Bearclaw

I've seen this notion expressed more than once on Rennlist, and it makes me shakes my head. Why in God's name would a P-car owner be any different than the population at large? Goes right up there with, "I bought a car from a Rennlist member, and it had issues. How he could he do this to me? My gosh, we belong to the same internet forum!!!" Your seller and his accomplice sound like deceptive jackasses alright, but they come from everywhere, in any economy.

I bought a car a couple years ago (not the Porsche) long-distance (from a 'dealer') that turned out to be missing the CEL bulb. Didn't realize it until I went for emissions. Put a bulb back in and read for codes and there were none. Car was fine. Has been good ever since. Whatever the problem had been, the car had lived where there were no emissions tests and the problem must have been resoilved somewhere along the way. I wish that kind of luck for you, Bernie. The rest of the stuff, well, taken one bite at a time it may turn out to be relatively minor. As was mentioned, it sounds like it is basically a solid car that needs some catching-up done. The "aircraft-owner" may have just been neglectful. (Kinda like "doctor-owned" - run away!!! What someone does in other aspects of their life may or may not indicate how they take care of a car) Stay optimistic and work your way through this stuff. Many fun driving hours are ahead!

einreb92

Barry: Of course you're right about my misplaced disappointment. The nature of mankind is what it is. There will of course, always be those who take advantage and those who will be victims. I try to walk a neutral line and err on the side of honesty and information, but sometimes I guess it is just "your" turn! While I wish this wasn't happening, it has not changed the way I live or the person I am. While it cost lots of $$ it is still a car and not the health of my family that is endangered. So I guess I should be grateful!

That being said, I do hope things get sorted out without any major issues. I expected to have to do some things like full tune-up, tires, brakes, gaskets etc. my fear it that the SAI issue will get me and require major engine work since I live where there is emission testing. My '67 Buick is much older than this car but you'd be hard pressed to find anything wrong with it. I guess I was looking for that level of maintenance even with the higher mileage. It was the only way I could get into one of these cars was to go after one with more on the clock.

I am going to try and pass inspection again on Friday at a different shop. This place is not the place that regularly will care for my car, but they are closer and have a good rep as a POrsche repair shop. They have the "hammer" and may be able to pinpoint any problem a week before I get to my regular guy if such a problem really exists. Oh well. The few hours I have driven this car so far have changed the way I feel. The first time I saw it come off the truck, I was hooked! That is a very powerful emotion to combat, so I guess I'm in for a penny, in for a pound as they say!
Thanks for the well wishes! Ride safe.

Bernie

striker27

I have to say your feelings are misdirected here. Approach the world as if everyone wants to scam you!! You will not be as dissapointed as you are now. This car has 100k what did you really expect it to be like when it finally arrived. The car needs work and the mechanic that checked it like most mechanics was simply a crook. Who knows about the CEL maybe the last owner took it out. Hell I take things out of my cars all the time.

The first 993 I purchased never arrived it was stolen off the carrier that I had paid to have it delivered!!! The one I have now arrived with a dent and a broken parking lght or two. The damn spoiler thingy in the back was stuck in the up position as well. I simply fixed the stuff.

You bought a 100k used car and may possibly be taking it in the ***. Hell you could have bought a brand new P car and got a lemon!!!!

Your rant is comical!!!!!

Peter R.

The man got royally rearended, and the seller and his accomplice mechanic didn't even have the decency to give him the arm around.

He put trust in his fellow human being and Porsche enthusiast. You may fault him for being naive, but it says more about his character than it does about the thieves that shafted him.

The seller may have prevailed, the buyer is the better person.

einreb92

Striker, I have another car with 130K that will shame most new ones I have seen so.... I don't think that if someone represents a car as being spectacular that I should doubt it is possible although it maybe a long shot. Had the car been advertised as a "fixer-upper" then that's on me as to the extent of needed repairs. As for your advice about how I should approach life into my late 50's, I thank you for your input but will continue to see the world in the manner I choose and am confident you will do the same.

Rinty

Most people are honest. Our local Porsche indy told me he had only been burned once in all the purchases he has done over the years.

Before I bought my car last year, I got a good sense of what kind of a guy (a Rennlister) my seller was, and I used his mechanic for my PPI. I have learned to trust my instincts, and usually they don't let me down.

If I do get surprised, then I just have to resist second guessing myself.

RallyJon

There are two places where car instincts and "most people are honest" don't apply: Texas and Florida.

It does seem like 90% of the suspiciously underpriced, underdocumented cars out there come from those states. I get the impression looking at Ebay and Autotrader that most of the used car lots in the country are in TX or FL.

JimPA

Bernie:

Sorry for your disappointment. I haven't seen a recent update so I'm not sure where you are on troubleshooting and engine diagnostics.

I live about 30 miles west of Philly and can recommend two good P-car shops (in Malvern and Phoenixville) if needed. My 98 C2S DD had an SAI-caused CEL last year around 72K miles. The Malvern shop got almost everything cleaned out. I hope and expect it will be many thousands of miles until the SAI needs further attention. The work cost over $1K but I don't have the exact figure handy now. If it's an SAI issue, I'd try helmet155's suggestion of D-I-Y first. You've got little to lose except time.

Bearclaw

I agree. I don't Bernie's basic objective of finding a nice 100K mile car was unrealistic. I know there are many out there, I've seen some in person - Porsches and otherwise.

I just drove my Volvo indy guy's loaner car. It's a '98 S70 sedan with 219K miles. He bought it from a long-time customer, it was one-owner and inside and outside, you would swear it had 19K on it. Almost showroom. I would think that's even more likely in the Porsche world. It does happen.

Rinty

The most famous being Victory.

striker27

Sorry about my tirade, but between dealing with the dealer and trying to buy parts from private individuals I feel that current economic conditions have brought out a lot of crooks!!!

I do not think you can find a mint 100k car, a nice one yes but not a mint one. Mine has around 65k on it and it is not mint. Finding one from a caring owner may help though. It just seems that some people are trying to maximize their investment and get the most dollar for a car even if it does have faults.

Sorry for your situation. The car you have does not sound all that bad it just needs a bit of TLC, I am sure you will be happy with it. I have always factored in 15% to 20% in costs associated with a used car once I get it home. I think after you are done with the repairs on your car you will find you spent somewhere in that ball park. Hopefully!!! My 348 ended up costing me a great deal more then that percentage. My first 993 was a write off costing me so far my entire investment, we are letting the lawyers argue it out. The 993 I have now I am sinking probably twice as much as I paid for the car into it.

Most of all have fun with the car!!!

einreb92

You too, Striker! For the record, I sneaked the car out to try and do the reset. It is hard to do in the city, so i don't know and won't know until the local Pcar mechanic takes me in on Friday. By tomorrow, Hopefully I'll have a date with the guy who is to be my regular guy. Since I had already taken the risk of driving w/o inspection, I figured I'd keep it out for a while. Drove almost two hours before I chickened out and headed back to the corral! The huge cloud of smoke is gone, but there is some residual smoke that I think is from the right valve cover gasket that the mechanic told me would need to be replaced. At least he was honest about that fact! We'll see.
Regards

Thanks Geordie. When a guy is down he needs all the props he can get!

PS: Does anyone know what the entire job runs? I know the gaskets are cheap but don't know about the labor.

samsnead

Has the purchase price of this car been disclosed?

einreb92

$23.5

samsnead

Thats a decent price, hopefully the issues are fairly simple to resolve.

Good Luck!