Would you or wouldn't you?

Can you afford the upkeep of the car? Do you turn wrenches yousrself?

 

I would. A high milage car with a good PPI may not win you any trophies but it will still bring you joy and put a smile on your face everytime you drive it.

 

No, prob not. I can buy whatever I want, but opted for a "project" and I would have come out better buying a "perfect" car i think. I bought it because I like to bring them back to life.

In almost any case, I think if you cant afford a perfect car, you sure cant afford a "project" or less desireable car. I think those cost more than the Perfect 10's in the long run.

 

of course i would. in my search for a testarossa, i am definitely open to buying a higher mileage example. as long as it has service history to show that it has been maintained properly over the years, i would not hestitate to buy a high mileage ferrari. those cars probably run very smoothly and i wouldn't have to worry about depreciation. just know that parts wear out with mileage, so look at the service history to see what you may have to replace in the coming year or two.

damaged cars, i don't know. it depends on what type of damage and who fixed it. probably not what i would like to buy, since i want a nice, no stories car as a keeper. but that doesn't mean a damaged car couldn't be a good deal for someone.

john

 

Nicely put!

 

Well, I own a high milage car. Wasn't that way when I purchased it. And ya know what, It is just as fun with 33k on it as it was with 2k.One day I'd like to have 100k on it. Don't let the miles scare you off. A solid car is a solid car. Just have a PPI done , and that goes for any car, regardless of milage. BTW, I don't have time for concourse events, they are for old men, I drive my car thank you.



Darrell.

 

No.

If you can't afford to buy a nice one, you can't afford to maintain largely used-up one. And a major service on a cheap, sale-proof 80,000 mile Testarossa, for example, costs the same as a major service on an excellent 25,000-mile Testarossa.

As far as damaged: I wouldn't buy a salvage title car. I have been in one moderate speed accident, in a Fiat X1/9, and you need the car to be all there for you, otherwise you're toast. Ask me about it. Or ask Dietrich.

If a car was bumped in a parking lot, not a problem. I've yet to see a presentable older Ferrari without any paintwork.

 

IMHO, "high mile" may mean different things to a Ferrari buyer. I am getting real close to a deal on a 1987 Testarossa with about 51,000 (I may be able to post more within 24 hours or so), and most everybody says this is "high mileage". If it were an 87 Corvette, this would be pretty "low miles" - it is 20 years old, so that is only around 2500 miles per year.

I would probably feel safer with a clean 51,000K car (provided the second PPI is perfect) than with something damaged by accident or flood - wouldn't you?

And, it really is very good on cosmetics - I feel more able to fix a few mechanical issues than a whole interior, stripping and painting, fixing underbody damage, etc...

James

 

Higher mileage probably means you are closer to major work (on any car). Previous damage of any extent will affect future resale (just like it does now when you buy it) If you want a project to work on these both can be satisfying (most of my cars have been projects, it's what I do). If you can't fix it yourself your costs could be higher.

Salvage title is a little scary because resale can be problematic and I've heard that insurance can sometimes be a challenge.

 

If you plan to put 30,000 miles on a car, better to start at 20,000 than 60,000, IMO.

At the opposite extreme, a car with 2000 miles on it seems to bring a stupid premium if you intend to drive it. Depending on the model, there is a "sweet spot" where you're not paying a premium for a car-in-a-bubble.

Right now, for Testarossas and 328s, I'd say 15K-25K miles is that sweet spot. For 308s it's probably more like 25K-35K. All these numbers are arguable, but I'd say cars in the sweet spot are the best value in terms of depreciation (usually done), engine life (majority of it left) and driveability (have actually been started and run enough that you're not likely to be paying to turn it into a motor vehicle rather than a sculpture...)

What he said. Engines are engines. They wear out. Ferrari engines are among the most expensive to rebuild.

From the pricing I've seen, it's best to pay another $5K (or whatever it is) and buy a car with more remaining life in it.

Now, if I were offered a 50,000 mile TR, PPI passed, compression/leakdown good, service history, etc., at a great price, I could see buying it, driving it a bit, and then selling that hot potato before got to the 'red zone' - anything remotely approaching 100K miles - when it becomes a parts car to the market.

 

Hi,
If you have a place to put it and you are a do it yourselfer
then go for it. Otherwise, wait for a car that you want.
Paul

 

Amen, i just wanted to be sure you could afford and/or had the skill to maintain the financial beast.

Sure, if the chassis is straight, all bits are sorted and things PPI well... go for it!

 

within reason - medium-miles are fine, even high miles if you know the car or someone you know knows the car and history.

I was willing to settle for a great carb 308 if I couldn't find what I really wanted. So to answer your question "it depends" on my comfort level with the car in question. I run from anything with a question mark anywhere near it.

I'll test out the high-miles = parts prices, in about 50 years when my 348 is pried from my gnarled fingers with 300,000 miles.