Original miles "really" matter on a restored car?

[Steve Shauger]

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I don't think it matters so much on a finished, restored car so much as it helps on a car that is going to be restored. Regardless of the mileage, the usage/storage of the car over ~40 years is more important. A 150K mile car thats been well-kept/maintained might be a better starting point as far as the body, while one with 5K miles thats been sitting in the woods since the early 70s might retain more original parts.

With lower mileage, it's more likely that many of the original mechanical parts are still intact. And if its been stored at least reasonably well, the original sheetmetal will still be in pretty good shape.

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Ditto that!!

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I agree unless you can utilize the original parts from the car interior, sheetmetal, trim, electrical & drivetrain components not much is gained.

The quality of the restoration is directly related to the quality of the components used, reconditioned original/nos vs reproduction.