Vibrations at 55+ mph. Could be nothing, but, duh, if its nothing, why would this not be sorted before selling it. Odd.
I'd pass on it myself.

Good luck.

 

The said the leak down test was good and the compressions were as follows: 220 222 223 222 220 220

The shaft seal leak repair was quoted as a couple hundred dollars including labor.

The leak is at the cylinder 4 head. The repair would consist of new seals, new valve guides, machine heads, valve grind, valve springs, valve stem seals, fly cut on heads. At that time they would do a visual on the clutch lining .

The repair would run between $8 and $10k depending on the finding when they take her apart.

Is this '98 C4S with the repairs completed worth more ore less than a '98 C4S with the same miles that has no such issues (I know that down the road at perhaps 50k miles another clean example could require the rebuild).

I feel that a $15k reduction in price is in order. Thoughts?

 

The cost to repair leak #2 would be a lot less IF one wanted to pull the heads/cylinders apart, then put them back together without doing the valves, guides, etc. "while in there". A leak down would tell you if it needs a top end rebuilt independent of the oil leak, which I doubt that it does. I would o it all when the engine was apart, given the known problems with the factory guides...but, I would probably pass on this car and not get involved. YMMV.

 

I guess $15k is a starting point. No doubt that "while in there" the clutch will beg to be replaced too.

 

The 55mph issue might be related to flat spots on the tires if the car has been sitting for prolonged periods. But is sure seems strange that a seller would not address these obvious issues prior to trying to sell.

The copper content on the brake fluid was fine, but the color difference gets me worrying about fluid contamination.

I sure am glad I have all of you here to help me out. The PPI recommendation was a life saver.

 

They are not going to give you $15K off so move on........

 

What do think a '98 C4S with these issues should sell for? The interior and exterior are in good shape, she is true and no detection of accidents, good brakes, good tires (need balancing after being driven for a while). I was paying a premium in this market to get a garage queen with no issues.

The current owner (he is the second owner) thinks the leak is from dried seals due to a lack of driving.

I am not looking to screw the seller, but at the same time I do not want to overpay or get stuck with repairs that would drive up my toc.

 

What is the current price you negotiated if you are willing to share. That will tell a lot on where you need to go with price based on the PPI.

 

I don't see how you need a $9K rebuild based on a weeping seal...I just don't see how that can be diagnosed from the available data.

 

To respect the seller, I do not feel right sharing the current negotiated price that was set prior to the ppi. We both agreed that the price was contingent on a clean ppi. I do not intend to be rude to your question, but the seller seems to be a nice guy and I do not want to undermine his asking price. I hope you understand

I can say that the price was at a premium largely for the garage queen condition of the vehicle. I did negotiate the price down significantly off of the posted asking price that was originally in line with RPM, Truespeed and Sloan's asking levels.

 

I understand and appreciate your respect for the seller. I asked because I just bought a '98 C4S and have followed them for years. The car I bought has about 33,000 miles and got a perfect PPI from Zots Garage in Florida (Rennlist members recommendation!). I paid $43,000 for the car and think I did well given its condition and the PPI. I know you can find several good silver/white/red cars out there with 40k to 55k miles in the upper $30k's. Yes, all these cars were trading in the $50's a year ago but it is a sign of the times. The good news is that it is a great time to be a buyer and not so great to be a seller right now. Good luck and be patient. The right car at the right price is out there.

 

A couple of questions. What are the ramifications of having the oil level too high? I assume the current owner did not know that the oil gauge varies depending on conditions. He probably saw the car oil guage in the red when he was driving and then filled it up too high.

The oil leak is at cyl. 4 mating surface between head and cylinder. Is there a seal at this specific location? The inspection showed a build up from the leak, not just a fresh bit of oil. The oil was on the heat exchanger and produced smoke on start-up.

Thanks...

 

If you intend to pile on the miles at that rate, I'd start with a car that's more "depreciated," say, with at least 65K miles.

 

You got a good price for a clean example. Does your car have the factory installed Aero kit II? Not that is should matter that much, but I would like the aero kit on the 993 and that really starts to limit my selection. Perhaps I should just go with an upper $30k car, save some cash for an inevitable rebuild and try to find an oem aero kit / or RUFF. I would prefer to get a car like the one that you were fortunate enough to purchase.

Cheers

 

Good point. Any leads on a clean white 993 C4S with aero kit?

I need a car that I drive between Dallas and Houston (292 miles each way) once every three weeks. A car that is a blast to drive is the only thing that can help to keep me motivated enough to take that brain numbing drive. That being said, I need the car to be dependable.

I though of picking up a 996tt, but that car is just not me. I grew up in Germany and have always loved the lines of the 911. In my eye, the 993 has the perfect lines. One of the biggest bonuses is the great people I get to meet that love to talk about their experiences with 911s.