Low vs high mileage 993 and maintenance?
 

Currently looking at two comparable 993 C2's except for mileage, one with 32k+ miles and the other 85k+ miles. Price is $77k vs $55k. Both seem sorted. Which is the better buy?

On the one hand, low mileage seems to make obvious sense but I also think the higher mileage has had time to "present" its issues and get sorted. Almost feel like one would be paying a premium for the low mileage 993 and is also "buying" full price inevitable maintenance to come (valves, SAI, etc.). BTW, planning to drive the car and not keep it stored away.

Any advice appreciated.

"Seem sorted"?

The big ticket items that wear on 993s and need to be addressed at some point are the stock suspension, original clutch and valve guides. There are others, but these are the big spendy ones that come to mind.

If the high mileage has all three done, and the low mileage one has none, the high miler is a better buy if you plan on driving the car.

Good luck :cheers:

I would have to look at maintenence records for both.

A higher mileage car with suspension refreshed, maybe a top end rebuild, tasteful upgrades and a satisfactory PPI, would go a long way in my book.

$22k buys lots of goodies, or fits nicely in my wallet.

After posting it looks like goofball and I are on the same page with our thoughts.

If you are going to drive it, low miles never makes sense. I rather have something with 200k and caught up on maintenance than a low miles garage queen for a driver. Corrosion on the other hand I hate with a passion. Everything else I can live with.

well sorted hi milers are robust.
worth a look for sure.

Really? $77k?

What happened to that whole softening of the 993 market thing?

Very clean car with "collectable car dealership" mark up. Think price is steep but is very local to me and would make purchase easier. Following equally nice cars listed currently on Rennlist not selling for ~$70k range. Perhaps should do the honorable thing and buy from a fellow Rennlister and pay for transport ;)

Buy the best low mileage 993 you can afford. Records, Seller and maintenance are key. Get a PPI no exceptions. My 2 cents.

Many items are age-related not just wear related so the difference between the two in service work on these items may not be relevant. Things such as;

Leaking steering rack
Failed hydraulic lifter cartridges
Plastic electrical parts such as switches
Odometer gear failure
Certain oil leaks
Vacuum actuator failures on the engine

All things being equal the glass and body should look better on a lower miles car.

I guess it has to do with your intended purpose and how many miles you plan to put on it over time.At some point, either car will have 120K miles on it and all the expensive stuff will have been done.

Andy

PS - Prices can't stay this high forever, wait six months and it may pay for a clutch or two.

I asked same question 12 years ago. But it was for a 20k mile example versus a 50k example. I got similar advice as evilfij is offering, and followed it. I chose higher mileage example and still happy with the decision.

If you plan on driving it, get the high mileage one.

If you plan on polishing it and selling at a profit, get the low mileage.

As the owner of a high mileage 993 I can unequivocally say that if you are looking for the most driving pleasure for your dollar, go for the higher mileage example. At 130k miles, my car drives better than new. Any high mileage car, that's in great shape, will have had a ton of money put into it over the years. Money that you don't have to spend because a previous owner did.

You win twice. First because the purchase price is lower. Second because expensive maintenance items are already taken care of. I'd argue that just over 100k miles is the sweet spot for a driver 993. Almost guaranteed to have the important stuff taken care of and purchase price will be 40k +/- 5k.

Be sure that all the important maintenance has been done:
- Plugs, wires, distributors
- Lifter cartridges
- Suspension refreshed (shocks plus all rubber)
- Clutch and DMF checked, replaced if necessary
- Steering rack checked, resealed if necessary
- Good schedule for all fluids (clutch, brakes, transmission, engine oil)
- Oil burn rate is better than 1qt per 1k miles, and/or top end rebuild completed

Nice to have:
- Door straps fixed
- Windshields sealed
- Paint and trim refresh
- Engine and transmission mounts
- Short shift kit
- Varioram vacuum components tested/replaced
- Fan refreshed, fan hub replaced
- Alternator and starter replaced
- Brake discs and lines replaced

This is a long list and if the previous owner hasn't already done it, its going to be on you. Much of this is time vs. miles related so I believe you are far better getting a high mileage car with all this work done rather than a low mileage car with it all pending. Best case would be a low mileage car with everything done, but that's rare and very expensive.

These cars are put together so very well that they feel tight and great to drive for many hundreds of thousands of miles. They are built to such a high standard of quality that you can think of them more like light airplanes than cars, they will keep going as long as you keep on top of your maintenance schedule.

I can't wait to see what mine feels like at 300k :).

As an owner of a high-mileage car, I will concur with what others have already said here, particularly about the "PPI, no exceptions" part. To throw in with other anecdotal evidence, my '95 has around 165k miles or so, clearly driven daily, was formerly tracked by me, and always well maintained but always driven with gusto. Barring the normal wear items (particularly rubber, esp in suspension areas), it feels as tight and strong today as when I got it in 2001. And uses ~1qt oil in ~5000 miles (and there's a minor drip stain on my garage floor so this isn't even fully "consumption") ...and this BTW is a general indication of top-end health so check the PO's records if available. Properly cared for, these are robust machines, better than most as evidenced by their strength and reliability as they accumulate years and miles!

FWIW, I must have lost perspective on this notion of what constitutes "high-mileage." Our cars are from the mid-latter 90s ...that's old for a car, by anyone's standards! So 85k to me is not what I'd call "high mileage" given expected use; I'd call that medium or average. Under 50k for a car of our years starts to sound like "low mileage" ...again, all things taken into perspective. Just IMHO and has no bearing on anything, mind you...simply meandering with my cup o joe this morning :)
Best o luck to the OP!! :D

Edward

This price is for a low mileage C2S, not a C2.

Your ideas on a fair price?

He said C2's, not C2S :).

If it was a C2S the pricing would be really good!