I'm looking at buying a low mileage '88 GTU. the claim is that it's had ~1-3k put on it a year since birth. Also the oil was supposedly changed every 3 months driven or not. I have done some searching, but didn't quite find what i was looking for (though i'm still searching more heavily now that i can use more than one word without a proxy error), and decided to start a thread. I was hoping to compile a list of things to look for on a car that has been sitting for a while. If anyone has suggestions to tell the difference between sitting for 15 years vs taken out occasionally, etc. Any help, and any general information on this topic is greatly appreciated.

 

my car was a 2 year sitter, and leaves gatherd under the dust shield like a forest, the brakes deteriorated, the body needed oiled, i ripped the whole interior out recoated underside, and then re-did the interior (only because it had an exacto-knife taken to it) replaced all the weather-stripping, the cats went bad from sitting, and all the fluids got changed. and it needed new plug wires and plugs. but the body is in excelent shape

 

just about anything rubber.

 

From pictures it has a fair interior, very little rust, and new wires. since the pictures it's been washed, detailed, inspected, and a few other things. All his claims give me some confidence if they're true, and I've got another car to drive till I sell it to give me time to pick up new hoses and such. I know there isn't one way to check to see how many of his claims are true (not that i'm calling anyone a liar), but anyone have any tips or tricks? (i'm making one of my fathers compression testers rotary ready tonight...) Anyway, thanks for the info guys!

 

My first rex was an 85 gsl-se with 44k original miles on it. I got it about 6 years ago. Anyways it had sat in a garage all its life and just about everything rubber had to go, even the seals on the doors, they hadnt cracked but they shrank pretty good. But it was in the texas heat too. I found that for the first few months i was driving it i ran b12 chemtool through it on a regular basis and drove it not hard but pretty darn sprited to sort of wake it up so to speak. Tires, hoses, belts, hatch and door seals, gas struts for the hatch, and a couple little things here and there is about all i had to do. Oh yea and replaced the brake pads and had the rotors turned because they were glazed over big time from sitting. The bushings in the suspension were all in good shape so i left them alone. otherwise she was good to go. if anything comes to mind that ive forgotten ill add it.