Hey guys,
I am thinking of buying a KF, my only issue with the car is that it has done 226,000km.
I know this is high, but I was wanting to know if it is even worth buying a car with this high KM?
or if I should give it a miss?
How high can these cars usually go before the engine starts to fall apart?

Thanks.

If its cheap enough, and you can do your own repairs, why not?

Engine is probably the last thing to fall apart. I'd be more concerned about paint fade, drive shafts, gearbox, brakes, suspension. It might look good on the surface, but who knows what surprises lurk underneath?

Does it have a service manual? Check that the timing belt has been done, look for signs in the service records for things like gearbox service/replacement, drive shaft replacement etc. You might be lucky. Only then can you put a realistic value on the car.

Depends if the engine has been serviced properly. If it's been nicely serviced they last forever.

I highly doubt the second timing belt has been done, people leave them 10-20,000kms after they're due sometimes. If it hasn't been done, you should be able to get $300-500 off of the cost depending on how knowledgable they are.

As MadMax has said, there are a lot of other things that can go wrong before the motor. If it's an Xi, I know the leather drivers seat wear out badly. Easy enough to check these things, I suggest making a list of things to check and then go have a look at the car. If it's in good nick sure why not, if it's in bad nick, get out!

I've been to help family and friends buy cars a lot and I've seen some shocking cars. One particularly bad car was a TE magna, it had 110,000kms on the clock, seats and carpet were worn out, drivers side engine mount shot, both outer CV boots were non-existant.. terrible car. Moral of the story, stats only tell you half the story. If you're serious, you have to go have a look at the car.

226k's for a car of that age is not high at all, many cars I service have well over 300k's and even then is only average for a car that is getting on 12 years old. After all is only 16k's per year, not a big use of a nice car to be honest

Price and condition are the determining factors. A lot of cars at this mileage are already wearing recon drive shafts, gearbox, alternator etc. I bought a TS V6 auto wagon 2 years ago with 230,000 on it, off eBay sight unseen for $1,200. No major dramas with it, except flaky paint. Your choice in the end though.

226k is nothing, 300-320k+ is when I start to worry, but then a lot of other cars have had lots of work/multiple engines by that stage.

Oil changes are crucial, my Altera has 232,000 and still feels and goes great, internally I'd love to engine flush it but its too gunky for that, though next oil change the sump is coming off, as its got a dent I want to fix, so I might oil flush it and while the sump is off I'll manually clean the strainer/mesh.

I've found that as long as servicing has been done and problems are fixed as they happen, rather than applying 'band-aid' solutions, km's travelled shouldn't be a problem.
I'd rather have a car that's been well maintained with 300,000km on it then one with lower km's that's been neglected and flogged.
My TH has 304,xxx on it and is a far better car than my previous car which had 200,xxx , the difference being the maintenance.
I have all the receipts of servicing and work carried out for the past 10 years. If you like, i can summarise the servicing and repairs to give you an idea of what's been done over that time?

Maybe that could be a thread unto itself?

My TE has hit 270,000 kms and drives very well. Still has the original engine and auto in it. Kept it regularly serviced the whole time I've owned it. Goes like the wind. I also recently bought a 2000 TJ.

So what dollars are these things realistically worth these days? There are a few KFs about with 2-300,000 on them and I might be tempted myself (need a car for a year that will do lots of interstate "commuting" - hence comfy, quiet and cheap required!).

They tend to be asking 4-5 grand, but whats the consensus on how far one should bargain them down? Assuming its all ok mechanically etc.

As a comparison I just sold a 1995 TS for $1,000. Mechanically perfect, with 220,000 km on the clock. The KF is a few years younger, better engine, and a third gen, which ups the price, but $2 to $2.5K would be my limit. Of course, dealers have them at much more. lol

If its a Verada Xi and if its in very good condition, super quiet, feels like new and with a perfect paint job + full history, do not offer any more than $4,000 for it. Ideally $2,500-$3,000 is a bargain.

Thanks guys :)

i bought my car with virtually the same k's - 228,000 and ive just hit 290,000 and it hasnt had a problem, it does depend on its previous history.