danglerb

Surfing all the ads, I've seen a few high mileage cars described as just as nice as any "insert low mileage amount" car I have ever seen. One was 250k with a new engine at 200k, and another I just looked at on ebay was 184k, which leads me to wonder just how nice a high mileage car can be?

Is normal maintenance enough, or does a car at some point need something more extensive done to search out issues?

What needs done or replacing at 180k or 240k that might not also be a consideration at 120k?

I knew a sales rep that put on something like 40k a year or more.

When does high mileage turn into a badge of honor?

RyanPerrella

those cars probably see 80mile trips to work every morning and another 80 mile or whatever back home. They probably have less wear per mile then some low mile cars as they are up to temp and not in stop and go traffic. Allot of people here say these engines dont need to be touched till 250K miles. They speak from experince, although there are few 250K mile cars but the ones that are around typically are well cared for, otherwise they would have gone to some joker many miles ago where they then fall into disrepair and end up looking like crap.

I was reading through a 911 PW article on 175k mile 993's which looked great. 993's typically have more engine issues then 928. But the cars carried a hefty service history and the writer said that when these cars see the service bays, which they do quite often as they are still covering quite a few miles per year. They said the tech's give hese cars somewhat of a celebrity status as they look and run great. Not sure when it becomes a badge of honor but i will say at some point yeah, you look forward to the next 100K, those guys are typically lifers for that car. Those cars dont change hands but do gain some celebrity from other owners as they see what their cars are capable of if properly maintained.

There was a 200K mile 993 that was for sale a few weeks back, was in somewhat rough shape but i thought about buying it just to see how many miles i could get on it. drive the **** out of it and see when it finally just quite and the wheels fell off. Someone else had the same idea i suppose and beat me to it though.

joejoe

Not sure about high milage on the 928's both mine are relativly low. However my '73 914 has just over 226k and runs/looks quite well.

danglerb

Rust used to be the big killer, but Porsche starting dipping the chassis in secret sauce sometime in the 70s I think, and now you only get rust if water is allowed to remain in the same spots. I suspect at some point replacing the wiring harness may become a safety issue, and somebody will need to make plastic parts that Porsche isn't making, like I think the gas tank.

I still find it hard to ignore mileage, keeping it in balance with condition.

Bill Ball

It all depends on how the car was stored. My 89 has 175K miles and the seats look like new - no wear though or cracks, good finish. No dash cracks. No warped panels. Carpets fine. Paint looks like new except for the usual tiny rock chips and one spot where I rubbed up against the garage wall. Ignoring that mishap, the body would be pristine. At work the car is either covered or has 100% occlusive sunshades. I don't take particularly fastidious care of the car. I wash it maybe once a month, wax it once every 6 months (Rejex), clean and treat the leather every 3 months and otherwise I drive it - 100K in 6 years of ownership.

JHowell37

The worst thing that can happen to any car is allowing it to sit for long periods between use. This problem is compounded if the car is left to sit outside in the elements. On very high mileage vehicles, there may not be many problems with the vehicle. Chances are, if it was able to acquire that many miles, it has had some maintenance performed.

danglerb

Its the rare 928 that doesn't have some year or more parked time. Repair that can't be afforded, illness, excess wealth (too many other cars), extended limbo time in ownership transfer.

Maybe one of the worse things is a trip through a cheesy dealer, documents go in the trash, cheese fix ups, wheels get sold and replaced with something cheaper. Repo might not be too good either, damage in doing the fast grab, then maybe months in a outside impound yard.

Yup, best to drivem.

fbarnhill

Hi,
I bought my old 83s with 170k miles on it. I sold it 5 yrs later with 270k. It ran great the entire time. I used it as a daily driver for a 45 min trip each way to work every day. By the way, I got rid of an almost new Mustang to get it and never regretted it. So, this time i bought a low milage car with the intention of driving it for the next 20 years....
Good Luck

IcemanG17

928's that are driven on a regular basis tend to fair better than the super low mile counterparts.....sure they will get some more wear and tear vs the parked garage queen...but with regular cosmetic maintence (just like mechanical maintence) they hold up really well....the paint on these cars is very very hard and holds up really well with just regular waxes

Andre Hedrick

First what is the definition of a "High Miler"?

I have been told 187K is non for a 928, so what is the majic number?

Mike Frye

I got mine with over 200k on it just a few months ago. The first thing I had to replace was the odo gear so even that mileage is in doubt (although the carfax mileage seemed to confirm about 10k/yr for 20+ years).

Mine is a 5 speed, which I've read will generally be more heavily used than the auto, and judging by the condition of the interior, I can confirm that. However, when you consider the fact that these cars will not run if the TB is not maintained, will not run if the vacuum lines aren't maintained, will not run if the electrical system isn't cleaned and maintained periodically, you can be pretty sure that a 200+k car will have been maintained relatively well in spite of the high miles. I bought mine as a project car, and I've been pleasantly surprised at how well the engine runs so I've been able to use it for my DD while I do the work.

Of course, you're going to be in for some things in a high miler that you might not with one that's spent it's life in a garage, like bushings, tie rods, brakes, suspension (all)...

One good thing is that if you're looking for a DD, it's easier to make a deal on one with high mileage IMO.

bd0nalds0n

I think any car, regardless of mileage, can be kept in nice condition if you simply keep replacing things that are worn out. Depending on where you are in the replacement cycle, you might get a better car than many. If I were to sell my car now, with 179k on it, it would be in MUCH better shape than I purchased it at 135k, because so many things have been replaced--engine rebuilt, torque tube, new suspension, new interior, etc. etc.

I guess you could potentially have some metal fatigue, but it's not like this is an airframe, and even those are designed to last decades.

danglerb

Funny you should say airframe, because that is what got me thinking. Aluminum over time develops stress fractures, and has a finite life in that regard, where steel does not. Hopefully by that point people will be making replacements.

Are suspensions rebuildable with things like new bushings, or must the parts be remanufactured?

Mike Frye

Dangler,
For the suspension:

I ordered some other things from 928 Motorsports and found that they have a kit for rebuilding the ball sockets on the a-arms and the bushings. Check out the 'suspension' catalog link from their website. They also have sway bar bushing upgrades that have grease fittings and some other stuff that's not like doing major surgery.

It looks to me like most of it can be redone without buying the structural parts. I'm planning on going that route for everything except one tie rod, which is bent. I'll post the results.

danglerb

High miles in one sense is anything more than 12k a year, but thats a pretty small percent of 928's, most owners just don't pile on that kind of miles. Also people who do put on a lot of miles often pick higher mileage cars to start with.

Justified or not, high miles are poison to resale value.

60/120/180/240 each of those ranges means something different to the value, with cars between 180/240 I would start to expect to see an engine/tranny replacement or rebuild, or plan on one. The rest is all pretty much PM that could be needed at any mileage.