When a used car looks almost brand new, it’s natural to feel a little suspicious before you feel lucky. A 2025 Subaru Crosstrek Premium with 177 miles falls straight into that category. But according to one Seattle used car saleswoman, sometimes the story behind those numbers is boring in the best way. When a “Too New” Used Car Shows Up on the Lot TikTok creator and car saleswoman Carmen (@keyswithcarmen) films the video standing next to a white 2025 Subaru Crosstrek Premium that still looks like it belongs in the showroom. She turns the camera toward it and asks viewers a simple question. “What would you guys think if you saw this vehicle on our lot with only 177 miles on it?” she says. “Would you think, wow, that’s a great buy, or would you think that there is something wrong with it?” She explains that there’s nothing wrong with it; the owner just wanted the same exact model in a different color. Carmen adds context from what she’s seen over about five years in the business. She talks about one gentleman who trades in his car every 10,000 miles because he never wants to own anything with “too many miles.” She also mentions a woman who bought a brand new third-row 4Runner so she could haul her grandkids around, then traded it back with only a couple thousand miles after her son got stationed out of Washington and moved away with the kids. OWNERSHIP STORIES Viral stories from across the web Our team of experts tracks what owners are saying about car-shopping, repairs, the daily driving experience and more on social media. “Moral of the story is there are so many reasons why people choose to trade in vehicles that are only a year or two old and have super low miles on them,” she says. Then she throws the question back to the viewers, “If you were my customers, and I was showing you a pre-owned 2025 model with only 177 miles on it, would you think that it was a great find, or would you think that there was something wrong with it?” Gallery: 2026 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid When Low Miles Are Fine—and When They Aren’t Carmen’s take reflects what a lot of experts say: low miles are usually good, but context matters. A super low odometer can mean someone changed their mind fast, like the Crosstrek owner in Carmen’s case. But it’s also fair for buyers to hesitate. Cars that sit for too long without regular driving can collect their own issues: dry seals, weak batteries, old fuel, cracked rubber, or surprise rodent damage. A car with suspiciously low miles and no service records might hint at a bigger story: major repair avoided, or problem parked instead of fixed. That’s why the real test isn’t just, “Is the mileage low?” It’s, “Does the story make sense, and does the paperwork back it up?” Research like service history, clean title, consistent records, and pre-purchase inspection will help you put your mind at ease. Commenters Don’t Fully Buy It In the comments, some viewers admitted they’d still be skeptical of a car like that. “I’m looking for a new vehicle soon and want something with under 5k miles but deep down inside I wonder why the vehicles are for sale with so few miles (lemon comes to mind),” one person wrote. Carmen responded directly. “I completely understand why that could be the first thing that comes to mind, but there are so many reasons people trade in cars,” she wrote. “We had a customer who traded in a limited hybrid with 250 miles because she decided she NEEDED ventilated seats that only come on the touring. This customer traded in the white crosstrek because he planned on wrapping it & his guy told him the finish would look better with a black exterior. So so so many reasons there are pre-owned low mileage cars on the lot & most are really good cars!” Others shared their own experiences. “As someone who’s owned three Subaru—one was totaled—I got a used one that was a lemon and now I have a decent one,” one commenter said. I would assume that if that has the iPad in it, it was traded in because the iPad doesn’t work,” “Realistically it’s probably not a really great buy because it’s probably being sold near new price,” another added. Someone else chimed in with their own story: “We got a 2022 Ram 1500 about a year ago with only 4,100 miles. Previous owner injured his back and could no longer get in and out of it!” Motor1 has contacted Carmen via email and will update this article if more information becomes available. We want your opinion! What would you like to see on Motor1.com? Take our 3 minute survey. - The Motor1.com Team