chachachachacha

hello 968lovers,

I'm so glad to find you all here. I'm looking into a 1994 968 coup which is an import from MD USA to Canada in 2007, which has a broken odometer so exact mileage is a mystery. Estimation would be 200K miles. NO full set of tracked records, thus unknown history of camshaft, tension pad & chain, belt, water bump.

I know it needs my mechanic to give it an inspection. And I heard 968 engine is solid and reliable even for high mileage. I still want to listen to your experiences and comments before making the decision.

Cheers.
Chacha

sydneyman

welcome! excellent taste in cars by the way!

id say these motors are about as reliable as it gets... with proper maintenance. im assuming its local now so it'd be easy to do a pre purchase inspection? if everything checks out and maintenance is performed, (rod bearings, timing and balance belts, front seals, water pump, cam chain pads and tensioners) you'll be good to go! that being said i hope you're getting a good deal. as rare as these cars are getting, they aren't commanding very much, even in lower mileage guise. i wouldn't let the mileage scare you but why settle for higher mileage when you could have one with fewer potential problems for the same amount of money... good luck!

chachachachacha

Thank you sydneyman for your prompt response.

I have forgotten to mention it's a tiptronic.

Let say, since the history is unknown, what'd be the rough estimated $$ amount to replace/maintain the essential components (belt, balance, tension, rod .......)?

Cheers,
chacha

odurandina

the motors are good for like 350~450 k miles if maintained.

i'm @ 157 k w/ almost no oil burnage and tons of power.

sydneyman

is the tip something that you prefer? if not then its a no brainer... hold out for one with lower mileage and 6 speed...

as far as prices go, different labor rates will change the cost but i paid around 3100US for all of the above mentioned maintenance items but also included new motor mounts, oil change, and replaced all rusty fasteners with new stainless.

ernie9468

^^ Welcome to RL 968 world,are you buying a Cab or a Coupe.Price will depend where you do your shopping & how much DIY work you can do on it.Your are really running in unknown territory with no service records & unknown milage.At this stage all what Chris mention will have to be look at.I know your mechanic own a 951 & is familiar with the 944 but 16V are a little different then the 8v cars so be carefull.Can I ask you if the car was located in Montreal a while back or is it local to you.Here is a link where you can go eyes shopping for parts & one of the best place to get 968 parts unless you have a source up here.I will also supply you with a Canadian link later on. www.paragon-products.com

ernie9468

Canadian link for parts,price migth be higher then US for the same but your not paying custom & will be closre to home meaning shipping won't be as higth.www.autopartsway.com

odurandina

he's right... but the 968 is also a very forgiving car... if you're willing to add to the cost of purchase, taking the risk out of it (call it 100~120 k mile service) including complete timing system (uncluding the critical parts beneath the valve cover)/cooling system/seals update, draining and changing all fluids, and tuneup will cost about $3.5 ~4.5 k to do everything (depending on how much of the work is outsourced)... but it could be time to do most of those items even with service records..... since there are no records, you can hold the seller responsible that all these items, including rebuilding the ps pump and changine the lines, as the bear minimum before you can safely and responsibly drive the car... the great thing about the 968 ? once you do a limited amount of scheduled maintenance required, the cars don't have all the zillion + 1 gremlins that plague the 944s !! in case you do decide to buy a 968, we can show you about 5 or 6 parts houses for the lowest prices on everything you'll need.

chachachachacha

Thank you everyone, I feel all your warm welcome even it was snowing outside.

I will budget the amount for replacement/maintenance.
I prefer tiptronic 'cos my wife can drive it as well.
This 968 is a local private sale. Owner told me there is not a drip leak from the car.

I doubt why this car passed the safety when importing from USA in 2007 if the odometer was not working.

Any idea for the shipping cost for an 968 to land on Ontario from Japan?

MichelleJD

Breaking the odometers in these cars is very easy to do with age. May have been working in 2007.

chachachachacha

hi MichelleJD, I have the CarProof report. It shows that "EXCEEDS MECHANICAL LIMITS Odometer Problem" since year 1999 @ 100,707 miles .

I also read that the odometer gear would easily be damaged if press to reset when the car in moving.

RL911

Based on experience with my car, which I bought with 135000 miles, I'd say beware of the car. At that mileage with no receipts you have a ton of major stuff that needs or could need to be done. The head gasket could go at any time, the rod bearings would be overdue for a change. Oil pick up tube is also a known problem, mine had a crack in it (fixed same time as rod bearings.) The clutch also would be in need of repair (check the clutch hoses.) I'd say you could be looking at a repair bill closer to the $7-$10k range if you can't do any of this yourself. I will say that when my engine was apart, everything else looked very good inside. If you can pay $3k for the car, buy it.

chachachachacha

hello RL911, your experience is very important to my decision. I will keep it in mind. Thank you so much.

bbain

Welcome and good luck with everything.

To add to the great comments form everyone else, if you go with the tip, try and find out when the damper plate was replaced. This is a scheduled maintenance at about every 90k miles (I think that interval is correct). It will cost around $1700-$2000 at a reputable shop. I had my tip modded to use a clutch plate instead of the damper because the damper will absolutely fail with miles.

Having said that, it's a great car.

Hope that helps.

chachachachacha

Thanks bbain for the headsup.