How "high mileage" is too high?

[ZAMIRZ]

968s are so lethargic, you couldn't pay me to drive one...and you're looking at one with almost 200K miles on it, talk about a money pit. I wouldn't waste my time or money...

[porsche4life]

Lethargic compared to what a 911TT. The base 944 will move pretty damn good and the 968 has more power. I say if you can afford it go for it. Remember that 968 has more low end grunt.

[Schumi]

I keep thinking back to that Excellence article where they compared the 968 and the 964. Pretty much similar performance, but a 10K$ price difference.

I did see a 964 for sale that was near my price range the other day however and looked wonderful. They are very, very tempting, especially when considering boxsters. Two different worlds. I have never had a modern car however... you know, one with power seats, a CD player, or even a digital odometer. It's those things that make the Boxster attractive to me as a daily driver.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

A 968 is hardly lethargic. And it will outlast a turbo by a long way - less internal stress and heat cycling. Not to mention it's tough to find 951s that haven't had the p1ss whipped out of them at this point (since the price puts them within reach of the average adolescent driver). I'd love a 968 personally. They're robust and will last a long time to come if properly cared for.

A base 968 is pretty quick. A modded one is a blast (especially in cornering). A forced-induction one ($$$) is obscenely fast. That's a very expensive conversion but one of the most formidable ones anyone in the P-car world can make. Right up there with highly modded 930s and super, super, supercharged 928s.

[Jim Bremner]

Originally Posted by Zef

Nice, but we're not in 86 anymore.

My 2002 silverado has 168k on it. The parking brake release cable broke, as well as the tailgat release lever trim. and the fuel pump failed 2 150k ish.

It's towed a 22'x7'x106 wide trailer over 20k miles. It first saw a service other than fluids at 100k miles.

It's been on dirt roads, loaned out to several freinds and family, and ran like a taxi cab.

I hit the 98 mph governer on the first day of owning it. I'm a traveling sales rep and I had figured out that for over 1,000 days it had been started and stopped over 8 times a day. (that was around 100k miles)

Oh and it still has it's oe starter and brake pads & rotors.

[Zef]

Originally Posted by Jim Bremner

My 2002 silverado has 168k on it. The parking brake release cable broke, as well as the tailgat release lever trim. and the fuel pump failed 2 150k ish.

It's towed a 22'x7'x106 wide trailer over 20k miles. It first saw a service other than fluids at 100k miles.

It's been on dirt roads, loaned out to several freinds and family, and ran like a taxi cab.

I hit the 98 mph governer on the first day of owning it. I'm a traveling sales rep and I had figured out that for over 1,000 days it had been started and stopped over 8 times a day. (that was around 100k miles)

Oh and it still has it's oe starter and brake pads & rotors.

And note than the Vibe is reliable because it has a Toyota engine in...!
http://www.thesunsfinancialdiary.com/auto/least-reliable-cars-not-american-made-not-japanese-made-but-european-made/

Most Reliable Small Car

Most reliable (Best score first)

Honda Fit
Toyota Yaris
Honda Civic Hybrid
Toyota Corolla

Least reliable (Worst score first)

Chevrolet Cobalt
2006 Nissan Sentra
Volkswagen Jetta (5 cyl.)
Chevrolet Aveo

Most Reliable Family Car

Most reliable

Honda Accord Hybrid
Toyota Prius
Honda Accord (4-cyl.)
Ford Fusion
Mercury Milan

Least reliable

Volkswagen Passat (4 cyl.)

Most Reliable Upscale/Large Car

Most reliable

Lexus ES350
Lincoln Zephyr
Hyundai Azera
Acura TSX
Acura TL

Least reliable

Jaguar X-type
Chrysler 300 (V8)
Saab 9-3

Most Reliable Luxury Car

Most reliable

2006 Lexus LS
Infiniti M

Least reliable

Cadillac STS (V8)
2006 Mercees-Benz S-class
Mercedes-Benz CLS
Mercedes-Benz E-class sedan
BMW 7-series
Jaguar S-type

Most Reliable Sport/Sporty car

Most reliable

Lexus SC
Toyota Camry Solara (4-cyl.)
Subaru Impreza WRX
Honda S2000
Mitsubishi Eclipse
2006 Mini Cooper hatchback

Least reliable

Pontiac Solstice
Mercedes-Benz SL
Mercedes-Benz CLK
Mercedes-Benz SLK (V6)
Chevrolet Corvette
Porshce 911 Carrera
Ford Mustang (V6)

Most Reliable Wagon/Minivan

Most reliable

Pontiac Vibe
Scion xB
Toyota Matrix
Toyota Sienna

Least reliable

Buick Terraza
Chevrolet Uplander
Saturn Relay
Nissan Quest

Most Reliable Small SUV

Most reliable

Toyota FJ Cruiser
Honda Element
2006 Honda CR-V
Toyota Rav4
2006 Mitsubishi Outlander
Subaru Forester

Least reliable

Kia Sportage

Midsized SUVs

Most reliable

Toyota Highlander Hybrid
Toyota 4Runner
Toyota Highlander
Honda Pilot
Lexus RX400 (hybrid)
2006 Acura MDX

Least reliable

Mercedes-Benz M-class
Land Rover LR3 (V8)
Cadillac SRX (V8)
Mercedes-Benz R-class
Volkswagen Touareg
Jeep Grand Cherokee
Hummer H3
2006 BMW X5 (V8)
Volvo XC90 (I6 and V8)
Ford Explorer (V8)
Mercury Mountaineer (V8)

Large SUVs

Most reliable

Toyota Land Cruiser
Lexus LX
Toyota Sequoia
Chevrolet Tahoe
GMC Yukon

Least reliable

Nissan Armada
Infiniti QX56
Lincoln Navigator
Hummer H2

Pickups

Subaru Baja
Toyota Tundra
Toyota Tacoma
Nissan Frontier (V6)

Least reliable

Nissan Titan
Ford F-250 (diesel)
Dodge Dakota (4WD)
2006 Cadillac Escalade EXT

[creaturecat]

What's your point there, Zef?
Can't stand the thought of people having success with GM products?

[onewhippedpuppy]

I'm getting my sister in law's old 1999 Grand Prix ready to sell and it's been a good reminder of why I hate GM products. Cheap everything, the interior basically snaps together and is falling apart at 139k, it's just a joke. Sure they've improved their quality since then, but they're going to have to go a long way to get my business.

[Zef]

Originally Posted by creaturecat

What's your point there, Zef?
Can't stand the thought of people having success with GM products?

My point is that the GM products are not reliable. I got two in the past...A 1997 Sunfire and a 2002 Montana...ask me, and to consumer report, why I (we) hate them.

[m21sniper]

My old man sells 90s grand prix's all the time that don't have stuff falling off in the interior.

Perhaps your sister just abused the vehicle?

[Superman]

136K miles is, in my scheme, a young car. My modus operandi is to get a car that meets my criteria (my current project is a'78 SC in Mocha Brown, with factory sport seats, factory A/C delete, rust-free tub, blah blah), and then address the weaknesses. Yes, I disassemble the suspension. When I am finished, the car is, essentially, a fresh '78 SC. Actually, it's superior to a fresh '78 SC because it has the upgrades we all know it should have (tensioners, popoff, torsion bars, etc). Everything is in adjustment, lubed, inspected and working perfectly.

Yes, suspension bushings are more tired at 186K miles than they were at 136K miles, but the bushings on both cars should be replaced.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by m21sniper

My old man sells 90s grand prix's all the time that don't have stuff falling off in the interior.

Perhaps your sister just abused the vehicle?

I had to replace two window regulators and a solenoid in the ignition switch that locks it, so I've had the damn thing apart. It's crap. Very few real fasteners, lots of snaps. Some of the cheap snaps were broken, so it's even worse than new. The door panels are held on by snaps and two screws, no other method of retention like hooks that slide into place. None of the panels fit cleanly, there's lots of rough exposed edges. Indifferent design shows through in every aspect of the design. I've had a lot of cars apart over the years, this one probably shows the most signs of obvious cost-cutting.