When does mileage not matter?
 

Reading comments on BAT (mostly from individuals who never place a serious bid) low mile for the age car - will have issues .. or mileage is high for the MY, got me thinking, when does mileage not matter?.

I understand a low mileage/ super low mileage ( under 20K?) that can be documented brings a premium for a 20+ YO car. But at what MY does it no longer matter?

If a 356 is restored by a big name shop- I never see anyone questioning if it has 100k or 500K+ miles.

A short wheel base "S" car - does it matter if its in great condition/ restored?

A rare car ( 73 Carrera, as an example) ?

2007 -2011 GT3RS- you hear folks barking on mileage, 89-94 speedster same thing - when does the clock start ticking?

So what MY does millage play into the valuation discussion and what is the " magic" mileage number?

There is no magic number. It simply depends on so many things, some of which you already mentioned. Ever hear the phrase, "true mileage unknown"? That covers a lot of bases.

Those carcasses that Adam from Unobtanium drags home? You think anybody questions the mileage of these things once they're up and running or shipped off to Europe?

The lower the better of course, but that too can spell trouble if it hasn't been maintained. VERY generally speaking, the lower the mileage the more justification for a higher asking price. But, it depends.

100% documented restoration or Resto-mod (Singer type)

My stock answer when I sell them is 123,456, because who knows. On a 50-75 year old car unless you have only a couple of owners with verified miles it could be 100,000 or 1,000,000. Or my 993, it shows 76,951, but has since I got it, when did it stop working, who knows?
Personally I would never want a low miles car because it goes against my rule that applies to cars and dogs, never have one you're afraid of. That's why all my cars are drivers, and my dogs are hua-hua's!

Happy Holidays!

---Adam

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http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1670040425.jpg
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I didn’t even think to list the mileage on the 74 I just sold. Nobody even asked.
Salvage title.. who cares at that point.


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Interesting how 356 cars just do not matter about mileage. They can have 3 motors in their lifetime and the last one could be a much newer motor and the car is still worth 6 figures.

Same reason why a rusty 356 still holds value, while a rusty 911 does not. Scarcity. When a rusty 911 comes along, everyone says, "nah, I'll wait for a better one."
When a rusty 356 comes along, out come the knives, and the checkbooks.

---Adam

Used cars milage matters, collector cars milage does not matter. As a rough rule of thumb, the more mileage matters the less collectable the car. For instance, a Carrera speedster, rust, how complete is the car, accident damage, milage not a concern. Buying a 10-year-old Boxster, Yeah, I want to know the milage.
Project cars are a different story.

When you don't know what the actual mileage is.

Fantastic answer. There’s so much nuance that it’s really true.

My 40th anniversary car had a lemon law title. Porsche themselves bought the car back, replaced the engine and wiring harness, and resold it all during the first year. But it was a verified mileage 43k mi car. I took a hit for the branded title, but got a bump for the mileage, and because it was a good condition special edition it was easy to sell.

You know it when you see it...as to whether it matters is the debate.

The newer the car, maybe you draw a 10K/yr as a number for the first 10 years but as the car gets older and no longer is a daily that plays on the mileage curve of what is acceptable.

Same with a 6 figure odometer vs a 5 digit where, over time, true mileage, without documentation, become a barrier. Does that 1972 911 have 20K miles? 120K miles? 220k miles? how about that 58 356?

And as the OP mentions, at some point mileage does not matter. Scarcity of the car in question and its originality become more important than mileage.