New purchaser advice

[colin129]

I am considering a 964 Carrera 2 Cabrio, 1990H £109K, grey with grey leather, price seems good at £12,995 ono.

The engine has recently been rebuilt by R&D Automotive in Manchester (I don't know them, anyone had any experience of their work?) including clutch, steering rack, gaiters and filters. As the bill for this was £4,892 I'm guessing it was only a top end rebuild.

I intend to get an inspection done (probably JZ Machtech as they have been looking after my car for the past few years and I would value and trust their opinion)

I was thinking it was worth a look as I have been thinking about changing my old girl for quite some time.

Please could anyone give some pointers as to what I should be looking for/asking about when I go to view and test drive.

Apart from the usual nerves about parting with large sums of hard earned, what worries me about a cabrio is the potential for scuttle shake, how well tied down should the car be?

 

[Steve Brookes]

I live up here and I thought I knew all the good independents around here - 9M, JMH, Unit 11, SportsClassic, etc. I've never heard of the guys you mentioned so you definitely need a PPI in my opinion.

The price sounds good to me but ask yourself if you really want a cab. If you want it for open top cruising, great. If you're worried about S&S when driving it hard then of course you need the coupe. And of course cabs can mean extra cost in maintaining the roof and possibly replacing it, if it's tired.

 

[colin129]

ORIGINAL: brksy16

I live up here and I thought I knew all the good independents around here - 9M, JMH, Unit 11, SportsClassic, etc. I've never heard of the guys you mentioned so you definitely need a PPI in my opinion.

The price sounds good to me but ask yourself if you really want a cab. If you want it for open top cruising, great. If you're worried about S&S when driving it hard then of course you need the coupe. And of course cabs can mean extra cost in maintaining the roof and possibly replacing it, if it's tired.

Thanks for your comments.

I checked out their website, and they are a Ferrari/Porsche/Lamborghini specialist.

I guess what your saying is the scuttle shake is a problem, I prefer to drive rather than pose.

 

[Guest]

I would always go for a coupe with a 911. Aside from the aesthetics scuttle shake and the extra weight will blunt the performance.
If you want a hard driving convertible I'd look at other cars designed to be a drop top from the start (e.g. Elise).

The convertible 911 is still an appealing car but it will always be compromised as a driving tool - which is kind of what the 911 is all about I think

 

[Steve Brookes]

ORIGINAL: colin129

Thanks for your comments.

I checked out their website, and they are a Ferrari/Porsche/Lamborghini specialist.

I guess what your saying is the scuttle shake is a problem, I prefer to drive rather than pose.

Have you got a link Colin? It's always good to find out about other options, especially since they are near me.

 

[colin129]

ORIGINAL: brksy16

Have you got a link Colin? It's always good to find out about other options, especially since they are near me.

I just typed the name into Google and it came up, it shouldn't be difficult to find.

I went to see the car last night. It will need a new hood sooner rather than later, it is shabbly but does not leak. Also, there was corrosion starting at the base of the windscreen, which looks expensive to fix.

Otherwise, well, it was fairly clean and tidy and the engine cetainly felt fit, but it just didn't grab me.

It was kind of, well, shabby inside.

My car has 190K on the clock (nearly) but the interior does not look it, this car has 109K on the clock and it really looks it. By the way, service book was all stamped up and there were plenty of bills.

There are plenty more fish in the sea, but it is fair to say I was disappointed by the interior. e.g. Virtually all of the poppers on the underbonnet carpet were missing, one is missing on my car and now I take extra care not to rip any more out, see what I mean?

By the way, is it normal that all the pipework and wiring under the dashboard should be exposed or should there be a cover over it, looks messy, but maybe they are all like this.

 

[Steve Brookes]

It looks like you're just at the start of the long and frustrating road that leads to the 964.[]

Interiors can often be disappointing. In photos they can look mint. In reality you find massive cracks in the leather. Especially on the light colours and even more especially with the big bolstered sports seats. But if it's only the seats that disappoint, use them as a bargaining point - you can get them recovered, good as new for around £500.

There are no covers for the wiring loom or the HVAC pipes under the dash but on the whole it should be tidy. Big sections of the look are wrapped in matt electrical tape and there will be lots of very neat plastic ties used. It's inevitable that there will be some less tidy wiring when the stereo got changed (most seem to have been) and the alarm changed (mine's been changed twice!). However, a 'birds nest of wiring' it shouldn't be.

Like you say, take your time, you'll be surprised how two cars up for sale at the same price will be so differently cared for.

 

[Steve Brookes]

Forgot to say, it's a good idea to find a PCGB 964 owner near you to show you round their car and get yourself a bench mark of what you're looking for. I did exactly this and after he took me for a drive, I knew I REALLY wanted one[].

Popping along to the register meet that Alex is organising (see top of board) and seeing a few cars in the same place might be worth considering.

 

[colin129]

Couple of other potentials, one sounded absolutely great but it has been on Vcar since 1995 as a Category D, which means a total loss. Since it must have been worth 30K+ in 1995, you can imagine how much damage there must have been. Even with a proper repair, would anyone take the risk on a car like that? And who would buy it off you when you came to sell?

The other was a Cab (again) and white which is my most unfavourite colour for a car, which seemd quite nice, fairly new hood, clean interior and full engine rebuild. I have noticed that both the Cabs I have looked at have rust bubbling at the base of the windscreen. Obviously, this is a screen out job, any idea how much it should cost to repair? Also, the drivers side door check strap was rotted through, something I saw mentioned on here recently.

Despite the apparent otherwise nice condition and even if the dealer repairs these obvious faults, I would guess that once they start, that many more rusty things would be uncovered. A friend has just spent nearly £7K on a bare metal respray on an 3.2 and I can't imagine the dealer putting in that much effort, though I might get it cheap []

Does the search continue, or should I take another look at the white Cab (price £14K by the way with 89K miles)?

 

[38F3E1]

Very different experience between a Coupe and a Cab. Finding a good 964 can be a frustrating experience. Looked at some real rubbish during search. If you are coming from a 944 then 4WD probably won't be your cup of tea when you drive one so you'll be restricted to 2WD which makes the search harder.

Regarding rusting at the bottom of window screens it's a common problem with all 911s before the 996. Usually a screen out job and can sometimes involve having some of the scuttle cut out and replaced plus paint. Trouble is it's very difficult to tell from the outside how bad the corrosion is. Can cost anywhere between £500 to £1500 to fix.

Ian.

 

[colin129]

ORIGINAL: ian_uk

Very different experience between a Coupe and a Cab. Finding a good 964 can be a frustrating experience. Looked at some real rubbish during search. If you are coming from a 944 then 4WD probably won't be your cup of tea when you drive one so you'll be restricted to 2WD which makes the search harder.

Thanks Ian,

All the cars I have seen so far have been Carrera 2s although I probably set out to find a manual 4 coupe. Probably because it hopefully reduces the risk of disappearing backwards into a hedge and would increase winter use, although less boot space would be an issue.

Not interested in Tiptronic

 

[38F3E1]

ORIGINAL: colin129

All the cars I have seen so far have been Carrera 2s although I probably set out to find a manual 4 coupe. Probably because it hopefully reduces the risk of disappearing backwards into a hedge and would increase winter use, although less boot space would be an issue.

A Carrera 4 won't stop you going into hedge backwards if you go into a corner too fast and have to lift off. It might stop you going into a hedge sidewards if you give it too much throttle exiting the corner when the road surface is slippy.

Subtle but important difference as to what the 4WD gives you

Ian.

 

[Guest]

yep - good point, 4WD gives added traction NOT grip.
This can help you once in a slide as the added traction can help pulll you out of it (sometimes [])
The highly unscientific Top Gear test between the 997 C2 and C4 found the C4 was marginally faster on a twisty circuit due to better traction out of the slower corners.

 

[TJW964]

I agree with the comments above. I have a C2 and love it. I have driven a number of C4's and don't like the handling as much. If the C2 makes you think about the speed you are taking corners, then this might be a good thing, as the entry speed is usually the issue. If you get this right you will stand more chance of getting the rest right as you will be set up correctly. As for driving in winter, I simply don't use it in snow. Otherwise it is fine.

Keep hunting and forget the cabrio.

 

[colin129]

ORIGINAL: TJW964

Keep hunting and forget the cabrio.

Noted - and I don't have a garage at the moment so it would be out in all weathers and driving into London at the weekends etc etc

 

[colin129]

Just to say I had a look at the White Cab, which was quite nice actually, but I couldn't get past the white and the cab.

Usual suspects of rust bubbling around the windscreen and drivers side check strap support rusted through, though the dealer said he would reduce the price or fix it accordingly.

Very clean interior and hood, which was almost enough to sell it to me, but I know its not practical as I don't have a garage at the moment.

The search continues...