I'm looking at two '02 tts. Just for conversation lets say they are very similar except for the mileage. One has 10k and one has 40k. Is there any rule of thumb you use to figure out how the extra miles affect the cost. I'm leaning towards spending a little more for the car with less miles. Thanks.

 

If you're talking 5K difference, I'd buy the cheaper car, pending full maintenance history of both and both being maintained well. I was in a similar boat when I bought my 2001 TT with 9100 miles on it.
Mike

 

go with the lowest miles possible...

don't you want that new car feel? you will definitely appreciate the car more.

i have a 2003 Turbo with 14,000 miles. (available)

what's the price difference on the two cars?

 

difference is almost 8k. Definitely leaning towards the lower mileage car. Also, the car with less miles is local. Thanks for the input. This would be my first pcar.

 

I often swim against the tide, so I'll throw in my thoughts here.

I have always been concerned about cars with too little miles on the odo. While this means less wear and tear on all components of the car, it also means the car has sat unused for a long, long time. There are quite a few issues with cars that sit too long - the most obvious being flat-spotted tires, possible issues with wheel bearings, dried out seals, etc.

So low miles alone is not the best measure - unless it is a farily new car.

If I am wrong, I'd sure like to learn why from those with more knowledge than I on this subject.

 

40k sounds fine ...

the more important thing is maintenance record

 

$8k sounds like a reasonable price difference.

40k miles is not that many, but you may want to think about how much you are going to drive the car and how long you are going to keep it.

The values seem to decrease more significantly as the mileage exceeds 70k.

If you were trying to sell the car 3-5 years down the road and drove it 40k miles over that time period, I think you would be in much better shape trying to sell a 50k mile example rather than an 80k mile example.

 

2003tt - Thats interesting about the seals. A P-dealer (who does not have either car) that I was talking to had the same comment. He thought it was better to get a car with 7-8k miles per year on it. But aren't seals/gaskets relatively easy to replace? How do you know if wheel bearings are bad/problematic? I drove the car (with less miles) and it felt great to me (although I am total p-car novice). Really appreciate all the input. -Howard

 

I had 2 independent mechanics inspect in and both concurred the car needs nothing. I have had it now for 3 months, put 2k miles and love it. I probably saved 5-7k by going with this car vs one with average mileage. If I was you I would go with the 40k car and use the $ for a set of wheels + flash upgrade.

 

I'd neg. further on the one with higher miles and try to get the spread higher.

But like these guys said, 40K is still fine and perhaps preferred in some regard.

 

I have bought several very low mileage cars in the past and never had any problems with them related to leaks, etc. My most recent was an '04 TT Cab with 275 miles that I bought last fall.

I would not worry too much about the low mileage one, but you would be smart to change out all the fluids - oil, brake fluid, etc so that you know the condition of everything.

 

Nice to hear that some have purchased a low miles car without probs.

Badger's post seems right on to me. While 40k might not be that high right

now, if I keep her three years and put 20k on, then it will be easier to sell the

car with 30k over the one with 60k. Also, the lower mi. car has a couple of

mods It has a Gemballa exhaust, and a GT2 wing, and maybe something

with the front bumper. Would the Gemballa exhaust increase the hp any?

 

that makes a huge difference - the exhaust plus the wing is already more than 5k. so it's a no brainer

 

my car had 38745 miles when i picked it up
the paint was 9.9/10 and the interior was SPOTLESS
it all depends on how the owner took care of it...

 

More important than the mileage, when we talk 45,000 and below is, has the car been really cared for, so when look at it if they told you it had 8,000 miles on it. Or if it looks like 80,000 than that a different story, also you can track all service that was done at a porsche dealer, also who other than the dealer worked on it. As I said the service records are all important. Has all the updates been done, etc.