Here are a couple of questions for you…..
What’s the highest mileage car you’ve ever bought?
And would you take a high-mile classic car over a garage queen? At what price?
I check a lot of different vehicles online and I was struck by this one earlier today. It’s a Porsche 928 GT from 1990.
Is the 928 a classic?
….. I hear you ask.
Well, it depends on your opinion of the 928, but it’s definitely old enough to be considered as a young classic. Bear in mind that it’s nearly 40 years since the 928 was first shown at Geneva Motor Show in 1977 and it went on sale later the same year.
This 928GT is for sale for the princely sum of A$35,000 and you’re probably thinking that’s a very optimistic price. BUT….. a good 928S from the mid-80’s can sell for up to $20K here, a good 928S4 can sell for up to $30K so it’s not totally unreasonable to see a 928GT going for $35,000.
This particular 928GT, however, has over 400,000kms on it. So while the GT is a higher spec model and $35K isn’t beyond the realms of possibility, you’d normally expect to see half that number of kilometers on it.
But that brings me back to the question – would you take a high mileage classic car over a garage queen?
In the 928’s case, I would. The 928’s V8 is almost military grade in terms of build quality. You don’t have to search far on the 928 forums to find examples with significantly more than 500,000kms with no signs of ageing when their engines have been opened up. If the maintenance has been done on time, there should be no problems with a car like this.
On the other hand, a garage queen that gets driven once every three months (if you count “driven” to mean driving on to a trailer to get towed to a car show) is more likely to give you all sorts of issues due to seals and gaskets being dried up.
I guess it all comes down to whether you like to drive your interesting car, or have it pristine for people to appreciate. Neither option is right or wrong. They’re just options.
What’s the highest mileage car you’ve ever bought?
And would you take a high-mile classic car over a garage queen? At what price?