wolf76

Hello everyone. I have been searching for a Porsche for quite some time now exploring all the different models and have decided on a 911. I have owned a 356 in the past so I have some extent of the experience. I have found a 1984 911 coupe and have a few ?'s. The current owner doesn't drive it often in fact he only put on 5000 miles in the past 7 years. He has receipts for a new clutch, valve adjustment as well as various replacement parts for the interior as well as regular oil changes. The body and interior are in nice shape with moderate wear. No rust or signs of an accident. I drove the car the other day and noticed the following:
1. The oil/duc? pressure was high (3/4 mark) when the car was in gear and would drop to the 1/4 mark stopped in neutral. Is this okay?
2. There is a funny smell (maybe exhaust?) somewhat sweet when the car is running.
3. The temp/vent controls requires a little wiggling to work.
4. The AC has been removed (not all that uncommon if I'm not mistaken)
5. The valves are a bit noisy as he has not adjusted them during his ownership.
The temperature seemed good (below the 1/2 mark) as did the idle (about 800). The gear change was smooth with no grinding. There was no smoke either or signs of any leaks. The car has 94000 miles. I am wondering if I should go ahead with a PPI or if any of the above mentioned issues should make me walk away now. Sorry for the long post. All opinions and comments are appreciated.

Thanks in advance

Chris

Batman 357

A PPI is a wise investment but it sounds good so far.

Amber Gramps

Car sounds like a good car for a PPI. the oil preshure is normal. Before the PPI go to Amazon.com and get Peter Zimmermann's book "The Used 911 Story". It in the $24.00 range and will save you a mint. It will help you in buying and keep you clear of sme of the lesser year and option combos.
You could use the search feature and just put i the year an model and get a wealth of info and find common problems. Good luck in your quest. We have great cars.

ked

1. perhaps.
2. more like a '68 Cabernet or old Kendall GT1?
3. wiggling werks.
4. too cool or not to cool?
5. say what?
if you liked driving it, then get a ppi.

Daviboy

Chris,
Definetely go for the PPI. I just bought an 82 sc two weeks ago and spent +/- $210 on a PPI by the local Porsche dealer. Let me tell you it was the best money I have ever spent, apart from cosmetic stuff which I am not concerned about the car checked out fine and she has 140,000 miles on her. She is original and apart from having the heater boxes removed due to a new exhaust system unmolested (dont care about the heater anyway I live in South Africa). I managed to knock $3,700 off list price as there are a few items which require attantion and the dealer did not want to fix her up so I gladly took her off his hands and will do the work myself, ordered the parts through Pelican should be starting work 8th October. Do the PPI money well spent.

Davy

dshepp806

I'd be sure this "noises" you are attributing to valves, is,.in fact,..valves. PPI needs to be a thorough one, at that.

Good luck!

Best,

Doyle

911Dave

Valves only need adjusting every 15,000 miles, and he only put 5,000 miles on it since he owned it. Also, the valves will make some noise even when adjusted properly, so don't assume there's an issue there.

None of the things you listed are any reason to walk away from the car. If you like it, get a PPI and buy it.

Rick K

x2

OttawaDave

x3. Good luck!!

Dan Cobb

Don't bother doing a PPI IF, there is any reason you find to NOT buy the car.
Scrutinize every aspect of the car that causes you any concern. If it passes ALL of the criteria you set forth, THEN do a PPI.

Get the results and procede accordingly.

If it turns out somehting is wrong that might be big $$, then you saved yourself a headache.

It seems to be truer now than ever before;
"If you cannot afford to do a PPI, then you cannot afford to own a used 911."
+++

BTW, I love 84 coupes! Good Luck!

scarceller

84 car is a great choice, you get the motronic fuel injection which is very reliable and does not need much adjusting. The only other years to concider are the 87-89 G50 transmition cars, but any 84-89 Carrera is a great choice.

Look at the following:
1) oil leaks, if so how bad?
2) cold start and idle
3) have a compression test and leak down test done (do not skip this).
4) fully test the heat system, be sure rear heat blower and the 2 footwell blowers work.
5) Alarm system? if so test it