nitsypee

I'm tempted by a few "cheap" turbos for sale, with mileage approaching the 200k mark. Is that an issue, providing all the work's been done and it's been well looked after?

bearone

no, assuming no smoke on startup and no leaks. make sure the supposed work is documented, not just hearing it's been done.

87951

nitsypee

What mileage can these engines reach?!

LFA951

The engines have nikasil on the cylinder walls, so like, a fying pan, the surface is smooth and silky, so as long as you take care of it, there is no limit as to how long it can last...

Keithr726

Just look for maintenance. With that kind of mileage I'd hope about everything had been replaced. I can see a stock turbo lasting any longer than that.

Darwantae951

Pull the j-boot and check for play in the turbine shaft. The turbo will probably need a rebuild. (Altho my car has 168k and there is no play in the shaft). These engines can go way past 200k as long as they were taken care of. Have a leakdown test performed to check that the combustion chambers are sealing (valves and rings) as that will give you a good idea of the condition of the inside.

-Darwin

951_for_John

I would rather have a car that was started and driven 100mi per day than one that was started driven 5 miles and parked everyday, or one that sat in the garage and was never driven. as long as the required service is done.

IMHO mileage is not the biggest factor to look at when choosing a car.

and as always with our cars a PPI is a must. a cheap to buy 951 can get
VERY expensive VERY quickly.

John

DMB14

High mileage implies that it's driven a lot. Which is good from a maintenance point of view.

It's not a guarantee though, make sure it hasn't been sitting for too long. I bought a fairly high mileage 944 (140k) that sat for a long time before I bought it and it started to crumble after a few months of daily driving.

Darwantae951

That depending on the past maintenance life of the vehicle. If it has high mileage and no records, I'd be weary.

-Darwin

VWaddict

I have a quarter-million miles on my '89 and it's strong and fabulous.

The one previous owner was fastidious though...

Mileage is NOTHING, maintenance is EVERYTHING.

Keith

facboy

wary too

philcav7

I bought a 38K mile garage queen two years ago and the only problem so far was a leaking cam seal after running synthetic oil in it this past summer. (That was a self inflicted repair)


As all other said, it's about buying "the right car" regardless of mileage. 20 year old sports cars are going to need maint/repairs to keep going...it just comes down to how many/what type of repairs are needed.

zoltan944

just as weary as low mileage car without records. It seems many people with disregard history with lower mileage.
A guy could have replaced about everything in the last 20k miles on a 200k mile car. And you could very well buy a car with 150k miles and replace about everything in the next 20k.
Most of this doesn't matter to me anyway. When I buy a car I do a complete TLC preventative maintenance run through on it.

Loquat15

high mileage... you never know what the cylinder walls look like unless you pull the head or get a camera in there.

Aside from that, if i were to buy one at 200k miles, i'd at least have a shortblock on hand just in case. Also check the compression prior to purchasing.

Good luck!

LFA951

To look at the cylinder walls, easiest way is to pull out a spark plug, preferably #1 and sitck a flashlight down there, you'll ne able to see the wall for scoring...