Dan87951

Tomorrow I will be looking at a 88 Porsche 911 with 80k miles on the clock. The car is fairly clean from what the owner stated but needs a vfew maintance items. I'm new to aircooled and have only owned waterpumpers in the past. How reliable are the 911's? Are they on par with my 944 Turbo or 928? I service my own cars so I don't mind getting dirty. The owner said the last time he had it at the mechanics they recommended a valve adjustment and that theres a small shimy in the wheel at around 60mph (unbalanced tire?). He also stated that there are some plastic pieces missing on the lower part of the dash for the warning lights. I heard on 911's that one year they changed the transmission to a better design, I believe it was called a G50 does the 88 model year have that? How much to valve adjustments cost?

Thanks

Amber Gramps

the '88 has the G50 and is a great car. The shimmy could be several things from a flat spotted tire, out of balance tire, to brearings going bad or ball joints. Get Peter Zimmermann's book The Used 911 Story. Just be honest with yourself about the quality of the car. Get a PPI or have someone you trust totally shake down the car. You have been around Porsche and here to now what to do. Good luck, and remember every 911 is a $20,000 car. Now, or really soon.

Dan87951

Thanks Doug, Definitely will get a PPI done on the car. Do you know anything about the valve adjustments? What interval do these need to be done? I can't seem to find any info regarding this in the search function.

Thanks

Amber Gramps

15K, I just did mine. It took several days. Most of them on hold for new valve cover studs. I had the manual and Peter Z. so it wasn't too bad. I think the gasket kit and nut kit was about $70.00 at Pelican for the good stuff.

Amber Gramps

944fest GRAND CHAMP car? and you're asking me for advice?

Dan87951

Yep,
My car was grand champ in 04. I know absolutely nothing about a 911, I learn by experience and unforuntely I have no experience on a 911. Thanks for the help.

Is there anything else I should be looking for on a 88?

Oldtee

HOW DO YOU SPELL PPI?

Don't buy a Porsche this age without one.

The 88 911 is one of the last before the 964 and a great car. If you can do your own work you are ok but parts are getting expensive. Buy a Bentley for that year, join PCA and get to know some local Porsche people. Don't be afraid to ask questions, the dumber the better. Once you get one of these cars settled down they can go a long while without a major problem.

ked

In addition to Pete's book (& reading the Owners' Manual carefully), I'd suggest Paul Frere's (rest his very quick & well-spoken soul) "The Porsche 911 Story", the Carrera Bentley manual, Bruce Anderson's "911 Performance Handbook", & Elford's "High Perf Driving Handbook" (not only are these cars designed differently from a 944, they drive differently too!) for a good knowledge-base... enjoy!

Mike Murphy

When you do the PPI, have the mechanic not only do a compression test, but also have the valve guides checked for wear. If that all checks out, the mechanic should only charge you another $200 or so for the valve adjustment. That's what I did when I bought my car.

These cars are just as reliable any other and will run beyond 200,000 miles sometimes without overhaul.

ajmarton

I did the same - valve adjustment at the time of the PPI. Only problem is that I used a shop where I bought the 911 (Kansas City) and they did not do a very good adjustment - a lot of chatter by the time I got to Los Angeles (22 hours later). So I did another valve adjustment in LA. Cost another $300 but worth the piece of mind.

Dan87951

Went and looked at the car yesterday and it was a pure rat bag. It was a country guy that owned it and it was pretty beat. The car actually on had 74k miles but every time you shift gears the car would jerk to the right. He said its because the poor bushings in the rear control arms. Also the steering wheel was loose and would wiggle around about 1.75" in all directions.. I thanked him for his time and left ASAP.

GothingNC

Good idea to walk on that one without plunking down the cash for a PPI.

How much was he asking?

John

Dan87951

Price was 12,500. Not the deal I had thought it would be expecially after all the work that needed to be done. I suspected the ball joints are shot too and there was a large dent and scrape on the passenger side rear fender. There was also rust around the windshield. When I asked what motor oil he used he showed me Meijer 5w-30 eeek.. I took it for a drive anyways and honeslty it was scarey.. He didn't even tell me about the control arm bushing till after the fact.. so in other words I pull out get on it a little push in the clutch and wam the car darts to the right real hard... he sees the look on my face and was like "Oh yea the control arm bushings are bad in the back as well.." It was owned by a country bumpkin who loved his dirt roads as the underneath of the car looked like it had been in a mod bog.

Mike Murphy

You know what they say, "all 911s are $20,000 cars," but if you continue to search far and wide, you will find a great deal. But a great deal is usually at the end of the summer, not at the beginning

WitchDoctor

...And some are bound to be $40K cars.

But don't be put off. It is particularly bad, and it seems to me that with a little due diligence, there are many 911s in good shape to be considered.

Sounds to me like you're on top of it!

I hope you get your 911, and tell us some comparative stories. I initially wanted a 944, but changed my focus to a 911 when I realized I could get a good 911 for $18, while the best local 944 I could find was $15 and needed thousands in body work.

The fellows on this board helped me a lot.