High Mileage

[626gn]

I’ve read it on here dozens of times…”you shouldn’t be afraid to buy a high mileage TR” Surely at some point it does become an issue but at what number should one start being concerned? Assuming one is looking at a well cared for TR that wasn’t abused, big assumption to make I know, but just for sake of discussion, at what point does mileage become a concern before you need to start thinking rebuild? 90K?, 125K? 200K?

 

[Shawn N]

I sought out a high mile Turbo T to drive daily and not attract the attention like a GN does in traffic. I would much rather have a high mileage car that has not been sitting for years in someones garage collecting dust n rust. I am a firm believer that mileage does not matter unless its still wrapped in factory plastic. Find a car with very few owners that have taking care of and know their cars history and repairs. I'm talking receipts and provable history not someone's bullshit or what the previous owner told them. Stay way clear of not running cars. The owners always say it's an easy fix and this is the problem but if it was that easy to fix don't you think that they would have repaired it. These are the hacked up cars full of chopped up wiring and mods that are impossible to fix aka the money pit. This might sound stupid but it seems to me the 70k to 100k cars are time bombs on the original motor and trans. Seems to be just when major things go wrong (timing chains, spun bearings, smoking turbos, etc.) Just my 2 cents.

 

[fastblackracing]

A TR that has not been modded and therefore likely not raced much if any that has been well kept its entire life that had 75k on the clock or less would be a good candidate for a mild performance upgrade/ daily driver deal...... I would pull the pan and front cover replace the valve springs, timing chain, front and rear seals check a couple bearings and have at it...... At 100k-125k I would not personally push it real hard performance wise, I would expect a piston or bearings to give it up. I have seen a few go to 150k in a daily driver mode without much fuss..... A good stock trans even with some miles on it We used to put a big servo in them from a 200c some good fluid and a filter and they would take an amazing amount of abuse in the high 11 to mid 12 second range...... Im sure someone has a car out there that has 300k on it and ran 10.50's every weekend tho.....

 

[626gn]

Appreciate the responses so far. Keep'um coming. The reason I asked is I just sold my garage queen and was looking at a higher mileage TR (90k) that I don't mind driving more often without worrying about all the things I used to every time I drove my garage queen somewhere. It won't see any track duty but I do want it to hold its own on the street while remaining reliable. It has all the basic mods done but the timing set and valves springs are original and need to be addressed. It will be the first thing I do if I do get the car but I was just a little concerned about the mileage. I've tried to do as much due diligence as possible by contacting the previous owner and the person who did the mods and by all accounts it seems like the car has been treated nicely throughout is life... Just not sure if I should pull the trigger on this one or move on to one with less mileage or has had a quality rebuild.

 

[BADDGUY6]

Hey Scott,
Here in Hawaii I'll be more concerned about RUST & paint. Hows the body/frame?/any rust repair? Accidents? The Motor, Trans,interior,etc. All bolt on parts can be changed easily. But how many rust free 87s body do you see around here? Priced rust repair and a good paint job lately? Good thing my oil leak undercoated my car. I got my GN with 87K miles @ 150K? when I changed the head gasket. There was a ridge on the cylinders. But it ran the 11.84@112 with over 150K on the motor.

 

[626gn]

Thanks for chiming in Guy. Been a long time.. This is a mainland car I'm looking at. Repainted in 2009-2010, all the glass came out and very little rust repair prior to repaint. You're right, not very many rust free TR's here. That's why gotta spend the coin to get one from across the pond...

 

[turbo39151]

x2 what Shaun N said... (mostly)...

I own and have owned higher mileage cars. Obviously buy one that has been cared for and not hacked on is imperative if you're going to enjoy your TR ownership experience. My current tr cars are 73k and 89k respectively and have absolutely zero issues (for sale too). They're not beat on or abused and are super reliable. The last one I sold had been used as a DD in SoCal and had over 160k. I can tell you that this car was DRIVEN and cared for meticulously.

My preference is to avoid wiring hacks and basket cases that are other people's headaches. And I take a hard pass on too many mods or "colorful" set ups. If a kid (who doesn't know what they're doing) has been in there messing with things I'm not interested... Kinda like my dd honda that I purchased from an adult. It had 150k on in and now has 244k and is still going strong. I paid a little more but I didn't get some riced out POS either. My other dd has 180k- also no issues.

Now, I know that there are a few guys floating around that buy modded cars and de-mod them and return them to stock. What I don't like is when people do this and try to pass the car off as never modded (ie: all original, unmolested). Buyer beware on that score. I have a pretty good idea what stock should look like and can usually tell if something is amiss. Just a heads up for you if you're in the market.

Honestly, after owning "higher mile" cars, I wouldn't bat an eye looking at 120k + miles on a car. My 73k and 89k mile cars are lower mile cars in my opinion. (In nearly 30 years to have amassed 89k miles you'd have to drive almost 3k a year!) Of course there's the ultra low mile stuff (under 50k) but I'd kinda feel guilty putting miles or modding a car that has been preserved.

Just my .02

 

[626gn]

x2 what Shaun N said... (mostly)...

I own and have owned higher mileage cars. Obviously buy one that has been cared for and not hacked on is imperative if you're going to enjoy your TR ownership experience. My current tr cars are 73k and 89k respectively and have absolutely zero issues (for sale too). They're not beat on or abused and are super reliable. The last one I sold had been used as a DD in SoCal and had over 160k. I can tell you that this car was DRIVEN and cared for meticulously.

My preference is to avoid wiring hacks and basket cases that are other people's headaches. And I take a hard pass on too many mods or "colorful" set ups. If a kid (who doesn't know what they're doing) has been in there messing with things I'm not interested... Kinda like my dd honda that I purchased from an adult. It had 150k on in and now has 244k and is still going strong. I paid a little more but I didn't get some riced out POS either. My other dd has 180k- also no issues.

Now, I know that there are a few guys floating around that buy modded cars and de-mod them and return them to stock. What I don't like is when people do this and try to pass the car off as never modded (ie: all original, unmolested). Buyer beware on that score. I have a pretty good idea what stock should look like and can usually tell if something is amiss. Just a heads up for you if you're in the market.

Honestly, after owning "higher mile" cars, I wouldn't bat an eye looking at 120k + miles on a car. My 73k and 89k mile cars are lower mile cars in my opinion. (In nearly 30 years to have amassed 89k miles you'd have to drive almost 3k a year!) Of course there's the ultra low mile stuff (under 50k) but I'd kinda feel guilty putting miles or modding a car that has been preserved.

Just my .02

^^^Good stuff! Thanks for your insights.

 

[SpeedRacerX]

OP. This thread is a good read. Having similar thoughts although I already bought mine. 87 with 94k miles. It's been checked out by our local GN expert and the first owner documentation is incredible so those two things make me feel better. What I'm faced with is to take such an original car and mod it or not. On one hand, the time capsule effect is cool but... it does have 94k miles, it's not a museum piece and never will be so I'm leaning toward modding it a little and making it the weekend toy I wanted it to be.

For me, higher mileage was all that was in my budget so I had to make sure the car was stable for what I could afford.

If you don't feel confident while shopping, bring someone else who knows the GN's well.

Good luck in your quest.

 

[626gn]

OP. This thread is a good read. Having similar thoughts although I already bought mine. 87 with 94k miles. It's been checked out by our local GN expert and the first owner documentation is incredible so those two things make me feel better. What I'm faced with is to take such an original car and mod it or not. On one hand, the time capsule effect is cool but... it does have 94k miles, it's not a museum piece and never will be so I'm leaning toward modding it a little and making it the weekend toy I wanted it to be.

For me, higher mileage was all that was in my budget so I had to make sure the car was stable for what I could afford.

If you don't feel confident while shopping, bring someone else who knows the GN's well.

Good luck in your quest.

You've got the right idea and it sounds like you've got a good platform to work with. Past history documentation is always good to have and not everyone keeps it. I say just mod it to your liking and enjoy it. I sold my low mile GN only because I couldn't bring myself to drive it as often as I'd like. The original paint was still in amazingly beautiful condition which is quite rare and even the undercarriage was detailed. Everyone kept telling me to just DRIVE IT and I know they were right but I just couldn't do it. I felt like I was devaluing it every time I took it out. Crazy I know and call it what you want but that's how I honestly felt. lol. At the same time I started this affinity for T's and Limited's so it was time for the GN to go. So now, like you did, I'm searching for a higher mileage car. I'd also like one with a quality repaint and the basic mods already done. I just wasn't clear about the whole mileage thing and wanted to hear the opinions of others.

 

[turbo39151]

Another thing I'd comment on is the paint/body. While I have an obsession with beautiful meticulous paint and details on a car, I find more and more that I just don't enjoy them as much. (My excuses: car will get dirty, paint will get chipped, some jackwagon will ding it or lean on it and scratch the paint, someone will want to steal it, etc...) I know one guy who was more paranoid than me because some idiots stole his original grey valve stem caps at a show! (WTF does that?!?!)

Surprisingly, we had a ttype that was a little rough in appearance - a little rusty here and there and with terrible paint. It was our favorite. Hell, I drove it to get groceries, parked with all the regular cars and no one even gave me a second look. It was actually fun in a sort of incognito way.

 

[Shawn N]

I spent over a year looking around trying to find the right car. Keep in mind I've owned 2 hot airs and several 87 LeSabre TT's previously so I knew beforehand what to watch out for. Rust was the biggest issue along with signs of poorly rebuild motors (orange blocks and gobs of rtv in the suspect places). I had a clear head to stay away from t tops and that awful digital dash/climate control. I wanted a white T or TT but would settle for a GN if the price and condition was right. I found a beautiful 40K Canadian GN is Bossier,La. Had the 14K for it but could not get anyone to go help me pick it up so I had to pass it up. I found my white hardtop T up outside OK city at a chevy dealership of all places for 8K with 200K. It had been stolen in the past but was unwrecked. I went through the floor pans, trunk pans, door bottoms, and a pillars. No major rust and the car had been undercoated from the factory and the floor pans had been coated inside as well. Paint was ok but was lacquer and beginning to shatter on the roof. Underside was dry no leaks. Interior was complete but a bit bleached out. I was keeping a running total in my head the entire time for what needed to be replaced too. I noticed no engine brackets on the manifold and pulled the oil fill off and the head was bright gray with aftermarket springs inside so that's when I knew this car was the one. Something I could drive 35 miles back and forth to work and slowly fix up over time. Good luck on your buying journey.

 

[Boostian]

Mine has 245,000 miles on it. motor is rebuilt and so is the tranny but it's modded.

It's all how it's taken care of. Take the time to "read" the car when you look at it, but don't underestimate reading the owner also. Tells you a lot about how the car was cared for.

 

[turbo39151]

Mine has 245,000 miles on it. motor is rebuilt and so is the tranny but it's modded.

It's all how it's taken care of. Take the time to "read" the car when you look at it, but don't underestimate reading the owner also. Tells you a lot about how the car was cared for.

So True!! I went to look at a car for a prospective buyer. Owner had some pro-street abomination (think bright orange chevy with crazy colored stripes) out back in the garage. The Tr was in very rough shape but the guy was all gung ho about the fact that it was "put back together" with all GM original parts. (built by his Chevy guy apparently). We took a quick test drive. I asked that he drive (I don't like to drive other people's cars- don't need the hassle if something breaks). We're going down the road and the car is knocking. He says "oh it's probably just some gas ping". Umm, what sort of fuel are you running? "Cheap stuff 87 octane- it's perfectly fine" Uhh, No, no it's not. How about you don't stomp it so you don't blow the gaskets?!!

Well, you can probably guess what he did. He laid into it and blew what I think was both gaskets! It was bad. Really bad. The car was billowing smoke like a chimney.. AND he stayed in it all the way back to the house! What a mess... The guy was clueless and was pretty much hostile at the idea of his price being lower. Luckily, my buyer saw my pics and my report and passed on this one.

Another time, I went to look at a tr with a buyer. We took a short drive and the car felt "off". I asked the owner if I could check out the turbo (nothing was hot, as I had driven very slowly (owner insisted that I drive) and the car had not felt right). Shaft play on the turbo was stupid. I showed the seller. He claimed that the turbo had to be fine because it had been rebuilt and proceeded to show me the receipt. I explained that regardless of the rebuild, the proof that this turbo was bad was right here in front of him. He didn't want to hear anymore about it. So, I put it all back together and we left.

So many stories, so little time...

 

[Rugby]

My car has what I was told over 200K on it. I am not sure the motor has been apart but I think it has been at some point. If I would have done a little more research before hand I would have passed on the car because it should have been a parts car. The body has a lot of rust in the quarters and what not. I love driving the car. Its a GN. I had a guy in traffic the other day ask me if it was a real GN. Whats left of one.!!!

Currently I drive it mostly as a DD. I take it to the grocery store or home depot or......... It was in a hail storm a few weeks ago. The GN has a few dimples in the, The wifes car looks like i took a hammer to it!

Towards the end of the summer I am going to put it in the garage and start the tear down on it. Fix the body and rebuild most of the car.