tamjam

First off, new guy here. I've been obsessed with the late 80s 911 since I was in high school in the late 80s...

I first considered actually buying one about 10 years ago but ended up with an 88 M5 instead which cost me a fortune in maintenance plus I had a kid on the way so I sold it for a more practical Audi A4 Avant and later an allroad. The allure of the allroad wore off a few years aog at which point I no longer had a baby in a massive car seat, so again considered a 911 but ended up with an 05 Mini Cooper S. Well again I am feeling the need to scratch this itch that just won't go away, so I have been reading up and looking for cars locally (haven't gone to see any yet) and have found one that looks pretty interesting.

It's an 89 Cab with 39,xxx miles. 2nd owner is selling it via his "independent German car repair facility" who actually is who has the ad up. They're asking $31.5k. So in miles this car is actually younger than my Cooper S which is approaching 50k, but I know rubber parts deteriorate over time whether they're being used or not, so there is a chance various hoses/boots etc will need to be replaced soon if not immediately, but what about the other stuff? I would assume the tranny & clutch have tons of life left in them, but should I be wary of such a low mileage car for any reason I am not thinking of, or do these cars generally age in a fairly linear fashion?

$31.5k is not exactly within my budget, but if buying such a young car for say $28k saves me $10k in year-one maintenance on an $18k car with 125,000 miles, I'd feel way ahead of the game and own a car with a whole lot less wear and tear.

Anyway, TIA. It's a pleasure reading the threads on this board and learning all about this specific era of car that I simply love.

JABSEA

Others will jump in, but I'll start with you haven't provided enough information.

Where are you located and where has the car been for the last 22 years? Snowy/salty environment, or sunny/dry?
Are there complete records?
Has the car been driven regularly over the 22 years, or has it been sitting for 10 years at some point in a garage?

I bought an '89 with 43k on it about 5 years ago and haven't had any issues since. It was driven about 2,500 miles/year, garaged between November and April, and had regular maintenance - nothing deferred.

You should also get a PPI done by a local independent shop that knows air-cooled Porsches (not the one selling the car).

Pictures always help on this board.

Hope that helps.

tamjam

Thanks for the reply. I only have to go on what is stated in the ad at this point. I and the car are in the SF Bay Area. Judging by the plate number which I can see in the pics, I am guessing the car has been a CA-registered car since Day 1. The ad says fully maintained and serviced, that it's stored at their facility, and that it's being sold due to lack of use. So it's possible it has gone through periods of not being used. PPI of course.

My plans for a car such as this would be as a daily driver from April to November, then only out on nice days during our rainy season. Probably wouldn't put more than 5k (if that) on it annually.

Daniel Dudley

I think you might have stumbled on to something there.

theiceman

Looks lke a nice car but this is the first Carrera North of 30K I have seen in a very long time .

Ed Hughes

You've correctly id'd some of the potential pitfalls. If valve guides or something are going to wear out prematurely, it probably has not dome enough miles to have it happen yet. Could be a nice car though.

KNS

Some people buy low mileage cars and then are afraid to drive them for fear of "racking up the miles". A neighbor of mine had a pristine Pontiac GTO that he wouldn't take out of the garage because he didn't want sunlight to touch it. What a waste. I'd look for something with some more miles on it but for a lower price and drive the **** out of it.

allegretto

pretty car!!!

here, Porsches are made to be driven, a long time. for many miles. Even an early 70's car can be driven daily for many years

if it moves you, get a PPI and if good, it looks like a very good car/deal. If not, move on, there are many

jakeflyer

Go to carfax and pay the $25 or so to get the history with the vin #. I have had luck with it to find a car that had been clocked (miles reset) and another that had an accident, another that was a 2 owner that was really a 5 owner. It may tell you where the car has been by county or city, how many owners it has had, and the miles at each smog test or service. It will also tell of any failed smog tests.

Steve Weiner-Rennsport Systems

Thats a beautiful car, however don't forget that it has 22 year old Dilavar head studs and you need to provide for their potential replacement, when needed.

billyfeet

That car looks very fine in the photos. I would talk to the current owner and get a feel for his version of the history of the car's use and care. If the car lived in a garage, in a dry area, and was not put out of service for a long period I think $28,000 would be a great price. Nice color combo too!

GothingNC

Looks nice.

Just for Reference here is an 89 Cabrio with 43,000 miles for $29,900

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsc...-must-see.html

88 Cabrio 57,000 miles for $25,900

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsc...-must-see.html

87 Cabrio 62,000 miles $26,500
New Top, Shocks, oil lines, tires...

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsc...-pristine.html

UberXY

I bought an 84 with 39k miles on it five years ago and it has been trouble free. I drive it about once a week. On our current mileage schedule, the car should hit 100k miles when I am 130 years old.

GothingNC

I think we will be out of gas a bit earlier...

BrianU

Having trouble logging in under "tamjam" so re-registered with a different screen name...

Anyhoo...I haven't been up to see this car yet, but am pretty sure I've decided it's too nice for what I'm looking for. I plan to actually drive the car I eventually end up with so am not sure I want one with so few miles that I'll constantly be worried that if I start accumulating miles I'll be accelerating the depreciation. Plus I am more of a Coupe/Targa guy than Cab. Still haven't decided whether I *must* have an 87-89 with the G50 or if an 86 or even well-sorted 964 would suit. The search begins...