I've been looking for a nice 951 for some time now and I have come across one that has 180+ K miles.

The good news is that the engine and tranny were rebuilt in 2003, and with those the clutch, belts, radiator, cv joints, wheel bearings and turbo were changed out. I haven't looked at the car as it is not local but the seller tells me there are no leaks (oil/coolant/exhaust).

And the car is pretty much stock engine wise (chip only), it has limited slip, no dash cracks, it is an 89 and nice bits like aftermarket seats and rollbar/harnesses.

Even so, I think to myself "damn 180000 is a LOT of miles". The other cars I have been considering have 70 - 90K miles so this one is quite a bit off of that. So are my apprehensions about a car with this kind of miles completely unfounded? I know the engine has to be in good shape but are there other parts of the car that might be ready to crap out or am I just scared to the mileage?

 

I had a 86 951 with 216k + miles. It had a top end rebuild and timing etc....ran like a top, and I ran it hard because I wanted it to die if it was going to. That car went on a near 24 hrs straight. From FL tip to Dallas TX ! and all that was before I put it through the paces.

With receipts you should be fine. There are other components to worry about on the car aside from engine...just remember that.

My 87 NA had 266k miles with a top end rebuild and it was purring like a kitten until a nice lady cut through two lanes and gave me the opportunity to total it!

 

thats the main thing that bothers me with that mileage, but it seems like the bases are pretty much covered with this car....

What other components should I be looking out for in a car like this other than the ones that have been replaced?

 

Start with suspension.
Tranny
Brakes
Electric
Rear hatch
paint
and the beat goes on...

 

i bought mine with 104k. be prepared for things on it to die anywhere above 75k. its just natural. however, with the work done on it, you should be good to go for years. the miles on the chassis is a pretty moot point. you gotta watch the miles on the engine and the clutch.

no leaks generally indicates a good buy. what is he/she asking?

 

asking price is $11K

 

My '86 has 167k miles on it. I've been driving it for over a year with no problems. You have to keep the maintenance up on them but if you do they're extremely reliable cars.

 

Not quite the same but I bought an S2 cab a couple of years ago with 142k and used it every day up to 192k when I sold it. Nothing touched inside the engine apart from new cams (and that's a 16v thing), still on the original clutch and transmission. As said if they have been looked after and especially if the miles are cruising they stand up well.

I had to replace some stuff - front and rear dampers, starter, clutch master and slave cylinder, driver's seat base foam, gear lever gaiter etc. but I would not for sure be put off by high miles if the provenance and history is there.

My Turbo has 152k on it and when we stripped it (because I holed the sump (oil pan)) even after running low on oil it looked good. The clutch was down to the rivets and had trashed the flywheel and #4 had a slight mark from running out of oil (only needed a journal polish and new bearings though) and the rings were a bit worn. That car was on original suspension and transmission. It's a lifetime keeper so we replaced the suspension and everything else that looked even half-way worn but outside the engine that was really just brake and fuel lines, the rear axle mounts (they had corroded so the rubber wasn't vulcanised on any more) and suspension bushes. I guess it might need a transmission rebuild some time but it hasn't had one yet and I'm about to start running it again this week.

 

11k doesnt really sound bad. youre getting, for the most part, a 2-year-old car.

 

My 951 made it to 216k miles with only maintenance. Now the engine is out and loads of stuff is being replaced/upgraded/modded. Like Fen, I dont plan on getting rid of it anytime soon or ever, so I dont mind doing a LOT of work on it. Even before I started overhauling it, she never left me seriously stranded, never gave me worry about doing a roadtrip, and went like crazy.

 

89 is great! Mileage does not mean ANYTHING to me. To give you a little story, I have had 2 e36 318i's. The first one I bought had just under 90k on it. I drove it for less than 10k miles and it spun a rod bearing. (2k miles before that I had problems with the transmission and had been babying the car.) After that I bought another car, same year and options. The only differences were the color and the mileage. This one had 200k when I bought it, I drove it for 70k only doing a window regulator, brake pads, changing the oil, and putting fuel in it. My brother now has the car and he is close to 300k miles without a hitch. The second car I bought from a one owner woman who had all of the records since the day she drove it off the lot. The first car had 3 negligent owners.

Moral of the story, mileage means little. Records, service history, and previous owners (character)are what matters.

 

I'd go further to say that what really matters is AGE. Our cars are now all ~20 years old. So unless the PO is such a fanatic that they regularly replace EVERYTHING, then you're going to have parts wearing out and failing whether the car is a 20k mile concours queen or a 180k abused track rat on its 4th engine. And the track rat may very well be in better (mechanical) shape than the queen.

So I think the only two iron-clad shopping rules are that RECENT receipts/history is the most relevant criteria for evaluation and comparison, and no matter what, something, maybe many things will need to be repaired or replaced in the first few months of ownership.

My non-turbo has about 160k miles on the clock. Its probably in better mechanical shape than 90% of the <100k mile cars regularly on the market. Probably even similar cosmetic shape (microscopic dash cracks, a little bolster leather has been scrubbed off) to those cars as well. But no matter how good it is, I know at least half the shoppers will glance right over it... "eh, that one has too many miles." They miss out on the deal, but they do help the guys that are interested, since they'll be able to get it at a cheaper price.

 

I agree with everyone on here. My car has low mileage wonderful maintance history and myself and the previous owner are fanatics. My friends car on the other hand has 180k on it and is beat to death, driven hard always, and up until recently has never given them any problems. They do basic maintence but thats it, the tranny finally let go on it.

 

Mine had almost 180k on it when I got it and although I bitch and whine about having to work on it a lot (it comes with the territory - beware!) it really ain't a bad car. The majority of the problems I encountered were the result of NEGLECT, not age or mileage - it had been sitting for almost a year when I rescued it. I would say the LSD clutches are likely dead and I'd pay particular attention to the paint and cosmetics (especially for that price) since they'll kill you in a hurry. If there's a quality rebuild recently done, it sounds like it could be a winner aside from that

 

Personally, I wouldn't pay $11k. That's really high for my area. I bought mine with receipts, records, blah blah blah with 84k miles for a lot less.

the lexus dealer offering it, with limited warranty, was asking $7995.

I PAID A FRORUCKING GOSHDAMININ $8500 FOR IT BECAUSE SOME ARSSHOLE BOUGHT IT WHEN I WAS ON THE TEST DRIVE AND FLIPPED IT TO ME FOR A PROFIT!

But, $11k seems a bit high to me.