How Important is High or Low Mileage on a ZR1?

[Erik]

Hi Gents.
As I’m doing my ZR-1 shopping, I’ve seen cars with mileages everywhere. Of course the ones with a few hundred miles, a few thousand, tens of thousands and some close to 100k.

So while I understand that condition and service history are the most important considerations, how worried are you guys about whether a car has high or low mileage.

Further, how high does mileage have to be to be considered high in the ZR-1 world?

Thanks!

[Z51JEFF]

When I was in the market I wanted a low mileage car but most seem to want a car that’s got some miles on it.

[Erik]

When I was in the market I wanted a low mileage car but most seem to want a car that’s got some miles on it.

Thanks, Jeff.
How do you define a low mileage car, as compared to one with some miles on it?

[efnfast]

I just turned 100K with no worries. Oh, and buy one that already has 500 hp. I bought my car stock with 35K on it for 20 grand. Invested another 20 grand, now 530 hp. Know what it's worth? 20 grand.

[32valvZ]

THEEE most important thing you should consider when buying a ZR-1 or any car really, is maintenance records and proof there of.... (ie receipts & or maintenance logs).

Dealers will usually not be able to provide these things, or very little information in regards to maintenance simply because it doesn't really matter to them, the idea is to make the sale & pay their bills. (this is not to say ALL dealers, there are specialty dealers that are more enthusiasts than salesmen, but only a few)

I purchased both of my ZR-1s from fellow forum members and both were enthusiasts. Both were out of state purchased and based on pictures and phone calls. I can say with that, I received exactly what was described. No surprises, no tricks or hidden bull crap....

Included were original parts removed, tools, memorabilia and stacks of receipts. In both cases for my 92 & my current 90, I feel like I actually received more than I paid for.

You see that I haven't spoken about miles yet. The LT-5 engine was hand assembled with some very close tolerances. Much care was put into the assembly of each engine by the folks at Mercruiser in Stillwater OK.

Major engine failures are few and far between... in fact, I really have not seen more than 1 and that was a member who had a head gasket failure on a heavily raced engine. I think it was Ron Kreig if memory serves.

The bottom line is miles on an LT-5 really dont matter especially when you can buy from a forum member and enthusiast. The enthusiast will be delighted to give you all the paper work and sit and talk with you about all that has been done to the car.

The bonus part of buying from an enthusiast is in addition to the maintenance records, you will probably have a car that has had some if not all of the normal ZR-1 issues addressed and some modifications to help with the smile factor when you drive it.

If I were in your shoes, the car I would most consider would be the blue one that FU has for sale. I am not friends with the guy and I only know him through the many years of being on this and the other forum. That said, I would give him a call and see what he has to say.

This is only one guys perspective and experiences.... Good Luck in your search and with whatever car you choose.

:cheers:

[dredgeguy]

I have 98,600 miles on mine and would not think twice about driving cross country with it. As stated by 32valvZ, get a car from a forum member that can show you the history and background for the car. Go with the color you want and condition. I would not be concerned about mileage, the LT5 is bullet proof.

[We Gone]

I would look for a car that has been driven on average 200-1000 miles a year.

[Carnutdallas]

I have said car for sale. 24k miles 1990. Lots of Docs. Full Pizza Box. Red/Blk. Pretty Much NCRS top flight accept for tires. Happy Hunting.


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[Erik]

I have said car for sale. 24k miles 1990. Lots of Docs. Full Pizza Box. Red/Blk. Pretty Much NCRS top flight accept for tires. Happy Hunting.


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Which car is that? :)

[Erik]

I have 98,600 miles on mine and would not think twice about driving cross country with it. As stated by 32valvZ, get a car from a forum member that can show you the history and background for the car. Go with the color you want and condition. I would not be concerned about mileage, the LT5 is bullet proof.

Good info. Thanks!

[Erik]

THEEE most important thing you should consider when buying a ZR-1 or any car really, is maintenance records and proof there of.... (ie receipts & or maintenance logs).

Dealers will usually not be able to provide these things, or very little information in regards to maintenance simply because it doesn't really matter to them, the idea is to make the sale & pay their bills. (this is not to say ALL dealers, there are specialty dealers that are more enthusiasts than salesmen, but only a few)

I purchased both of my ZR-1s from fellow forum members and both were enthusiasts. Both were out of state purchased and based on pictures and phone calls. I can say with that, I received exactly what was described. No surprises, no tricks or hidden bull crap....

Included were original parts removed, tools, memorabilia and stacks of receipts. In both cases for my 92 & my current 90, I feel like I actually received more than I paid for.

You see that I haven't spoken about miles yet. The LT-5 engine was hand assembled with some very close tolerances. Much care was put into the assembly of each engine by the folks at Mercruiser in Stillwater OK.

Major engine failures are few and far between... in fact, I really have not seen more than 1 and that was a member who had a head gasket failure on a heavily raced engine. I think it was Ron Kreig if memory serves.

The bottom line is miles on an LT-5 really dont matter especially when you can buy from a forum member and enthusiast. The enthusiast will be delighted to give you all the paper work and sit and talk with you about all that has been done to the car.

The bonus part of buying from an enthusiast is in addition to the maintenance records, you will probably have a car that has had some if not all of the normal ZR-1 issues addressed and some modifications to help with the smile factor when you drive it.

If I were in your shoes, the car I would most consider would be the blue one that FU has for sale. I am not friends with the guy and I only know him through the many years of being on this and the other forum. That said, I would give him a call and see what he has to say.

This is only one guys perspective and experiences.... Good Luck in your search and with whatever car you choose.

:cheers:

Great info. Thanks!

The one thing I’ve realized in my years in the auto hobby, is that you “buy” the owner as much as the car. You really want to know who you are dealing with. What their interest and level of concern is for the car. Do they “get it”. Do they love it as much as I will.

Btw, I have reached out to him for more info on the car. Hadn’t heard much back yet.

[Erik]

I just turned 100K with no worries. Oh, and buy one that already has 500 hp. I bought my car stock with 35K on it for 20 grand. Invested another 20 grand, now 530 hp. Know what it's worth? 20 grand.

I’ve actually been avoiding modded cars. Just because it’s hard to know what’s been done or who did it or how well it’s been done. Plus, bad experiences with too many home mechanics in the past. And the worry that the beautiful 30,000 mile ZR-1 I might be looking at, put those 30,000 miles on a 1/4 mile at a time. :)

[WARP TEN]

I just turned 100K with no worries. Oh, and buy one that already has 500 hp. I bought my car stock with 35K on it for 20 grand. Invested another 20 grand, now 530 hp. Know what it's worth? 20 grand.

Boy does THAT sound familiar...Good advice! --Bob

[WARP TEN]

I’ve actually been avoiding modded cars. Just because it’s hard to know what’s been done or who did it or how well it’s been done. Plus, bad experiences with too many home mechanics in the past. And the worry that the beautiful 30,000 mile ZR-1 I might be looking at, put those 30,000 miles on a 1/4 mile at a time. :)

If you have one done by Marc Haibeck, Corey Henderson, Pete in Chicago, or several other well known ZR-1 guys, you will have an assurance that when it was done it was done on a first class basis. All you really need to do is get comfortable that the owner has kept the car up. Usually if a car was done by one of these guys they will talk to you about the car and help with any issues.--Bob

[Carnutdallas]

@Erik: I sent a private message if you wanted more info and to talk. Left a phone number as well. Was not a for sale thread and I have not listed on this site. I have been a life long car guy. Many, many Vettes. Nothing like a 32valve LT5. Be glad to talk. -Rob


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[EvanZR1]

I just turned 100K with no worries. Oh, and buy one that already has 500 hp. I bought my car stock with 35K on it for 20 grand. Invested another 20 grand, now 530 hp. Know what it's worth? 20 grand.

Plenty of us in that boat, and if you're only at $35K into it, you've got a long way to go to catch up! :p

I have a little over 105K miles on mine, and wouldn't hesitate to drive it anywhere or put it up against a low mileage car for condition. Of course, mines been fully repainted, had the interior swapped for one from a low mileage donor car, suspension fully gone through, 600HP engine built by Pete and plenty of hours from Steve at Crossed Flags fixing every remaining issue on the car. I don't really want to think about how much has been spent on it between the previous owner and myself. :jawdrop: I'd much rather have it with the mileage than a low mileage car that's been neglected just sitting in a garage and never getting driven and exercised properly.

As these cars age, even if they sit inside a garage under a cover, many things will age, degrade and potentially fail. If you don't drive and exercise the car properly, you may not find the things that have failed or are about to fail. By exercising it properly BTW, I mean taking it to 7,000rpm every time you drive it. ;) I think Marc Haibeck has made similar statements in the past that these cars really need to be drivento keep in good condition. I'm not saying abuse it, but people that let it sit in a garage under a cover and only take it out for 15-20 minute cruise to a car show once a month without ever revving it over 3K are won't even know if the secondaries are working properly (had this experience with the first ZR-1 I bought years ago). If you don't really drive the car, you'll never identify things that need to be addressed, which can lead to a car that looks great and the owner thinks is perfect, but is really a basket case needing a lot of maintenance.

The biggest pieces of advice I can give from having done this twice now:

Buy the car you want. If you want a specific color, mods, etc, don't settle. If you do settle, you'll just end up selling it, modding it, etc later.
If you want a modded car, get one that's already modded (it's way cheaper that way). And don't be afraid of a modded car, because they were so rare, most shops that would work on them knew what they were doing.
Buy the best car you can find. By this I mean buy a car that's truly sorted and perfect. There's nothing worse that thinking you're buying a perfect car, and then having the radio/speakers not work, AC not work, overheating, secondaries not function, etc. (And no, I haven't had all of those happen to me, only most of them.)
Ask opinions/advice here (which you're already doing). If you've got a specific car you're considering, post it up. We're happy to give thoughts on it, and there's a good chance someone on here will either know about it or even be willing to check it out for you.

[32valvesftw]

My 2 cents,
Most machines do not like to sit unused. Really low mileage cars or cars that are stored for extended periods will need maintenance, AND repair if driven regularly. Sure there always exceptions. If you follow the advice in the technical section of this forum, and change all fluids, pull the plenum and give it the Dynomite treatment, then it will probably be very reliable. If that is not for you or it will take you a longtime to do it, then I would lean towards a car with moderate mileage that is owned by an enthusiast and has decent records. One other tip if paint quality is important to you remember these cars are not inexpensive to paint. Good luck on your search.

[Karl]

Hi Gents.
As I’m doing my ZR-1 shopping, I’ve seen cars with mileages everywhere. Of course the ones with a few hundred miles, a few thousand, tens of thousands and some close to 100k.

So while I understand that condition and service history are the most important considerations, how worried are you guys about whether a car has high or low mileage.

Further, how high does mileage have to be to be considered high in the ZR-1 world?

Thanks!

My first ZR-1 had 6x,xxx miles when purchased. Was a little dirty but overall a reliable car.

My current Z is a famous black widow car from the late '90s with a engine with over I'm guessing 90k miles and a body with 166,xxx miles.

The car is cleaner than the '92.

Granted it was neglected and needed work I honestly cannot tell the difference between the two.

Both cars needed suspension bushings due to their age and other routine maintenance.

Get the car with the best maintenance history and if you can or want buy one that someone else paid a top tuner to do. Quite a few good names out here.

[Paul Workman]

I recall a car Marc Haibeck had in his shop for and engine overhaul. The car was a track car that Marc said had ~ 170k miles on the engine, but the engine's wear parts, e.g., bearings, bore, chains, etc were all within spec still!

I don't know what oil the owner was using, and THAT would certainly be interesting. But, having "some" experience with SBCs in my 71 years, that LT5 was a case study in engine design and build, maintenance and lubrication to be sure!

Maintained, and the 'take-away' is/was the LT5 is truly bullet proof by any standard.

YMMV

[JThomas]

Erik:

I have owned three ZR-1's. The first was a '92 that I purchased in 2008 with 97,XXX miles on it. I considered it a high mileage car, that was a "typical" used car. It took a little work, and we got it in very nice condition. It still resides in Michigan with its new owner and is well over 100,000 miles.

I then purchased a '95 ZR-1 in 2011 and it had 12,XXX miles. I considered that low mileage. Very nice car, but I didn't want to drive it because of its clean "low mileage" condition.

I currently own a '91 that was a total basket case when I purchased it in 2016. It had 118,000 miles on it when I bought it. It ran, but it needed a new transmission, clutch and other work. I bought it because it met the criteria for a project I had in mind. It currently has 123,000 miles and so far this one has brought me the most joy. Admittedly, I don't drive it hard, but I drive it, maintain it, and don't worry about it.