What Does NaN Miles Mean? (Good Or Bad)

Whether we are talking about a car, boat, caravan, travel trailer, or snowmobile, if you are buying second hand from Facebook Marketplace, a term that you might come across is “driven NaN miles”.

So, what does driven nan miles mean? and is it something to be concerned about?

NaN stands for “Not a Number”, this is a specific term that is used on Facebook Marketplace when a vehicle does not have a specific mileage listed under the vehicle information. This is often used by sellers to encourage potential buyers to contact them about the vehicle.

what does NaN miles mean

Driven NaN Miles Meaning

NaN stands for “Not a Number”. In other words, this means that when you check FB marketplace to purchase a vehicle, there is no numerical value associated with the number of miles or distance that the vehicle in question has travelled. 

Often, people will put NaN or NA in the mileage description in the hopes that they can easily sell their second hand vehicles without having the potential buyers inquire as to the mileage. 

It also seems to be a good negotiating tactic. If you were to go to a dealership, you obviously could not do this, because they can use their instruments to figure out exactly how far the vehicle in question has travelled. 

However, when it comes to Facebook marketplace, this is not the only reason why you might see NaN listed under the mileage.

Simply put, problems and technical issues do occur. Sometimes people enter an invalid number or even enter letters by mistake, or sometimes the Facebook algorithm might malfunction. 

If this is the case, then the person who created the listing has to go back to alter the information so that it is accurate.

Whether it’s the fault of Facebook or just a person trying to be sneaky when selling a super beatdown old vehicle, NaN simply means that you don’t know how many miles the vehicle has travelled. 

Is It Just Facebook Marketplace That Uses The Term “NaN Miles”?

As far as we can tell, yes, it is just Facebook marketplace that uses this term to describe when a vehicle does not have a specific mileage listed. 

Does Mileage Really Matter With Used Cars And Trailers?

car and trailer mileage

OK, so the simple reality is that mileage does of course matter with used cars. Just like anything else out there, the more punishment he put something through, the quicker it’s going to break down, and this is definitely the case with cars. 

Generally speaking, when you go buy a new vehicle, the fewer miles it has on it, the better. The fewer miles the vehicle already has on it, the more miles it will still be able to travel before it breaks down or requires repairs or maintenance.

Of course, a new car is going to last much longer than an old car, and also requires less maintenance. With that being said, mileage is not the only thing you should look out for.

Of course, exactly how long a car is going to last, and how often it requires maintenance, is going to depend on the car itself. Some cars aren’t designed to last for a very long time, whereas others might last for decades. 

Therefore, you do want to do some research in terms of the model that you are purchasing. Some models are far better over the long run than others. Some are just built much better.

A meticulously maintained car with 100,000 miles on it is still probably going to be in better condition than a vehicle that’s never been maintained but only has 50,000 miles on it. It all depends on how well people cared for their vehicles.

Moreover, another thing that you want to look out for is the vehicle report. Whenever you buy a used vehicle, you always want to get a detailed VIN report and a vehicle report.

The reason for this is that a vehicle report is going to provide you with all the information you need about said used vehicle to make an informed purchasing decision. 

You’re going to see if it has a lien on it, if there was any structural damage, if it’s been an accident or anything else of the sort.

You’ll even see if there have been any insurance claims made on it, if there have been parts replaced or repaired, and more. 

Madeline Cooper