bschen

Thinking about buying a 95 993 with 145K miles on it? Seems the owner really maintained it well. Oil changed on time, RMS replaced with new clutch at 125K, brakes were done. My concern is that is 145K going toward the engines life? Any other issues I should ask the current owner? I will get a PPI at dealer before I buy.
Thanks for the response.

Mark in Baltimore

How much is the car going for?

FLYT993

Has the top end been completed? If yes, then by who, and with what materials?

ca993twin

RMS has not proven to be a big deal on the 993s, but the valve guides are. If a top-end has not been done, plan on a fairly expensive, engine-out valve job with new guides at a minimum. Be sure that the suspension joints, both front and rear are checked for excessive wear. Post back with more details for better help. Good luck.

AOW162435

Mark,
Halvsies?



Andreas

bschen

asking $23,500, I am waiting for a reply on the top end job.

TomF

I wouldn't jump to conclusions on the valve guide issue. It appears that it really depends on the motor. If it is consuming lots of oil and the other usual symptoms, then the guides are probably toast. There seem to be several cars around that have over 100K with no issues. I am at 96k and am not having issues yet. 145K is quite a bit more, but I am ever the optimist!

All the data suggests that these engines with proper maintenance can last 200K... assuming that the guides don't fail before then. Some engines have issues, some don't.

A proper PPI from an expert 993 mechanic should shed some light on things for you.

mborkow

MY95s don't have SAI issues. unless the car is burning a lot of oil, there is no need for a valve job; is it burning oil?

Mark in Baltimore

Is this true? It's always been my understanding that all 993's have the potential for SAI issues; it's the MY95's with OBDI that do not throw the CEL for a SAI problem.

Dr. No

Ditto - the owner should be able to tell you how much oil it burns per 1000 mi. I think the book says 1 qt every 600 mi is ok, but that would concern me since many of us (mine included) does not even use that much over 6k.

Geoffrey

Mark, you are correct. even the 95s have valve guide issues.

Mark in Baltimore

Thanks, Geoffrey. Just want to make sure future Rennlisters have the correct info. All of this data is in the archives if anyone wants to dig deeper.

pcar964

depends on how the car was maintained, and the car itself - many 993s consume very little oil and have extremely tight engines, even with well over 100k miles. Oil consumption up to 1 quart/800 miles is still perfectly acceptable on these cars.

JJJMCD

Make sure that the PPI includes leakdown and compression tests. This will cost significantly more (and the dealer will try to talk you out of it because it's a PIA to do), but is well worth it. Top-end rebuild can easily be $7-8k. Complete rebuild is $10k+.

The driveline isn't the only issue with high mileage cars - the suspension is usually shot and the various ancillary systems like heating-a/c, alternator, fan, etc. also wear out over time and will fail with a higher mileage car. Check the service records; if this car hasn't had a significant amount of money spent on it within the last few years, stay away.

Mike Murphy

There are a lot of properly maintained air-cooled motors that are running up to 200,000 or 250,000 miles before a first overhaul, so I wouldn't worry about the mileage from that perspective.

When it comes to resale, however, the market shrinks and most people will stay away from your car if it's up near 200k or 250k.