Hello everyone,

I'm very new to the forums, however I have been stalking them without an account for some time now. I am 32 and have finally put myself into a financial position to be able to start looking into the 930 market; a dream that needs to be fulfilled, but not without proper caution and advice from those that have been through it all once before.

I'm in Australia and there isn't much to choose from down here. The starting prices for a 930 are around AUD $50,000, which is exactly USD $46,214.91 according to today's exchange rate. I'm looking at a 1979 930 and have sent emails asking for more picture of the engine bay and possible the undercarriage of the car before I make my way interstate to do a visual inspection and PPI with a Porsche mechanic. Although I am very eager to get this car in my heart, my mind is screaming alarm bells at a few red flags that I am quite uncertain about. So, before I contact the owner to pull the plug and let him know I'm not interested, I'd like to know if my decision is a wise one or if I'm being over cautious given the market and what it offers down here.

From the information provided, he is the third owner and there are no log books for the car. In lieu of that, I asked him to provide receipts for mechanical and body work on the car because it has been given a C2 update and is not in the original color (Red Flag 1). He provided digital copies of the workshop receipts from about 5 or 6 different mechanics that have worked on the car (Red Flag 2). In the space of 3 years, about $25,000 was spent on what looks like trying to sort the car's quirks out. There are no receipts that date further than 2009 from the current owner that were provided (Red Flag 3).

On the outside, the car looks great and I don't mind the modifications that have been done to it.

A link to the car is here:

http://www.carsales.com.au/private/d...SSE-AD-2667581

If I was going to go ahead with negotiations, I would need to ask the following:

1. Has a leak down and compression test been carried out recently and does he have the results of those on paper?

2. Why are there no receipts after 2009?

3. Why was the color and bodywork changed; were there any accidents to provoke this?

4. What underlying issues does the car still have?

On the positive side, the longer I wait the more I can save and this in turn opens the possibility of going for something on the higher end of the market. I hope the wise people of this forum can shed light on this a little more for a novice like myself.

I apologize if this is not the most appropriate way to introduce myself to the forum.

 

Dr. Maxwell,

Welcome to this forum and the vast wealth of knowledge that is freely and generous shared by many contributors on here.

I don't have a lot of time at the moment, so I'll comeback later......but to open with some concise direction;

1. Take your time
2. Get your own PPI, don't rely on others
3. If you are able (sounds like you are) search for the car you want and don't compromise
4. If you are forced to, for the "right" car, spend a bit more than you might have planned or budgeted for.......you'll be glad you did !

Someone else jump in.....gotta run .........

5. (Fill in here)
6.
7.

 

never trust an unknown out of town ppi.......ask me how I know

 

Make sure the PPI includes leakdown and compression results.

While I like the look of the C2 update, these cars are very old now and 'most' people wanting to spend the kind of money your talking about want originality more than anything. I suspect as each year passes this will become more and more important to the valuation.

 

You should buy my car, it's good to go no stories no issues . See my ad in the classifieds for a1986 930.

 

+1^^^ Run Forest....run! Too many unknowns, and the same questions/concerns would be had should you buy and ever attempt to sell it. Nice looking car, regardless, but the price a bit steep for all the mods and unknowns.

 

I dont know whats involved with importing a car to a former penal colony but at least you have a bit more selection in the states. There are plenty of people here on rennlist that will give a car a prequalification look for you providing it is close enough not to be a giant chore. I myself would neve consider a color change car.

 

I think my instincts were right on coming in here and asking for advice before pursuing the transaction further. I will look into the costs involved for shipping from the states to my little island penal colony

The other option I'm considering is buying from Japan; however, many of the locals tend to frown upon Japanese imports for some reason and their market value appears to be lower than those that were Australian delivered. I wonder if the same would ring true for an American import?

Thank you again for the words of wisdom; my wife was also very impressed with the response and the community!

 

look at this car. it is a very nice example!!! it will appreciate from his asking price as well. have it looked at nonetheless.

lovely machine!!

best,

pcb

 

I've had a look at it and I'm impressed, but Australia has fairly tight regulations for imports I believe. If I had some figures from someone else who had previously imported from the states to my penal colony, then I'd most definitely consider it.

 

Doug's car is tight, less 5% leak down across the board, recent reseal. A car that was well cared for 100k miles is better than one rode hard with 50k miles and a story.

 

Every car has a story, buy one that
1. Is documented to a level you are comfortable with
2. Is one you believe and you like
3. Is one you wont mind retelling if you ever sell

But keep in mind predicting future by looking at records is like driving by looking in the rearview mirror. There could be no receipts and rock solid, tons of documentation but still many problems. Stop me if im stating obvious. Sometimes it helps to buy a known problem as opposed to rose colored glasses.
I bought a low mileage (under 40k) that had been stored for 12 years and was resurrected. Preserved as it was I knew I was going to have to replace all the rubber bits, that was the problem I bought that others did not want to deal with. Result is they are still looking for a car while I'm driving and doing fun projects.
Sometimes I kick myself for not buying a higher mileage car from a guy in Mississippi who lived 100 miles from a shop so did all the work himself.
Look at each car individually, find what you want and don't let it go, it's worth it trust me.

 

I got my mechanic to take a look at the information and he noticed in a shot of the speedometer that the first three digits were higher as if it had been tampered with. He told me that it was too cheap to be true for the Australian market anyway.

I'm still hunting, but I might save a little more and save on paying for it down the track through repairs.

Thank you for all the advice everyone.