To be fair, a high mileage car has seen more stuff, for sure, but it also made it, which means it had to be maintained to some level to get there. We now have four Crossfires in our stable, and three of them arrived to us as complete basket cases. All of our current Crossfires were purchased as non-runners, ALL of them due to RCM issues. All four came to us on the trailer, three of them drove off the trailer under their own power. These cars are not terribly complicated, and are built very well. They can be improved upon, in most cases with tools you can get at any auto parts store.
William's (
@QuadPrism ) daily driver was filthy, terrible looking, with a ton of issues. It has been a real education to him, and he has a ton of pride in how far he has brought the car, to where it is now a completely reliable daily driver, with all systems working properly. It has also provided him with a blank canvas to do mods to it, and to make it his own. That creates a tremendous amount of pride!
We have another coupe in the shop now, with well over 200k miles. We have been spending a lot of time going through every single system on the car, and bringing it up to par. Right now, we are in the midst of replacing all of the front end suspension and steering items, such as steering linkage, ball joints, control arms, tie rod ends, and shocks. It will be perfect up there in the end. Total spent on the front end? Probably less than $400. The rear end has already gotten a similar treatment. Engine? Plugs, filters, fluids, thermostat, belt, valve cover gaskets (every XF needs these), and a few other choice parts, and the thing runs like a top. Throw in a good set of tires, and it will be reliable transportation. Will it win shows? Probably not. Will it be a joy to drive? Absolutely!
My point is, we don't need to spend a mint to get these cars from derelicts to very reliable, and even good looking cars. A 21yo has drive, time, and a small budget (most likely). I wouldn't be afraid to have my kid take a Crossfire on. Oh yeah, I had mine do exactly that for his first car!