John G.

Kind of odd for the new (and young) guy to come barging in here with questions about adding cars to the fleet, but...

My mechanic is currently working on this absoulutely stunning '86 Carrera that the owner is fixing (minor pun intended) to sell. Completely perfect interior, a tan or gold 4/10 paint job that could easily be fixed, 110,000 miles and... an "S" badge that looks to be stripped from a 993 or 997.

The only catch: The car is supercharged. And not just any bolt-on supercharger, a Ruf supercharger. As it turns out, the unit was used by my mechanic for his personal car, and stuck onto this car at around 40,000 miles. Along with that, the car has been extensively modified for supercharging with computer controlled fuel injection, additional oil cooler(s), full exhaust, 993 Turbo brakes, suspension, and various other tweeks to make the whole thing come together, in what appears to be a nice manner. Supposedly the whole package is pushing somewhere near 350 horsepower!

So my questions:

-Are there any chances that this supercharger thing is really going to screw up the engine? Looking at it, my logic and intuition tells me no: the car has put at least 50,000 miles (more miles than my '77 anyway) without any damage so far. Still, any stock engine that's generating nearly 30% more power than a Turbo from that year kind of scares me.

-Will the transmission hold up to that kind of power? It's a standard 1986 915 5-speed unit, and the only difference between it and my '77 is something like an aluminium case or something.

-Is $18,500 a good price for the whole deal? I'm prone to say yes, except for the fact the paint is in VERY rough condition: the car was keyed twice and the front hood looks like someone took a rock-chip shooting shotgun to it.

-Should I even get the damn thing? A 944 Turbo 'round these parts will sell for HALF the price of this car. For the price (paint and any repairs factored in), I could very well be looking at a later year 964... I've already got one 911, but after having driven a 964 and 996, that need for a little more kick-in-the pants that 912 owners must feel is setting in...

I've no doubt of this mechanic's abilities, and he's the one who's been working on the car since it was new. No back-alley, Auto Zone or Joe's Quickie Lube modifications to this car. The guy who's selling it upgraded to a 997 Turbo (and is fairly elderly), so I doubt any expense was spared making sure the car was tuned right.

Anyway, outside of those questions, I think I'm getting one hell of a deal here...

Assuming this is a good deal, anything I should ask before going through? Tips on making that price come down a bit (the paint is the only sore spot)? A second 911 is going to come into my life like a child, so I'd like to make sure I'm doing this right.

Thanks,

-JG

1977 911S Targa
2001 Toyota camry

WPOZZZ

Someone is selling a sc'd 84 in Honolulu and is asking $28k. I think the mileage was similar, but the motor has 10k on it.

LaughaC

I would get a PPI from a different Porsche mechanic just to eliminate any bias, and carefully study the document trail on the car's maintenance/repair history.

Additionally, I've heard the greatest risk is going lean under boost. Exhaust temp guages are said to be the quickest accurate way to monitor this if the engine management system lacks ping sensing and mitigation. Maybe someone here remembers what exhaust temp is ideal and what would be too hot for your pistons and rings.

butzip

OK, first of all, ease up on the 912s there buddy you'll always want more no matter what you drive, but I digress.

Assumptions.......
My first impression is, if this guy put 50,000 miles on it with this set up it must be reliable. Then you must ask, what sort of maintenance has been done during those 50,000 miles. Any accelerated wear? syncros, axles, brakes, valve adj.?? I would then concentrate on the general maintenance of the car. How was it driven? DE, auto-x, easy round town?? I am of the opinion that if someone lets the exterior of the car go they are probably not that attentive to other aspects, so I def wouldn't rush into anything. 915s can handle the power even a 901 can withstand that sort of power as long as your not dumping the clutch @ 3000rpm all the time, which goes back to how was the car driven previously......... I would wonder what kind of clutch is in there however how many miles on it and is it a stock sachs setup or something beefier. Just because the power is there doesn't necessarily mean it was beat on. Plan on 4-6k for decent paint work (or more) after which, you'll have something truely unique. Offer him 16k and get to work