How many miles is “too many” when buying used?

[Vint91]

I had a 2009 Suburban, bought at 140,000 miles 7 years ago. I replaced the whole front end, purge valve, oil changes and fluid changes all at Valvoline, lifted it 3.5”, 1 transmission replacement, everything that stuck underneath the motor I unstuck, and brand new aggressive tires, before coasting it onto the dealership lot at 300,000 miles 6 years later for a new Yukon XL… It was a very good truck.

 

[luminant]

I’m looking at buying a used Suburban. One in particular is a 2012 LTZ, but it has 212,000 miles. It seems well taken care of and there are service records (all routine maintenance things). The dealer is asking $9000.

Is 200k miles too much of a gamble to make this a sensible purchase? I’ve read that the 5.3 can have some longevity if it’s taken care of, but what about the transmission?

I had a 2003 Yukon with the 5.3 Vortec and it has 298K miles on it with no major issues. Think we replaced the fuel pump at about 250K... Still runs strong. I wouldn't hesitate with this engine.

 

[Trilla_one]

Bought my 07 with 206k for 9k. It was a trade in at an Audi dealership. Almost 2 years and almost 20k later I have spent some money but nothing crazy or not to be expected on any used vehicle. Previous owners took care of it.

I have been hearing a sporadic "chain rattling" sound at slow speeds coming from underneath for almost a year. I thought it was an exhaust issue but my local exhaust shop checked and said the exhaust was fine but hinted at the transfer case. They also said if it is in fact the transfer case I need to address it ASAP! Lol

 

[FasterBass]

Bought my 09 at 134k for $10k in March 2022. This is when used car prices were crazy...I don't think I would change anything tbh. Bought from private seller and did a bunch of maintenance to bring it back to newish. Runs great, reliable, comfortable, tows well. Does everything I need it to.

I'd pay more attention to service records than miles on these things. Was the trans flushed regularly, oil changes, etc.