Hey guys,

How well do FDs hold up with high miles on the chassis? I'm talking 200K and up. Assuming that there is no rust, the motor is well taken care of, same goes for the rest of the car. The typical rattles and squeaks are repaired, but if the body has 200k + miles, would this be a concern in the near future? Carfax checks out fine and drives great.

D

 

All the bushings should be looked at. If the rubber is rotting the suspension can start getting slop in it.

They can be replaced but its a lot of work. Every suspension component must come off to replace them all.

Low mileage cars can have rotted bushings too just from age and weather/storage conditions. There are high mileage cars with good bushings and low mileage cars with rotten ones.

 

Thanks spanks. That's true, I just wanted to know if there are anything major that I should be aware of.

D

 

If the frame is straight and there is no rust, everything can be taken care off. Its really hard to get a good idea of the condition of the chassis is. So many things can be covered up in repairs and there are lots of small things that you really have to know what you are looking for. Typically though, these things won't really hamper drivability to much.

 

see if you can get the vehicle in the shop lift it up in the air and do good inspection from underneath the body. at that mileage and depends if the vehicle being up north in snow weather.. you might find lots of things to go wrong. Mostly suspension as mentioned above (bushings, ball joints) and if there is some rust, do good inspection of brake lines and fuel lines.
I work in dealership here in Florida and i seeing cars with just 100k miles on chassis that had lots of things to look into and replace.

 

Good stuff zheka. I was paying particular attention to the location of the past owner (per Carfax) and looks like the car stayed in Arizona for a short while, otherwise it's been a NorCal car her whole life. The suspension has been upgraded, so have the sway bars and respective mounts. I'll take a peek under her before taking delivery.

D

 

Most of the bushings start becoming an issue around the 130k mark if not sooner for some - meaning they should be replaced. 15 years and miles will leave most bushings a bit worn. Sometimes replacing a bushing means you need to replace the suspension arm. Balljoints in the front control arms are not service-able so the whole arm gets replaced.

Try to get an idea of how the body feels by listening to creeks - especially when going up/down a driveway.

These cars seem to hold up pretty well. Mine has 142k hard miles on it.