Speedvagen

i know there have been threads about how tip is aweful. I am considering a coupe with a tip from an out of state seller. Car looks good but it is a tip.

Inventory seems to be low on sub 80k coupes that are in good condition mechanically and cosmetically. I wanted a manual but am I crazy for considering a tip?

Talk me in or out of it please!

LTDzak

Why not consider well cared for, but much higher mileage examples? That is what I decided to do. Soon as they go over 130 K or so the price they fetch drops significantly (and risks, such as transmission rebuilding etc. go up, but remember you are saving significant money on the initial purchase).


Check the magazine articles for performance comparisons between the two.

Speedvagen

I haven't ruled out higher mileage cars but would pay more for lower.
I know about the performance differences. That is what is swaying me towards keeping with the search for a manual. I am afraid the search will turn into years!

jeff968

968 Manual coupe 0 - 60: 6.1 seconds
968 Tip coupe 0 - 60: 8.0 seconds

That said, the car he is looking at is a primo example in great shape.

LTDzak

I wonder how much work it would be to convert to a 5 or 6 speed. The tip transmissions seem to fetch a good buck.

RajDatta

Others here have performed this mod. Quite involved and not cheap. I would say at least $6k with lots of your own labor. This is for a LSD transmission.

To name a few, you would at a minimum need the following ( I am sure I will miss a few)
Flywheel
Complete clutch
Bell housing
Clutch fork and hoses
3rd Pedal
DME
Gauge Cluster
Torque Tube
Transmission
Transmission linkage
Shifter
Clutch and slave cylinder
Potentially a different harness ( not sure on this )
Different radiator/oil cooler setup/removal of transmission lines

So as you can see, not for the faint of heart.

Speedvagen

Thanks for the input. I did think about a conversion but as Raj said, it ain't cheap. All in all, would I like the car - yes? Would I love it - no. So that answers the question for me....pass and keep looking.

touareg

To add to the fuel, I originally had a 968 Coupe tip, only because it was cheap (8 years old, 250k on the clock and I got it for 9k or so I think back in 2000 or so.)

Other than great in traffic, the six speed is just so much more fun and involved. Plus you keep the 968 in the 4k band and that is where all the power is, harder to do with a tip.

Speedvagen

How was the maintenance and repair costs on that car that had 250k miles?

touareg

Well, since the car was relatively new, some people started talking about this sudden chain tennsioner pad failures, and cam shafts getting destroyed. At that time there was 0 info on this, since most of those cars had around 50k or so and the failures were sporadic.

This was about 1 year into ownership. Due to rarity of parts and knowledge, (seem to recall 928s and 944S2 just starting to have issues too) I chickened out and sold the 968 Sold the 951 a year later and that was the last pcar I had a for a while.

Only thing I repaired, was the CV joint started making noise near the end and was easy enough for me to fix on my back

Much more knowledge now on the cam chain and bits, so not a big mystery like it was in the early 2000s