shiftmechanism

I had recently purchased a 1992 C4 6mt with 99.2k miles for a what I felt was a good price. However, it does need some work (stereo system doesnt work, rust on the driver side panel and hood, leaking oil but very little and other minor issues)

I wanted to suggest your valued opinion as to if I should professionally repair the rust, minor imperfections and repaint the car to Porsche Fashion Gray. Would this drastically decrease the cars value?

golfnutintib

black is probably the least desirable 964 color

most of the time it is best to repaint in original color to preserve value but since its black, MAYBE you would be better off with a cool, rare color like fashion grey

but if you do it DON'T SKIMP... paint the whole car, all glass out, engine out, all jams and under all trim - doing it on the cheap so an knowledgable person can tell that it was WILL hurt its value for sure

Feudal Serf

Hey ShiftMech,
Congrats on the 964!
I would focus on cosmetic/metal protection of the ares of rust.Then DA the paint. I would forgo a full paint job and focus on the mechanicals. It will take some time to get a feeling for the cars handling and plan out improvements. You might need that 10K for top end rebuild and or suspension refresh. The car will reward you with an awesome driving experience. Plus you will drive it more and worry less about your first paint chip or door ding.
Cheers

shiftmechanism

Great I appreciate your advice! Im going to go all out and paint it properly! Everything will be stripped out and recondition or replaced.

shiftmechanism

Sounds like a great Idea. I do plan on repainting the entire car and also rebuilding the engine. As for suspension, I was looking at Elephant Racing Suspension or Motons... I havent decided as of yet.

galanevans

Is this verifiable? Black is typically quite popular for cars, and I personally was only interested in black for my 964. Mostly just curious if there is any objective info?

golfnutintib

Feudal has a good point... looks like your c4 is still on stock suspension

I would (and have, to my C4) sort out all mechanical and suspension issues to get the car performing as best it can, as a priority, well over a cosmetic respray. A stock C4 needs an entirely fresh suspension (springs, shocks, sways, bushings) to really drive well and not bounce and push all over the place when hustled. There is MUCH info on this board about properly dialing in a C4 to be a tip-top driver. You don't need to go to megabuck MCS or Ohlins to get it done unless you are shooting to create a track monster -- there are much more cost effective solutions to get the car handling as well as possible as a spirited road car. Just search -- you will find.

Know also that a C4, even when really dialed in, drives quite differently and feels quite different while sprinting, than a C2. Suggest you understand this thoroughly before committing to a 5 figure repaint. Good C4's are worth a lot these days, but nowhere near as much as an equally good C2. If you care a lot about resale value you should understand this market dynamic before committing big dollars.

Raven 666

I would keep it the original Black color ,,,maybe you could put some Porsche or Carrera side scripts on the car if you want to create something personal or unique ..

JesusFast

Good Question!

I would love to paint my car.. But I think people would kill me if I did.

azander

Congrats on the new acquisition! I agree, mechanical first unless you're, effectively, writing a blank cheque to restore the whole car. From my experience thus far, getting good paint is costly and can still come out bad. Stick with the factory color unless you strip it entirely to the shell. Black is a classic german color. IMO, also find a shop who has done these cars, who loves the work and has a reputation to keep.

Vegas993

Drive it, get it sorted mechanically, then see how you feel about it. And unless you can strip it down to a bare chassis, I would skip the color change.

shiftmechanism

Thank you everyone for your input! I do plan to complete a full restoration of the entire vehicle. In terms of mechanical issues, its all very minor ( blower fan was broken but i replaced it.). I had a complete inspection completed and the engine (minus the small leak) and transmission are solid. The remaining repairs are all comestic such as window switch is loose or trims that need to be replaced, etc. The suspension is a little worn and it seems like i need to switch out the coilover shocks.

pitts12driver

These projects can snowball quickly. If you look at my thread "my 964 kit" you can get a sense of how steep the slippery slope can become. I just finished paint. Body was stripped to bare metal. Not a wire remained in the shell. I did all of the deconstruction, and the car had never been hit. Final tally will be about 750 hours in paint and finishing. So if you go that route, be prepared for the bill!

Dtronics

cobalt

Nothing like a black Porsche. They do look great but after owning far too many and constantly trying to keep them looking good I moved on. I never recommend changing a color unless you are going for a full outlaw build. I always recommend doing the least invasive approach first. A car is only original once and a good shop can fix minor rust issues and make it look as though it was never touched. Although finding a shop to do single stage is next to impossible. As others said after all the mechanicals are addressed focus on the cosmetics. It is nice to have a perfect car but also a curse. Nothing more frustrating and disappointing when your car is perfect and you get that first mark.