kathens

We just purchased a 1986 911 Cabrio with 67k miles. First question is: Did we pay too much ($22600). I am thinking we did, but my wife was in love with the car. For the most part, the car is very clean and mechanically sound. No oil leaks and the compression check came back good. We purchased it from a dealer over the internet and picked it up Saturday the 24th. I paid $ 275 for a third-party inspection and report before driving to pick it up. The inspection revealed a few minor issues which the dealer suposedly fixed. I drove the car home and she followed. While driving the car home, my wife noticed a burned out front parking light (driver's side) which the dealer was suppose to have fixed. Later, during the drive home, she noticed the driver's side tail lights didn't work; an issue not discovered by the 3rd party inspection. I also noticed a power seat switch that didn't work; another issue the dealer supposedly corrected. Upon arriving home, I replaced all the marker lights, turn lights, and brake lights just to be comprehensive since the car is 20 years old. Well, the driver's side marker lights still don't work. The brake lights and turn signals work, but not the markers and parking lights. Looking into the problem further, I realized the fuse for the drivers side marker's was missing. I removed the fuse from the passenger side markers and placed in the driver side marker fuse location. Now, if I wiggle the driver's side rear marker it works so I suspect the bulb holder needs to be replaced. However, I never could get the front driver's side markers to work. I plan to call the selling dealer tomorrow and see if they will pay a local Porsche mechanic to fix the issue. If not, is this likely something I could fix myself? Are there any known issues with electrical problems on 1986 911's? I am a mechanical engineer and have always done most of my own mechanic work; however, I hate electrical problems. I can figure them out eventually, but most of the time efficient use of my time is best served letting a mechanic fix electrical issues.
Below is a link to pics of the car. Thanks for reading and we look forward to being a part of the Porsche community.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...e=STRK:MEWA:IT

BER

Welcome and congrats on your "new" Porsche purchase.

I looks like a beautiful car. What you paid is personal issue of the cars value to you and your wife. Move forward and enjoy the car.

There are not any major electrical issues with the 3.2 Ltr. Carreras. You do need to periodically clean the ground connections; there are several located thoughout the car. I clean mine about every five years and have not had any electrical issues.

The driver's side rear marker light is not a big issue. Those rear light assemblies get a lot of abuse because they are up behind the rear wheels and get all the road c@#$ thrown up there. You can remove the rear lens and then remove a couple of screws and the entire rear light assembly will slide out. You can then clean it and look for damaged wiring.

Stay tuned to the RennList because there is lots of valuable information available. Have fun and enjoy your beautiful car.

imcarthur

Welcome to Rennlist. Don't sweat what you paid. You have a great car & a great color. Enjoy it.

For the lighting issues, try to get the dealer to do his job & fix it.

For longer term service, get a Bentley service book, Wayne Dempsey's 101 Projects & have fun.

Ian

DB_NC_95C2

Beautiful car! Price sounds fair to me given the condition, I paid $20k for my '83 SC but it was a cosmetic and mechanical gem, w/ 58k original miles, plus it had already had the Carrera timing chain tensioners done. Maybe I paid more than I should, but every time I get behind the wheel, I'm "at one with the car". More fun to drive than any car I've had, it's really special.

Yours looks wonderful, good luck getting the minor electrical stuff sorted.

g-50cab

66k miles - 22500 - sounds about right to me - Schmidtt is not known for their attention to detail - they are only good at seperating you from your money - hopefully you will have a different experience. They didn't recommend the PPI company did they?

The car is beautiful - I've never seen that color combo before - stunning!

g-50cab

Oh - and Cabs rule....

kathens

Thanks for the responses. Taking it to the local Porsche mechanic tomorrow to have the problem checked into further. Schmitt agreed to pay up to $200 for the repair. Hopefully that will cover it.

Thanks,

Loren & Kimberly

kathens

By the way, no Schmitt did not recommend PPI. Who is PPI?

g-50cab

The company that did the pre purchase inspection

ChemMan

Forget about how much you spend. Enjoy the porsche.
Mike