So I'm wondering if this HWY vs CITY miles on a car make a difference? For example, an 08 is250 with 100,000 mostly HWY miles vs an 06 is250 with 80,000 mostly CITY miles. Which of these car would be a better bet or investment? You can use other examples, so this is just one scenario.

Would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks.

Well, I know highway miles are better than city miles because its less stress on the engine when cruising on the highway. As for which is the better investment, I have no clue.

What he said. Less stress on different parts, would GENERALLY mean it would last longer but I doubt there's a proven fact out there. I have a IS350 with 105K and have had no issues, yet I see people with a third of the miles of mine that have all sorts of **** going on.

So I doubt there's a right or wrong answer

Hmm.. Interesting. Is your IS350 mostly HWY miles though?

The idea is that the vehicles driving situation is less stressful than the other. Like others have said, hypothetically speaking, the highway miles would be less stressful on the engine because of the single acceleration and the long drive. Whereas city driving has many starts, stops, and turns. Thus saying the vehicle never had any hard acceleration.

Now in my opinion, it only matters where you live. I'm I'm California, you stop and go all the time. Hard acceleration is part of the gig here. And depending on location, harsh road conditions. You need to look at the servicing of the vehicle to determine it's wear and tear.

To address the investment, I don't entirely know how to respond. Are you intending to sell this vehicle shortly? Because at that year/model with such high mileage, I would say the price curve has hit its near low and from here, you're buying and basically trying to maintain its resale value. If you're stating which is the most bang for your buck, I would say that's in your hands. Just knowing the facts you gave us, it sounds like the cars are very similar and would take some investigation on your part to find the service history. Also, look on the FAQ about known issues with these vehicles so you can inspect them when you see the two.

The question is mainly for reference. It doesn't have to pertain entirely to the IS250. You're right though, location does play a role in the vehicle's life as well.

Great tips too UNISLAY.

I would think highway miles are less stressfully on the car but it really does depend on where you live

LOL all of my miles are highway. I am a trainer who has to drive between 4 states

My beater car suffered a flooding death, so until my Lexus sells, she's my pony

Highway miles are better generally....usually a lot less stress on the motor then doing stop and go driving. In your example, i'd go with the car that has mostly highway miles since that usually translates into less wear and tear. Whether or not that lack of wear and tear is actually worth the 20k mile difference will vary to many people though...lol

It's not even just the engine. Highway driving is generally easier on almost every mechanical part of the car. The suspension, brakes, transmission, etc.

So yeah, given two cars with comparable mileage (and all other things being equal), the one that was driven significantly more on the highway should always have less wear and be a better long term investment. I don't have a mathematical formula for it or anything, though, so it's hard to say for sure that the car with 100K miles has less wear in your example.