What mileage commands a "time-warp" premium?

Well I was going to vote (what a hole) but you've been taking a bashing so far so I thought I would be nice

If and I mean if you were to ask premium $$$$ miles should be extremely low with little to no wear. But then this raises questions to possible major problems due to little or no use.

 

Depends on year, model, production numbers. There are a lot of variables to consider here.

I think you will find most will shy away from a car that has barely been driven, especially one from the 80s. Proper maintenance and periodic interior/exterior detailing are more important IMO.

 

I prefer the driven and well maintained/documented option better.

 

As I've understood it, "time warp" status is a symptom of originality, rather than of miles. I know of a '65 Corvette with over 200,000 miles on it that is stone stock original. It still has all of the documentation, doodads a geegaws that came with it on delivery day, all of it original to the car. I believe even the original tires are with it, though not mounted on the car currently.

Conversely, you could have say, a 1982 Lamborghini Countach, with 800 miles, but it sat for decades and before coming to market had to be gone through getting gaskets, seals and weather stripping replaced, new tires, and a full respray. That doesn't say "time warp" to me, regardless of the miles.

At the end of the day "time warp" is a marketing phrase, and since marketing phrases come out of the mouths of dealers, auctioneers and private sellers, they shouldn't be given too much weight.

 

Yes....for fun I count the number of times I hear "opportunity" at Barrett-Jackson....preceded of course by "rare, unique, fantastic" or other buzz words.

 

The curse of the low mileage car! What do you do with it- drive it and waste the premium you paid or let it sit and deteriorate?

 

I wander if all the guys/gals voted the last option, would seriously choose a hard driven car instead of a well cared garage queen (considering not a huge price difference), when its time to shop, really..

Maybe not a 80s model at less than 1500ish miles but i would definitely look for one less than 2k miles if its 05+ model, but paying premium for that, no, not in this economy..

 

I think the term "TIME WARP" changes with age of the item being considered (to a point).


If all we are talking is how to measure "Time Warp" and NOTHING Else:

I would say take the ODO reading and divide by the number of years since manufacture.

If that number is under 750, I think we have a winner.


ODO Reading: 22000
Build Date: Nov '80
Today: Sep '10

Age: 29.8 years


22000 / 29.8 = 738.25503355704697986577181208054.



Now if the interior condition looks like it is in the same condition as a built today 22,000 mile car or better,

I think we'd have a "winner."



My 2-Cents Euro

 

Agree on the first point, but those barely driven cars are worth the most, so apparently well-heeled collectors aren't all that bashful when it comes to "time warp" cars.

I concur. There's no one hard number the applies across the board.

But the condition of the unrestored parts is more interesting, IMHO. A time warp car should be a kind of reference for how things were when it left the factory. What kind of spare tire hold-down was used? What does a full set of original keys look like? What kind of valve stem caps were used? What was the factory dye color on the leather? Etc.