Nandle

I love how the post takes a life of its own- everyone's comments, discussions, arguments and points of view have been interesting, but also show that there is an emotional component to this vehicle- like many other cars- that add a dimension. It is exactly why I started this thread with the fact I fell in love with a car. I was smitten, and I know it will be work and effort...but heck what love affair isn't. I imagine there is not a similar discussion in a Chrysler forum regarding the 1995 Dodge Aries! But I could be wrong. That being said I am 90% sure I am making an offer today on a 94 cab- triple black 88k mile- need small amount of work the (clutch, top is only manual) interior very good shape - he bought from a friend of his, extensive records,and he was willing to negotiate.

CVDH posted he felt "slutty" when he saw a 968,, I feel like I am having an affair !

Cole

Sounds like a nice car.

I love nothing more than falling in love with the design and style of a car. Looking back at it as you walk away to catch a glimps of the lines in the various lighting sources. "Petting it" as you walk past it in the garage. The edge of the spoiler on my 928S4 is a fun curve to follow with your hand as you walk by.

Good luck on the offer.

mhr

Good luck. I am jealous.

BTW, you want to leave the roof manual. Search for broken bow if you want to know why.

fittrjoe

+ 1 ON THE MANUAL... and replace those cam chain pads as well as the rubber fuel lines

1990 944 s2 cab Triple black fresh everything spared no expense

Dino V

Best of luck, hope it works in your favor.

Nandle

Thanks all- mhr, thanks for that suggestion. Seems like the top is small enough to deal with, unlike my Jeep Wrangler which is a pain in the rear- but its a Jeep, so a little rain is not a big deal ( ok even a huge rainstorm park that sucker on a hill, pull plugs and it drains).

Now that we have agreed on a $$ and I have talked with the shop that will do PPI- all I am waiting for is that. If it all comes back good (or where I expect it to) I will then run a Carfax- my thought process being why pay for that if there is a major issues that will stop this dead anyway - but I have heard some things about Carfax not always being accurate( opinions welcome).

Then if all the stars align- I will fly up to drive for a day, get it up on a lift etc. This will add some expense but talking with family members (Parental figures- Father and Father In Law- yes 46 year olds still ask for advice) I think rather then purchase sight unseen I will fly up for a day to drive the vehicle and check it out- but still have it shipped to avoid a 1500 mile trip that could exacerbate issues known (ie still has original clutch). This will add to my overall cost, but seems prudent.

I appreciate all of the feedback and advice- and have started a master list of stuff to do short term and long term. My wife thinks I am obsessed, but you know the Journey is the Destination!

Damian in NJ

But you went with 17" wheels, which were not available on 944's, and a 968 CS steering wheel, not available on a 944 . . .

And while you see many 944 owners wanting 968 mirrors and door handles, I can't recall seeing someone asking to backdate their 968 to elephant ear mirrors and VW door handles.

rap

Pray tell, why did you agree on a price prior to the PPI? Having just gone through this and having dealt with this issue by refusing to agree on a price with the seller, I'd love to hear your thought process. I told my seller that once we did the PPI, which I would let him see, then we could talk the price. If your paying for the PPI and flying there you are certainly showing good faith and interest!

Nandle

rap- a good question. Think of the Kenny Rogers song the Gambler, "You Gotta Know When to Hold them, Know When to Fold them, and Know when to walk away" This is a tactic I use every day in my Professional life. A starting position must be established based on understanding the motivation, and thought process of the other party. For this particular seller the front end position we established shows I am acting in good faith- and appeals to his pride and personal integrity. In doing so I also have a baseline to work from. If everything the seller told me is accurate, then the price we arrived at works for us both.

The next step of "Trust but Verify" (not to get too political in this political season), which the PPI becomes the mechanism for,actually the serves as a bargaining tool if other issues arise. As a baseline has been established I can get very specific based on findings. Only if we agree at this point will I fly up. If we cannot agree, then I walk away ( but honestly feel 95% this particular sellers will come to the table f need be).

I am curious as you mentioned you felt I was showing good faith in paying for a PPI- did you have the seller pay for it? From what I have read it is normally the buyer who pays for that. From my perspective although the company doing the PPI should be objective, the guy forking over the $$ usually has some advantage- something I would not want to give away in a negotiation. So in the end were did both you and the seller have a "win-win" situation?

rap

Good answer. My seller was pretty insistent we establish a baseline. He didn't want to waste his time if I was just bottom fishing. Fair point. I paid for the PPI. He even was going to have to drive the car a total of two hours round trip and wait two hours for it to be done. For this he wanted a refundable good faith deposit. Hmm. So I told him I'd have my attorney work up the papers for this, which I did. As I told him, I don't hand money over to to strangers. He backed off on this point. So we meet. He and I were both nice guys. So what. When I drove his car it missed when punched. He of course was agast and claimed that had never happened to him. I actually believed him on this point. So this drove home the point of the need for the PPI to establish an offering price for me. He had this issue fixed prior to taking the car for the PPI. Other issues came up after the inspection which drove the price down. We ended up meeting halfway between his lowest acceptable and my highest offer. Both of us ended up reasonably satisfied as in the end he realized I was a legitimate potential buyer and not trying to drive down the price to the lowest possible price. Could I have driven down to a lower price? Perhaps, but I was interested in the car and as it sounds like you know, smart negotiations always allow the other party to walk away satisfied and with face. I wasn't going to dither over a couple of hundred dollars.

Nandle

After weeks of looking, negotiating and working out the minutia I Pulled the Trigger! 94' 968 Cab- Black on Black. Purchased from an amicable fellow from Jersey- native Brooklyn guy like me. He has been great- and the car has been serviced at Brother to Brother in NJ, who have been great as well in dealing with all of this long distance. Most of the major stuff done in past year (except the clutch) and they are fixing a minor gasket leak found in PPI.

I am on the fence on how to get it here.My intent was to ship...but prices more then anticipated (didn't do that part of the research well, and it seems nobody supports the idea of an open carrier). The shipping time frames out there as well- mid to late Nov! I guess I never though about the snowbirds moving all of their stuff from the NE to FL. On the other hand, it sure would be fun to drive back to Arkansas. I think this will be a great and fun entrance into the Porsche world. Thanks for all of the input!

jonnyd330

This is a great thread, I used to have a 924s which was a great car. I don't have it anymore but I think if I were to buy a poor mans porsche i would go with a boxster.

I have driven a couple and they are a lot of fun. Although if I had a chance to own an 968 turbo I would be all over that in a heartbeat, but of course I don't believe any of those were ever in the states so I will just keep dreaming.

Dino V

Congrats and enjoy your 968!

jpk

Fly out and drive it home without any worries. Wait for the hurricane to pass first though.
Head down I-81, but make sure you take some detours along the Tennessee/North Carolina border to enjoy the twisties. Pretty much any road going through the Smokies will be very enjoyable, but there are some that are really spectacular - hwy 73 West of Gatlinburg, hwy 165 between Robbinsville and Telico Plains, and, of course the "tail of the dragon" - Hwy 129 at Deal's gap.

odurandina

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