Spyder_Man

Hey folks,

I'm wandering over from the 993 side of the forums to look for some advice on buying a 964 cab. My father is the one doing the shopping. He's owned many air-cooled Porsches over the years (from Pre-A 356s, to 4-cams, to SWB 911s, to 3.2 Carreras, to a '95 993); however, neither he nor I have ever owned a 964.

At this point he is looking for a well sorted car that he can take out on weekends and special occasions but not use as a DD. He wants to let it appreciate some value while enjoying it now and then. His price range is around $30k, and I know in the current P-Car market that price range wont give you many options.

He has found a 1990 964 Cab 5-speed in a color combination that he likes. It has about 130k miles on it. It is well maintained and looks great for its age and milage. It had a full engine rebuild and clutch replacement at around 110k miles. Other than a newer stereo/speakers/iPhone dock, it is a very original car. The buyer is asking $32k. My father and I both get 'good vibes' from the car and the seller, so I'm pretty sure my father is going to make an offer on it.

Here is the question bit, what else should we look at when assessing the condition of the car? I am thinking bigger ticket items here. I am pretty sure the steering rack and suspension are all original. I suspect these are just as expensive to replace on a 964 as on a 993, am I correct? Any other problem areas/items to look for or ask about? (for example 993s have door check problems and window seal rush issues)

I'm pretty sure the convertible top is all original. It is powered, which I was told was optional. How often do the convertible top motors need replacement? How expensive does that get? I've seen it go up and down so I know the top functions.

Any and all insight is welcome.

justin-in-athens

Standard PPI stuff. CV boots, HVAC tends to have problems. Check to make sure that all the servos work and that you are not getting heat in the cabin when the system is off, or when the AC is on.

Look at the PS fluid, as far as I know there is no recommended change interval in the owners manual, and it often gets overlooked. Pentosin CHF11 is the spec fluid.

Make sure rear rear spoiler actuates, the microswitches that indicate full up or down tend to fail, and this can cause the motor to burn itself out.

Its nice that you are getting the rebuilt motor as these were sans head gaskets in this model year. I am sure they fitted them during the rebuild.

Suspension is probably due for R&R if original, I recommend Koni adjustables. I would do this up front, as this along with a little other freshening including control arm busings, tie rods, etc will probably make a huge difference in how the cars handles over the 25 year old stuff.

BeachBoy

btw, for cab $30k is a very descent budget and gets you in almost the top cars (aside from the really low mileage / collector ones, there are not many over $35k... nego). for a coupe you need to ad at least 10 grand to that amount.

Good luck with your search, the previous owner will tell you a lot about the maintnance (receipts, if he lets things go or fixes at the first sign of wear, etc).

Seadog

I've got a 1993 cab that I just don't drive much anymore. 101K miles. Great shape. PM me if you'd like to discuss.

Spyder_Man

Thanks for the advice so far. I'm shocked there is such a big price differential between Cab and Coupe for the 964. I don't think it is as wide of a gap for the 993. I wonder if it is due to the old 'the only good 964 is an RSA' bias that these cars have borne for too long now.

dhc905

Might have something to do with the 4K top repair that I'm currently on the hook for in my 964 cab.

FlyinTomato

With the relatively higher mileage. Your father probably won't see much increase in value couple years from now. But that's minor. He will be happy on every outing. and that's the biggest gain he will get as we all do.

greg1990964

Tops are the main issue. I had a new top installed, and was tinkering with the mechanicals of the top all the time. I gave up and used a drill to open it from the header. Pain. I still have top controller as that was never the problem if anyone needs one. All that being said, I would take another cab in a heartbeat in black.

ziu

The reason herefor is that 3/4 of the imported 964 has been cabs.- in opposit to Europe, here you have to pay at least the same amount in € for a cab.
Hereover 35 to 40k€ are normal.

Mixter

IMO, for US and CAN, equivalent 64 coupes are going for about $5,000 more than the cabs.

BeachBoy

I don't know where you shop, but I see a greater gap than this. Most coupe are sold just below $40k lately and I don't see many cabs selling over $30k (some have such asking price but they stay for sale online)

Mixter

I'm not shopping, just watching the selling prices not the listing prices and trying to be realistic about what I'm seeing. I'd say some good coupes are sold just below $40k, most around $35k and some poorer examples at around $25k. I've seen some cabs selling at just at around $35k, most around $30k and poorer ones around $20k. The coupes that are at high asking price sit around for a long time as well. What you see depends on what you look for.

BeachBoy

Indeed.