WAY

Hi all, although I am not new to the Porsche world, I have never owned a 964 or any aircooled 911's for that matter. All my Porsche experience have been with recent newer models.

I have come across a 964C4 in gunmetal purple. It is such a stunning car that I am seriously considering purchasing it. If I do, this will be my daily car. Is there anything I need to know about 1989 C4 especially considering they were the first year of production? Will maintanence be expensive? What are the downsides and what should I be looking out for? The example I saw was very low miles. Thanks in advanced!

kgorman

My list looked like this:

- check for rust, must have no rust.
- check for maint records showing cylinder head seal 'fix' for '89
- check for dual distributer vent kit
- check for maint records any rebuilt/maint on top end or other major maintenance
- check for maint records showing new clutch
- look for oil leaks
- get PPI done
- get Adrians book, and get the 'Ultimate Buyers Guide' by Philip Raby
- read the sticker on the hood, match up to Adrians book for option codes on the car.

Hope that helps.

jimq

Welcome to your first post. We need to know where you are and more important pictures! All Pcars are expensive to maintain if you dont do some of the work yourself. Do a search on here and you will find all the answers to your questions. Just be sure to check over the car real good or have a PPI by someone that knows 964's.

Indycam

Hay Way
The 89 is the way to go . It has the good flywheel and no airbags . Don't worry that it was the first year , I've not read anything about the 89 being bad vs the latter years .

Bates

Welcome aboard!

I bought my '89 C4 this summer. They are such wonderful cars.

To add to the above checklist (which covered the really major items):
-check radio/cd function
-check AC operation
-PPI is key (I found it helpful to have the tech go over the car with me while it was still on the lift)

The hardest thing I have had to deal with are the quirky little things you notice...and you and your wallet begin to shimmy. This feeling has subsided a good deal from reading these posts and getting used to the car.

My friend has owned an '89 C4 since new and has added a turbo (F-A-S-T). His advice to me when I was looking at mine was: "It's a 16 year old German sports car... It chews up tires in about 5,000 miles and you can plan an average of $1,500 year in repairs". He only takes his car to a shop, so there is money to be saved.

Good luck and please post photos!

Hambisa

Rob;
I have to disagree with your friend's assertion that 964s chew tires in 5,000 miles, at least, if you aren't tracking your car. I have 15,000 miles on a set of Michelin Pilots and they still look near-new.
Otherwise, WAY, the points in the posts above are good, but the PPI is imperative, both as a negotiating tool with the seller and for your own peace of mind.
After you and your 964 get to know each other a bit, then the fun really begins! Mine has been my daily driver for seven months now, and still I look for every excuse to take it out. At 135K miles, she still runs like a scalded cat, never drips oil, (yes, Indycam, there is oil in the tank ) and handles like a dream, so you too can look forward to wearing an air-cooled grin for a long time to come . . . .

Jay H

WAY,

I'll add my $02 to what others have posted.

The '89's are robust models. All were C4 models.

If the example you are looking at has very low miles (under 50k), then the premium you pay may be quickly erased if you start driving it a lot.

Low mileage cars have their problems as well. Seals dry out and start leaking, all rubber items will age regardless of mileage, etc. Shocks fail from just age and not mileage. Tires can get old and may need replacement even though the tread is still deep. The same can be said about belts.

Check to insure all the warning lights are functioning correctly when the ignition is turned on. It's been posted many times that previous owners may yank the warning light bulb instead of fixing the actual problem.

Check to insure all electrical accessories work. These are complex cars that are expensive to fix if there are electrical problems. That being said, overall the 964 has a reliable electrical system.

If the dual distributor belt has not been replaced or there is no record of it being replaced, it should be done. Costs range from just the belt and your labor for a DIY type of person to over $400 to have a shop do it. All 964's should have a vent kit for the rear tail light assemblies. Some very early build 1989 model 964's did not have even this vent kit. Check for moisture in the center "Porsche" reflector area.

For a car that is driven a decent amount of miles per year (5000 to 12k or more), you could budget $1500 to $2500 per year in repairs and maintenance. Many times these cars go quite a while with not much other than gas and oil, but then something major happens or needs replacing and you can drop $3000 in a hurry.

The cylinder to head leak can be present on this early 964. It's rare, but it needs to be checked for on early cars during the PPI. It's expensive to fix, but once done, it's a reliable and permanent fix.

Buy a good 964 and you'll be a very happy owner. Find a dog and an old 911 will cause you a lot of pain.

Good luck,

Jay
90 964

Indycam

"yes, Indycam, there is oil in the tank"
Thats not my joke , someone else said that . Who , I don't know ?
I don't doubt that a motor can be sealed , but most are not 100% sealed over the full lifetime of a motor , if one leaks it doesn't freak me out , its more like the norm than a freak .

"never drips oil"
Thats to cool , I wish I could say that about mine .
I'll be pulling the motor soon and I am going to try and get it super clean and leak free .
I'm thinking of painting lots of the stuf white , white tin , fan , fan housing etc etc etc
Whadda ya think ?

DarrylH

Judging by the amount of oil staining the parking spaces in every shopping mall, and the stains on freeways after sharp bumps, I'd say a leak-free car is probably the exception.Brave. Very brave. I bet it'd look cool when clean, though. Kinda doubt I'd have the discipline to keep it pristine; my engine looks OK, but not "eat off it" clean like some on here.

Marc Shaw

Sometimes I can't tell for sure if you are joking or not.........this time I really hope you are!

Marc