Hi all!
First off I'd like to say that this site has been invaluable source of info over the past few months.
I'm glad I stumbled across it! This is a long post, so I apologise in advance for the lengthy tome. Not sure if I am placing this in the right place: mods, feel free to relocate it.
I do know cars in general, having restored them in the past and I am mechanically handy: engines/head gaskets/headlining/brakes etc are no problem to me. I do all the work on my Saab 900's myself. The 911 seems quite similar to the 900 in that it is a quality car that can cover galactic mileages if looked after. Every 900 I have had has driven differently, steering/gear change, ride quality etc all vary after 20+ years on the road: this is to be expected. I haven't had a PPI done as having read many stories of PPI's gone wrong/missed something I figured I can do just as good a job. The only thing I am lacking is years of experience with 911's. If it's a Saab 900 or a Beetle, I'm your man.
I've been investigating the purchase of a 3.0/3.2 Carrera for a good while now, researching as much as I can, getting all the books and buyers guides etc
. Been to see a few cars, not found anything that ticked the boxes. Until, Friday 15th I went down to Howard Watts (Riddelsdell Bros) in Suffolk to see an '88 3.2 in Venetian Blue with cream sports interior. 4 owners from new, 140k, full OPC service history right up to Nov '06, oil changes every year (6 or 7K/year), oil & sevice every other year, last owner since Aug 1995. I thought: I'll go down and have a look.. Howard said I can use one of the lifts and take my time looking at the car. (I've been away last week and not been able to post until now).
Well, the car is nice and straight. The paint is excellent all round, car has not been crashed, wing underseal is present on all 4 wing edges, front spoiler has been resprayed, bumpers are spot on, bonnet and under bonnet area is immaculate, fuel filler is excellent, all numbers/stickers/plates in place and matching. Interior is in great condition, headlining has a tiny nick halfway along the drivers side edge, all the dash electrics work including the heaters & blowers. Carpets are dry underneath and originals.
The engine is leak free, starts from cold fine and from hot. Oil pressure is 1bar @ 1K, 2bar at 2K, 3bar @ 3K, 4bar @ 4K when cold, when warmed up 2bar @1K, 3bar @ 2K, 3.5bar @ 3K. Heat exchangers look like they have been replaced, heater flaps work fine, driveshafts/CV gaiters are fine, brake discs not scored/worn, wheel bearings & ball joints are all good. All oil lines & hoses are in good condition, gearbox is fine, as is the clutch. Car drives nice and solid and straight. It feels like a car that has been driven, yet serviced at the same time to keep it in good working order.
In all I spent 6 hours at the garage, 4 under the car. They left me alone and kept me supplied with cups of tea. So far so good I hear you thinking: now for the niggles of doubt.
Although the car has full OPC stamped service history there are no invoices/bills, so I don't know *exactly* what has been done to the car. The oil temp & pressure guages flick up and down when driving. When stationary and revving the engine they read fine. The passenger seat front/back didn't work, I could hear the motor working though. The drivers seat front up/down didn't work, suspect the switch is duff. The rear LH indicator didn't work, the RH transmission mount big washer was really rather rusty, the bonnets struts were worn out and the windscreen wiper shaft caps were split.
The front RHS inner wheel arch where the oil pipes turn down to go under the RH sill had an accumulation of dirt and the underseal had cracked. I pulled the loose underseal off and cleaned it all up and there is no corrosion there, just brown staining. The LH headlamp bowl has been repaired and has fresh (ish) underseal there. The doorshuts are immaculate and the kidney bowls seem fine. However, the LHS sill cover has trapped dirt against the sill and there is some flaky rust behind the sill cover, at the bottom of the 'B' pillar
I gave it a good prodding with a screwdriver and although the rust is flaky, the metal wasn't crumbly and was solid underneath as far as I could tell. I didn't get chance to take any photos, so I nabbed one from another post elsewhere :
There are 4 blisters in total on the car, 2 on the LHS side, one where the pic's is, the other below it, just above the top of the sill cover. Another blister is on the RHS side, same place as in the pic. The 4th blister is on the LH rear wing, above the wing/bumper join. All classic places where these cars go. Each blister is literally half the size of my little finger nail, but I know they are just the tip of the iceberg.
Anyway, I think I was feeling somewhat quite happy with the car and agreed a price with Howard and I put down a deposit. Car was up for £12995 and we agreed £12K. Howard said he would get all my small issues sorted and the car would have a full service, valves adjusted and a fresh MOT on the car. I'm due to pick it up this coming Friday and it's just having gone through this site and seen other people's experiences of kidney bowls/door shuts and 'B' pillars is making me think
I know everything is fixable in the end and it's my decision to not have a PPI and if I walk away from the car I'll lose my deposit, but hey, that's my decision and that's fine (It was only last month's overtime). You live and learn. I think I'll 'phone Howard tomorrow and ask if I can inspect the car again on the lift, and see if I can ascertain more on the condition of the 'B' pillar/sill area, maybe get the trim strip off. I know cars are never as good as you think they are and it's only when you get them home and really take them apart that you can find out all the bits and bobs that need doing to them.
One other thing I have remembered: the service booklet, although it predated the car (4/87 v 1/8/88) it didn't have the white sticker on the front page. The details were written in. I wondered about that at the time but it got lost in the information overload on the day. The sticker under the bonnet hasn't been removed and the numbers match the 2 old MOT certificates with the car.
I think tomorrow or maybe Wednesday I'll go to the OPC in Leicester and see if I can get some history on the car, using the chassis numbers....
I just thought I would post to get it all off my chest. Sorry for the length! Any comments etc are most welcomed.
Cheers,
Fraser
First off I'd like to say that this site has been invaluable source of info over the past few months.
I do know cars in general, having restored them in the past and I am mechanically handy: engines/head gaskets/headlining/brakes etc are no problem to me. I do all the work on my Saab 900's myself. The 911 seems quite similar to the 900 in that it is a quality car that can cover galactic mileages if looked after. Every 900 I have had has driven differently, steering/gear change, ride quality etc all vary after 20+ years on the road: this is to be expected. I haven't had a PPI done as having read many stories of PPI's gone wrong/missed something I figured I can do just as good a job. The only thing I am lacking is years of experience with 911's. If it's a Saab 900 or a Beetle, I'm your man.
I've been investigating the purchase of a 3.0/3.2 Carrera for a good while now, researching as much as I can, getting all the books and buyers guides etc
Well, the car is nice and straight. The paint is excellent all round, car has not been crashed, wing underseal is present on all 4 wing edges, front spoiler has been resprayed, bumpers are spot on, bonnet and under bonnet area is immaculate, fuel filler is excellent, all numbers/stickers/plates in place and matching. Interior is in great condition, headlining has a tiny nick halfway along the drivers side edge, all the dash electrics work including the heaters & blowers. Carpets are dry underneath and originals.
The engine is leak free, starts from cold fine and from hot. Oil pressure is 1bar @ 1K, 2bar at 2K, 3bar @ 3K, 4bar @ 4K when cold, when warmed up 2bar @1K, 3bar @ 2K, 3.5bar @ 3K. Heat exchangers look like they have been replaced, heater flaps work fine, driveshafts/CV gaiters are fine, brake discs not scored/worn, wheel bearings & ball joints are all good. All oil lines & hoses are in good condition, gearbox is fine, as is the clutch. Car drives nice and solid and straight. It feels like a car that has been driven, yet serviced at the same time to keep it in good working order.
In all I spent 6 hours at the garage, 4 under the car. They left me alone and kept me supplied with cups of tea. So far so good I hear you thinking: now for the niggles of doubt.
Although the car has full OPC stamped service history there are no invoices/bills, so I don't know *exactly* what has been done to the car. The oil temp & pressure guages flick up and down when driving. When stationary and revving the engine they read fine. The passenger seat front/back didn't work, I could hear the motor working though. The drivers seat front up/down didn't work, suspect the switch is duff. The rear LH indicator didn't work, the RH transmission mount big washer was really rather rusty, the bonnets struts were worn out and the windscreen wiper shaft caps were split.
The front RHS inner wheel arch where the oil pipes turn down to go under the RH sill had an accumulation of dirt and the underseal had cracked. I pulled the loose underseal off and cleaned it all up and there is no corrosion there, just brown staining. The LH headlamp bowl has been repaired and has fresh (ish) underseal there. The doorshuts are immaculate and the kidney bowls seem fine. However, the LHS sill cover has trapped dirt against the sill and there is some flaky rust behind the sill cover, at the bottom of the 'B' pillar
There are 4 blisters in total on the car, 2 on the LHS side, one where the pic's is, the other below it, just above the top of the sill cover. Another blister is on the RHS side, same place as in the pic. The 4th blister is on the LH rear wing, above the wing/bumper join. All classic places where these cars go. Each blister is literally half the size of my little finger nail, but I know they are just the tip of the iceberg.
Anyway, I think I was feeling somewhat quite happy with the car and agreed a price with Howard and I put down a deposit. Car was up for £12995 and we agreed £12K. Howard said he would get all my small issues sorted and the car would have a full service, valves adjusted and a fresh MOT on the car. I'm due to pick it up this coming Friday and it's just having gone through this site and seen other people's experiences of kidney bowls/door shuts and 'B' pillars is making me think
One other thing I have remembered: the service booklet, although it predated the car (4/87 v 1/8/88) it didn't have the white sticker on the front page. The details were written in. I wondered about that at the time but it got lost in the information overload on the day. The sticker under the bonnet hasn't been removed and the numbers match the 2 old MOT certificates with the car.
I think tomorrow or maybe Wednesday I'll go to the OPC in Leicester and see if I can get some history on the car, using the chassis numbers....
I just thought I would post to get it all off my chest. Sorry for the length! Any comments etc are most welcomed.
Cheers,
Fraser
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