High-Mileage vs Low-Mileage Used

Two used motorhomes. Same year. Same brand. Same price. One has sixty-five thousand miles. One has twelve thousand miles. Most buyers pick the low one. Most buyers are wrong.

Round one — tires. The twelve-thousand-mile rig has tires that are six years old and never properly rotated. Dry-rotted from sitting. Need full replacement — twelve hundred bucks. The high-mileage rig — tires were just replaced because they actually used the rig. Low miles loses round one.

Round two — seals and gaskets. The low-mileage rig sat. Gaskets dried out. Seals shrank. Leaks waiting to happen. High-mileage rig — gaskets stayed lubricated by use. Low miles loses round two.

Round three — engine. High-mileage diesel — properly maintained, easily another two hundred thousand miles to go. Low-mileage — same engine, but the seals on a sitting motor degrade. Tie or low-miles slightly loses.

Round four — house. Both have the same house defects. RVs are houses on wheels. House problems happen on the calendar, not the odometer. Tie.

Round five — interior wear. Low miles wins this one. Less sun exposure, less use, less wear. But — the wins on the interior are cosmetic. The losses on the rest are mechanical.