Ed Hughes

I'm not sure who the hell you are or even if I care. I made a comment that Hondas or Toyotas are better suited to 5 minute commutes, which I stand by. My next post took that theme a bit further in stating there are a lot of disposable cars out there.

To come here from under some rock, for all I know, and call me ignorant is pretty much an ignoramus, or douchebag move.

kraftykid

It is a Southern California shop: Euromaster's Classic Cars. It is fairly new (BBB accredited in 2008). They seem to know their Porsches, and seemingly go through a fairly rigorous process to get them in selling condition.

They also offer a 5 year/50,000 mile warranty...although it's a confusing situation because the rep I've been speaking to says that they deal with the warranty work in a case-by-case: sometimes the repair is covered 100%, other times it's 50/50 between shop and car owner. They use their "discretion" when deciding how to proceed. Seems a bit strange to me. If they go out of business I suppose I would be SOL...

Is anyone in the area familiar with them?

At this point I may be edging toward the '86 911...although I do admit that not having things like airbags and ABS will take me some time to get used to.

kraftykid

Again, it's not a 5 minute commute. More like a 5 mile commute that could take 30 minutes in downtown Los Angeles traffic, and takes a minimum of 15 minutes.

w00tPORSCHE

Not sure why you want to buy the car by the end of this week. Please drive a 3.2 with a 915 (84 through 86), G-50 gearbox (87 through 89) and a 964 and then make your decision. Also try to spend time reading about 911's searching posts on 915 vs G-50 (here and at pelican parts), read Pete Z's book, issue number 59 of Total 911 magazine (that has a buyers guide for someone's first 911. You cannot go wrong with a '86 coupe as long as you don't feel uncomfortable shifting a 915 gearbox. As for me I could not have bought any other 911 than a Carrera 3.2 with a 915 gearbox. The lack of power steering and ABS, Fuch's wheels, look of the impact front/rear bumpers all adding to the character of the car. 964 is much more modern car with more features, better a/c, heating but not for me.

If you don't care about the look of the 964 bumpers (I just cannot fall in love with it after seeing a 3.2 or lack of Fuch's then it is all about you liking the feel of the 964 during your test drive. Also the early 964's have a troublesome Freudenberg dual mass flywheel...does yours have this or the much better LUK item or a fixed RS flywheel. Early 964's had a bad reputation for engine leak problems which was rectified on the later cars by adding a seal between cylinder and cylinder head. Are the twin distibuters linked by a rubber belt (which has a very mediocre lifespan) or has it been retrofitted with a plastic vent pipe. My guess is that a well maintained car like yours should have had this done to prevent engine damage. Now that these cars have spent 20 years on the roads, most certainly, all these issues should have been rectified but it does not hurt to have it clarified. I am just a newbie on air-cooled 911's so take my advice with a big pinch of salt.

w00tPORSCHE

To come to this forum and call Ed Hughes as ignorant...

Ed Hughes

I got you. I was only responding to the personal attack on my post. I've not heard of Euromaster, which is strange. Usually word gets out in SoCal about good places. I'd be very skeptical on any sort of 5 year/50,000 mile warranty on a 15 or 20 year old car. It would seem that if they have made the statement that sometimes it's this, sometimes it's that, what are the odds of you getting satisfaction say, 3 years down the road with a major repair being needed? Or, having that repair done properly? Unless they are totally rebuilding the car, and you're paying close to 6 figures, then I suppose a shop could afford to do that service.

Ed Hughes

The distributors will always be linked by the rubber belt....the vent tube is a mod to avoid having the ozone generated internally prematurely break down the rubber belt.

I too used to think the 964 was pretty darn homely looking. But, the RS versions changed my mind. I've imagined that building a reasonable facsimile of one of these could be a fairly economical and not-too-common hot rod, as 911's go.

Ed Hughes

Whatever floats his boat. A quick click on his recent posts shows the word ignorant used a few times in his most recent posts. Quite a versatile vocabulary.

Carrera51

Test drive the 964 before you make your decision. Both the 84-86 Carrera and the 90-94 964 C2 are great cars and both have there pluses and minuses. The flywheel and oil leak issues that sometimes occurred on the early 964 most likely have been addressed by now. Ask to see the service records on the car. As someone else stated, the chatter about 3.2s and their valve guides is overblown. The valve guides in my 3.2 did not have excessive wear when the motor was rebuilt at 178K miles.

If you are going to do stop and go commuting, make sure to allow time on the weekends for proper exercise for the motor. Whichever car you buy, make sure to see the service records. Both require valve adjustments every 15K miles. These cars can become basket cases if they are not properly maintained.

kraftykid

Thanks for the input...I will surely be taking the car around the block over the weekends.

"The flywheel and oil leak issues that sometimes occurred on the early 964 most likely have been addressed by now."

Once the issues have been remedied once, how many miles before they show up again? Do they ever?


To the other contributor...my buying time line (end of this week) is a bit rushed because I've received a deposit on my current car a bit sooner than I anticipated.

Ed Hughes

Enterprise is pretty cheap if you need to take a couple of more weeks to decide or find a car. A LOT cheaper, if you make the wrong decision by rushing.

theiceman

there were leaks because during the build gasjets were not used at some areas ( can't remember if it was head gaskeyt or base gaskey. Anyway they were added. also I am in late but if it os a C4 stay away , very expensive to fix and overly complex.

w00tPORSCHE

No question that running costs of a 3.2 are lower than a 964 but 964 offers a very good combination of a classic 911 look with slightly updated interior and sophisticated mechanicals.

911Dave

I'd consider a 964 but absolutely not an early one like a '90 with the DMF and head leak issues. Only late '91-later after they fixed them. For a DD, I'd give the nod to the 964 as it's more comfortable and if you're going to sit in L.A. traffic in the summer, you're going to want decent A/C, which you won't get in a 911 without very expensive upgrades.

WPOZZZ

As Ed said, Enterprise is pretty cheap. I'd take my time and drive all the iterations you were interested in, and multiple cars of the same iteration. That way you can see if one was a dog or a fluke.

Before buying a car, get a thorough PPI. I mean the Euromasters shop could say we stand behind our cars and give it a 5 year, 50k warranty, but I'd still get one done. Before purchasing, find out more on the warranty they issue. I'm pretty sure it is not free and has exclusions. i.e. If your head studs go south that necessitates a top end rebuild, will they cover all of it? I doubt it unless they are charging you a premium for this insurance.