Chris Galtress

First I'd like to start by thanking everyone on this forum for all the great info that's available. This has made my prebuy research very detailed and considerably easier.

After many hours searching I've located a 92 C4 coupe with 58,000 miles. The car is Amethyst red metallic (which I really like b/c its not seen too often). It has a set of Brembo 4 piston calipers and cross drilled rotors on all 4 corners (which I estimate to be $3000+ in hardware alone), has a new set of Yokos (205 front/245 rear on 16" Cup alloys) with 3,000 miles. Other goodies include sunroof, power heated seats, factory CD, heated mirrors. The asking price is $33,500.

The owner has just had the 60K service performed (at my request)and I was able to have the shop do a PPI at the same time. The vent kit has been installed by a previous owner. The dist. belt was inspected and was in good condition. There are no oil/fluid leaks. The mechanic insured me that this was one of the cleanest cars he's seen in a while. The only thing he found was the CV boots are starting to dry-rot and he said that they'll need to be replaced eventually. I was actually glad he found something b/c I was begining to wonder which side he was on :-).

The owner did tell me that there is some brake squeal but during the PPI the mechanic inspected the the brakes and rotors and didnt find anything wrong there either.

The drivers side door had been repainted (owner told me) but the paint matches so well you cant tell it (from the PPI). There is also reportedly a small scratch on the passenger side rocker panel that is only noticable if you're on your hands and knees and a place on the rear bumper about the size of a pencil eraser that looks like it got melted??? althlough its not discolored.

The black leather interior appears to be in excellent condition based on some very good photos I was sent and the owners description.

I have not figured out the DMF issue. The owner is tracking down the engine # and that should let me know what my chances having a LUK vs. the other POS. But I'm hopeful since this is a 92 model that its a LUK (and yes I know from this forum that even some 93 had the Fundenburg (sp?)) so there are no certainties.

At this point I believe the car to be in very good to excellent condition. If so, is $33,500 a reasonable price??

Also, is there any rule of thumb for how body work/damage affects depreciation of this car? For example door repaint = -5% book value??

I'm booked to fly out next Friday and hopefully close the deal.

Thanks in advance for your help!!

Looking forward to becoming a regular around here.

Drew_K

Chris,

Sounds like a very good car. Here a few comments:

1. I believe the cutoff point for the Luk flywheel is 62 N 01738. As you've already found out, it's not a guarantee that the Luk was used however. The puzzling thing is that Bruce Anderson says that the 'N' stands for model year 93. I have a 92 C2 with engine # 62 N 054xx, which is beyond the cutoff point, yet Anderson says the 'N' means model year 93.

2. The 92 C2 came with 4 piston calipers all the way around.

3. Brake squeal- my rear brakes have always squeaked a little, especially after hard braking. I've had them looked at and my mechanic says they're fine. I just spray the rotors and brakes with high pressure water whenever I wash the car, and that seems to help temporarily. I may try different brake pads next time. Bottom line- I wouldn't worry too much about squeaking brakes as long as they check out mechanically. It is annoying though.

3. Why was the driver's door repainted? Has the car been in an accident?

$33.5 sounds a little too high to me. $30-$32 sounds more reasonable, IMO, although I put major emphasis on mileage when it comes to 911's. Certainly some parts wear out due to age, but I intend to keep my 92 C2 for a long time and want to push off an engine rebuild as long as possible. Cross drilled rotors are nice, but these kinds of upgrades add very little to the value of the car, IMO.

Just for comparison, I bought my 92 C2 coupe LAST YEAR with 36K miles for a little less than this owner is asking for. I don't think $33.5 is a ripoff by any means, and it's within the range of fair prices. I just think it's at the very upper range.

Good luck, I hope this car works out for you.

Drew
92 C2

Jay H

Chris:

Sounds like a nice 964.

The February 2001 issue of Excellence gives the following values for a 1992 C4 Coupe:

Low: $27,714
Excellent: $37,100

Miles seem correct for a 9 yr old car. About 6500 per year. I agree with Drew that any upgrades don't necessarily add any value to a car's price. I also agree with Drew's statement on the price of the car.

It's usually stated that a repaint detracts about 10% from the value of a car. Since this car only has the door repainted and seems to be the only panel that's been affected, it's a toss up... I'd find out the exact reason the door was repainted and go from there.

All in all, it sounds like a very nice 964 in a good color. Best of Luck!

Jay
90 964

Bill Gregory

Drew K,

The model identifiers are:

89 = K
90 = L
91 = M
92 = N (non-RSA)
92 = P (RSA)
93 = P
94 = R (and 93 Carrera Speedster)

The source is Porsche, if that helps.

Berkley

Chris:

I am just up the road from you in Richmond, Va. Like you I looked for a long time for a "real" 87 to 89 Carrera and/or a 91 to 93 964 without any modifications.. I ended up buying a 1991 C2 in North Carolina and I refused to let $1,000 or so sway my decision or the fact that the car had a tiptronic transmission.

As to your question, unless you have great mechanical skills and lots of free time, I would be reluctant to buy a ten year old porsche with the facts you cited in your message at a full price. However, if you can arrange to drive the car a day or two, which I did in my case, you may be persuaded to close your deal. Others advice about setting funds aside for the unexpected is well founded.

I am considering selling my 1991 C2. This is my fourth 911 in the last 25 years and the fun I've had recently with the 1991 C2 has me looking at a new Porsche, a 2001 C2.

If you would like to chat of if my 1991 C2 with 29,000 miles has any appeal to you give me a call at 804-784-2338 or contact me at lsnyder@alleghany.net.

Good luck!

Bob D.

Hi Chris:

Other posters have made excellent points, so I will add just a little bit of additional info here.

Based on my exhaustive search last year for a 964, this price is not out of line, especially since you note that this is an "asking" price. Use the door repaint (if it is undetectable, not a major concern IMHO) and CV boots as bargaining chips, and go from there.

Some may say Amethyst is a love it or hate it color, but if so then I am in the "love it" camp. And FWIW may friend has a '95 BMW M3 in a similar hue and gets constant compliments about it.

My car has been virtually trouble free and I think 964s in general and the 92+ models in particular are truly excellent 911s. Assuming a good maintenance history to go with the good PPI, and if the car is as nice in person as you anticipate, then I would not hesiate to pursue it.

Best of luck and let us know the outcome!

Bill Wagner

Here in the D.C. area the economy is slow (like everywhere else). A local Porsche dealer is selling a '93 RSA w/about 50K on it for about $36K. A year ago they would have asked (asked...not nessecarily received) about $55K for that car. The economy is slow, and car prices are down.

I think the price asked is a little high. Not REAL high, a little high. Since the car's checked out, maybe you should throw out a low-ball offer just to see if he bites.

Just my opinions,

Bill Wagner

JBH

Would some one post a picture or a link to a Porsche with Amethyst red metallic? Sounds like a very cool color.