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Am I mad

colin smith

colin smith

PCGB Member
I'm thinking of coming back to the Porsche fold ( I've been without one for about 4 years) and I'm going to see a 964 C4 this afternoon. The car looks good in the pictures , but it has no service history!!!!

It appears the guy that brought it , brought it of a repo company and as you can imagine the owner didn't give them the service history!!!

I dont know much about 964's , in the past I've owned a couple of 944's and a 3.2 , I've read the buyers guide and is will help when I look at it.

How much is a service history worth to the price of a car????
 
It's not ideal and you need to factor in how hard it will be to sell on in the future but to me it's more about condition given the cars age and the amount of things that can need doing and issues like rust etc.
 
Depends a lot on what price it is. 964 prices have been moving upwards. Now, very good ones are selling regularly for over £20K. So if you can get it for a low price that would be a key factor.
 
You have not mentioned the mileage or condition of the vehicle. You need to have an open mind and realise the cost of fixing things on the vehicle - e.g. tyres if over 5 years old (you can check the age on the sidewall). You also have to factor in changing the fluids (Oil/brake fluid/etc) as the assumption is they have not been replaced for a period of time. If you call a person who does maintenance nearby they are helpful in telling you the costs involved. Personally you should do your own basic checks looking over the car, and then work out if you are happy or need a mechanic nearby to check it.
 
The problem comes when you want to sell.

If this is in 2 years time, a lot of potential purchases will turn away if it doesn't have a full history.

If you intend to keep it for 10+ years & in that time you carry out a full engine rebuild, body off respray etc, then it will be less of a problem, if at all.

You could always contact the previous owner anyway & discuss the history, offer him a couple of hundred quid for the service book & all the invoices say?
 
If the service book is with the car and has stamps for the services, you may be able to get copies of the service invoices from the garage that did the service. I was missing a number of invoices from the history of my 968 cab when I bought it, was able to get the OPC ones after about 1995 from the OPC, but had to get the previous owner to get one invoice from the specialist garage as they would not release the invoice direct to me.
 
If the car comes with no history at all I would stay well clear.
It would have been in the companies interest who took repossession of the car to have asked for the history file and service book. Bit strange I think. Doesn't make much business sense either to have a car as this with no history, but there you go!
Having said that, its your choice, if you like the car and the price suits and you budget in for those potential things that may require correcting at some point, then maybe its for you.
Main thing is, ensure you have it independently inspected. If the seller objects, then definitely walk away.
IMO I would hang on in there, I'm sure you'll find another.
 
As I said earlier the car was a repo that explains the lack of paperwork. It's a 1990 C4 targa with 136K on the clock, the current owner turns out to be the guy that owns the garage that services my Merc.

He says car looks good underneath and thinks it may of had a replacement gearbox. He has serviced it and he is going to replace the front pads, I had to laugh though when we got back from the test drive, the car started to smoke, it appears that some oil had started to get on to the exhaust manifold!!!
 
oil could be from leaking cam covers but IF from head may not have had the seal mod in which case engine out and remachine heads etc. Have a good look before buying. These cars were originally designed with no gasket between barrel and head, it did not work and leaked oil. Most will have been reworked by now but you never know worth checking
 
not yet, I'm waiting to see what he says on the oil leak front , but to tell the truth I have a budget of upto £20k ish and I can't decide on a 964 or I've seen a nice 996 C4S.

I also still have a soft spot for a 944 turbo cab, to many choices!!!!!
 

ORIGINAL: colin smith

As I said earlier the car was a repo that explains the lack of paperwork. It's a 1990 C4 targa with 136K on the clock, the current owner turns out to be the guy that owns the garage that services my Merc.

He says car looks good underneath and thinks it may of had a replacement gearbox. He has serviced it and he is going to replace the front pads, I had to laugh though when we got back from the test drive, the car started to smoke, it appears that some oil had started to get on to the exhaust manifold!!!
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The more you tell us, the more it sounds like a dog. Leave it alone Colin and put your money elsewhere.
 

ORIGINAL: Steve Brookes


ORIGINAL: colin smith

As I said earlier the car was a repo that explains the lack of paperwork. It's a 1990 C4 targa with 136K on the clock, the current owner turns out to be the guy that owns the garage that services my Merc.

He says car looks good underneath and thinks it may of had a replacement gearbox. He has serviced it and he is going to replace the front pads, I had to laugh though when we got back from the test drive, the car started to smoke, it appears that some oil had started to get on to the exhaust manifold!!!
Click to expand...

The more you tell us, the more it sounds like a dog. Leave it alone Colin and put your money elsewhere.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't say it was a dog, the exterior and interior as mint ( for a 23 year old car), I will wait to see what the out come is on the oil leak etc.
 
Hi Colin,

I can't help but chipping in here with some friendly 964 advise .

You indicated on your first post you don't know much about 964's .

From the car you have described, repossessed ( repossessed means the old owner couldn't afford it so spent nothing in it ) and then its leaks , Gbox swap and now the interior looks great etc etc , I would carefully consider parting with your hard earned money and get an independent view of the car from a 964 specialist , not the guy selling the car in the trade, as he will tell you anything to shift a car for few pounds and even throw in silly warranty's etc . Most warranties for a 20+year old car are not worth the paper there written on .

964's are expensive specialists cars and eat money more often then not, and a quick bodge here and there, hidden under a nice interior is not the best car to buy as you have huge bills later and a very unreliable expensive car.

As indicated , "Repossessed" to me means danger as the old owner couldn't afford it and the high maintenance of a 964 !

If its too good to be true it properly is : "Would you let your adolescent son mark is own home work ?" As that is what you doing here with this car and this garage .

As for a 996, same issues and on the rub will keep devaluing and the bills will keep going up , at least a good 964 will hold its value and good ones are starting to up and bad ones are getting cheaper :)


You need to go into this with your eyes 100% open, or it will come back and bite you .
 
Hi Colin
Could you tell me where the car is advertised and what colour it is (if your not interested) as I am also looking for 964 coupe 2/4 and could save me the trouble of investigation and travel, I have just spent £300 on an inspection and turned out to be a dud I've not got too many £300's left!! this one does sound a bit iffy though!!

Any body on here or know of someone that's selling ???

cheers

Steve.
 
Colin,
Very easy to carried away in these instances as the heart starts to rule the mind.
If you have 20K to spend, for goodness sake make sure its on the right 964.
The guy selling the car may be genuine, but until proven so, you must suspect the worst.
As I had suggested in my earlier post and so have others, before you part with any cash ensure you have it inspected by a reputable independent, someone that knows 964's inside out. This will be the best money you will have spent.
I see you are in Milton Keynes? I'm sure someone on here will be able to recommend a good indi near to you ;)
 
Problem is the very tidy 964 coupes are going for quite strong money at the moment. Rpm has one up for £29k and Paul stephens just sold one at £26k (both cars bought around 12 mths ago for around 30-40% less from scom and portiacraft).

I would go 996 turbo if you don't go 964. Less engine issues to worry about. 968 CS is not a bad option at a lower price pt.
 
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