Question Regarding 2006 Sitting now with only 800 miles
 

Question. Is it bad for a 4 year old car to only have 800 miles on it? Will the car possible have unforseen future issues from non use? Like prematurely burning oil?

If I purchase a car like this should everything be changed? Coolant, brake fluid, transmission fluid, etc?

Thanks for any advice in advance...

Well its certainly not good for it. I just bought an 06 Z with 7838 miles and a catalytic converter went bad and the dealership claimed it was from not being driven. Who knows if thats true or not. I would also recommend changing out the fluids which are easy for the most part. Atleast if its a 6spd it is.

James

I bought a 1959 Mercedes with 30,000 miles on it that sat for 10 years due to an accident. I did some preliminary work, new plugs, wires, hoses, and shot a little oil in each cylinder. It ran great. I drove every day for two years and it didn't burn oil and I had no problems with it. I sold it for more than I paid. :thumbs:

I would definately change the oil and gas right away

I would change all the fluids and google car restoration.
It's been basically static for 4 years and should be checked over carefully.
All depends on how it's been stored.

Certainly changing all of the fluids is good advice. And if the gasoline was been sitting in the tank all this time without stabilizer, that could be a problem as well. Draining that gas tank is more of a chore than all of the other fluids combined........
If it were me, I would "try" to double up on one of the best fuel injection cleaners out there rather than draining the gas............both Techron and Napa make great ones (Napa's comes in a two bottle package and is blue and black -- sorry I can't remember the name)....then fill the tank and drive the old fuel out of there......you should be OK with any injector problems if you do this...

all the gaskets and rubber are certainly ruined.

These cars tolerate sitting quite well despite what you will hear to the contrary. Its a 3-4 year old car not a 30-40 year old car.

Hopefully the car has service records. I would be very concerned about the fuel contents... I bought a new 96 Impala SS that now only has 11,000 miles and it does just fine whenever I take it out. It's been trouble free, but I change the oil every year, add sta-bil at every fuel fill-up, and start it at least once a week.

Do you know anything on the history of its storage life?

It's not good to just let a car sit that long and do nothing with it. I don't think oil usage will be a concern. If it was me, and the fuel is 4 years old, I'd drain it before starting the car.

The concern with seals and gaskets is basically an old wives tale. Certainately the fluids should be changed. A good prevenative caution would be to squirt some oil into each cylinder and turn the engine over several times before reinstalling and firing the engine the first time. Fill the fuel tank with good fuel, then drive the car carefully until all the original fuel has exhausted. Check tire pressure. Probably need a new battery.

If the car has no visable leaks you are in pretty good shape. You will need to change all the fluids including the brake fluid. The tires may be flat spotted from sitting that lone without being jacked up on all four corners. You will also need to inspect the tires for cracking. If on the OEM Goodyear EMT run flats I would seriously think about replacing them. After a careful inspection of the car start it up and continue your checks. the car should be in great shape especially in stored inside. Good luck with your project. :thumbs:

Owner claims the car has been stored inside a bubble in a climate controlled garage. I have not made an appt to see the car yet as he wants a mint for it because it only has 847 miles on it. I am still deciding if I should make an appt or get it out of my head and find something with more like 8k miles on it that I know has been driven at least a little.

The owner is delusional. We are talking about a 5 (possibly 6) year old mass produced car, not some extremely rare exotic which can't be replaced. I would make an adjustment to the fair used car value given the low miles, but I would certainly not pay a 'mint' for it. You didn't give specifics about the car, but I would guess an '06 coupe in excellent condition is worth upper 20's.

:iagree:

With that few miles and that much sitting around, I'd pay LESS than for a similar car with 8k miles.
We had a 2006 and it was a nice car, but the 2008-2009-2010 cars have improvements that make them more valuable to most folks.

If the owner wants "a mint" for it, I hope he likes looking at it in his garage.

:iagree: The car more than likely had been started periodically. Buy the car and enjoy it.

how much??:bigears

Talk about keeping it nice for the next guy ..... :willy:

Thats a standard low mileage car here on the forum...:rofl:

In my opinion 800 miles in 4 years may concern me..especially if there was a long length of time between drives.

My 2006 has 7000 miles, but I drive it at least once per week to the office. During the winter I drive at least once per month, when the snow permits