I'm looking to purchase an older Vette, but am a little concerned about the mileage indicated on some of the cars. What are some things I should be looking for to indicate to me that "Yeah, those are the actual miles !!"

 

One thing that can be looked at would be the condition of the pedals. Worn pedals are an indication of high miles as you would expect. But, those too can be changed out with new rubbers to be made to look new.

 

There's a couple give aways, first look for wear on the pedals. Smooth pedals have high miles. Also, look closely at the condition of the interior. Low miles should not show much wear. Also look for original hoses and belts depending on the mileage.

I don't get too wrap up in mileage, I would love a very low mileage car but I would rather have a higher mileage car that has been cared for and not stored out side covered.

 

Pedals, carpet, steering wheel wear, dash controls wear. Of course these can all be made new from a catalog. If it has all been replaced, and motor/trans is fresh, what does it matter?

 

Mileage is only a significant issue if the car has actual LOW mileage. Somehow that is worth big money. Otherwise, mileage is unimportant. What becomes important is condition of the car. Has it been maintained properly, what systems have been replaced and how recently, etc. etc.
I bought a car with 196K; but it had lived its entire life in San Diego and been taken to the same specialty Corvette shop for most of that time. Service records and receipts show that the owner has spent at least 3 times the original cost of the car in parts, maintenance, repaint (once), engine rebuild (once). No rust, ran great. When I got it home and had an alignment, the mechanic pulled me aside and asked what year it was. When I said, " a '71", he just shook his head in disbelief and said he hadn't seen a suspension as tight as that one in years.
Point.... It's not the number of miles logged.... what matters is the condition of the car.

 

Condition as stated above is the key. my odometer reads about 66500 From what I have learned so far about my car is it spent around 25years in a field in Indiana which would indicate the miles are correct. However the car had a complete frame off resto birdcage replacement 8 years ago. So would you rather have a car that has low miles that has been badly exposed to the elements or a high miles that that has been very well taken care of?

 

Well, heres my two cents on the subject. A lot of people sell C-3s with 18,000, 22,000 etc. miles on them. While it may say that on the odometer it is . more like 118,000, 218,000, 122,000 or 222,000 actual miles. Not saying there aren't some 40+ year old cars out there with low mileage but they are few and very far between. If the car has had the engine replaced/rebuilt, the interior looks beat up or has been replaced with new, or the Chassis looks like it has 200,000 miles on it, it most likely does.

On an old car like this, the overall condition is far more important than mileage. Mileage is really the least important factor to consider unless you are able to verify beyond doubt that the mileage is actual. Try to learn what has been done (repairs, mods, upgrades) to the car during it's life and where it has been. Lot of things to check on a Corvette but you want to make sure the frame and birdcage are sound before considering anything else.

If the car truly is a low mileage "survivor" and you plan on actually driving it, get ready to start replacing any number of things. Remember, all the parts and pieces have sat for forty plus years without being used much. Not good for anything mechanical, not good for anything rubber.

If in doubt get somone knowledgeable to go with you to look at the car objectively (and then take their advice if they suggest you walk away). It's easy to be sucked in by a new cheap paint job.

With a little patience you can find a decent C-3 at a fair price.

 

I believe that if the rivets are still in on the rear calipers would mean very low mileage!

 

The way i see it, all of the 'wear items' that could potentially show low miles (pedal interior etc.) can be replaced, so guaging off of them is pointless.

Also, regardless of your potential corvette having 100 miles, 1000 miles, or 500,000 miles, the car is still 30+ years old.

Thats the bottom line. Period.

When i am interested in a Corvette, i never ask mileage because its not something you can guage condition with. It is about what was already posted above: condition.

You could find a vette for sale with only 20,000 original miles on it, but it could have sat in a field for 25 years rusting away. On the other hand you could find a vette with 300,000 miles on it, but has been restored.

 

Some very good clues listed here.

My acid test, is are the rivets still in the brake rotors.

I think that's what vettekid333 meant to say.

My '71 that I bought with 88k still has the original rotors rivetted to the hubs.

Certainly there are some lower mileage cars that have had the rotors replaced or needed access to the parking brakes, but...

 

Unless the car has been recently restored, count on a good deal of work and expense to get it right. details, details and adjustments after the major stuff is taken care of. Allot of people (me included) were/are blinded to the fact that it's about a 35 year old car, period. and if it hasn't had the work done- see reciepts, then it's gonna need some work. you can go over it with a fine-toothed comb, but a perfect car is gonna cost you on the front end. Main thing is to know what your letting yourself in for, so check the car throughly. Birdcage and frame for starters.

 

More obvious things like, does the engine smoke or leak, can be answered easily. Less obvious things like rear trailing arms - need to be carefully looked at, or adjusted in price. They are expensive and a PITA to deal with. If the car has 100K miles or more and they've never been rebuilt/replaced, plan on it, and plan on up to $1500 to have someone fix them, or less if you do the labor.

 

Tossing my two cents in here...

Documentation was key to my when I picked up my '82 several years ago with 22K on the clock. I was able to obtain a copy of the title transfers, that along with a car fax (I believe '82 is the first year you can run a car fax on a Corvette) that matched mile for mile, date for date. After I purchased the car I discovered the state of Ohio, where the car spent most of her life, has an online site to trac title change. This site also showed emission checks and once again, mileage followed the pattern of the other documentation...now I could have one of those 122K miles car but the previous owners would've had to be very well conected with the State DMV to pull that off...

As for wear and tear/replacement items - take someone with you that knows the model year you are looking at. They should be able to help ID things that have been swapped out like new pedels, steering wheel, ect. For the most part I can spot non-factory items on an '80 - 82 and also know what to look for as problem areas. Also a "new" item will look "new" and not match the normal color fade of the rest of the car due to age; take carpet/floor mats as an example.

Bottom line though - Father Time can do as much damage to a car as Uncle Mileage. A 26 year old car that has not been driven can have as many problems as one with 100K miles on it. Just be careful, take your time personally look the car over, top to bottom before doing the deal.

 

Pedal pads are easy and cheap to replace.