First time buyer looking for your input
02-10-2012 | 10:33 AM
#31
Rennlist Member
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 7,214
Likes: 486
From: NC
I'll repost what I said in the other recent prospective owner thread which can be found HERE.
You don't have to be a professional mechanic, you just have to be willing to get your hands dirty and accept that you may have to troubleshoot problems or turn some spanners to keep your car in good running order. It's not impossible, but it is a commitment.
The information found on this forum, and PelicanParts forum, is a complete blessing when it comes to the situations you may encounter with this car. The people who I tell about my old Porsche wrench turning endeavors always ask "is it hard to work on those cars?" and I always tell them "not really, plus the online owner community is so robust, that you can find a solution to most problems you encounter because chances are someone else on the forum has already encountered the same problem and figured it out."
I'm a friggin' accountant and in the 10 months that i've had my 964 so far, i've turned more wrenches than I had ever turned before in my 27 years of life. Some of that was out of necessity due to maintenance and repair issues (remember, 20 yo car) and some out of a desire to improve/modify the car. I've easily DIY'd a couple of thousand $ or more in stuff, simple stuff, but even lots of simple stuff will add up if you are having to pay a shop to do it all for you.
You don't have to be a professional mechanic, you just have to be willing to get your hands dirty and accept that you may have to troubleshoot problems or turn some spanners to keep your car in good running order. It's not impossible, but it is a commitment.
The information found on this forum, and PelicanParts forum, is a complete blessing when it comes to the situations you may encounter with this car. The people who I tell about my old Porsche wrench turning endeavors always ask "is it hard to work on those cars?" and I always tell them "not really, plus the online owner community is so robust, that you can find a solution to most problems you encounter because chances are someone else on the forum has already encountered the same problem and figured it out."
I'm a friggin' accountant and in the 10 months that i've had my 964 so far, i've turned more wrenches than I had ever turned before in my 27 years of life. Some of that was out of necessity due to maintenance and repair issues (remember, 20 yo car) and some out of a desire to improve/modify the car. I've easily DIY'd a couple of thousand $ or more in stuff, simple stuff, but even lots of simple stuff will add up if you are having to pay a shop to do it all for you.
That is exactly it!
02-10-2012 | 11:09 AM
#32
Thread Starter
Track Day
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 22
Likes: 0
02-11-2012 | 11:42 AM
#33
Track Day
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 17
Likes: 0
My advice would be to get a PPI from a dealership, the CARFAX of course and also require that as part of the PPI they shoot the vehicle with a paint meter to ensure it has not been wrecked. Do not buy a tracked or autocrossed vehicle or one that has been modified in any way. Spend more money up front on an unmolested example . Buy a later model year in the run ' 90 - 94 is 964 so 93 or 94 if you are going that route etc. and have the beans. I bought a 90 model and have been very lucky. Spend a good deal of time researching (like months) as you can make a costly mistake for jumping in to a 20 + year old car supercar without knowing what you are doing. Understand from the get go this is not a Toyota so things will go wrong and cost money. These cars are from an engineering and visual standpoint some of the most amazing machines ever created but do your homework. Budget 2 to 4 K per year on maintenance and when you get the car drive it at least once every two weeks (like plants they need attention). Buy Adrians book and read it. Im no expert but BTDT
