SaveMeA550

I got the green light from the wifey to move forward with my first Porsche purchase! Holla!! Needless to say - I've been all over the Internet looking and researching models. I'd love a 993 but my budget is $20-25k so my options are limited. I've gotten some great feedback from other RennListers and have decided that a 964 would be a great start.

So my journey begins.... So where should my biggest concerns be in looking for and test driving a 964? Oil leaks, engine noise, idling etc. I want to make the right decision and find a stable older car. I understand that with my budget that I can't have the highest expectations in the world. But I'd like to know some guidelines to follow from some folks that have been there/done that.

Thx!
Jason

SuperUser

Awesome!

You should be able to get a nice 964 in the low to mid 20's. I would recommend trying to buy a car from a Rennlister with some known history. I would also look for a 964 with some mods like suspension already done.

Get a PPI!

RSAErick

Welcome, and great choice!

I think that you will hear repeatedly that the #1 most important step is getting a thorough pre-purchase inspection for a qualified and reputable Porsche mechanic. This is invaluable.

FeralComprehension

Budget for plenty of incidental expenses regardless of what the PPI shows. These cars are nearly 20 years old and a lot of the plastic bits are getting brittle/shrunken.

Makmov

Buy the best car you can afford to buy. Don't let color combos get in the way of buying a good car.
If you don't know the cars definately have someone who does know them very well look at it for you.

Every car is different and there is no magic formula to buying the right/best car.

Don't get in too much of a hurry. It will come to you if you keep up on the search for the right car, and it will speak to you.

apart from general cosmetics and the engine sound I look at all the dials. That will tell you volumes about the car, what works what doesn't work. If there is no lights where there should be when you have the key in the run position just before starting the bulbs probably have been pulled which generally means there is some issue with that part of the system. In some cases that could be hugely expensive to fix, but on the other hand it could be something you could live without. Air Bag and Seat Belt warning lights are commonly pulled from the dials.

You will get a general sense of the car and how it's been taken care of by condition, mechanical and and how many lights may or may not be on.

Agreed, be prepared to spend money on it after the purchase so don't kill your whole budget buying the car because it WILL NEED SOMETHING. I can promise that.

Also agreed if you can buy one from someone you know.

You should be able to get a pretty nice car for you budget that should not have too many glaring issues.

It all comes down to experience and you can't learn experience in five minutes from a message board. If you don't have the experience you need to trust someone who does.

campoj2

Plan to spend 6 months (or more) finding the "right" 964.

Chunkyd65

Welcome Jason...
These are awesome cars and there is a lot of great advice from the guys on this site...
Good Hunting...

User 040621

Welcome and enjoy the ride!

race911

Good to see you over here. Like I said in the 993 thread, a 964 is nearly 100% of the car for 80% of the money. Should be able to find something well cared for, if maybe a bit on the higher mile side, in the sub-$20K range. Maybe even a driver/fixer (but be very, very careful of what you're getting) in the sub-$15K range. Just depends on how intimate you want to get with the car.

candela

Hey Jason, I'm still waiting on my perfect 964 as well.... I would say your budget is more than adequate for a quality 964. Stick around awhile, read up on all of the common issues, and have fun with it.... if a 993 is what you truly want, it may be worth it to save just a little more and make it happen - at the end of the day, it will be the car you go to look at everyday, and it's important to get the one you really want.

wellcraft290

You should be able to buy a nice example for that money. I have a 91 c4 with 53k miles and total engine rebuild about 14k miles ago and often toy with teh idea of selling. just don't drive it that often etc but would take 23k for her so you should definately find something nice out there.
I know my car is perfect rebuidable engine rebuild, clutch etc very recent very good black paint interior is very good as well no rips tears etc and a 5 speed.. nice mods too, LWF, suspension, chip nothing over the top

Axeman

Great news and welcome Jason. As everyone already mentioned PPI is critical, but regardless of how great the car runs/drives make sure you setup a reserve fund for any repairs that might come up. Have you already made up your mind on what you're looking for? C2/C4, Coupe, Cab, Targa, Manual/Tiptronic?
How about color combos?

Good luck!

Babalouie

Absolutely echo this sentiment.

I'm new to 964s myself, and bought a top-dollar example from a Porsche collector. He has a thick file of maintenance receipts and the overall condition of the car looked like it couldn't possibly have any problems.

Just the same, I put the car through a PPI at a 911 specialist, which took all day and cost an eye-watering $650. But...it discovered some maintenance issues which cost $2500 to fix. The seller was very surprised, but agreed to chop a couple of grand off the price to subsidise the repairs.

I'm a car restorer myself, so I thought I knew how to inspect a car, but it seems that there are very specific things that I now know you should check, that wouldn't have come to light without the PPI. So the PPI paid for itself, but more importantly, things like compression and leakdown test results gave me a lot of peace of mind about the rest of the car.

SuperUser

This is exactly the type of Rennlist car I was talking about.

f3nr15

This 5-speed C2 coupe seems lovely - a bit pricey, though, and on the wrong side of the continent to you

1992 C2 Manual Coupe at Star City Motors