Buyers have been trained to think the newest car with the smallest odometer number is automatically the safest bet, because those are the easiest details to compare from a search results page.
Mileage and age only tell you part of the story, and sometimes not even the important part. A car that spent 6 years cruising up and down the interstate can wind up in far better shape than one that spent half as much time grinding through short trips, potholes, parking garages, and endless cold starts.
Likewise, an older car with obsessive maintenance records can easily outlive a newer one that barely got oil changes before being dumped at auction.
