Mileage/odometer readings

[mpi115]

Just recently I was about to purchase a 87 911 coupe in Greenville. very clean nice car. 3 days before flying up there the owner states to me that the mileage wasn't the true mileage. He had just remembered that the previous owner swapped out the odometer because the original stopped working. So he put in a used one reading 23000 miles more ..Only issue was no real documentation showing me..only going by the current owners word ..I walked away good choice? unsure I know these odometers are a problem eventually..how much credence should I put into mileage / readings if not original odometer when buying? Thanks

[ersatzS2]

You may have unnecessarily passed on a good car. IMO, odo mileage ranks pretty far down the list of buy/no-buy criteria for a 25+ year old Porsche. Why?

Two main reasons:
1) the VDO odometer is failure prone. search on 'odo gear' on rList or Pelican, then go the site: Odometer Gears - Porsche - 911-993 94-98
These gears are a failure item on the VDO instrument affecting a significant number of cars. So even well meaning second owners may be wrong about their car's true miles.
2) Secondly, mileage is not the iron-clad proxy for overall condition that it would be with a newer car. Paint quality, condition of the interior, electrics, and engine internals is all much more dependant on storage conditions, accident history, driving styles, maintenance etc. than it is on mileage alone.
Do a PPI, use a magnet all over the body, lift the carpets to view floors, eyeball condition of perishable rubber parts. If the compression/leakdown numbers are within spec, who cares what the hours on the engine are?

Think of the odo reading as no more than anecdotally interesting, far less important than condition.

[mapolus]

Seems to me it's not a "very clean nice car" if True Mileage is Unknown (does the CarFax actually report TMU?)...if the price is adjusted for that, then the car might still work for you. However, resale will still be an issue.

Consider this: Odometer gears do break, this cannot be avoided. What is important is how the owner responds when it breaks. When mine broke, I immediately parked the car and ordered the replacement gear. Since I tracked mileage at each fill-up, I knew true mileage and rolled the odometer forward when I repaired it. I even kept photo records (see attached). On the other hand, you'll see cars for sale with non-functioning odometers. It only cost me $25 for the repair ($135 if you send it out to a shop). This was my cheapest repair...if an owner neglects this, what else has been neglected?

Matt

PS I have a DIY for the repair if anyone needs it...

[mpi115]

Thanks Fellas, Ater I wondered if I was over thinking , The resale aspect was an issue. What I didn't understand is why a Porsche owner would not take it to a certified tech document everything and replace so he could show a record

[vracer]

Go get the car. 23K difference is negligible for an '87 in 'good driver' condition. The answer to your last question is ignorance.
Actually, the two primary advantages that flippers have are sellers' ignorance or 'dumbness'.

[r-mm]

Having just ordered a replacement gear for my 106k mile carrera g50 I am even more convinced that so called low mile 70-100k cars are not worth the absurd premiums often charged for them. I got a great deal on a great car but still smart about being out bid on a stellar granite green with green interior g50 that had literally twice the miles on mine. Leakdown was tight as could be.

[wgwollet]

Ummm....the guy seems honest to tell you...do not get hipped up about mileage...look at records condition of the car...I have a Porsche 912 with 325,000 miles engine rebuilt 3 times you would never know it.....see below ....picture