Things I consider with any motorized purchase: age, mileage, exposure. Age is just that, how old is it? Mileage can also be hours, or use. And exposure is whether or not the item has been stored indoors or out, in a salted winter environment or not, etc. For me exposure matters most, followed by mileage, then age. I tend to prefer a very very specific age of vehicle and seek it intentionally, then select an example within a given mileage range depending on its exposure. Example: I like the 7.3 PSD Ford used from 99-03 in their SuperDuty trucks. I like the older ones too but prefer the SD. I went out looking for a 99-03 CCDRW truck and found one a few states away, bought it, I'll own it as long as possible. It was on the newer end of my range (02) and had lower miles than most and had very very little exposure (always garaged). It wasn't very cheap but it was very high on the other lists so I bought it. Example 2: I like the EB Ford Vans and I like the Sportsmobile PH tops and I like the Ford 4.9l I-6. I went looking for this combination (as new as possible or with as little exposure as possible being my preference) and found one a few states away, bought it, I'll own it as long as possible. It has very low miles, is very old, and had moderate exposure. I got it very cheap. Example 3: I like air-cooled dual-sport motorcycles and I like 6 speed transmissions and I like the 250-500cc range. I went looking for a pair and found one a few states away to the West and one a few states away to the East. I'll own them as long as possible. One is the last year made and the other is several years older. The newer one has more miles but less exposure and the older has few miles but sat out. Both were cheap. Example 4: I wanted a small scooter to take advantage of the best parking on campus. <49cc and automatic trans makes it legally a bicycle in my state. I wanted as much cargo capacity as possible and secure storage. I wanted as much power as possible. I found the model with a 2-stroke 49cc engine, auto trans, front and rear racks available, locking glove box and underseat storage, and started looking for one. I found 3. 1 was very very nice but as much as a new scooter (that sucks in all my categories) 2 was the middle of the road in every category, and 3 was dirt cheap but needed several fixes. I went with dirt cheap and had fun tinkering my way to a super reliable, cheap to operate and maintain means of transportation that saves me over 8 miles per week of walking to and from my parked vehicle and saves me $ on both parking and fuel.
It's a balancing act: new or old, high or low miles, high or low exposure, high or low cost. I buy things on purpose and for non-aesthetic reasons. The 7.3 PSD is the best balance of power and reliability I can find in a LDT with a nice interior and features. The EB has the most space, the PH the best balance of space and easiness to park and the 4.9 is dead-nuts reliable and good on fuel. The Suzuki DR350SE is air-cooled, has a 6 speed, has good power and very decent suspension, and is very reliable, parts are available, etc. I'm not your typical 30 year old bachelor who buys stuff to impress the ladies....which brings us to the 2-stroke scooter LOL I buy what I know I can depend on for years to come.
