patela

So I need some advice about a couple of cars and I'm hoping you all have some sage advice for me. Unfortunately my questions involves the age old 964 vs. 993 question.

I'll start by saying that I've hoping for a 1995 C4 in blue, adventurine, grey or silver. (I'm in NorCal, so I need to pass emissions and hope to take the car to go snowboarding a few times a year). I drive about 8000 miles a year.

I haven't found a 1995, but I've found the following two cars that seem to be well sorted by their current owners.

1. 1996 C4, silver/blue. Current owner is a PCA member. 115K mi, clutch at 75K, valve guides at 85K and top end again for SAI ports at 96K. The service records for the clutch say "Excessive front central drive tube shaft stress, coupler near impossible to remove during engine & transmission removal." The sliding coupler was replaced at that time. Current owner says that suspension is original. 1 rear shock was replaced about 3 years ago. Asking $27K


2. 1990 C4, oak green/tan. Current owner is clearly an enthusiast, wants to sell this to get a 997. 81K mi. Rebuild at 64K for head gasket (or lack thereof). Current owner has added "adjustable suspension", fabspeed dual outlet exhaust, powerchip, "free-flow intake" and new C4 wheels. May need tires soon. Asking $22.5K

I'd appreciate your thoughts about these cars, unless you have a 95 you want to unload, in which case I want to hear about that. Is one preferable? Should I worry about the drive tube business on the 1996? Reasonable prices?

Neither is out of budget, but I hope not to spend a fortune on maintenance and repairs for a car that doesn't get much use. (No flames please, I already spend about $3000 a year on my A4, so my definition of "fortune" is not unreasonable.)

Thanks!

A

freeman

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jimbo3

Car #1- Blue interiors don't sell well. I get a weird vibe about maintenence on this one. Replacing one shock is very odd. (BTW- Original suspension will need to be replaced immediately, which will run north of $2000.) Strange that they didn't clean out the SAI passages when doing the top end. Got the feeling that maintenence was done only when it was absolutely necessary. Not a particularily good price.

Car #2 sounds like the better deal. Much lower mileage, top end issue fixed, the mods you'd want done anyway, enthusiast owned and cared for. If a new clutch was thrown in when they did the heads, I'd make an offer of $20K and see where it goes. (Assuming that these two cars are the choices and are in the same condition.)

ilko

I also think that car #2 is the better deal. Get a PPI and see if it needs a new clutch. It may not be necessary, since the stock clutches on these cars are know to last upwards of 150K miles.

dcdude

Hang on! Isn't the 964 AWD system just nightmarishly complex? Talk to Joel Reiser. They also have horrible resale value. Get ready with your rotten tomatoes ready, but I'd rather see him in a 996 C4 than a 964 C4.

ilko

Well, since you mentioned it... The 964 AWD system was originally developed for the 959. No expense spared, mechanical AWD. None of the viscous coupling stuff that the bean counters implemented later. Overdeveloped? Sure, but also bullet-proof. I had it on my old C4 and it was great. Almost as good as the Torsen system in my Audi. Not too sure about the "horrible" resale value, they seem to be on par with the 964 C2, where do you get your data?

RallyJon

Just about everything you read about 964 AWD is written by Porsche guys, not AWD guys, and there's a heavy bias apparent.

The 964 C4 is AWD. Period. The 993 C4 has the barest minimum of hardware to occasionally transmit a wee bit of power to the front wheels.

patela

I have to say, I've read Joel's concerns about the 964 AWD system, but aside from a few mentions of accelerometer issues, I have not read about many actual problems with that system.

I'll also say that I've heard more about 993 C4's that no longer couple properly to the front drive.

I'd like to know if I'm wrong, but I hear lots of 993 owners complain about the 964 system, but there isn't much over on the 964 board that I can find. Ilko, is your sense different from mine?

I've also identified another car near me. 1990 diamond blue/"cream" -- 40K mi, single owner I think, serviced at dealer and very reputable local shop. Don't have information regarding head gasket and flywheel yet, but have asked. Price reduced from $27 to $25. Thoughts about that one? Am I going to have problems from not enough use?

Thanks guys, I really do appreciate the help.

ilko

The accelerometers can be cleaned up if they don't work properly. There are how-to's in the 964 forum on that. One expensive piece that does fail, albeit rarely, is the AWD "brain" in the front trunk. It's crazy expensive to buy it new from Porsche, but can be had for about $300 from dismantlers.

Again, I haven't heard many complaints about C4's on the 964 forum. Most owners are happy with their cars.

As far as low mileage, depends. If it's been driven regularly I don't think it's an issue. You should be looking at dry rotting of rubber parts - tires, oil lines, etc. A good PPI in most cases can tell you whether the components are in good shape.

Good luck!

simpateko

are you still looking for a nice car?
check your pm