Well cared for but high miles, would you?

[Reno775]

Recently I’ve come across a few G body cars, all with around 200k miles on them. I’d describe them all as rust free cars that have obviously been garage kept. Paint and interiors look better than some sub 100k mile cars I’ve seen. All described as running perfectly. I haven’t checked them out but taking that info at face value would you even consider it?

[Matt Monson]

I would, but them I'm not risk averse. I've seen some beautiful cars in the 150-200k range. They will all need a bunch of bushings and rubber parts at that mileage. But if the tub is truly perfect everything else can be rebuilt around that over the years.

[walt]

I'd jump all over the right one, a PPI should ease any fears. I've seen well taken care of examples with over 400K that I would buy.

[Macroni]

High mileage well taken care of 911s will need long term maintenance and part replacement as stated by Matt. This is not defect, this is "life" of a part. I would do an audit of completed maintenance; most owners of these type of cars tend to keep comprehensive records. They tend to be very proud of the mileage.

[Matt Monson]

^exactly.

I remember some years back when Dave B @��TRE had hos 400k mi Carrera in Excellence. There were several threads with everyone posting about (and bragging about) their high mileage cars.

[Reno775]

To your point I watched a tv program about the 911 and they featured a guy who had an ols Targa with a ton of miles and he drives it to PCA events all over the US.

[Otter74]

Depends what's been done to it. I'd take a 200k-mile car with a powertrain rebuild and suspension refresh over a 120k-mile car with none of those things, since I like cars I can spend time driving rather than fixing or maintaining.

[Glenfield]

I’d be all over a high mile car that’s been well taken care of. A low mile and high mile car each have a lot of time on the clock, which will invite some routine maintenance (rubber parts). A driven car may also have teased out more of the gremlins that lie waiting in a car that’s sat. Easy enough to get a sense for the transmission and presence of rust. Little harder to really peak inside the engine with total accuracy, so I’d want to make sure there was enough of a discount to cover a top-end at least. I’d have liked to have gone that way on my car and probably will on the next.

[War584]

Absolutely, much preferred in my opinion. I own cars to drive regularly so there is much less guilt putting miles on a 150-200 mile car vs a sub-100K mileage car. Just me.

[techweenie]

I've done it. You run into rare things like worn out rear wheel bearings, but other wear items are on a shorter cycle. I'd judge a 200K+ mile car on the basis of chassis feel (rigidity), oil pressure (ideal not to have to split the case) and transmission function & noise. Other stuff is more easily addressed.

[sugarwood]

Just make sure the price reflects the miles. 200k miles eliminates a big chunk of potential buyers and is harder to unload. Also, research what parts service at 200k like engine, tranny, etc.

[911TES]

I had a ‘82 911SC that I bought new from Porsche Santa Cruz. Beautiful and I had it for 10 years or so. Not a nick or scratch. Well maintained Platinum metallic, Cashmere leather interior. Pristine other than the mileage - 144k miles. I couldn’t give that car away. I tried advertising with mileage noted - not a single call. Without mileage, I’d get calls and they’d literally hang-up on me upon hearing the mileage. That was a beautiful car. Times have changed.
If you want to know what happened - the “Porsche guy” local to Salinas, CA., Wayne Krueiger (sp ?) said “don’t worry, I have many clients that will love that car. I’ll sell it quickly. I said “great, send your buyers towards me and I’ll pay you the (generous) commission. Wayne: “oh no, I need the car at my “facility” to sell it. A couple weeks later I got a call from Wayne “you car was totaled on a test drive”. As you’ve guessed by now I had to use my insurance since he had none. I really don’t know what happened to that car.

[Reno775]

Thank you all and everything you guys are saying makes perfect sense to me.
The two things that attract me to the higher mileage cars are price and the cars I consider bargains don’t get snapped up instantly. It gives someone like myself a minute to make sure of what I’m looking at.

[911heaven]

Originally Posted by 911TES

I had a ‘82 911SC that I bought new from Porsche Santa Cruz. Beautiful and I had it for 10 years or so. Not a nick or scratch. Well maintained Platinum metallic, Cashmere leather interior. Pristine other than the mileage - 144k miles. I couldn’t give that car away. I tried advertising with mileage noted - not a single call. Without mileage, I’d get calls and they’d literally hang-up on me upon hearing the mileage. That was a beautiful car. Times have changed.
If you want to know what happened - the “Porsche guy” local to Salinas, CA., Wayne Krueiger (sp ?) said “don’t worry, I have many clients that will love that car. I’ll sell it quickly. I said “great, send your buyers towards me and I’ll pay you the (generous) commission. Wayne: “oh no, I need the car at my “facility” to sell it. A couple weeks later I got a call from Wayne “you car was totaled on a test drive”. As you’ve guessed by now I had to use my insurance since he had none. I really don’t know what happened to that car.

That's a hell of a story! I was thinking the ins. co. didn't pay out as much due to high milage then. I will never again leave a car of high value with a dealer on consignment. Did it over 15 years ago in LA with a Skyline GT-R 33. They didn't total it, but they trashed it and put about 4k on the clock in my absence. I posted this story on the sugarwood thread here for Japanese cars a couple months back if you care to look.

In the end I got more than an ounce of blood out of them and more than my money back. Actually, I had the pleasure of selling that car later to one of their customers in So. Lake Tahoe, who returned one of their cars for a full refund due to mechanical problems. Their customer did total my car within 6 months wrapping it around a tree, 16 year old kid of a wealthy father. What goes around comes around I said about Motor-EX. Wayne too might be on the bones of his ass by now.

[NYNick]

I received a call from a trusted P-shop mechanic friend of mine several years ago. He had heard about an 88 911 coupe that was for sale at another shop and would my son be interested?

The 3 of us went to see the car. It had some rust spots here and there, had a stack of receipts and a broken speedometer at about 190K miles. While they test drove the car I inspected the receipts and discovered the engine had been rebuilt years ago and had probably 100K miles on the rebuild, best I could figure. Zero leaks.

My son bought the car, had the rust repaired (nothing major), lightened it, dropped the engine and resealed everything. Re-did the suspension, fuel lines etc etc. He's into it for about half of what he could sell it for.

The car is an absolute beast! Fastest air cooled I've ever driven. We figure it has probably 300K miles on it. He got a DIY project that was within his capabilities and last time I asked, he told me he's never selling it.

[Macroni]

Originally Posted by techweenie

I'd judge a 200K+ mile car on the basis of chassis feel (rigidity), oil pressure (ideal not to have to split the case) and transmission function & noise. Other stuff is more easily addressed.

Great insight.

The most confusing to me is the determination of Chassis rigidity.... how does one check? I am assuming it varies from Coupe to Targa to Cab.


Nick : Real world perspective.....

[Reno775]

Lots of great info here and some good reading. Congrats to the seller and new owner of the 81SC in Zinnmetal. That was definitely part of the inspiration for this post.

On a similar note, did anyone read Haggerty’s article “Gates and Ladders?” I would put high miles cars in their gates catagory. I found it very enjoyable. So much dogma surrounding these cars that I don’t subscribe to, it was really refreshing.

[sugarwood]

Originally Posted by techweenie

I'd judge a 200K+ mile car on the basis of chassis feel (rigidity), .

How does high miles contribute to the chassis becoming soft?
Are you saying the unibody metal is fatigued?
How do you test drive a car to notice chassis rigidity?

[sugarwood]

Originally Posted by Reno775

On a similar note, did anyone read Haggerty’s article “Gates and Ladders?” .

LOL, Great article.
Car guys are truly the worst types I've encountered in any of my myriad interests
Comments section is predictable with boomers losing their ****
About time someone mainstream called these guys out.
https://www.hagerty.com/media/opinion/avoidable-contact/avoidable-contact-92-gates-and-ladders-all-the-ways-old-people-kill-young-enthusiasm/

You will appreciate my old post
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/11077093-post21.html

[Grimm]

It all depends on care/maintenance, as others have said. Here's my 'ol baby that I had for 19 years. It had 285,000 miles at the time of this auction.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCrVjzJ3C2s&feature=youtu.be