JohnKoaWood

ALSO FWIW, I have bought both my 944 and my 951 sight unseen... but knew what I was getting into, and expected both to be worse off than they were...

odurandina

there's a reason why this car is still "for sale." that of course being the seller on drugs.

you're in low-miles '93~'95 968 $$$$.

racer

Some other thoughts/concerns..

1) Clutch? Still original at 190K miles?

2) How about the M030 suspension. I can't imagine the shocks don't need replacing/rebuilding due to time/mileage

3) LSD (which would be standard) I would be shocked that IT doesn't need a rebuild yet.

4) Overall, you likely have 20+ year old rubber fuel lines, brake lines, Suspension bushings etc etc.


Were these the $2-3K in items the mechanic already suggested, or was he going for the already obvious and failed parts that need attention?

I am not saying NOT to buy it.. but be realistic with your budget if infact this is your "dream" car. Mine wasn't my "dream" car, but at 38K miles and a new clutch when I bought it, it sure made it seem like a nice starting point. There are other, better examples out there for the money you are willing to spend.

divil

Fair enough. I am taking everyone's advice seriously, but I can't help noticing there's a huge disparity between what you guys are saying and the adds I see out there.


So far I've found 3 or 4 Turbo S models for sale and every one has had a higher asking price than this one. Two of them were listed for over 13K, and from their descriptions I have no reason to think they're in any better condition, although most of them do have lower mileage (and of course I have not had them checked out, which I may yet do).

Any cars I've seen for 10K or less are '86 turbos which are quite a bit less powerful and, to me, less desirable. Am I nuts because of that?

I know people are usually optimistic when they put their car up for sale, but from what you guys are saying, everyone is basically high on crack.

Incidentally, odurandina - you seem to know the car - do you know how long it's been for sale?

M758

BTW...

Here is the car.

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...e&rdpage=thumb


I have to admit it is clean the paint looks really nice.


However here is literally 1/2 the miles for the same price

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...e&rdpage=thumb


Doing a quick scan there are not alot of Turbo S for sale in solid condition. There is more selection if you don't worry about the "S" features.

V2Rocket

looks like its been garaged and taken care of...the still-yellow strut tower caps are a nice sign. thing looks clean inside and out...reassuring.

M758

However here is one on criagslist.

Local to me in Az.

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/ctd/2241479568.html

Nice, Less miles and good price.

Same car for lower price too 7995
http://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/cto/2235164516.html

divil

Yes the Koni shocks were rebuilt, not sure about the mileage but it was fairly recent.

LSD, well I am not sure if it was rebuilt - my mechanic could not find anything wrong with it, but he did say that he avoided thrashing the car around and checked it by hand on his lift in addition to the road test.

Suspension, brake lines etc. all checked - the "minor" leaks and control arm rebuild I mentioned were the only things needing attention.

Yeah, that was going to be my next one to look at. It's a bit further away from me which is a factor for getting there and driving the car back.

JohnKoaWood

OH Crap, here comes JoKA again..

First Autotrader link, there are a few things that jumped out to me and give me reason for pause... not concern, just pause...

And the second link.. same car, year newer, half the miles, better IMHO than the first, but not necessarily better buy... not to mention I like the sport seats... very nice indeed!

But as I have said many many times.... I could be wrong!

and FWIW, the LSD can be checked without thrashing the car around.. there is a on car and bench torque check procedure for the plate preload of the factory LSD that is VERY good for determining the health of the internals of the LSD... and is well worth the test as it is $$$ to rebuild... I have the tools, I have the technology!

divil

What's up with the autotrader add? If you're referring to the fact that the front panel is different in some of the pics, that is the panel he told me was replaced, and the replacement one is an aftermarket part with the 2 air vents, which I've seen on these cars before. I know that indicates at least 1 of the pics is old, but the other ones show it in decent condition, and that was backed up by my mechanic. Also, it's a fiberglass part so it might not look exactly like the surrounding panels.

Now that certainly looks like a better deal than anything I have found so far. I wonder what an inspection might turn up on that one...I'll look into it though.

I just told my mechanic the asking price of the first one and he said it's high, but only because of the mileage. He also said it doesn't really need a new water pump this time (he quoted for it because I asked) so the timing belt job would come out quite a bit cheaper than I had thought. I could also skip a couple of minor things: the driver's seat height adjustment switch doesn't work, the brake fluid has 2% water, and the coolant leak is 'minor'. These 4 things would knock at least $800 off the repairs for the time being, and I could do them later myself for just the cost of the parts.

Still, none of that changes the value of the car, and it doesn't come close to the one listed in craigslist, but I will have to check out that one and see what else may be up with it.

JohnKoaWood

PM on the way!

divil

Regarding the craigslist one, it's a dealer selling it as his personal car - therefore no tax. I just spoke to him and I don't get the impression he has driven it for very long, if at all.

By "car has fresh timing belt, water pump" he means the mechanic that he had fix the oil seal assured him the timing belt looked new.

There's a big dent (which in fairness he told me about) on the passenger side, he says it looks much worse in the pics than it really is. It's viewable in the first of the 2 links above.

The carfax has a fairly different pattern from the other I've looked up. I don't know if this means anything - can anyone shed any light on it?: it was registered to a new owner, auctioned, and registered to another owner all within 56 miles, over a few months in 1991. Then in 95 there was a "Duplicate title issued". Then it shows "Title issued or updated" repeatedly for the next 7 years before a new owner bought it. Other than that it's fairly normal. I didn't see any of this stuff on the other ones I looked up.

I'm usually sceptical of car dealers and this guy seems fairly typical - hard to get straight answers. But he says the car is fine mechanically and ready to drive away.

Doesn't that price seem a bit too good to be true?

pettybird

poor silver rose car has a hammered interior... missing the front sport seats, bad dash, bad steering wheel, bad shifter.

I'd definitely hold out for a Turbo S or an '89...you have the money, and they will be worth more (someday far, far away...)

I bought the one below off of Craigslist last fall--'89, sport seats, 10 speaker sound. The paint looks a little better in the pics than it shows (though I knew that) and the car was unmolested. The belts needed to be done immediately, and I'm gearing up to do a pile of preemptive maintenance this spring. Overall the car is very solid, with a decent interior, and 86k miles, and it was an hour away. I paid $4500 for it. I thought it was a total fluke, and I was the first to call on it, 22 minutes after it was listed. Thanks Craigslist Android app!

I never thought I'd see another like it for the price, but not a week later a white '89 popped up, with better paint, for six grand, 20 miles away from the other! To get to the point, you never know what you'll find. It's a LONG way to spring in North Dakota, too...I say pass at this one.

JohnKoaWood

Wow, that is a hell of a deal for a Silver Rose car, if it is in fact a true silver rose... (which the back seat and doors panels appear to be, but the front seats are not original to the car)

Where is that stupid silver rose registry when you need it, verify the VIN against the registry....

If you can get him down on price, I would be on that like stink on shi-poop...

I would try to get him to drop down under say... 6K, but even at 7500 if it is a silver rose it is decently priced! even with the rocker panel damage (which CAN be repaired pretty easily!) Sure it isn't perfect, but it isn't priced as if it is perfect... shift boot, front seats, dent in right side rocker panel.. all easily repairable!

That is a car that deserves a new home, and with someone who will appreciate it!

OH, and as far as the timing belt looking new, they usually do, right up until they break or strip teeth off the belt... if unknown replace.. it is $100 part that saves THOUSANDS in damage and work...

divil

pettybird, wow that's a beautiful car.

I wouldn't be too bothered about that - if I bought that car the whole interior would have to go anyway. I don't know whether the replacement seats or the original rear seats are more hideous, but I don't think I could live with either

Haha people greatly exaggerate the winters here. I'm not a native but going by last year I'd give it another couple of weeks of cold weather, at the very most We've already had a few days of thaw and they're getting more and more frequent Most of the roads here are RWD-ready at the moment.

That said, if there's a chance to buy a car like yours for $4500 then I'll wait. I'm glad I posted here because every add and buyer's guide I've looked at had me fixing to spend a lot more than that.

Anyway, an update I spoke to the seller of the first car again...and told him about the repairs needed. I told him I'd consider paying the price we'd agreed (which was less than the asking price) minus the cost of all the repairs needed (not just the stuff they recommended)...he's thinking about it but I don't think he'll go for it.

He also said he never had the whole car repainted, just the hood and one door (which he had told me about). So either the previous owner did the respray, or the mechanic saw the paint job on the hood/door and presumed the whole car had been done. I'll double check with him.


.

I have the VIN of the car if anyone has a link to check this...

Yeah there is no way I'd take his word for it that it's OK.