High Mileage cars

[Yorkie]

I am looking at a 170K miles '89 Carrera Cab that is a great price (low teens) but my fear is that I'll never be able to move this car on after a couple of years with such high mileage. Is my intuition correct?

I am also looking at a 78SC with 100K miles that needs paint but is mechanically perfect. Price is $10K so would this present a better bet? Any advice is appreciated.
Thanks,
Kevin

[Jay H]

Most buyers are scared away by high mileage... Get over 200k on a 911 and it's a tough sell unless the price is very low.

From a resale standpoint, the SC is probably the better buy.

[FenderGuy]

Kevin

Jay said it best, after that many miles there are going to be some major repairs to take care of , if the car was not maintained

[Derkbarrington]

I am biased considering my 964 has over 240,000 miles but my experience is that high mileage doesn't necessarily mean that its going to need a lot of work, it could mean that a lot of work has already been done. When I got mine the abs pump was just replaced, new steering rack, sunroof motor etc. The receipts show that it was maintained and items such as the alternator, compressor, brakes, exhaust etc... were all replaced as they wore out. The body has very little rust and based on how strong it pulls and the normal oil consumption I got to believe the motor was rebuilt. The downside is of course resale, but if you are like me who loves to buy cars but can't bear to sell them, that isn't a big negative. (By the way I still own and drive my very first sports car .... Fiat X1/9

[techweenie]

I had to sell a 220K mile '92 a couple of years back and the car was excellent and fully sorted with all kinds of performance upgrades. Needed nothing. But the 'knowledgeable' Porsche guys were too fearful of the miles. I sold it to a guy used to high mileage Mercedes... it has performed flawlessly to this day.

They say freeway miles are "free miles" and to a large extent, that's true. But bottom line is that the car is what it is. Check it out, do all the tests, especially the "seat-of-the-pants-meter." Finally, don't be overly influenced by the peanut gallery.

[wm711]

I bought an 89 Cab for $12000, it had 140,000 miles, I drove it for a while, and sold it to my brother, who has put another 10K on it. Dont be afraid...

[SandyI]

Both cars will only be headed downward in value over the next few years. So buy the car you love to drive.

[Wickd89]

Worst case is you drive the Pcar till you need to rebuild the engine. Then you can upgrade the engine and make it even more desireable.

[Yorkie]

I bought the 108K mile SC. I tend to only hang on to cars for 3 to 4 years and this one has great mechanics and not so bad paint. Thanks for all the comments,
Kevin