cobalt

I agree with buy the seller but quality 964's seem to be on the rise if you can find one that isn't hiding something or someone overlooked. I don't know 911R but his latest C2 IMO is not what he is claiming it is. I have found everyone buys into the hype. Even the best shops have done some awful work or miss something wrong with a car. That is why a PPI is a must no matter who you buy from.

Vandit

But sometimes it's just sitting there in the RL Marketplace, while those two guys ran up the auction bid.

The Greek

To add to that, even a PPI varies wildly from shop to shop. Had a very trusted RL shop do a PPI on my GT3 RS. Missed so much stuff. Probably would have passed if I had seen it in person, but I trusted the PPI and sent the check.

Best PPI I ever got? Callas Motorsports. The most detailed inspection I’ve ever gotten.

WantA997

Can't emphasize this enough.

Ironically, I've only ever had a PPI done on one car (my old GT3) and it turned out to be one of the worst cars I've ever owned.

And I certainly disagree about a PPI being a must. If you have a chance to acquire a car for a bargain, sometimes you need to roll the dice. That's how I ended up with my 964 and I am certain if I wanted to complicate the deal by having the car PPI'd, the seller would've just sold to the next guy.

cobalt

I should have included by a shop that knows these cars inside and out. I agree even some of the best shops missed things on PPI's done for me although what I needed was covered and the missed stuff was inexcusable but thankfully minor. As a buyer you need to be specific on what you want inspected and done and negotiate a price. Harder and harder to find a shop willing to do PPI's these days as well. Although I have done PPI's for people and told them to run and they still purchased the car. So go figure.

Spyerx

Ive only ever done 2 PPI on many, many buys. One on my 997RS. GMG did it, mainly to check rev ranges (0, can you believe it??). It was "ok", this was many years ago. One on my former 89 which was first air cooled I bought. That was a good one, Blackforest in San Diego. They know these cars and they literally found every 'issue' (there weren't many). Even without records, you can tell a lot by looking with your eyes to see if things are or have been maintained, or not.

These days I do myself. I just need a paint meter, durametric for newer cars, my eyes, and a way to see under car...

Callas is well known for crazy detailed inspections. To the point of calling out originality, etc. Which may be important for some buyers. They are one of the best 964 shops there is for rare cars.

cobalt

^^^ I admit Callas is thorough but he is out there and pricey. He argued with me at a Tech Tactics that the 964 actually holds 22 quarts of oil and he drains it all. Unfortunately that is not the case LOL, although he does work on some very nice cars. I point out originality or lack thereof as well. Maybe I should start charging. 😉

I purchased my turbo Sight unseen from CA. I was lucky, times were different back in 2001. I found an independent mechanic that moved out to CA from Englewood NJ who was well seasoned Porsche trained and knew 964's well. No hi def digital pictures like today although I read into his words and he essentially said this looks like a 3k mile car and if you don't buy it please let him know so he could. Wire transferred a huge amount of money for the time and waited 3 weeks only to find I trusted the right person. Now I do everything myself and the advantage of hi def pictures is; assuming I get the right pictures and angles, it is nearly as good and at times better depending on what I am looking at. If I travel to a car from a distance and have no lift at least I can take pictures of key areas and it is nearly as good as having the car in the air. Learning what makes these tick over the years really tells a story when you know what you're looking at. For the novice who doesn't know these cars like we do a trained eye and someone who knows what they are looking at is a must.

Spyerx

22 quarts. LOL Hell mine with 2 coolers doesn't hold that much fully dry fill!

Marine Blue

I also purchased my Targa site unseen, I relied on semi average pictures of very specific parts of the car and a partial PPI by the same shop that did the engine reseal. I’ll admit that it was a gamble but I had a gut feel that what I was hearing and seeing was accurate and that I found a good car. Turned out to be a good gamble and no surprises. I did something similar with my first 928 nearly 20 years ago and in that instance I had a couple of guys from Rennlist look at the car. I had an odd feeling about the car as some of the pictures were conflicting what I was hearing but decided to buy it as the price was within budget and the car appeared mechanically sound. I was disappointed when the car rolled out of the trailer, I knew immediately it wasn’t as described and that I was sold a bill of goods. Lesson learned, trust what I’m seeing and don’t always trust what others consider to be excellent condition.

cobalt

Don't get me wrong He has one heck of a reputation and incredibly knowledgeable but never tell him he is wrong about something. He was so insistent I had no clue LOL.

That was mistake # 1 it was regarding a 928 LOL. You definitely did right by the targa though. I purchased my 928 GTS without a PPI but I purchased it from Michael Willhoit (rest in peace) and he was a true gentleman to deal with even offered me a 30 day money back guarantee all I had to do was pay for shipping. Car blew coolant hose first day and he paid to have all the hoses changed and sent me a $200 check to take my wife out to dinner for the inconvenience. Wish there were more like him.

HelpMeHelpU

Curious if this guy's initials are MB?

BTW, where in NJ are you located? I am less than ten mins. from Ft. Lee (and got married in Englewood).

cobalt

I have to check it has been a long time but I keep records on everything. He did work for Town Porsche in Englewood for many years IIRC. He was incredibly nice and very helpful.

Good old Ft Lee, boy has it changed. I am not far from Montclair State University 13 miles out from Manhattan. We have probably met or know many of the same people from a C&C or PCA event at one time or another.

AIRKUHLD

Great Canadian 964 For Sale.....no affiliation but given how hard clean C2 Coupes are to come by thought I would post this.
Billed as an all original one-owner with only 60,000 kms (not miles).

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-classic-cars...ion/1515908776

cobalt

A little pricey if it is an early engine 91 and a deal if it is a late engined car but worth investigating.

WantA997

Fair price. I know of Canadian C2s with much higher mileage and in much worse condition (assuming the car above is what it says it is) which have sold for slightly less money in the past 2-3 months.