GG Allin

The two big issues I had with the car were the oil leak and the paint on the drivers side. I was unable to drive the car hard because of traffic. Overall the condition didn't seem too bad considering the milage the car actually looks real nice. My car has 63k and there were things on the 92 that looked to be in nicer shape. I also drive an RSA and the two cars are very differant.

GG Allin

By the way kgorman, If you have Eurosport Midwest look at the car, let me know. I work 3/4 af a mile east of them.

kgorman

hey brouder, how bad was the paint exactly? Was it in bad condition (peeling/etc) or was it a color-match type issue? Was it noticable just standing there or was it something they mentioned to you?

JRRSA

Kgorman - I looked at the car today...I was in the area. The car has definitely been painted, an average job. It's a total re-paint with the exception of the passenger door and right rear fender. My biggest concern was rust around the windshield and behind the seals of the hood. It also appears that the left rear fender has been replaced at some point. Lastly, the two front wheels are OEM, the rears are the heavy aftermarket Mille Miliglia's..... I did not drive the car.

I guess it depends on what you are going to use the car for. If it's a track car these things may not be a huge concern. The rust however would have me worried.... Let me know if you have specific questions....

GG Allin

The only parts I noticed were the rear quarter panel and the door. The color seemed to match okay. JRossRSA you obviously saw much more than I did. The wheel issue I wouldn't know the differance between originals and after markets. I believe you might be the same guy that pointed out to me that my wheels are after market. Do you have a real nice low milage silver RSA? Did you autocross it in the spring at Maywood? If so your the guy.

kgorman

JRoss,

Thanks for going and posting. Rust is not good, ugg.

hawk911

sounds like you should keep looking. When we got our car, we had a ppi done. My mistake was letting their mech do the PPI. The PPI did not show lots of cosmetic things like cracked fogs, cracked tail lights, driver's seat excessive wear, rough idle, and a few other things. My wife and I flew out to Denver, and like you, did not want to leave empty handed- this puts the power in the dealer's hands, not yours. Find something else that needs less work, or presents better from the start; you'll be happier from the start.

It's hard to pass on what you think is the perfect car, but when you find one better than the last, it's easy to realize you made the right decision.

JRRSA

mbrouder - You are correct....that's me, (the one with the tape on the fenders) ha ha. That was the only time I autocrossed the car, I had to do it once to see how it handled. Otherwise the car has been used for concours exclusively. Unfortunately you will find it on rsamerica.net under market place right now.... Some family priority changes have forced me to sell it.

Kgorman - I'm glad you didn't fly all the way out to find rust. The first place to look is around the windshield and inside the front hood at the top. Once it has started there you have problems. Could have been driven in the Chicago winter or stored in a non climate controlled garage. The paint match was good, however, you could easily tell via the orange peal that it was not original and not the best quality.

kgorman

Just to clarify, reading through the buyers guide it states its not uncommon to find a bit of corrosion.

Should it be a bargaining point or is it so bad that I should pass in your collective opinions?

TIA guys, this is really helpful. Good advice all around.

Indycam

Rust is bad bad bad , its better to find / buy one with a broken motor .
You can fix a motor to better than new , fixed rust is never as good as new .

JRRSA

The rust was very noticeable at the bottom right corner of the windshield. If you lift the seal you could see that the paintwork had covered up more of what will likely soon be a major problem for this car. It's not like it was a fender or door that could be replaced. Adding to the problem was more rust when opening the hood and looking around the seals. I personally would stay away from this car....as Indycam says above...."Rust is bad bad bad." There are plenty of good drivers out there that are rust free. Again, I think you will be better off in the long run to take your time and find the right car. Take it from someone selling a low mileage concours RSA right now, it's that time of year (Fall) which results in a buyer's market.

GG Allin

Perhaps a nice rust free California car? Closer to home.

kgorman

Ok, good info everyone. I will pass on this one, I am soo glad I didn't travel all that way just to be foiled. Frankly I probably would have not seen the corrosion, and thus would have purchased a car that was not what I wanted. This post has been completely amazing for me, and unbelievably helpful. I want to thank you guys for your help. I hope I can help you guys out at some point as well. I have learned a ton from this, and will continue my search. Yeah, probably closer to home this time.

All who have helped, please PM me your mailing addresses for a nice bottle, don't forget.

JRRSA

Kgorman - No need for a nice bottle. I'm just glad I saved you a long trip. When I read your post I had a flashback of a 1989 944 Turbo S that I was ready to purchase in Salt Lake City to use as a track car as my RSA is too nice for the track. The 944 sounded great, the price was right and it looked great in the pictures. I flew out to take delivery and drive it home. Thankfully I purchased a round trip ticket. I don't think I need to say more.

I hated the thought of someone going through what I did that day. I was really hoping to give you a good report. Unfortunately, when I saw the rust, I could only hope that I caught you in time. I'm sure you will find what you are looking for in CA. There are so many great P-Cars out there!