Hi there,

I will be looking at an '88 Carrera Targa this sunday. First Porsche ever ! I actually never sat in ONE !!! I will go through my ''Used 911 Story'' book again, and if all seems good visually, I will proceed with a PPI.

Found a local shop and called them up and they say it should take 1-2 hours for the inspection. At 75$/hr, it seems VERY reasonnable.

The car is supposedly all original. Present owner is the 3rd one and he as all the service records. It as 73 000 miles and the asking price is 22 500 $.

What should I ask the owner and is 1-2 hours of labor standard for a thorough PPI ? My choice for shops is very limited in that area, the other one being the local Porsche dealer.

Thanks and any advice is welcomed

 

I don't think 1-2 hours is sufficient for a thorough PPI, especially if compression and leak down tests are included - which they should. Make sure that the shop can also identify collision and paint work - even if it's not obvious.

 

Well the guy who answered me isn't a mechanic. He told me the PPI cost will depend on what they need to check and what I want to know. It's seems like a reputable shop. Waiting for feedback on them from Rennsport club members (Quebec). Still, at 75 $/hr it's no so bad.

 

https://rennlist.com/forums/911-foru...immermann.html

Please read the above linked thread. Mitch is correct; one to two hours is not nearly enough to do a proper PPI.

 

Hey thanks for the reply Peter ! I will have your book in hand that's for sure. 1st one I bought about Porsches 911. Great read, loved it

I'm in no rush, so if that Targa isn't the one, no worries. Half the fun is finding the right one isn't it ?

 

Finding "the one" and driving her home is something that you'll never forget.

 

PM or email me if you would like to see what a good 88 feel and look like before heading up to Quebec.
I'll let you sit in my car

 

This is not the time to shop for bargain labor. If you pay them $75/hr and they know not what they are doing, and miss something important-then $75/hr is not so good.

 

A whole lot of excellent advice here,...

JMHO, but no decent PPI is complete without a leakdown test. Further, make sure they note WHERE any leakage is coming from since without that, the results are useless.

 

Well, I'm not shopping for any bargain for a PPI, but for now this is the only shop available in Quebec city as far as I know:

http://www.autobahn8.com/

 

Stopped by the shop in Quebec yesterday (Autobahn 8) and I'm glad I did. Nice place !

Two Carrera 3.2s were sitting outside and two more recent 911s (still working on my identification skills !) also a nice 944 and a couple of BMWs. The guy I had talken too over the phone introduced me to Martin, the Porsche specialist.

Very knowledgeable guy ! He gave me some good tips for my shopping and a few things to keep in mind, if I'm to become a Carrera owner in the near future.

On my way out, I saw some nice pics of a GT3 racecar. Turns out Martin is also a partime mechanic in the IMSA Porsche serie. He worked on the ANSA Motorsport (Miami, FLA) GT3 at the Montreal race and he was also involved in the Rolex endurance serie at some point.

I had a very good feeling about the place.

 

Consider buying a copy of the book pictured at the bottom of post # 4 under Pete's signature.

That should help you get up to speed on air cooled 911s.

 

Before you buy any Porsche,make sure you understand the differences in owning a Cabriolet,a Targa and a Coupe ...
Take your time and find the best car that will suit your needs !

Cheers !
Phil

 

Hi..."wildcat's" suggestion is an excellent one being that you have never owned a 911 before.
My suggestion is that you take it to a Porsche dealer. In Vancouver we have Weissachs who are not a Porsche dealer but all they service and deal in is just about all Porsche's. You no doubt have a similar dealer in Montreal. Keep in mind that something as simple as a clutch job is 9 hrs without any part= $$$- what I am saying is that there is nothing like complete service records.
Regards
michael

 

There are a lot of Porsche dealers in the US that don't have a clue about how to service an older 911. Certainly not all, but a lot of them have this deficiency. It may be different in Canada, but never assume that a Porsche dealer knows much about old cars, other than the fact the motor is in the back.