1986targa

Hello,
I'm new to your group and hopefully on Monday I'll be a new 1986 Targa owner. I found the car in the classified section of this website. I asked the owner to take the car to the local Porsche dealer, Don Rosen in Norristown PA, to get it surveyed. I'll have the results on Monday. The known problems are ripped seats, needs a new top, needs new weather stripping around doors and targa, no A/C (supposedly a bad receiver/dryer) and a few minor imperfections in the paint. It has 96k miles. All receipts are with the car and all scheduled maintenance was done and recorded in the book. The car runs and drives great. The price is 15k. From what
I found the price seems fair but not fantastic.
I have two questions:

1 - The seller has a carfax report but it starts at 1990. I meant to run one myself today but I lost the paper I had written the vin number on. I will of course run the number myself before I buy it. I know that no info is available for cars made prior to 1981. Has anyone ever seen a carfax start at 1990 instead of 1986?

2 - I spoke to the dealer today. They know the car and told me that the original owner was fastidious about maintenance. The problem according to dealer is that although the 90,000 mile maintenance was done at the dealer, it was done two years ago. They feel that the scheduled maintenance is required every 15k miles or two years whichever comes first. Since the car has only covered 6000 miles in two years, do I really need to get this maintenance done? The current owner (he's the second owner and has only had the car for about 6 months) will not pay for this service. He will however correct any deficiencies that the mechanic discovers.

This site is a great resource for all things Porsche!!!

Thanks

Dave

Jay H

Dave;

Since it's been two years since the last major service, I would:

1) Definitely change oil and filter
2) Change trans fluid ($100)
3) Flush brake fluid ($100)
4) Check air filter and if dirty, replace
5) Inspect fan belt, replace if cracked or glazed
6) Change fuel filter (optional)

I would not bother with new plugs or a valve adjustment at this time if you know for sure these two issues were addressed at 90,000 miles.

Good luck with your new purchase!

Jay
<a href="http://www.jays911.com" target="_blank">90 964</a>

Bill Gregory

Dave,

Hopefully Don Rosen wasn't the dealer that serviced the car you're looking at. You want a PPI done by a mechanic that doesn't have a vested interest in it.

The Carfax could start in a year later than the model year - I've seen that before. Not all states have maintained the same records over time.

Roamer

Dave, I own an 86 Targa with around 90k and had uncertain service history (no records) but was in perfect running order. I would go with Jay's recommendations, as I followed the same process to give myself some insurance/piece of mind about the vehicles overall maintenance. Valves, as the local Porsche dealer told me, listen for the tappetts, if they sound like they are out of adjustment, than chances are they are. Luckily for me the previous owners took outstanding care of the car and the work must have been done very recently.

With CARFAX, mine went right back to the original registration. You may also want to call your insurance agent and have them run the vin, they can tell you if it has been involved in any accidents which sometimes do not show up on the CARFAX if there was no accident report filed.

Lastly, price, a little high given the condition and the season, in the spring/summer he gets $15 all day. I paid more, but for a car with no problems and slightly lower milage. Try knocking off $1500.

Good luck!

Stuttgart951

Dave,

Congrat's on your soon to be new purchase! Youll find ALOT of very helpful, local P-car guys around here.

I dont want to dampen your enthusiasm at all, but after you get your PPI fron Don Rosen, I would take the car to another tech for service.

I have dealt with Don Rosen on two seperate occassions, and on both, they created more problems than they fixed.

I would stay away from this dealership like the plague - they may be able to change the oil in a 996 with their eyes closed, but bring them something built before 1990 and they scratch their heads and stare at it.

There are, however, two shops I will recommend.

DiNardo's in Warington and Mike Tilson Motor Cars on 63rd in the city (right near St. Joes).

I have my car serviced by Tilson, and their work is absolutely top notch.

Good luck!

Mike