Most used car shoppers do the same thing first: they look at the odometer. Low miles feels like the safest number on the page.
Here is a good test of that instinct. A 2022 Jeep Renegade Latitude has 32,885 miles, a factory warranty, and a price that sits right at the local median. On paper it looks like a clean, nearly new SUV. Our CarInspection Score gave it a 40 out of 100!
How a car with low miles gets a 40
The score has two halves, and this car is middling on both.
Quality Score: 38. “Poor quality." - typical of Jeeps
Value Score: 41. “Above market price at $19,872." - doesn’t compare well with peers that are for sale
The reliability problem
The biggest drag is brand reliability. The report rates Jeep at 35 out of 100 and says plainly that Jeep "has poor reliability." If you're buying one, the report suggests budgeting for higher-than-average maintenance costs over the long term.
Consumer complaints add to it. The Renegade draws 3.0 complaints per 10,000 sold each year, with the engine, the electrical system and forward collision avoidance named as the problem areas.
On recalls, the picture is better. There are two over four years, for the frontal airbags and the backup lights, about 0.5 a year, which is lower than many vehicles in this segment. And the report notes no widespread "problematic car" label for this model year. But the recalls still matter, and airbags are not a detail to take on faith. Get proof both were completed by a certified dealer.
The price question
The Value Score is where it gets interesting. The report says the car is 13.39% above the market average. Yet it ranks #16 of 31 among similar Renegades within 300 miles, and the local median is $19,908. So the asking price is a hair under the middle of the pack.
The resale chart on the same page, powered by Black Book, shows a retail value of roughly $17,500 today. Divide $19,872 by 1.1339 and you land near $17,500.
The cheapest similar Renegade in the area is $17,872 with 28,022 miles, which is about $2,000 less with nearly 5,000 fewer miles. Another comparable, with 26,672 miles, is listed at $18,896. Both beat this car on price and mileage.
What the price history says
The price chart tells a story of its own. The car has been on the market 97 days. The listing sat near $20,800 in July. Since then it has dropped in small steps of roughly $200, ticked up $396 on September 25, then fell $303 to $19,872 on October 2. That pattern looks like a dealer chipping away at the price, not a seller who is desperate. There is room.
The depreciation reality
The Black Book projection on the page shows the retail value falling from about $17,500 today to about $14,600 in a year and about $10,100 in three years. The report says the car retains 48% of its value after three years, and rates that below average. If you pay $19,872 now, you start about $2,400 above the retail estimate and about $5,000 above trade-in value. That is the gap you eat the moment you drive off.
What it means for used car shoppers
Low miles lower the wear. They don't change a brand's reliability record or the model's complaint history.
Get a pre-purchase inspection with a diagnostic scan. This is the report's own advice, and the complaint list makes it worth the money.
Confirm the recalls were done. Ask for documentation that the airbag and backup light recalls were completed by a certified dealer.
Use the 97 days. A long listing is leverage. The report suggests asking why it hasn't sold and negotiating down.
Anchor your offer to the cheaper comps. With a similar car at $17,872 and another at $18,896 with fewer miles, an offer near $17,900 is defensible. Treat that as a starting point, not a rule.
Check the warranty. Ask what the factory warranty still covers and for how long. It is a real asset here.
Bottom line
This is not a car to avoid. It's a car to inspect and negotiate. The 40 isn't a warning that something is wrong with this particular Renegade. It says you'd be paying a bit above book, for a brand with a weak reliability record, with real unknowns on the engine and electrical side.
Fix the price and verify the car, and the same SUV could be a much better deal.