best-known ranking firm for suchissues, started measurements for its “Initial Quality Study” in 1987; the
study looked at how many problems a vehicle would have in its first 90days.
The best vehicles of the day—Hondas and Toyotas—would havesomething in the range of 115-130 problems per 100 cars, and the worst (^)
would have scores in the 400s! Now the spread is only 87 points betweenthe best and worst. At the three-year mark, JDP does a follow-up study on (^)
reliability; the average number of problems has now decreased to 151, withthe best manufacturers scoring just over 100 problems per vehicle—quite
amazing for a car that’s been on the road that long.
If the vehicle is still under factory warranty, things are made easier, as you’llknow the big stuff is covered. But it’s critical to verify that it still is covered
by the manufacturer, based on time, not just mileage.
TIP: Find out the vehicle’s “in-service” date.