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Buying Advice Please ! 964 C4

R

roadiesean

New member
Hello all, off to see a C4 tomorrow, very excited. What should I be after, it all looks good from the advert and conversations, nice, regular servicing from reputable specialists, mileage under 100k, looks good.

What should I be looking for ?

Any advice gratefully received.
 
At the end of the day anything can be repaired, so if the car feels right ... buy it. Unless you are very lucky, you will probably spend money over the coming months years, so be prepared for this.

To minimise this future spend, get a good inspection from a specialist.

If you are impulsive and can't wait for this look for the following biggies:
Poor oil pressure when hot - this will be <1 bar at idle and <4bar under load.
Clutch problems
Look for oil under the engine - try and peek through the engine undertray to get a better view.
Noisy gearbox / poor selection
Rust around front windscreen / rear light cluster

A google on '964 buyers guide' should bring up a fair share of good links.

Just take your time when looking around and most of all good luck.

 
[FONT=verdana,geneva"]Like any other car I guess the top of the list as suggested is the overall condition and has it been looked after. Usual corrosion points have been mentioned. Trawl through all receipts looking for any major items and servicing of course. Check electric seat buttons (all directions), windows, headlight washers and rear spoiler not grinding when operating - apart from the spoiler all may not be top of the list but certainly help haggle the price down (even if you don't care about fixing them all).

Toolkit and jack (with handle). If the speakers are original they'll probably be shot (the tweeters certainly). All knobs and switches of course and does the air con work fully? If you have/get Streather's Companion book you'll know much to check or look out for.

Check under the floor sound deadening for signs of wet. Mine had that, figured it was doors seals and made all new door and boot seals a condition of the sale. I was lucky, minor electrical niggles helped knock the price down or made their replacement a sale condition too.

I've never looked back. It delivers all the time. The forum help is without doubt the place to know and understand more.

Good luck - get some pics up if it goes well..

Marcus
[FONT=verdana,geneva"]
 
C4 specific:-

Check that the PDAS and ABS lights extinguish after starting the engine. These lights warn of a failure in the high pressure hydraulic system. The Streather book mentioned above explains all.

With the engine running and stationary, pump the brake pedal several times. Depending how hard you press, somewhere between 3 and 5 times. You should then hear the hydraulic pump kick-in and run for about 5 seconds, then stop.

Does the 'traction mode' engage using the rotary switch on the dash (next to the manual spoiler switch on a post '89). Even at pull away speeds you should be able to feel the difference with an extra tightness/binding in the driveline. I think the yellow LED either stays on or flashes as well. And you should hear a click/knock as the two diff locks engage.

You won't be able to see the front diff due to the plastic panel covering it but they have been known to leak. Also, check the condition of the extra pair of CV boot up front.

There should be no clunks or noises associated with the 4WD system; it is rock solid in operation with no slack in drive take up.

General:-

Just to add to the list of locations to check for rust:- where scuttle panel meets front wing, on the sills hiding underneath the plastic covers, jacking points, rear wheelarches where steel fittings have corroded, front and rear wings where they meet bumpers, bumper mounts.

Good luck.


 
All good, but smoky, even after a good long drive. 90,000 miles, does this suggest an imminent top end rebuild ? How urgent/necessary would it be ? Other than that the car is stunning and the price is good. I really don't want a car that is going to cost me at least £5k more than I want to spend to buy it (if you know what I mean.....top end rebuild £5k min)

Thanks
 
I guess you have found the reason why it is cheap. Extended tests will probably indicate whether this is bore wear or some other wear / failure such as valve stem oil seals etc ... An expert with a couple of hours labour would be a good investment at this point.

If the car is good perhaps the owner would contribute towards the repair work. You could both be happy then [:)]

I expect quite a few come up for sale at the end of the summer, so you may be better-off looking at some more before parting with more money investigating the faults with this one.
 
leak down test required by a specialist, then you know where you stand. As stated you can then negotiate, if the rest stacks up.

Oh, and whilst anything can be fixed (as said above), it wont come cheap.
 
It is going to have to be very cheap if it needs a top end rebuild. Personally I would (and did) walk away from a smoky car.

Even if you decided you could like with it, do you really want to be driving around with smoke billowing out the back of you car like a dirt oil burner ;)

Edited to add... This particular car doesn't have a number plate C4**R does it (Guards Red, 1990, C4)?
 
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