gdwprice

Hi, I'm new to Rennlist and have been been looking for a 911. I'm reasonably competent at maintenance but have been looking for a car with a good body: solid, original and preferably unpainted. I'd rather have a scrape or dent and know what I'm getting then a possibly inferior repair.

Anyway, to my point. I just looked at a 58,000 car that has been with the current owner for 8 years. I went over the car and everything looked great. There was a bit of high paint along the trunk edge but the paint all matched, no overspray ANYWHERE and was seemingly original. However, upon further investigation I found what I think was an accident damage/repair work on the passenger side inner fender. I'm attaching a photograph and would welcome any responses as to what it is and if I should be concerned?

On a side note, the owner has covered only 8,000 miles in 8 years and the only apparent servicing was an annual oil change at his local garage - 'Allisons'!

Ok - just need to figure out how to attach the pic?!

gdwprice

gdwprice

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pi...3&id=529018661

User 4221

I couldn't tell much from the pic but i would inspect the shock mount area. If the factory applied sealant is in good shape then you are probably OK. If it is cracked or obviously altered, then I would suspect prior damage.

One thing to do is buy or borrow a paint thickness meter and measure the entire car. If that fender is inconsistent with the rest of the car then damage has likely occurred.

gdwprice

Thanks. What might be hard to see in the picture is the welds - long beads. They've been applied in addition to the factory spot welds. Now, surrounding some of these beads is the spatter material - like tiny little ***** of metal. I'm just surprised it would leave the factory like that and also I wasn't sure if a repair to the inner fender was something I should be concerned about. The sealant around the shocks is dryed/cracking. The trunk fit wasn't great but the sticker was there and so was the textured underside. . . it might have just needed adjusting.

User 4221

I just checked my '89 and it looks the same..... Crappy MIG weld with spatter. MIG processes were still in their early days in '88/'89 so I guess this is the result.

gdwprice

Thanks, that's very reassuring! I've posted 2 more pics which might be clearer.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pi...e&id=529018661

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pi...2&id=529018661

GothingNC

Mine looks the same.

These cars were mostly welded up by hand.

John

User 4221

If this is the weld in question (blue circle) then mine is identical.

gdwprice

The piece of metal that is enclosed by the blue circle. If you follow the lower edge of it towards the front of the car then what you see is spot welds and on top of those are beads from a MIG. I have a buyers guide that states only the spot welds should be there. That's what caused me to panic. The car has been ignored - the tires are at least 16 years old according to the seller and starting to perish. It has had little use and even less care for the last 8 years. However, it has been in dry storage with a number of other vehicles. The targa top looks to be in good shape (a lot of wind noise when driving), the brakes are clean and work well, no pulling, The engine is a little rough but nothing I wouldn't expect from a car that hasn't been serviced and driven less then 1,000 miles a year. There was only a tiny puff of smoke on a cold start and it pulled well through the revs. The engine is damp with oil in places and the oil is old but I saw no drips. I walked away because I had concerns about a front end impact. I told him I wanted to think about it overnight and talk to a fellow Porsche owner - He's now suggesting I'm not that serious about it and debating on the price we agreed. . . . . . For the record I drove 806 miles round trip based on a dozen calls with him. When you're dropping a sizable amount of money on a 21 year old car it's nice to be certain. He also knew I was only ever bringing a deposit as I would be arranging to have the car shipped.

I appreciate your feedback!

User 4221

Here's mine..... Complete with stitch welds like yours.

If all else checks out and the price is right, then it seems like a decent deal from what you have described.

I would definitely have a qualified 911 mechanic go over it bumper to bumper and provide a health assessment (PPI.... PPI... PPI)!!

.

gdwprice

Wow, it's identicle! He's trying to raise the price on me by $3,000. I only agreed to drive 800+ miles to look at it if he was happy to agree a ceiling price before I left. It was the same price the car had sold at on eBay but the buyer backed down and said he'd 'bid on it by accident'. There's stuff wrong with it: the a/c blows warm - it was 103 degrees yesterday, the rubber boots/gaiters on the steering are torn and covered in grease, the front shock on the passenger side is leaking, the spare is hanging off the wheel, the cv boots are cracking and the paperwork is sparse to say the least. However, I believe the mileage is true.

User 4221

Curious... What is the asking price? You are looking at $2k - $3k for maintenance catchup.

These cars are typically ~$17k in today's market.

You can easily spend mid-$20s to get a $17k car

gdwprice

He wanted 18. It sold for and I agreed to look at it for 15. He called me today half an hour after I returned home from the drive to see it and an overnight stop in D.C. I tried to discuss price and if he'd be willing to drive it 60 miles to the DAS collection point. I was hoping to come down from 15k because of the neccesary repairs and the need for 5 new tires instantly. He then said the 15 was never agreed. It's difficult because I think $15,000 for a car that needs as much work as it does is a lot. Add to that the fact the car has no records - just a handfull of state inspection receipts for the last 8 years and I start to question my sanity. He clearly feels it's worth more despite it's condition. I'm aware I could put more into it then just buying a 'genuine' one to start with. The other side of the coin is I would be happy to pay 20k if there was paperwork and the car was maintained. . . .

User 4221

It sounds like you have your head on straight regarding work needed vs. value.

If you have the budget for $18-$20k then you may be better off finding a nicer example with fewer stories.

If it were my money, $15k is on the high-side of what I would be willing to pay.

Good luck and keep us posted.