Should I worry about an engine replacement?

I'm looking at a car advertised as having 18,000 miles on the clock, but at foot of ad it explains that engine was replaced after 148,000 miles and that new engine has only 18,000 miles on it. So the car itself has 166,000 on clock. I am wondering if the fact the engine needed to be replaced is in itself a red flag, and whether or not 166,000 is a huge mileage for a five-year-old car?

Thanks

Gary Gallagher

Jan 2013 Filed under: mileage

---

Expert answer

Hi Gary,

Hang on — do we mean miles, as in actual miles, or kilometres? If it’s kilometres, it’s high for the age. If it’s miles, then its astronomical. Either way, mileage is not a good indication of what sort of state a car is in. Condition and history are what you should judge it on. As for the engine replacement, it’s certainly something to raise a lot of questions. Fair enough — engines do fail from time to time, and it can happen to any car, but it could indeed be an indication that the car has been used very hard, so check everything very carefully.

Neil Briscoe - Complete Car Advisor
@neilmbriscoe