How many k's are too many k's???

Gnat · 26-10-2008, 08:23 AM

Morning All,
I am looking at buying a 2002 AU MK3 XR6. It is it great shape drives really well but I cant get past the 230,000 on the clock. It has had one owner who drove it from Ballarat to Melbourne everyday. So i figure they are country k's but is that too much???? BTW the price is 10,999.......ta n@

prydey · 26-10-2008, 08:49 AM

way too much coin, esp for those km's. a quick browse of carpoint shows au3 xr6's with under 150000 going for that sort of money.

however, as to the question you asked, i'm never too fussed by km's if everything else is what you are after. these motors can do a few km's when looked after. i had an ef xr6 that i bought with 230000km on the clock and sold with nearly 300 on the clock and it never missed a beat. i replaced the head gasket (e series problem) and a cam angle sensor. thats all. i'm sure others will have stories from the opposite end of the spectrum but the au3's were pretty good cars.

Bushbasher · 26-10-2008, 08:50 AM

I won't comment on the price but if the car has been maintained and is log booked and is in good nic then 230k is nothing, there is plenty of life in it yet. If it's all original maybe just expect to change the trans in the next little while and other ancillaries. Go ask a taxi driver what usually needed replacing regularly (by their standard) and you'll have an idea what to expect to shell out on in the short to medium term.

Bushbasher

Gnat · 26-10-2008, 08:55 AM

thanks, it is exactly what i am looking (top notch duel fuel and manual) for a family run around so i don't expect i would be putting too may Ks on it myself (probably 10k a year max) n@

rocket67 · 26-10-2008, 09:02 AM

Question is - How much would it cost to buy the same car with low k`s?

If the car was been well maintained it should be fine.

I am currently selling two cars. One is a V8 Statesman with 231,000 k`s, the other is a BA Fairmont Ghia V8 with 87,000 k`s. The Statesman has been well maintained and is a pleasure to drive. 2002 model. We did have to recon the Auto trans at a cost of $2,000. The give away that it has high K`s is at cold start - The engine is a bit rattley for a couple of seconds upon start up, but it does not use excessive oil. It is advertised at just under 10k and we are struggling to get lookers.

The BA is low k`s, drives quite well and we expect it to fly out the door when we advertise it in a couple of weeks for 11k.

I guess the moral of the story would be that you can expect to do a bit of work on the mechanicals and steering/suspension fairly soon on a car that has done 230,000 k`s.

Rocket.

MitchG · 26-10-2008, 09:02 AM

At work i once saw an ex AU taxi with 700,000Ks & it looked & ran better the some of the later AU's owned privetly. I think if it was well maintained & looked after you wouldn't have a problem...

The Monty · 26-10-2008, 09:28 AM

Im up to 265 000, race it, skid pan it, and it loves it. Also gets spun way over 6000 rpm on lots of ocasions.

RG · 26-10-2008, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rocket67

Question is - How much would it cost to buy the same car with low k`s?

If the car was been well maintained it should be fine.
Snip

How much, about the same for one with low k's. The old AU XR6 isn't really worth anything over 12k max.

sly · 26-10-2008, 10:57 AM

My wagon has some 350,000 country km up, still has the original autobox. I was questioned just over a year ago about the suitability of my engine for boosting, so I did a compression test, all cylinders tested high & even. One of the blokes who doubted did a comp test on his approx 100,000km AU3 for comparison and promptly replaced his engine...

So don't sweat the mileage too much. Maybe ask if you can do compression & leak-down tests as part of inspecting the car, maybe take it to a mechanic if you're not confident doing this yourself.

FalconXR6 · 26-10-2008, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gnat

thanks, it is exactly what i am looking (top notch duel fuel and manual) for a family run around so i don't expect i would be putting too may Ks on it myself (probably 10k a year max) n@

Sounds expensive for what it is.

I wouldn't be too concerned with the km's that it's done - especially if everything checks out fine - I'd be looking long and hard at the price...then again, how many duel fuel manual AU XR6's do you see getting around?

**SSD-85** · 26-10-2008, 09:16 PM

Theres a dual fuel au3 xr8 for sale up here at the Gold Coast, check autotrader...

Also, at what kms should you start worrying about engine compression? for a V8 that is. I know how well the engine has been kept is a big factor, but still, i'd assume above 150k one should start considering it, especially with the intent to mod....

The Mighty Red · 26-10-2008, 09:37 PM

To much $$$ for that many K's......either get him to drop his price considerably or keep looking...

Envi XR8 · 26-10-2008, 09:50 PM

I bought an EF with just shy of 120K on the clock when it was nearly 3 years old. All highway Ks. Once I started using it for small trips things started to go wrong. I traded it with just on another 100K on the clock 5 years later, the replaced suspension I installed was shagged again, the auto was RS, the engine was tired and needed work. It was serviced every 10K and despite the issues, it never really let me down.

I always thought that if I had continued to drive big Ks and put another 150K on it over the 5 years, it probably would have been fine!!

**Mechan1k** · 28-10-2008, 08:04 AM

For a vehicle with about 285,000km on it ... you are looking in the vicinity of about $4-5,000 ... and that's with factory LPG and a ute to boot (they usually hold their value better than sedans.)

Trust me ... that's all i got from my ute when i got rid of it ... and it was a regularly service vehicle as well ... i keept the maintenance up to it as well.

I'll miss that ute ... but in a way I don't as well.