Is Low Mileage Worth a Premium?
 

OK, here's the deal. I'm trying to sell a 1999 Saturn SL1. The car is in good condition (some scratches on the hood and roof) but otherwise in very good condition. The KBB on the car in good condition is $3,000 and excellent is $3,225. My dilemma is that the car has extremely low miles at 23,000 so I tend to think it should be worth more. It was my Mom's car and she only drove it to the bank, supermarket, senior center and doctor's office.
It appears we may have a buyer offering $2,800. My question is do you think that is a fair price given the low mileage or is it a steal? Of course, things are made more complicated because I'm on the west coast and the car is on the east coast(NJ) so my sisters will handle the transaction.

Thanks

If you plug it into autotrader it will adjust the price based on mileage, etc.

So we're talking $525 here? Bird in hand, man...take the money.

It is still an 11/12 year old vehicle. Even low miles, stuff drys out. And sometimes, lots of short trips are harder on a car than one that is run all highway miles.

The beauty of a "low miles" car is that you can put a lot of miles on it and not affect the value. One of the girls I dated in college, her father was a car dealer. She always had a "low miles" car and was allowed to run them up, without affecting the value. She had a "new" car every 3-6 months.

It truly is a buyer's market right now.

I think it's worth a lot more. Post up the VIN and the options on it. On an automatic with no options checked I'm getting $2,775 low book and $4,225 high book. People go goo goo over low miles. I sold a 2003 Seville SLS for well over high book with 21,000 miles. People were complaining over what KBB said, but common sense prevails. It was way too much car with too much life in it to give away.

Trying to get the VIN from my sisters. The options are minimal: AC, airbags, tilt steering. If it wasn't on the east coast I'd patiently sell it myself.

Its a 99 saturn. If you have a buyer at any price, take it and move on.

Take the offer. We have/had two of those and they are good cars but nit worth a whole lot. Low mileage could mean problems too. If mom never really excercised the car it can lead to issues.

My wife had one of those until someone pulled out in front of her and totaled it. It's amazing the kind of abuse I've seen those cars take and keep on going. I'm talking stupid owner, "does my car ever need to have the oil changed? It's been 15,000 miles..." type stuff. They're not bad IMO. Just incredibly boring.

A lot of times a car can have problems if it has not been driven much; rubbers drying out etc.

On a car like a Saturn SL1, mileage makes little impact - unless it is HIGH mileage.

On one hand, I think you should hold to your price if the car is nicely kept and has no mechanical problems. On the other hand, you're 3000 miles away and would probably be better off to take the offer and be free of the burden.

The scratches on the hood and roof make the low miles a wash, IMO
I've seen low mile cars in worse condition than a car with 3 times the miles.

:)

Just got another offer $100 more. So, we're talking $2,900 total. Maybe we'll have a bidding war.

KBB is only a rough guideline and as I've noticed may totally miss the mark on older cars. Check Craigslist autos in that area to see what they're asking locally to get a more realistic idea.

FWIW.. selling points: It's a single cam manual. That configuration can routinely pull 35-45 MPG with no problem. With miles that low it won't have started to burn oil either (they all do if not properly maintained/prevented early). The little old lady driver image also means there likely aren't any potential problems with the diff pin.. just as long as she wasn't from Pasadena? If you have good maintenance records that's a plus.

Yeah, they're boring but they don't rust.

Hit the bid and move on. We had a 99 Saturn Wagon with 56k miles on it which took months to sell and went for a couple of grand. There is not much of a market for them, Saturn is gone.

KBB, Edmunds, anyone else who helps you value a used car is just a tool. When KBB knocks on my door with a check for the amount they claim the car I am selling is worth I'll start caring what they claim the market is.

^ THIS. Plus, Saturn has now gone the way of the Do-Do. GM may still service them, but they Saturns didn't really hold their value too well to begin with. Not to mention parts availability will surely be dwindling.

All true words. Thanks. Here is the VIN: 1 1G8ZH5284XZ244816. I'm not sure about that first 1.

I advised my sisters to try to get the two buyers to increase their offer. If not, take the best offer.

VIN is correct. Actual blue book numbers should be what I posted. The add for miles included in those numbers is $1,150. IMO 23,000 miles is worth more than that. Where is a buyer going to find anything like that? Within a 500 mile radius there are 5 listed for $2,600-4,000 with 81-145,000 miles. I'd advertise it for $4,900 and settle for $4,000ish. Used car buyers for the most part aren't going to be talking about dried up belts and Saturn going out of business. They're not that savvy. YMMV.

Carfax is clean.

Thanks for the info Steve. That sounds like the same info I found and that's why I was asking is the car worth more.

My sisters are getting antsy so unless we can raise the offers, someone is going to get a great deal at $2,900.

Yes, Carfax should be clean. Mom didn't drive it into the Hudson or roll it.