When do you just say NO to a used vette, what milage is to high?

60,000?

70,000?

100,000?

150,000?

450,000?

What if it looks like it is in go shape and it has 150,000? At what point does it start having parts falling off?

I saw a 92 white vette on ebay and the guys pit bull chewed the corner off just behind the wheel, should I say no to that one?

 

I've been told from people I trust that a properly maintained LT1 can go as many as 200,000 miles on the clock. Don't know first hand...never had one with over 60k. As for the dog incident, If you're talking about a corner behind one of the front wheels, you can replace the side fender (below the trim strip) for 140 bucks from Ecklers for a '84 through '90, or 240 bucks for a '91 through '96.

 

Here's my 2 cents...I bought my 86' with 105k miles and a known blown head gasket. Turns out she had two blown headgaskets and was bored .030 over Now I have an 86' with a sound running block bored .030 over. Bottom line, the engine's been built 3 times overall. That's not to say that Chevy built a crappy engine, or to say that the person before me rebuilt a crappy engine, who knows, maybe she'll dump again? It would be very helpful in determining milage knowing how well it was taken care of in the first place. Keep in mind that the milage is on The Whole Car not just the engine. The doors open/close, lights on/off, tranny in/out of gear, you get the point. Good luck, Larry

 

I'd be more concerned about the type of owner who lets his dog chew the corner off the car than I'd care about mileage.

Pass.

 

60K is the cutoff for me. I like to be the one that wears it out. A low mile car will only be about $2000 more than a high mile car.

 

Depends on the age. 100,000 would be my absolute cutoff. Sometmes too few miles can be a problem as well.

 

With the exception that a higher mileage car is fine if it was maintained religiously by a true Corvette fanatic.
If I recall, Chris Petris said in his C4 class that the auto trans and rear wheel bearings are good for 100,000 miles. If it is an LT1/4 then the Opti Spark is on borrowed time after 80-90,000 miles. If you find one over 100,000 miles that has never had the starter and alternator replaced then you can expect those to fail very soon too.

 

 

Every car is different just as every owner is different.

A high mileage car that's been properly maintained is much better than a low mile car that's been neglected(as in the case of my '93).

I beat the crap out of all my cars(that's why I bought them), but I take care of them before things go wrong(except in the case of my blown engine, that was a little unexpected).

You simply have to test drive and thoroughly inspect any car you wish to buy.

As for price, cosmetically a lower mile car should get more since stuff like carpet, leather,rubber and paint should all be in good shape, where a high mile car may need to replace all of that.

But the low mile car may have more mechanical problems such as brakes and other stuff that may need to be replaced(thoiugh the high mile car falls into that category, chances are most of the stuff has already been replaced).

 

Like MoJo said it how the car was cared for beside the mileage. I just purchased a 94 but mainly for the color combo that I tried to get in 96 and it was not available. My car (purchased from forum member- Ibuyvettes - has 116k on it, and that breaks down to just over 9600 per year and it runs super. My 98 has over 90k on it and it's broken most everything it can since I bought it new. My 96 was lemon lawed with 10k on it as it was junk from the factory, and currently shows only 24k on it in South Carolina, but that car was junk at 295 miles and must still have the same issues, but it's low mileage....but would you buy it? I think a lot has to do in "what you want", my 94 is Admiral Blue/Grey and with just over 2550 built in 94 & 95 the choices were limited. Most of the "other" cars I viewed were between $8000 and $10000 more, and NOT the interior color, options I really wanted. Some were lower miles, but at least one had previous body damage the seller "kinda forgot to mention" and real professional body shops will tell you the paint should last approx 7 years (especially in the hotter states) so a low mileage car that stayed outside over a garaged car with higher mileage will not be as good a deal when you consider the cost of painting it right. The ultimate choice is yours and if you like the options, color, condition and Carfax shows good don't turn it down just on the mileage.

 

I know there are a lot of other guys in the same situation I am in. I bought a relatively high mileage 1994. It had about 80k or so on the odometer when I bought it. I have put another 60k on it over the past four or five years (lost count). It now has a complete new brake system except for the rear calipers and hard lines. New interior except for door panels and a few other items. The car has been maintained very well, by both me and the previous owner, however most people will shy away from this car if I put for sale due to the 140k on the clock. This is one reason I'll keep this car. I can't get out of it what it's value is to me. Notice I didn't say worth, I said value. It would be a nice buy for someone buying a first Vette since I could only get between $10 and $12K if I were lucky.

I too probably would go for a lower mileage car if I was buying, but it would all depend on the overall care of the car. look at weatherstripping, brakes, oil leaks, etc. Also when looking for mine in the Southern states, I saw quite a few with dull or faded paint on the targa bars. This told me that the car must have spent a good bit of time out in the sun. Anyway - a good car can be found with high mileage, you just need to have patience and be picky.

 

very true

 

i got min at 105 and its been great to me

 

From my point of view (selling Corvettes from 1996-2005) any C4 with 90k plus miles on her is very difficult to sell. At that point almost everyone looking at a 90k+ C4 will walk away from it. Very-very-very few people will look past the mileage and consider the actual condition of it. But there are a number of people who will throw an "ebay" low-ball offer at it (I don't know why because they have no intention of buying it anyway).

 

Personally I do not think there is such a thing as too high mileage. Parts and pieces wear out but are replaceable and if properly maintained will last much longer than most people think. 187,000 miles on mine, original motor, trans, and rear and runs with no problems, no oil useage, trans shifts great, rear is about to be changed to a 3.07 just for the gearing. I figure to go 220,000 or more on the motor and of course an A4 can go at anytime.

 

[QUOTE=aminnich]I figure to go 220,000 or more on the motor./QUOTE]

It's comforting to hear this because I plan on keeping mine for a while.

Also a little OT, but my cousin has a early 80s F-body Firebird Formula. She drives this car all the time. It has over 200k miles on it and still drives great. The paint looks like crap, but she and my aunt take thier cars in for maintenance like clockwork. It is kind of funny to me because she still takes this beat looking Firebird to the dealership for oil changes and maintenace. Her dad was a truck driver and did all the maintenance on the cars with impecable detail. He died about fifteen years ago and the ladies have carried on his tradition of keeping the cars maintained.

 

I just got an email from the seller,91 auto 150,000 miles, rebuilt trans rebuilt engine, AC needs charging, stereo buzzes, and a reserve of $8500.

I think this car needs alot of work(gut feeling), and I think his reserve is a little high for milage and the few minor problems that will amount to about $2500 I'm guessing. It is in Washington state and once I bring it to Canada it will have to pass an inspection and a safety inspection. After inspection I will probably have to drop another $3000, bringing the total to around $14,000. Not including the 13.5% inport tax(GST/PST) $1147.50 bring it up to $15147.50, I forgot exchange Cdn/US dollar $850, brings it up to $15997.50, now I have to insure it $$$ and put gas in it $$.

It looks like a big NO on this one .

I could always just get some new rims for my 84 to get me through another summer

 

What's wrong with your 84 that it won't last another summer? Why don't you just spend some dough on that.