Low mileage a + or -?

[nvr2mny]

Looking at an US '83 SC Cab with less than 20k miles on it. It's a 2 owner time capsule and VERY pricey. Looks to be near perfect in every way. What suggestions would you recommend that I should concentrate on for the PPI. I DO plan on driving it, however probably less than 2k per year. Is this something that would be foolish for putting ANY miles on it? If so, I'd rather pass as I believe these were meant to be driven, somewhat. Any and all suggestions appreciated.

[tirwin]

Maintenance records would be important. Long periods of sitting are not good for these cars. Less than 20k miles, somebody wanted a time capsule and not a driver.

Question is... what are YOU looking for? Are you looking for a car to enjoy or trailer to concours?

Not trying to be judgmental either way. There is a place for both. If you're planning on driving it this would not be my first choice.

[timmy2]

If you want it, buy it and drive it.
Will need all the rubber parts replaced. Unless done recently.

[nvr2mny]

Looking at maint records tomorrow, there isn't very many. No intentions of trailering. The chances of finding these is are getting slimmer and slimmer (and more expensive) everyday. Thinking in the long run it can't be a "bad" investment either, can it?

[tirwin]

Probably isn't a bad investment. The thing is you're pretty close to that fine line where one day maybe it's a great collector car and you can pocket some cash. Or it could be one of those things where you put some money into it because it needs it. I would tend to look at a car like you're describing as an investment and act accordingly. Many of us aren't capable of showing much restraint. We have while-you're-in-there-itis and we have an emotional connection to our cars. If you can get your money back or even profit with little risk, then go for it.

Since maintenance records are scare on the car I would be a little skeptical of the odo at first. Does the rest of the car match the wear you'd expect on a car with 20k miles? (It may be a stupid question but have you verified the odometer works?) I would expect a car with that few miles to look close to showroom condition.

As timmy2 said the rubber bits probably need to be replaced. Look over the electrical connections - fuse panels and ground points. That might give you an idea if it sat in a damp place for a long time. Does the interior smell musty? With CIS your biggest enemy will be vac leaks and possibly clogged fuel lines. You could have things stuck from lack of use. Best case scenario you replace some bits and give it a tune up, adjust the valves, change all the fluids and you're good to go. Worst case, you've got clogs and crud from lack of use. Tank could have varnished gas... That kind of thing.

[allaircooled]

Just me, but I wouldn't pay a premium for a car with low miles. I want to drive my car. Putting miles on it will eat that premium value I think. Probably not a fair comparison, but when I didn't drive my car for 4 years, I ended up having all kinds of oil leaks and vacuum leaks in the cis system. I keep reading it's better for these cars to be driven.

[tirwin]

By the way, I just renewed my insurance and the company suggested I increase my agreed value policy a good bit because of the recent price increase in SCs. We were talking about this the other day at a local get together. There was a debate about whether the recent prices are a bubble or not. The market for SCs has gone up pretty fast recently. It is a bubble? Hard to say...

[Bill Douglas]

I'd love a low mileage car. All those annoying things like window winders, door latches,... haven't had as much grief.

[T77911S]

+'s
body, wiring, interior, paint should be in fabulous condition.
gearbox should be in excellent condition

-'s
CIS may need some work. not dirivng it is very bad for it
other things could go bad such as seals. it may leak like the titanic.
high price that will go down very quickly as you drive it
anything that happens to the car, door ding, paint chip, scrape a rim, is REALLY gonna suck because the car is so nice


there may be things to add but this is a start.

my 930 was fairly low miles when i got it(42k). the great thing was the +'s i mentioned. everytime i open it up i am amazed at how clean it is in places where other cars are not. the wiring harness, clean and unmolested, just amazing. door jams look like new. paint is decent but original. no wrecks or repaints.

[javadog]

I've owned a bunch of low mileage cars from that era. Contrary to popular "wisdom" I have found that they need nothing special. Assuming they have been maintained and properly stored, they don't need any of the things that people claim they will need. The rubber bits don't go bad, the gaskets don't dry out, etc.

Buying something like this and driving it a couple thousand miles a year won't hurt the value. In twenty years, you'd have a 50 year old car with 60k miles and that will still be low miles. At that point, condition is more important than anything.

If it passes a PPI and you like the car, buy it.

JR

[nvr2mny]

Thanks for the input guys. Goes in for PPI tomorrow. We'll see (hopefully) if any gremlins appear.

[johnsjmc]

I would pull the speedo out of the dash and verify the date stamp on the back is consistant with the production date. and the same as the date stamped on the other gauges. Many speedos were changed during that era because most SCs were delivered with a speedo with a max speed showing of 85 mph. Many owners changed them for bragging rights to the later and earlier speedo with the more familiar 150 mph top speed.
Also be aware that the electric speedo could be driven unplugged or with a broken odometer gear and no miles would accumulate.
The owner should have records of annual oil changes if nothing else was done.
Personally if I was buying to drive it I prefer the 84-87 Carrera, after having owned several of both.
The 85 mph speedo law was repealed Mar 25 1982 so I wonder if any early 83,s still used it

[javadog]

An '83 wouldn't have had the 85 mph speedo. I picked one up in September '82 and it had the later speedo.

JR

[johnsjmc]

Originally Posted by javadog

An '83 wouldn't have had the 85 mph speedo. I picked one up in September '82 and it had the later speedo.

JR

I just found the same info BUT an 83 could have had a disconnected, broken or changed out speedo.

[javadog]

That's always true. FWIW, I would always check the dates as you suggest and carefully go through the records and other things.

JR

[wolds]

Originally Posted by nvr2mny

Thanks for the input guys. Goes in for PPI tomorrow. We'll see (hopefully) if any gremlins appear.

I've got an 83SC cab myself although mines a RoW. If you have any questions regarding this year cab send me a PM. Warren

[TheSt|G]

From what I've generally seen from years of lurking is that the really low mileage cars tend to have more issues than the ones who were just driven. Their paint and trim is definitely nicer, but the mechanicals just don't seem to be designed for such inactivity.

[nvr2mny]

Good idea on pulling the gauges. I informed the shop to do that too. The speedo is a 160mph speedo, not an 85 or 150. Is this correct? The build date was 7/83.

[javadog]

The speedo will be marked to 170 but the last actual number will be 160.

JR

[nvr2mny]

Ok you're right, thanks!