Scott Tilton writes:
> Are there any slueths out there that might have some ideas to help figue out
> if some of these old TR's have 30 or 130 thousand miles. I'm thinking of
> checking something like suspension or something. 30K wouldn't wear it out,
> but 130K definitely would.
About the only way to be certain of the mileage on the car is to have
a complete set of repair records, with dates and mileages for the
vehicle, and hope that nobody tried to falsify anything.
In general, in my humble opinion, for the purposes of a buyer
determining what any TR is worth, the mileage on the car is
practically irrelevant, assuming the buyer intends to *drive* the car!
The health of any TR, owing to the fact that it is at least 15 years
old by now, is more a matter of how the car was cared for, rather than
how many miles it has on it. Many components on the car will
deteriorate just as much, if not more, by sitting in one place,
unused, than they will through regular driving.
In my examination of dozens of TRs for sale over the past couple of
years, I have found little correlation between the number of miles on
a car, and the health of the car. I don't even bother to ask the
mileage on cars for sale any more. However, if the mileage is high,
and I want to make an offer on the car, I'll be sure to point out the
high mileage to the seller! :-)
A documented 30K mile car, that has had the oil changed two times, in
which the suspension was never lubricated, and that was parked outside
with a leaky top 8 years ago, will not be in anywhere near as nice
shape as a 145K mile car that has had the oil changed every 3K miles,
with the valves adjusted every year, with the suspension lubricated
annually, with only two owners, and with dozens of things replaced
over time, as they wore out. These two examples are not fictional,
but describe cars that I have seen for sale.
My personal preference is to evaluate the car mechanically,
structurally, and cosmetically, and don't worry about how many miles
are on the odometer. Really checking things over is a *much* more
accurate way of seeing what kind of shape a car is in than determining
its real mileage. This is particularly important with a car such as a
TR, where a significant amount of regular maintenance is required --
if this maintenance has not been performed regularly, a TR drivetrain
is rapidly made into useless lumps of metal.
Now, if on the other hand, you already *own* this car, and are trying
to figure out how many miles it has on it, for curiosities sake, there
are lots of things you can examine for wear. Many of these have been
suggested already. I, for one, would like to know just how many
miles my TR6 has covered! Actually, I'd hope for as big a number as
possible!
--ken
Kenneth B. Streeter | EMAIL: streeter@sanders.com
Lockheed Sanders, PTP2-A001 | WWW: http://rassp.sanders.com/streeter/
65 River Road | Voice: (603) 885-9604
Hudson, NH 03051 | Fax: (603) 885-0631
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