Buying: Low mileage 328 vs Higher mileage 328

Not sure if legal for Canadians but have u checked the USA market? Not sure how to calculate the $ difference but I think you'll find better values this side of the border.
Greg
87 328

 

For a $20,000 price difference I would seriously look at the higher mileage one. Also, I wouldn't consider that "high" mileage; higher, but not high. I bought my '89 328 earlier this year with 50,000 kms on it and consider that pretty low mileage. As long as the '89 doesn't need any serious work, you can fix up a lot of little things and still be way ahead of the more expensive one. I don't think the low mileage is really low enough to make it a collector car, and it's a year older than the cheaper one. These cars are possibly going up in value, but $79k is pretty steep even for a really nice one.

Rick

 

It depends on how the cars were maintained. If the low mileage car has visited the dealership on a regular basis, there may not be a whole lot of "extra" restorative maintenance needed compared to the higher mileage car. Neither car is really all that "high" of mileage. It comes down to service records, PPI and gut-feel.

Regarding US vs Canada, I just gave a car to a friend in BC (nothing special: a 1991 Honda Accord Station Wagon w 5-speed manual). It was no big deal for him to import it into Canada.

When I bought my 308, I probably paid a little extra just to grab a nice local car and avoid the hassle of internet/inter-State/trans-border transactions. Due dilligence says that you should know your US prices though to determine if you're paying too much for what you're looking at.

 

The only thing about 36,000 miles on a almost 25 year old car that should concern you is that it was clearly not driven enough.

 

Somewhat off your question, but.....have you really been looking for a car for 8 years?

 

A lot of the things that might need doing will be age related & therefore could affect both cars equally. If things like fuel hoses havn't been replaced then they probably should be regardless of mileage.

That said its not as if the higher mileage car has done a huge amount anyway. The interior of the low mileage car will probably be better & the paintwork should be as well. On which, subject the condition of the interiors (and especially the seats) will give you a good guide as to whether the mileage is genuine anyway. Its very easy to unplug the Odo/speedo sender on these cars, I could do it without even jacking the thing up I think.

A good reason not to buy the lower mileage car (IMO) would be if you then didn't use it in order to keep the mileage as low as possible to preserve its value!

 

^ This is an important point to consider.

That extra $20,000 is for the privlage of not being able to use it. Put miles on it and that $20,000 low miles surcharge will disappear right before your eyes when you sell it. Why did you buy that option to begin with?

Buy the $59,000 car. Drive it and if you sell it years later you will get about $59,000.

Buy the $79,000 car, Drive it and if you sell it years later you will get about $59,000

 

I drove one of those a couple of years back in college

 

One thing no one ever mentions when they cry about the cost of a garage queen is the cosmetics. If the car is a true garage queen then that offers some significant benefits over one that has been out the sun and on the roads. I'm amazed at the level of interior and paint degradation on some of these 40K and 50K mile examples I've seen. So while a garage queen will most likely require some immediate mechanical maintenance (belts, hoses, etc.). Go price a new paint job...or a new interior (forget the redye)...or wheels that are scratched and dinged. Theoretically, a garage queen will be the best you can get in these respects. Plus, it may have been serviced regularly by previous garage queen owners.

Just something to consider.

 

I tend to agree with the folks who are saying "it depends." It really depends on the care and maintenance of the two cars, their relative condition, and how they have been serviced. If one has had a recent major service, including all belts, hoses, waterpump, etc., and the other not, that's a significant factor. If they both have been serviced and had belts done, and if they are both essentially comparable in terms of appearance, wear, paint condition, interior condition, running, tires, etc., why spend $20K extra? On the other hand, if you are looking for a "trailer queen" and don't intend to drive it, and want it as a collectible, obviously the lower mileage car has an edge. If you are going to drive it, as pointed out, that difference will soon fade away.

Without looking very closely at both cars and examining their records and service history, it is hard to anyone on here to truly give an evaluation. The bottom line is, it depends on a lot of factors.

p.s. I agree with the comments about looking south of the border. There are some good cars that come up down here, a lot at relatively reasonable prices. As long as you can get it into Canada, which should be doable if the car meets US standards, it might be worth checking some out down here as well.

 

I owned 3 328s. One had 33K on it, the other 2 each had 7K. All three were really good cars. The "garage queen" syndrome is greatly exaggerated. I never had any problems due to inactivity. On the face of it, the price difference seems pretty big, all factors being equal. However, we all know factors are never equal.

Dave

 

Yes steep, but not unattainable. I was offered a bit over that for my low mileage 328, by a private collector (granted my interior is an unusual color combination). In addition, at an Italian car show this past weekend I was handed a business card by an owner of a 458 Italia Spyder stating to call him if I ever want to sell it, as he wants a low mileage 328 and he liked my interior. Sure the bulk of 328s aren't selling for those prices, but top quality cars often change hands privately and prices are not announced.

To the original poster. Are you going to drive the hell out of it, and are you looking for a driver. Or a car to drive and show occasionally. If you are going to drive the hell out of it, are not as concerned with cosmetics and you might track the car, a buy the higher mileage car and save some money. If you want to drive it occasionally and show it, consider the low mileage car. Also, as long as the low mileage car has been recently serviced and has been driven in recent years it may be fine and need nothing. People love to say...well that only averages out to 100 miles a year or whatever...so what. If it has been serviced and used at least a little bit each year it may be fine.

I have a low mileage 328. Its been in my family since new. I got it about 7 years ago when it had 1,358 miles on it. It sat in storage for 10 years (due to illness of original owner). I spent about $12,000 for a major (with belts & bearings), plus replacing all hoses, tires, shift shaft seals, battery, and a few miscellaneous items. That was because the car sat un-driven for 10 years. Everything other than that during the last 7 years has been routine, and not any different than other 328 owners experience regarding service. I have about 4,900 miles on it, I drive it on weekends, and show it. Its been tremendous fun, its cosmetically pretty close to flawless, and its fun to enter in shows. Remember if buying a car that has higher mileage and more wear and tear that can be pricey of you aren't satisfied with its cosmetics and you want to redo the interior or it needs a repaint. Some guys may get in 10,000 -15,000 miles between major services, I don't. But I don't have the time to and don't care. I enjoy my car when I can, and over time whether a car gets driven more miles or less you will have to service it no matter what.

Just wanted to jump in because lots of people that own higher mileage cars always say garage queens have higher associated maintenance, which is not necessarily true. I've known a few other low mileage 328 owners and they have not had any problems either...just routine stuff.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

That's not a problem. Any car over 15 years old can be brought in without issue. I think it is 25 years going the other way (Can ---> US).

 

I had a look at the dealer car on the web and I am wondering if what they are stating for mileage is correct.

They say its 9149 kilometers but if you look at the close-up of the speedometer its marked predominately in MPH not KPH so I think its actually 9149 miles which would be 14,645 kilometers. I'm guessing this is originally an American car.

If you look at the close-up of the speedometer on the other 328 they have for sale you can see it is predominately marked in KPH, which is how Canadian cars came.

 

.

 

1800s is on my list of cars I'd like to have in my garage someday - its a great looking car

 

JMO, but I was concerned with the mechanical condition of my car over all other factors. Mileage was my last concern. I wanted a mechanically sound car and one in nice (but not perfect) cosmetic shape as I planned to use the thing. If I could have gotten a low mileage, perfect car for the same price, obviously I would have bought it but no way was I willing to pay extra for something I was going to 'ruin' in short order. I've put around 7000 miles in 2 years on my car and have added a few scrapes to the front bumper, a few rock chips and some small wear to the interior. If I had bought a low mileage car in perfect shape, I'd have lost an extra $10k minimum due to mileage and wear and tear.

 

So what you are saying is that you've never bought a new car in your life. If you have then this statements seems counter to that.

There's a reason people choose to pay for a brand new car rather than used. Just like there is a reason people pay for a low mileage Ferrari rather than a "driver"...even if they intend to drive the crap out of it.

 

I'm sorry, but I can't hold back.

So you have been wasting your "driving" life for almost 30 years? Geeez....I've bought, drove, sold over a dozen different sports cars in that time; many that are on your list. You are running out of time to enjoy the cars you apparently like but have never owned. I know this might sound cruel/nasty but what's the problem? You have asked over and over on this forum (and others I'm sure) about which car is better, this one or that one. Do you actually want to buy one at some point (I do know people that like to window shop, without the intention of ever buying......but they think they are going to buy someday). If you can't afford it that's one thing (and not my business). But if you can afford it, what's the worst that can happen? You buy it, drive it, sell it, and move on to another one. That's what I always do. Maybe now that I have the 328 I'll stick with it a while. I just don't understand why you would spend so much time that you could have been using to enjoy the cars you apparenly like. Maybe that is my problem, not yours.

Rant over,

Rick

 

I'm with the "it depends" camp, I'm one of the suckers who bought a garage queen as a project and couldn't be happier, but that's me and not you or anyone else. Neither one of them have a really big number of miles, but honestly I wouldn't even consider that. Check them out mechanically with a fine toothed comb, see what major items they're going to need. If anything needs to be done, use that as bargaining leverage. If "too much" needs to be done, move on.

 

+1

 

I think most people strive for the best mechanical car they can get regardless of whether they want a show car or a driver. Most people want up to date maintenance records, and a file folder showing how the car has been maintained over the years.

Since people are discussing low mileage vs. average mileage cars, it should be noted that there are also average and high mileage cars that are bought and owned by people won't spend what it takes to properly maintain an Fcar and so there are also plenty of deferred maintenance cars out there. Mileage doesn't necessarily mean a car is in great mechanical condition.

Some of us are just tougher on cars than others. As long as you know that you are not the type to baby a car, than you made the right choice for yourself.

 

Mine used to belong to an Uncle who bought it used in about 1973 (it was a 1970 1800E). It was the first car I ever saw with a phone in it and this was in probably 1976 or 77. I got it in Aug of 87. I eventually gave it back to him on the exact day 10 years later I got it. Total chance it was the exact same day.

Not sure what he did with it after that. I liked it.