Over years of working in a mechanic shop and shopping Craigslist, I’ve noticed here and there that people will claim that their old car is still equipped with its original factory-installed fuel pump or fan belt or water pump or whatever, despite the vehicle’s high mileage. “Pulled the brakes apart today. The car is still using the original brake rotors.”
Usually this is 3 or 4 owners in.
Unless they have access to every service record from day one, and know that they aren’t missing any, how do they know that it’s an original part? Do they just see dealer-installed OEM parts and assume they’re the original ones? Kinda confused here. Maybe I’m missing something obvious.
The concept of originality is where we get into looney territory regarding old cars. Things like tires, ignition parts, cooling system parts, gaskets are wear items. They’re not meant to be on the car indefinitely, because… you know… cars are made to be driven
I think it’s better to focus on whether an old car is stock vs whether it’s original. Once someone has modified the car for “more performance”, it’s likely been abused by that owner and is something I avoid when looking for an old car to daily.
My E30 is not all original, but it is stock.