tennjed

Folks

Just had a ppi performed on a 78sc targa with the following results:

1. rear main seal leaks
2. Noisy valves (feels can be corrected through adjustment)
3. oil leak at cam towers
4. Synchros for 2nd and 3rd weak (work fine if shifted gently)
5. front bumper "smile" bubbling with rust
6. missing battery partition
7. remnants of aftermarket AC system, compressor removed hoses still present
8. clutch chatters
9. front alignment needed
10. evidence of minor accident, slight wrinkle in floor pan( no major damage)
11. car pulls to right (feels alignment will correct)
12. no tools
13. aftermarket speakers fit poorly in door
14. odometer indicates 78,000 but mileage of around 120,000 seems more likely
15. no records of past maintenance
16. aside from above, car runs strong. No obvious reason to perform compression or leak down test.

This has been a learning experience for me as this is an attractive car that seemed to operate properly when I test drove it. In fact, I had agreed to buy it provided that the ppi results were good. I almost did something unwise in that I contemplated, for a breif moment, buying the car without a ppi. Again, it is a good looking car that does not appear to have been abused.

Well, I was stunned and amazed when I recieved the call from the mechanic performing the ppi. I contemplated the results for about 30 minutes and called the owner to review the results with him and to basically withdraw my offer to buy the car. This was Friday March 31st.

Now I have had a couple to days to think about the car, the ppi results, and my initial response. I wonder if I may have over reacted.

As I look at the laundry list of problems it occurs to me that none of them seem life threatening.

I would appreciate any comments from more knowledgeable list members regarding how they would feel about ppi results such as those listed above. Are these results typical or are they reason to reject a car?

Thanks for the benefit of your experience.

The search goes on

Wayne

imcarthur

So, oil leaks, rust, missing AC, syncro issues . . . walk away unless it's really cheap & you want a project - imho.

In the future, you should insist on compression & leakdown. And also get the head studs checked - particularly with an SC.

Keep looking.

ian

RacingBeat

you didn't say the price...but i would say keep looking, my search was about 6 months and i definitely had a couple of "check your emotion" moments. different sort of problem, but early on i was very tempted by a very clean 74 2.7, but i resisted some heart-pounding and held off, eventually settling for a much nicer 84 3.2 for just slightly more money.

be patient and take your time, the right car will find you......don't start off with that many problems

nvrenuftoyz

Lots of nice 911 Porsches out there....I bought a project car and now wish I would had spent the extra money for a good one.

imcarthur

That describes the emotion well. I wanted to buy the first one I looked at. And every one after that too.

Ian

fixnprsh

sounds like a $7000 car that needs $5000 worth of work that will then be a ........................$7000 car

BTW, it takes a hard hit to wrinkle a floor pan

tennjed

Thanks for the comments guys. What makes it so hard from an emotional standpoint is that all of the cars I have looked at have been beautiful machines to behold. It is hard to get past those sexy lines.

I guess I will stick to it and wait for the right one.

Thanks again.

Wayne

fixnprsh

remember, the hunt is just as much fun as the capture so be patient, there is no shortage of nice cars around

Marc Shaw

Take your time - the right car is a joy....the wrong one is an expensive nightmare.

Marc

Slotcar

I think you are in Southwest OH right? Check out the local PCA site...Ohio Valley Region (OVR). The selection changes from time to time, and there might be a car for you.

http://www.pca.org/ovr/mart_main.html

ron mcatee

Pass on it. There's many good ones out there for just a few more bucks. I've owned 19 Porsches over the past 40 years and always looked beyond the "eye candy" effect. Get a PPI on whatever you think you want, but still be selective.

madmmac

No leakdown or compression numbers?? That should be included in your PPI.

84_Carrera

FYI, my local Porsche Dealer charges $225 for a basic PPI lookover, and an additional $480 for compression / leakdown - they do consider it 2 separate items and you have to ask for it specifically before they quote you the additional charge.

gerry100

Wrinkle in the floor pan? Like my 92 year old mothe said. "It's only a heart attack".

Could be related to the alignment.

Sounds like a parts car.

Be patient in your search.

cmoss