-nick

I swear, I read through about a dozen pages but I haven't come across a good "new buyer" thread. Google only got me through the basics (dmf).

These questions may be mundane, but I'm trying to get a sense of these cars.
My search is in the <$20k range and I want a solid driver, not a garage queen. That may preempt some responses.

Questions:

How unreasonable is it to have a cab with no covered garage in new england? Am I going to be fighting leaks and warding off top damage?

Also, how are cabs for wind noise at highway speeds? I drove one at road speeds and thought it was surprisingly quiet even with the top and windows down.

Oil leaks: how expensive are these to usually take care of? Hundreds? Thousands?

What can I expect for maintenance costs? I test drove a car with a non-working spoiler, a horrid sounding fan blower under the dash, a non-working radio, the "!" light on, the seat belt warning light on, luke warm a/c, and what felt like some clutch judder on take up. Is that a list huge list of worries or what I should expect to come across?

Any tips or advice is very appreciated!

Cheers,
nick

gr8330

I hope you get some help as I'm looking also

C4Russ

Both. Simple leaks are hundreds. Bigger or multiple sources are thousands.

Could be up to $1000. Depends on the failure(s)
The motors themselves are about $1000. Add another $400 in labor
-Sky is the limit
. Could be very bad. Thousands.
Wierd
A recharge is $200. If the compressor is bad, this will be about $1000 or more.
If it needs a clutch. That is about $800 in labor and another $600-$1000 depending on if the flywheel is sound.

Now...This doesn't even begin to include any thing found along the way and make no doubt about it, a car in this condition is going to have a long to do list.

If you can buy this car for about 5-9K, maybe a good buy but be prepared to spend thousands. I'd pass and find a nice car in good condition. This one is a dog and all these repairs could take the summer which is why you are looking at a Cab, right?

CanyonBlaster

Guessing from your cab interest you are not looking for a track car/fixer-upper, and you are not a mechanic, so.........

IMHO - ONLY buy a 911 that has ALWAYS been owned by people with the means (wealth) to have properly cared for it, and ALL of the documentation is there to PROVE it. Buy NO other car. Period. If these cars are cared for as they should (ie, car needs maintenance or repair, owner did it - and right then and now, no questions asked), then they are highly reliable. I recommend you look for a prefectly mantained car, and no other. Too many to choose from to settle for less!

Buy the newset or lowest mile car you can afford is also a good rule, but condition and documented maintenance is more important than low miles.

Good car approx $20K - $25K, ans if it has current maintenance now, will cost you $2k-$3K year to operate.

hope helps

springer3

Don't buy a car just because you can afford it. The best value (especially considering resale) is the newest or lowest mile car you can find.

Unless it is a screaming deal, run away from any car with multiple issues. If the owner avoided necessary repairs, he/she also also avoided necessary maintenance. Bringing an abused/neglected car back will cost more than buying a car that was always well kept.

Henry964

Last year I bought a very good 1993 C2 coupé, after spending 5000 U$S more in maintenance and repairs, it runs beautifully now.
I repeat: the car was "very good" with none of the issues you mentioned but still needed new tires,brakes,starter, etc etc
Find the best possible car, it´s better to start with a good one and improve it

-nick

Thanks guys - this is exactly was I was hoping to see.

I'm not scared of a wrench; just no specific knowledge of the 964. I have a 33 year old motorcycle engine I just finished a top-to-bottom rebuild on (does that count as 911-like?!) and a beast of a 924 turbo with an efi conversion, new engine, new everything, and pushing 230hp @ 12psi (injector limited power).

I suppose that makes a difference. I don't mind tinkering, but there's quite a line between getting a good deal and tinkering and paying for a heap! Getting a feel for parts prices and procedures is what I needed to hear.

Thanks for the responses!

ps- what's so bad about a cab anyway? They still let you DE and a/x with a rollbar!

ilko

If you've rebuilt a motorcycle engine you can rebuild a 911 engine. At least that's what Stephan Wilkinson said in his book "The Gold-Plated Porsche" (using a lawn mower as a reference, instead of a motorcycle). Great book written by a great guy, I highly recommend it

This forum has a ton of information on pretty much everything you may need as far as maintenance and repairs on your car. An oil leak may cost you nothing (tighten a screw and be all set), or a lot (if the engine needs to come out and you pay a mechanic to do it).

My advise is the same as those above - buy the newest and best maintained car within your budget. The one you described in your first post sounds horrible and I would run away from it, fast.

A cab is allowed in A/X and DE with a roll bar but from what I've read, they are not as stiff as coupes. I don't have real world experience with cabs, just what I've read here.

MisterRisky

If it was a BMW R series then, yes, that is very 911 like.

In terms of maintenance, I bought a 911 with a number of 'issues' but they were mostly cosmetic. I'd be nervous of a machine with vague issues related to the engine/transmission/electrical system. Issues with HVAC, cosmetics, radio, tires, brakes are more the types of things I, personally, would be willing to bite into taking care of myself, assuming a reasonable discount.

Just for the record, I am NOT a subscriber to the "only buy a machine with full records, owned by a rich guy, babied, with no wear" school of thought. Of course I am going to expect a discount for the lack of all the aforementioned indicia of good maintenance. But all of these indicia are only proxies for what I really care about: total cost of ownership.

Which brings me to the annual maintenance cost: I believe that $2000 is a good budget, but barring any catastrophic failure this budget should leave you with enough left over for upgrades, should you so desire. Here's a quick 'off the top of my head' list of what I have paid for in maintenance in the last year (all work done myself):

Oil changes: 2 @ $75 each. (brad penn oil and new filter)
RS belt hub: $150
Belts: $30
Brake Fluid: $50
Tranny Fluid: $50 (delvac)
Tow Truck (when fan bearing failed): $100

Upgrades:
Floor Mats: $120
G Pipe: $150
Wheels and Tires: $500
Suspension Upgrade: $1500

So I spent about $530 on maintenance and repairs... then another $2270 on upgrades. My upgrade budget going forward will be much less. This year was big because of the suspension work.

elbeee964

Eww!-- Eww! [tugging JD's sleeve]
Don't forget to tell'm how they're durable as anvils once everything's sorted & maintained. And how they sluff off track stuff like it was some highway jaunt.
OH! -- and how they burble reeeeal nice-like.

Slave cylinder+hose replacement $150.
Hard soldering LED's into the center tunnel's lightbulb circuit board. $10.
Spare fuel relay $30
Brake disks (all around) $520
Pads $100-200
Shunting the brake pad-wear sensors... Free.

Try out the softer 993s, and the less powerful 3.2 Carreras, as well. And trying a Boxster S can't hurt, either.
I did that. But the 964 just hit the sweet spot. Still does.

Seaflat

One addition: There are many nice well kept cars out there, so don't settle. It took me about a year of searching to find the right one.....they are out there but getting rarer.
If you are buying a car with issues, (which is ok...just be prepared) I figure out what the car would be worth to me if all the issues were fixed and then offer the guy to take that amount off the price.
Oh! and get it inspected by someone who knows Porsche's. These are GREAT cars that are very dependable but they do require some cautious purchasing.

MisterRisky

My wife told me to stop hitting my sweet spot. She said I'll go blind.

I feel like I am missing something as mine does not burbble.

elbeee964

She's just jealous of your sharing your affections... (But keep that glass perscription up to date, just in case.)
Lose the secondary, gain the burble.

Seaflat, you speak true. +1


And I almost forgot because it's so familiar, so obvious: Access to Rennlist's advice, leads, commiseration, and contacts....
...priceless.
Mostly it's this forum that makes owning a 964 today for me, much easier, much less $$$, than it otherwise would be.

MisterRisky

Ohhhh.. the exhaust burble with the g-pipe.. yeah, I got that! I was thinking about the oil gurgle that some folks have. I have the burble, just no gurgle.

I agree that Rennlist makes owning a 964 MUCH easier and cheaper than it would be without Rennlist. The community really matters.