120k mile VX

[megaera]

Sorry if this has been covered elsewhere on the forum.

I have the opportunity to buy - at a VERY reasonable price - a 1985 HPE VX with 120k on the clock.

I wanted to ask if any member's car has done this sort of mileage and if folk on here think that is excessively high, reasonably high or just the expected amount of miles.

How does the VX cope with this sort of mileage? The car has been very carefully maintained and the body rebuilt in 2002.

All opinions/views/comments appreciated!

[rossocorsa]

Well like any 80s car at that mileage it will be a little but tired unless meticulously maintained so expect suspension etc not to be in the first flush of youth. The engines are very durable however, unless it has already had some work done, I'd say that the original big end and mains will be worn through to the copper so ideally a general refurb would be a good idea, the 2 litre crankshafts are very durable so as long as it has been serviced regularly and there are no signs of nasty noises I would expect the crank to be ok, however bear in mind that it is impractical to re grind 2 litre cranks as they need surface hardening afterwards. Even if it seems to run fine and dandy I would suggest it needs a rebuild it is too late to keep running it until nasty noises start! (Others might disagree but at that mileage I think better to err on the side of caution) Check the body and repairs, never take it on trust that repairs were well executed, if they are ok it sounds a decent enough buy to me.

[megaera]

Thanks for the swift reply. I am tempted as the price is so low, but was concerned at that mileage the engine would be considered "spent"

Your thorough post has given me the morale booster I needed!!

The work you described is encouraging do-able, as I thought I would be told the engine should be replaced.

Thanks for the advice - I think I'll probably pop off and buy it!

[rossocorsa]

Really who knows? It's buyer beware but if it's cheap it is hardly a huge risk check the blower carefully though if the gears have been run dry of oil or there is play in the bearings and the rotors have been touching it's screwed.

There could also be some bore wear but if you consider it a reasonable price it's probably worth the risk, at the end of the day if there is enough value in spares vs the purchase price the risk is minimal