What happens when a car sits
 

Something local that I am looking to buy. 1983 SC new paint 2k on a full motor rebuild( Dave Farmer in Indy) Very well respected. Yes I will get a PPI, Dave will do it. The car has sat for the last 4 years in an AC and heated garage. Started very rarely. With a water pumper, this can be REAL BAD. What about an air cooled motor??? Give me some thoughts from the Guru-ship. I'll post pics this week-end.

not quite so bad with an air cooled. expect lots of oil leaks. some of which may stop with regular driving, most won't. I'd be inclined to pull the motor and do a re-seal first.

I was often told that I didn't drive my old car enough. A 1972, it runs just fine these days in the hands of it's 3rd owner...at 55K miles when I said goodbye to it. It really depends on balance...if I'd let the car sit for years without driving it would have been bad news. But, I made a point of driving it "some"...get things warmed up. I bought it in 1974, with 7,000 on the odo...it seems to have worked out. This, because I spread the mileage out. (edit) A solid 4 years of sitting worries me...Get that PPI, but NOT by someone who may be interested in supporting a good customer...

The 3.2 in my '73 came from a wrecked Carrera that sat for quite a while before we fired it up.

It had the signs of bad valve guides for a while (smoke on decel), but that gradually went away the more it was driven.

After sitting for the winter, it will still put out a puff or two, but it runs great, and suprisingly, doesn't leak a drop of oil.

My car was sit for years before I got it. The previous owner said he drove couple thousand miles in 12+ or 15 years. The last 3 years before I got it, it was started once or twice. I believe him base on in/out condition of the car. It was hard to start when I test drove it, and the suspension was harsh as hell, but it came back to normal after several days of driving. I don't have oil leak but do have premature rot hoses, those minor issues.