fletcher0780

Not sure if this is the right place to post (if not, please move this thread mods). I'm in the position to buy a 930, I had a deposit on an 89 last week, but it failed the PPI. I found an 86 with a two year old $17000 engine and lots of nice mods, but it was the only car in my friends price range (low $20K's) so I told him about it and he bought it. Now I'd like to find one for myself.

I'd like to find a decent, clean, lightly modified (exhaust, IC, turbo, etc.) car. The only color I'm not interested in is white, and I want to stay away from cabrio's. High milage is OK as long as there is recent engine work or decent documentation. I'm looking to pay high $20K's and a car near New England. I've found a few cars that fit my requirements, but they are not close enough to look at.

Thanks.

A930Rocket

Keep looking. Sometimes it takes awhile and sometimes it falls in your lap.

Good luck!

HkPlinker

Good thing I found my car when I did, I only wanted a white CAB ! ! !

fletcher0780

Thanks for the encouragement and your white cab looks cool they're just not for me. I'm going to look at this car http://www.7motorcars.com/detail-198...o-3211135.html, it's an 83 grey market import that has a new VIN (was imported in 83 or 84). The car looks very original and the only flaw I saw in the photo is the dash shrinking above the vents. They are supposed to service it next Monday, and I plan to look at it tomorrow. I also have a line on a 1 owner red 86 930 in CT with 100K miles, but no service history (supposed to be real clean though) I heard they're looking for about $24K.

HkPlinker

Careful with a grey market car. I would assume 25% less value than a US bound car. I believe you will find it to be a difficult car to sell, but wait for some more members to reply. Patients, my child . . . .

fletcher0780

I'll keep that in mind, but why are the grey market cars less desirable?

WERK-I

With all due respect, I strongly disagree. The grey market era is over 20 years old now. If all the issues of grey market car hasn't been worked out by now, that car has more problems other than it being gm.

_________________________

Dave
'85 Porsche 930 Factory Slant

HkPlinker

Because of the age, they are starting to become exempt (cars 25 years and older are considered "classic").
Otherwise, the cars were not legal in the US (mostly safety and emmission equipment). Cars done correctly by companies like Amerispec are OK, but without the paperwork and EPA/DOT releases, I would be careful.
Plus, I am pretty sure the cars will not pass many SMOG and emmissions tests in several states, which makes resale that much harder.

Overall, buying a "grey" market car is like buying a "wrecked & repaired" 930 - yeah you save some money, what wouldn't you rather spend just a little bit more and buy the "right" car???

Noah930

I don't know if grey market is all that undesirable, and I say that as someone who has a US-spec car. Like WERK-I says, if the car was going to have problems mechanically or with its paperwork, it would likely have had them by now. If the car's passed smog in your home state and is properly registered, its grey market origins probably won't be a big problem if you assume ownership. Of course, if you're buying from out of state, you'll want to make sure your DMV/RMV isn't going to give you a hard time about it. Also check with your car insurance company and your bank if you're financing (though, IMO, if you're financing this type of purchase, it might not be the smartest thing to do, financially).

Some people prefer the RoW cars for slightly added performance. On the other hand, others would never look at purchasing a RoW car out of snobbishness or the reasons mentioned by Plinker.

fletcher0780

Well, that grey market car I'm going to look at was imported, inspected, and assigned a new VIN. no emissions for cars older than 25 yrs in CT, but I'm not sure about the bank or insurance.

mjwolsky

I bought an 83 930 a few years ago and the only ones I was considering were grey market due to more horsepower and the cool looking turn signals on the sides. I have had no DMV issues at all and love the car!!! I had the same requirements as you...engine that was recently rebuilt, transmission that was recently rebuilt, as many performace upgrades as I could get with good service history. Basically I didn't want to have to put and $$ into it, just wanted a solid car that I could drive and enjoy. But, after 3 years of enjoyment, I'm looking at rebuilding the engine due to excessive oil consumption. So.....even if all of the major components are "like new" that doesn't guarantee that you wont be spending some $$ on it in the future. The previous owner might have receipts for recent work, but who knows if the guy that rebuilt your engine did it right???

fast951

I own a MY83 930, purchased almost 15 years ago. Car was imported to the USA when it was new back in 1983.
I never had a issue with DMV or with Insurance. The car passed both NC and GA emissions every year without a problem. (Atlanta emission tests are tough, but no problem). As far as maintenance, I put on the car almost 18K miles since I have owned it, and yet to spend a dime on it other than fuel, oil and a set of tires. The car has 62K miles now.
I don't think a grey market car is a bad thing. Of course, finding a good example is key to any good 911 ownership.

Dino944

+1

Even when these cars were new Euro/Gray Market cars were not very desireable in the USA, and that goes for Porsches, Ferraris, MBs, BMWs etc. Back in the 80's the dollar was strong and someone could buy a Euro, have it converted, and it was still a bit less than a US Spec Car. But many US dealers would not work on them and would not take them in trade toward a new US spec car. That may be less of a problem with more independent service shops around these days. These cars always had a lower resale value. In addition, while there were claims of more horses, some of those power advantages were lost when cars were "smogged" to come here...although in several states the smogging equipment is no longer necessary, in California its still required (and thats a big Porsche market if you eventually want to sell the car). One of the other concerns is who did the conversion. Amerispec did top notch work and is one of the few companies that really did a great job! But unfortunately, many cars were converted by hacks who used shoddy workmanship and crude techniques in converting cars. I've heard horror stories where bumber reinforcements that were required because of US 5 mph bumper requirements in the 80s' were never installed and instead broom handles were painted black and installed instead of the propper bumpers and reinforcements. In addition, a well known Ferrari Tech on the west coast posted on another forum that when shopping for 80s sports cars, he never even considers a Euro/Gray market car because too many of them that he has inspected have had low quality conversions, and he has worked on both US and Euro spec cars.

In the end these are fast cars even in US spec form, and most average drivers will never notice or utilize any slight performance advantage a Euro car may have. If you really want to be faster once you have your 930, go to Skip Barber or some other well respected performance driving school.

I'd spend the extra money and have a car that was built entirely they way it should have been at the Porsche factory.

Best regards,
Dino

HkPlinker

Thank you, Dino. I almost desided to write an aoplogy to the grey car owners, but for what it's worth, This is only my opinion, and you know the saying, "everyone's got one". If you like the car and it passes the PPI, please do the PPI, the money's right and it's the car you want, by all means, buy it.

You have nothing to proove (or disproove in this case) to anyone.

Enjoy.

Dino944

Hi Hk,

For me it was a matter of wanting cars built 100% at the factory. There just were not a lot of very high quality conversions done on Euro cars back in the 1980's. Many gray cars were converted by people essentially using the lowest bidder to do the coversion work, as the cars original owner or importer wanted to max out on profit when selling. But to each his own. Some people want US spec others are willing to buy a Euro, there is something out there for everyone.

Also wanted to say I love your Turbo Cabriolet. White looks great on that car.
Best regards,
Dino