Nervous about high mileage - am I just being paranoid?

So I've been on the hunt for a new used car and the legacy GT seems to hit the spot perfectly (AWD + turbo = !!!).

 

I've been trying to find lower mileage ones but there's always something about them that turns me off or raises a red flag. However, I found a 2008 MY that has over 140K miles but it is a single owner and it has all maintenance records from a local Subaru dealership from when it was brand new. And these records shows that the car was taken in for maintenance every 1-3 months. Belts, hoses, etc. were all changed and all service/maintenance is current. Pretty incredible.

 

It does have some mods with quality parts and a tune from one of the best shops in the area but it is still on the original turbo. These mods are actually what I would probably end up doing to the car anyways so it's nice to have it already.

 

I'm going to see it this weekend, any tips/things to look out for? Should I avoid it altogether given the mileage? He wants a little more than I would like to pay for it but given the TLC it seems to have been given, seems worth it. A part of me says 140K is a crap-ton of miles but the other part says miles is just a number, it really matters how it was treated and maintained. Given my current car was bought at 25K miles and had its share of hiccups (which seems to be due to lack of care from the previous owner) has me leaning more toward the latter. Any input would be much appreciated for this Legacy newbie!

Some mods? Mods are don't by drivers who baby their cars. At least I've never known ANYONE whose added so little as a K+N filter that wasn't heavy footed. Not to say the car hasn't been well cared for, but 140k miles on a modified turbo car makes me nervous. This coming from a DSM guy back in the day.

You should be terrified of a high mileage gt. Most are up for sale because owners are warned to dump them before the motor/turbo/ringlands explode like a grenade without a pin. The stories from a few fanatical members of making it 200k miles without pieces of engine block and pistons littering every mile of highway behind them are exceptions of the norm. In fact you should consider upon purchase to save yourself the inevitable headache of it all and swap in a buick v6 like frankster did. But im sure which ever car you buy will be just super reliable because thats what you really want to hear.

OTOH, my bug-eye WRX was still strong at 130K when it died in a crash and the '10 LGT has 123K with no issues.

Some mods? Mods are don't by drivers who baby their cars. At least I've never known ANYONE whose added so little as a K+N filter that wasn't heavy footed. Not to say the car hasn't been well cared for, but 140k miles on a modified turbo car makes me nervous. This coming from a DSM guy back in the day.

 

I wouldn't make a statement like that. There are a lot people who may do a few minor things like intake and exhaust for sound or slightly improved power but that doesn't mean they drive any harder than someone who leaves the car stock.

I wouldn't make a statement like that. There are a lot people who may do a few minor things like intake and exhaust for sound or slightly improved power but that doesn't mean they drive any harder than someone who leaves the car stock.

 

I respectfully disagree. Can't "hear" an intake unless you're into the throttle. Of you like the sound of the throttle open you will have it open more often. Two vehicles identical miles, one with light mods and one without. I buy the non mod EVERY time. Sorry, it's just the truth.

Everyone's entitled to their opinion and I understand the idea behind what you are saying. All I'm saying is that modding does absolutely NOT equate to abuse. There is probably a higher percentage of people who drive hard, but it isn't a certainty. There are just as many people who abuse or drive their cars hard that don't mod them. People who are careless about simple routine maintenance on a vehicle could do it more damage than someone who put on an intake, exhaust, and was meticulous about necessary care and upkeep.

 

Remember, mods can also be removed by those who did drive their car hard and don't want people to see anything but a stock vehicle.

Thanks for the help all. I've modded my cars but haven't driven any of them hard. I might open the car up once in a while but would do the same if it was stock. I see drivers in LA driving their cars hard and like idiots and a lot of the time they're stock family sedans.

 

Hence why maintenance history, compression test, inspection, and condition of the vehicle are what I'm really looking out for. Checking the car out tomorrow, will report back!

Do you mean wheels, stickers, and shift knobs? Perhaps the DSM crowd was about speed and not sound or appearance.

 

Ps I generally buy new because sellers are liars.

And we all know new cars don't have problems...I am with the OP check out everything you can meticulous maintenance records are a definite plus. In this case I would definitely get a subaru mechanic preferably one that works on modifying them to come take a look and perform a leakdown and maybe a visual inspection with a mechanics camera inside the cylinders. A few hundred dollars now could save a headache in the long run. There are plenty of high mileage turbo subies around, just so happens most of them are probably wrx's and sti's. LGT's are not that numerous to begin with, so finding one at all takes some work, I have yet to see one around my area.

 

Laserrs, how many times have you seen a thread titled "going back to stock" in the for sale section? You can't tell a car has been modded unless it still is or you have the equipment to check the ecu for tuning or reflashing. I would trust the owner who leaves the mods and willingly talks about them over the one that clamors to get the stock parts back in before selling.

Ever seen paint on bolts? Ever seen paint on bolts with paint missing from the edges? There's many tell ale signs of asshatery when looking. That is if your looking.

 

Now is aLegacy the same class of driver as a wrx/sti? No.

 

While anything new can have problems, older a car gets it WILL have problems. All that rubber on a car gets old. Hoses, belts, seals, axle boots, tie rod and ball joints, diffs, water pump, are the seats toast, and on and on. I'm not saying that a used car isn't a good idea. Just that...

 

Forget it. Buy the car. That's wha you want to hear. Buy it. Have fun. Hopefully it's fairly tale ending.

I have 134k on my '05 and AFAIK it's the original turbo. It's still in good shape and the banjo filter was fine when I did my timing belt.

 

If it's been properly maintained the whole time, I don't see why you'd have problems right off the bat.

 

I would, however, caution you on the reality of this purchase. You will want to have $5-6k in emergency funds available to cover the cost of a new engine or other issues that may come up if this is going to be your standard mode of transportation.

 

You will likely want to have about $1k to spend toward suspension upgrades. At 140k, the stock struts and many bushings are likely on their way out.

 

If you don't have that kind of cash or can't make it in a few months, you may want to reconsider your options. If you want to have fun, then by all means, buy it and look at it as a hobby expense - there's no reason to not do this.

 

If you want an inexpensive car, buy an inexpensive car. Add at least $3k to the purchase price of this car, as that is likely what you will expense in funds once you start modifying it.

Said much better than I was communicating.

Thanks all, saw the car today and it's in pretty darn good shape. No signs of accidents, paint was in fantastic shape, no tears or anything on the seats, and the owner knew everything on the car. My main concern is head gasket replacement but I do have a rainy day fund planned which would cover a rebuild if needed down the line. Still cheaper than what I've sunk into my Infinti over the past 2 years.

 

It's going to a Subaru dealership for a full inspection and then I plan to take it to a local Suabru specialized shop for another inspection and compression test. All I have to say is that it drove better than my current car which only has 55K on the clock. Granted I would have loved it if it had under 100K miles but the maintenance and care for this car definitely shows.

That's interesting. I trading in my 08 G35x w/132k miles. It has been the most reliable car I've ever owned. Brakes, filters, oil, tires, oh and I had transmission flushed once at 70k. I'm actually dragging my feet to finalize my '15 3.6r purchase as I love this car so much. What Infiniti do you have and what problems have you encountered?

That's interesting. I trading in my 08 G35x w/132k miles. It has been the most reliable car I've ever owned. Brakes, filters, oil, tires, oh and I had transmission flushed once at 70k. I'm actually dragging my feet to finalize my '15 3.6r purchase as I love this car so much. What Infiniti do you have and what problems have you encountered?

 

That thing will easily hit 200k and keep going. The VQ35 is a very good engine. I wouldn't doubt 300k is a possibility.

Yes and IMHO the vq35hr is an amazing engine. I actually prefer it over the 3.7 and 7speed combo. I need a slightly larger back seat, no joke the extra 2" of hip room is necessary.

I have a 2008 G37S. So far I've had to replace the clutch, slave cylinder, master cylinder, and replace the head gasket. Had a spark plug crack (no idea how) and I might also have to replace the rack and pinion. And it only has 55K miles on it with no track time or hard driving (at least under my ownership) .

Sounds like you got a bad one.

 

Spark plugs can crack if they are dropped while in the box. I know from experience.