jwasbury

Hey folks. I posted a few weeks ago about this car that I am looking at. My stepfather has seen it and driven it. Its now being looked over by John Forbes of Black Forest Racing. The car is an unmolested US model, with about 50k miles, asking price 29.5k. After the test drive, I told the seller I could do 25k assuming the ppi comes back to my satisfaction, which he agreed to. Spoke with John today, and his first words were "the car is stunning." His first impression was that I should just buy it. After getting up on his lift and giving it a closer inspection, he's determined that the car does need some work. The biggest issue (in my mind) is that he said there is oil leakage/seepage on one side of the engine where the cylinders meet the block. John says this means the heads are loose, compression will be down, and there's an issue with the studs. The engine will need to come out to address this, and while you're in there, may as well do a bunch of other stuff like replace the stock exhaust (which has a crack in the crossover pipe), install turbo valve covers, fix shifter (has a wevo, but not working well), etc. Anyway, I am awaiting a final tally and estimate from John, but he was throwing out 5k as a possible total. I've spoken to the seller and have the feeling that he may be willing to move a little more on the price, but probably very little. So...I like this car, the color is sweeeet, and John say's its stunning to look at, runs strong with no smoke, but needs a little tlc before its ready to make the trip home. What do you think?

JBH

Need to know your budget.

$5K seems light for the kind of work you describe (especially if going to a new exhaust system). Even if it is correct, the amount could easily escalate as you do the things "while you are in there"

I would want to see repair records because only then can you answer questions like:

Was the clutch ever replaced?
What is the condition of the shocks? Ever replaced?
What is the condition of the motor mounts, bushings, etc.?
How much life is left in the rotors?
Is the master cylinder solid and in good condition?
Any other newer parts on engine - alternator, WUR, turbo, etc?

I think you need to go into this project with $15K cash reserve recognizing you may need to spend that much over the next year bringing the car back to 100% mechanical condition. Remember, you are buying a car that is 28 years old - even though the miles are low, parts wear out just sitting there.

CT944

buy it, quick.

sfbanchs

that looks like horizon blue metallic i am biased of course

Toby Pennycuff

Actually, it looks much more like paint code #376 - Light Blue Metallic or Petrol Blue. Reason I know is that *I* have a 1979 Light Blue Metallic Turbo, as does fellow Rennlister, gaijin!



Who knew!

BTW, if you can reconcile yourself to the repair dollars coupled with the acquisition cost, buy it. You'll be hard pressed to find a more FUN car to drive. BUT! These cars demand your respect.

jwasbury

The seller said its Minerva blue. So I've got "Buy it Quick" and "set aside 15k." My budget, btw is that I'd like to spend 30k or less to get a decent car that I can drive on weekends, polish with a cloth diaper, drool over, etc. I want a driver, not a concours car. I accept that it will cost money to keep it on the road, not looking to drop 40k at the start, however.

WPOZZZ

I would have waited to do the PPI before making an offer on the car. I mean you did offer $25k for the car which is $4500 less than asking, and the seller agreed. Now you are going to come back with an even lower figure?

1985ruf

Toby pennycuff...I have been looking for a light blue metallic turbo for a year now...any ideas on who might be selling theirs? I know the paint is rare...any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Jim

YYC930

$5K is way to cheap for that repair..............here's why. On a stand alone basis he is correct.....but......here's what will happen.......

I expect you'll be into it for $10-15K when you are done just for the engine.

Figure on 40 hours labor just to fix the cylinder base problem, plus parts.....you might even need new P+C's, depends on the extent of the damage and how long it was driven like that, and you'll probably have cracked piston rings too, that is very common on older cars......so since you'll have it apart already 75% of the way, you should go ahead and split the case (another 20 hours plus parts) and put in new bearings as well.......get the heads (valves guides, etc) done.....etc.....etc....there is no cheap engine repair on a Porsche, let alone a 930.

All these and other hidden flaws will most likely reveal themselves upon tear down........and they will probably be there. If you are going that far........do the whole thing correctly, because you will never be that far into the motor again, unless you go the cheap route, which means you may be back in there again very soon, to fix something you didn't do the first time. Paying the labor twice is no fun.

I have personally been involved in and/or paid the bills on around 25 different 911/930 engine rebuilds over the last 19 years......and they all cost $10K +++ to do "properly" when it is all said and done.

CT944

Keep working the deal, with the aim to buy it asap. You've got the seller to $25k pending the PPI, that is great. When the PPI comes back with a rough estimate for the repairs, try to work with the seller on meeting half-way on only the essential repairs (head studs). Deal with the shifter, valve covers and exhaust yourself some other time.

I think if you can get the car in the current state for $21k or $22k, you are in good shape.

JFairman

My thought is 25 grand is pretty good where it is and if you wait, someone else that does there own work on their cars and doesn't need to pay a mechanic will buy it.
If it was an '86 or later with the bigger better side AC vents in the dash, I'd buy it for 25, fix it myself and sell it for a profit.

pdqcarrera

Although the lighting means everything in a photo, the Minerva blue I've seen is a very bright yet rich medium blue with heavier metallic (closer to metalflake than just about any other paint I've seen from Porsche).

WPOZZZ

Exactly! You may also **** off the buyer by dropping your price and he may not sell it to you to avoid the hassle. I have a friend who is like that and he thought he had a deal sewed up on a BMW, but he nickel and dimed the owner. A few years later, I find out my friend's gf was the owner of that car and she was so pissed off, she sold it to another friend of mine for way less than the first buyer was offering.

Yargk

make that 3 light blue metallic 1979 930s.

JBH

Here's the deal - the car in excellent mechanical condition with 50K miles is probably worth $34 - $38K, so buying it for $25K and putting another $15K in it is not such a bad proposition. My point is, a 1979 930 should not be viewed as a low maintenance car. You may not have a problem, but the odds are you will need to do repairs beyond those the shop identified in the PPI. YYC is absolutely correct - until the engine is out, you don't know what else is lurking. And there are those things you know will fail eventually, so why not go in and take care of them now?

Does the car come with complete maintenance records? It's a big plus if it does.