1994 Mazda MPV with 224,000 miles

224,000 miles, one owner, most all highway, for sale $1800 - is it worth it?? Just need something to last about 2 years…

Any repair or maintenance records? Carfax? (not that a clean Carfax means anything, but it may show a history of problems).

regular maintenance, well maintained - no major problems in the years they’ve owned it. Last driven from Mississippi to Kansas last year, then parked.

Take it to a good mechanic and have it checked out.
Nobody can say anything meaningful sight unseen.

No. You should not buy a vehicle with more than 200,000 miles and expect it to last.

Sitting for a year? Another red flag. Walk away.

Just my opinion.

On the other hand, when you’re shopping in the sub-$2,000 price range one car is just about as good as another.

You’ll spend more money on this MPV in the next two years than you’ll spend to buy it. Is that what you want?

It is totally dependent upon the use you have planned for it. Occasional use vehicle when few miles will put on it. Perhaps, as fire wood hauler or golf trip buggy for example. Use as a dependable daily commuter or one you would trust as a family hauler; absolutely not.

I have a 2004 Mazda we bought for my wife from the Mazda dealer. When it went over 100,000 we bought my wife a new car and I inherited hers.
This has been a great car, and despite what some people on this blog say, it has been trouble-free for an additional 150,000 miles.
I changed the oil as prescribed and until 2018 never had any trouble, just routine brake changes.
When it had slightly over 200k miles it overheated. I took it to a nearby mechanic, who said getting it running again would cost several thousand dollars, he said a new radiator from Mazda would cost $1k, plus about $300 to install. He also said that was only the beginning because there was a good chance it had a blown head gasket.
I went to JCWhitney and bought the radiator and other parts, like the water pump, and took them to another mechanic. He put the Whitney parts on the car and charget $200.
A year later, the car has 250k miles and has been running fine. This car has OK performance and no problems.
The radiator repair has been my only major expense in 15 years–I’m hoping to get another 200k from it.

the term “highway robbery” comes to mind . . .

All of $90 on Rockauto. The OP should never ever go to that mechanic again!