Hi all , my name is Riaz, im in durban , im considering buying a used caddy , all the ones i see advertised have very high mileage (200-300K)
and i was advised against getting a diesel with high mileage.

im not too engine-savvy. dont want to buy a lemon
very few petrol ones available

whats the general opinion on older, high mileage TDI's ,
if i find one with proper service history , etc , whats the expected lifespan on these TDI's

It's a very piece of string question. Some will happily run to 600k km and some have been broken early. Without assessing specific cars one cannot comment. If you are not motor or car savvy a all ask somebody thatbis tomat least help you look or buy a peteol.