brian0473

I am shopping for a really clean 968 coupe, manual. Preferred colors are red, white, black, or blue but for the right car color will be a secondary concern. I am not looking for a project...car has to be in super clean shape with appropriate servicing, records, etc. I would appreciate any inputs you all may have.

Thanks,
Brian

Jay Wellwood

Calling Jeff

bill3

I spent 3+ months monitoring ebay, the PCA site, RennList and the 968Forums.com before I found the 968 I wanted 18 months ago> Jeff will be helpful but you will need to do a lot of monitoring and research...and be willing to move fast when the right car comes up; several people were in line right behind me but I got there first! The best cars are usually, but not always, on the PCA site or 968Forums.

odurandina

i got a huge head start on a great 968 for pennies with the help of two awesome individuals. the first guy was Hank: the original owner of my car who paid the membership dues at the dealer; and after the warranty period; at a capable indy repair shop... in all, just over $57,000 went into my car, to make it possible to have it the way it was on the day of purchase.

i learned some important things from Hank and his wife, who were very open and honest about their ownership experience.... and also from studying the paperwork on the car. not too long after that, i got a second huge boost from one of the guys here on the forum. through the early process, consulting with forum members, and then, driving my 968 tens of thousands of miles, i was able to form some ideas about how much these cars cost to drive (great distances).

there was also a website a few years ago (that has since been taken down), where an owner gave very specific details of his ownership experience, maintenance and repairs dating from purchase to 145 k miles as his daily car. his experiences was a near mirror to mine.

i drove the car from 77 k to 199 k miles before parting with the original engine. during this time, and with the previous owner, this 968 never went up on a tow truck.... it once required about 3 jump starts to get from a rest area on I-90 the repair shop in Geneva, NY after my 2nd AC pump seized.... i had another close call when i blew my clutch on I-90 just east of Worcester and made it home by starting the car in gear at the toll plaza... and somehow shifting a couple of gears.... then to the repair shop the following day....

verdict: if you do the maintenance, it's an expensive car, but a solid car...

well, to a point.

the 968 is truly a quasi-exotic car... you can't cheat; you can't drive the cars down the road for long when stuff comes due. you will be stopped by the laws of physics as they interface with the Porsche regime.


following scheduled maintenance, you should expect a 968 to run quite well up to about 140 k miles... (during what i'll coin the 1st phase of the 968's life), i believe it's a good idea to replace the AC pump and H20 pump at the timing belt interval, as it will not likely survive the 2nd interval... but if you endure the expense, you'll be a good deal better off.. the Gates belts can be retensioned at about 1500 miles, then checked after about 35 k miles for tension and wear. each of the 2 AC pumps on my car lasted 67 k miles, so just run about 50 k mile timing belt cycle (the Gates belts will go 60 k miles easily).... then, replace everything: belts, rollers, tensioner, pullies, cam tension pads, cam chain, H20 pump, AC pump, front seals, etc...

do the whole smash. this really is the proper way.

at about 140~155 k miles, your 968 will most surely begin to enter a much costlier phase of it's life. there simply is no getting around this reality. you may be dealing with the oil cooler, radiator, ps pump, motor mounts, crappy fuel and brake lines, and more stuff.... some of these items, might be along for their second rodeos. but then with more stuff getting old and crusty, if not addressed, will inevitably cause more problems....

at such time, the best move is to take a pause and dismantle much of the car (at one of the belt/variocam overhaul cycles).... at such time, you should do a head off/gasket, valve job, belt/variocam/ clutch, transmission rebuild and rodbearings. and replace every GD plastic and rubber thing in the engine bay. you can wait and do these things one at a time, but, it's far better to do them all at once. Get 'em done. from there, move on to the suspension; having the control arms rebuilt, new shocks, wheel bearings etc, just in time for the fresh gearbox from one of the go-to transmission guys.... with the transmission, ask one of the guru's if it's a good idea to put off a proper rebuild. they'll respond with an emphatic 'no.'

the lower engines are solid; (the lifespan is probaboy 250~350 k. possibly longer).

a lot of the uber focus on finding a low mile car is overkill imo. unless you're a capable wrench, ALL 968s cost a small fortune to drive the way you'll really want to drive 'em (on the nice days for a lotta years). whether you buy a mint car, one with higher miles, or a very high mile car with deferred maintenance - you might discover the cost to take any of them for the next 100 k miles down the road doesn't vary as much as some might think; the bodies on a well-cared for older car vs the rare low mile car/s probably won't differ much; as they are all highly resistant to rust. the high mile car may require a re-spray. but, other than that, and fresh driver's seat leather.... you can still end up with a solid car.

since an argument can be made that these cars can be set up to @50 k mile big-service intervals, the with one costing more at purchase vs the other costing $$$ to get things 'caught up...' over the long haul, will often compare similarly.

i don't think you'll see a lot of 968s for sale with more than 200~220 k miles. but you could. empirically, i don't see the type of owner loyalty that we see with the 911. perhaps this is because regular service and repairs on 968s is capable of killing off several gererations of owners. i believe that's one reason why so many people don't stay in 968 ownership but for a few years.

i believe this state of affairs is not only true, but so too, a blemish on the 968.

jeff968

I am often contacted by individuals looking to sell or purchase a 968. If I hear something I'll let you know.

brian0473

Thanks a lot guys. I am monitoring all the "for sale" channels I know of daily. I'm patient and definitely willing to wait for the right car. I was hoping that throwing it out here might help shake one loose somewhere so I really do appreciate your inputs.

az968gpw

Brian, keep doing your homework, like you are, find a competent mechanic and have him do a thorough PPI, you can find examples on the enthusiast sites, watch out for sloppy maintenance (per odur's comments do preventative/proactive steps). I've had mine for 8 years and 35k miles and had no significant failures of any kind. But I have spent MONEY keeping it nice.

But, I'd have zero hesitation hopping in it tomorrow and driving cross-county.

alxdgr8

Red, '95 6spd Coupe with 83k miles on CL for $17k
http://neworleans.craigslist.org/cto/5350061621.html

brian0473

Thanks Alex!

jeff968

The 95 is very nice. Get the last 3 digits of the VIN and I'll tell you the factory options.

brian0473

Thanks Jeff. On the 95 I talked to the owner and the car has been smoked in by original owner. Not sure I can move forward knowing that. Too bad too because my all accounts it's a very nice car and right in my target range.

touareg

Too bad, obviously everyone has different sensitivities, I my self have allergies to everything it seems.

I also understand that fabreeze is a mask, not a solution. And I hate the stuff and gives me a headache, in fact all artificial "nice scents" do.

Anyways, I did buy a car that was smoked in, didn't seem like it at first, but started to smell a little stale.

After a few hours of spraying neutralizer, doing coffee grounds, vinegar, apples and a few other tricks while the car was in re-circulation mode (most of the smoke particles with the tar will be trapped in air vents, and impossible to clean out), I also wiped down surfaces with something to clean off possible contaminants, smell was gone till I sold the car 4 years later.

Like I said I am sensitive to this stuff

Zeps was the best. If you understand where the smell is coming from on how it settles in things like the headliner (smoke rises) ash trays and vents, it is not impossible to remove smell. Remember it is the tar you are smelling that is stuck to things.

az968gpw

I used a product called Vamoose several years ago on some furniture and it completely removed the stale smoke odor. This was cloth and wood furniture, no leather or vinyl. The product claims it works on those materials, just no experience. As touaŕg wrote, use it in places that would trap the tars, like headliner and vents.

Paolo1

How about cologne smell? What works on Hai Karate?

jeff968

Too bad. You don't hear that too much anymore. I wonder if it could be cleaned if the price was right?

If you find another, just post the year and the last 3 of the VIN and I can tell you about it.