Ryan in SD

As some of you know, Ive started looking around for a 951 and dont want to spend more than $8K.

The first car I looked at was at a dealership in oceanside and they wouldnt let me test drive it They have all records, which is nice. I left a little disapointed not getting to test drive it so I called them up after test driving the callaway. I wanted to compare the performance so I asked if they could give me a ride in it. When I got their the guy started it up and it sputtered and ideled rough. They were clearly not prepaired even though i made an appointment So they said they would call me back, I wasnt even there for 5 minutes for them to turn me away even after I battled traffic for 15 minutes to get there. Im going to wait for them to call me back tomarrow.

The 2nd one was kinda far and the pictuers looked promising. I drove an hour and a half to look at a callaway but was not impressed with the price or performance. So the only thing I got from that was a feeling for the performance which from what I understand is different than a real 951 (hopefully.

These cars are hard to find!

Since I dont want to waste this post/thread I have a question.
When the 951 at the dealership was started it up, it sputtered and liquid was shooting out of the exhaust...is this bad? I didnt want to investigate infront of the guy that was showing me the car. And while it was doing that, it was ideling rough.

So hopefully tomarrow their mechanic knows why it was acting funny and they either give me a ride in the car or let me test drive it.
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to be continued...

turbo8

lol was the 951 you wanted to test in oceanside the white one from wolf performance

mark944turbo

"I didnt want to investigate infront of the guy that was showing me the car. And while it was doing that, it was ideling rough."

It is most likely not a serious problem, maybe a bad airflow meter, needs new plugs and wires, etc. I would have a compression test done by a mechanic you trust just in case.

This is not the right attitude when buying a car thought! You want to show the salesman that you recognize the problems, and make sure you search them all out. You are trying to get a good deal, not make friends with the salesman.

Good luck!

Rip It

I recently bought a 951, just got lucky and was in the right place at the right time. I wasn't even looking for one. I had two years earlier been thinking of buying one and after reading this site decided that only an idiot would actually buy one.
My best adviced for anyone wanting to purchase a Porsche would be to get together with a local Porsche club, unless your are a Porsche expert! Read anything about how to buy a Porsche and the first sentence will say contact a club, its a good source to find that unadvertised babied/MAINTAINED car. Take your time and wait for the right deal, if there's not receipts for up to date maintainence be perpared to immediately throw 2k at it. Good Luck!!!

RK951

keep looking daily on autotrader. also right now there are two 86 951s on cars.com not too far away from you in SD, one in OC, the other in riverside both under 7k. the more cars you look at will give you a better idea what to look for and what sort of condition you should expect.

Ryan in SD

What are you an employee there that would truly be funny.

Ryan in SD

I know I should be a lot more objective in this type of case but I figure since Im going to do a PPI by a trusty mechanic I could just tell them what I observed.

I myself am not a mechanic so even if I did go as far as a taste test on the damn thing I still wouldnt know whether somthing is wrong or not.

testarossa_td

Rough idle at startup, water/fluid out the exhaust.
I would not worry about it.
If the car has been sitting a while it would probably take a while for everything to expand and get back to where it should be. The spitting fluid out the rear was probably just condensate.


Haveing said all that. WORRY. You have plenty of potential problems with these cars. Inspect them thouroughly and leave no screw or vacuum hose unturned!

And PPI's I have found to be small insurance. The only way to know for sure is take some very knowledgeable person on the model you are buying...or learn yourself..but there are tons of things that only experience will teach you and you wallet.

Dilberto

I understand your plight. I was looking for the "right" 951(Copenhagen Blue/Linen under 90k/mi) and I simply gave up.I tried eBay- but either got outbid, or my timing wasn't right. This continued to frustrate me until I saw a Craigslist advertisement for an India Red 1986 fixer/track potential car, for $1800/obo. When speaking to the owner prior to seeing the car, he said the 951 had major oil/coolant leaks, and had nasty start/intermittent running problems. although he knew nothing about these cars- he was absolutely certain the engine needed a rebuild. I knew otherwise, and brought a new DME relay before I got to the owners' home. Sure enough, the car wouldn't start for at least 15 minutes. I was able to knock the price down $300 for that issue. Then when the previous owner wasn't looking- I slipped the new DME relay in the fuse box and it started right up immediately. It took me less than three minutes to realize this engine is still very robust, and far from being tired. I then offered the starving-student the entire contents of my wallet...or roughly $1380. First he hesitated, but then reached out to grab the money, realizing his school semester just started.

Without further delay- I asked him to include everything that came with the car, which even included a brand-new KKK K26/6 Ball-bearing turbo too(he really thought it was the turbo going out!)! Although I am probably the only Rennlister with a perfectly-running 951 acquired for the unheard-of cost in the sub-$2000 range- I have sunk almost $6000(the balance of my 951 budget) in restoration and service work.

Keep your search up- these cars are truly hard to find! But as a whole generation of Porsche owners
decide to trade up to either new Boxsters, or 911s....your 951 will be there, waiting.

Zach
1986 951 - Bone stock, waiting for Vitesse Stage II kit
1986 Audi Sport Quattro - Needs tons of restoration parts
1986 Porsche 930S - Needs 3.3L turbo motor
2001 BMW X5 4.4i Needs nothing

"Your best deals are the ones you NEVER anticipate, or are prepared to purchase"

Ryan in SD

Wow Dilberto thats impressive..wish I could come across somthing like that, unbeleiveable....under $2,000!!!

dime1622

GET A PPI NO MATTER WHAT.

SoloRacer

What you seemed to have missed is the $4000 in restoration and service work. These cars will eat you alive if you don't keep them up. You could turn down a nice car at a fair price to buy a cheaper car and then sink way more into the cheaper car in the long run. Don't ask how I know......

WesM951

I wouldn't be so keen to rule out the cheap cars. I have a measly $1300 of repairs in mine since i bought it 2yrs ago. (Majority of the $1300 begin the clutch job) I also paid $3800 up front for one of the rarest color combo's you'll ever see.


99% luck. Someone who didn't know what he had that wanted to get rid of it, and some lucky kid not having a clue as to what he was looking for when he bought it. Yea it can be done.

rhesus

I find a good deal on a 951 is 10x easier to find right after you buy one

turbo8

i was in oceanside on sunday and saw it and looked at it i did notice it was missing the lower front bumper and under belly, and it didnt look as good as my car, my gf agreed