New and thinking of buying a 930 81-89

[colossians323]

What should I specifically be looking for?
There is a lot of info in this forum, but I am specifically looking for an 80's 930 and would appreciate the help!

Cheers

[johnnywishbone]

If you're in socal, pm or email me,,,,,,,,,jp

[930cabman]

What a great car to be on the hunt for. I purchased my 1987 930 cab a few years ago and have been very happy with it. Any high performance machine such as the 930 does require more than the basic maintainance, and more expensive too, but the rewards are also great. It took me at least three or four months (2-3k miles) just to start to get the feel of the car. The power is awesome to say the least. I have been lucky so far with serious issues, but I do know an engine rebuild is coming up somewhat soon and I expect around 10k for a solid "new" engine.
As far as I know the 1976-1979 models were imported into the US, then for several years the 930 was available for the rest of the world "ROW" cars. !987 was the next year the 930 was available in the US and that model ran till 1989. I would be careful with the ROW cars to make sure the correct documents are secured, and as always have a thorough PPI done by a reputable shop versed in the Porsche family and then hold on.
Best of luck and again welcome aboard.

[JFairman]

The 930 returned to the USA dealers in 1986 with lambda emission control and catalytic converter.

When I was looking for a 930 the only years I was interested in was 1986-89 because I live in south Florida and the side AC ducts were enlarged alot, flow way more air, and you can aim them.
Also the upper dash was changed to a different type of hard vinyl covered foam material that does not swell up above and around the larger center AC duct from parking in the hot sun like the pre '86 dashboards.

I also like the cleaner look with the antenna in the windsheild of the later cars, and lack of black lettering on the rear center reflector of the '87-'89

[colossians323]

Originally Posted by johnnywishbone

If you're in socal, pm or email me,,,,,,,,,jp

IN Nor cal, and already own a tt Noble M400 and possibly converting to a single turbo, but I have always loved the wide bodied porsche, and figured I better take the plunge while prices seem to be pretty decent.

How can you tell from the vin number what is what?
I have my eye on a couple one 89 cabrio, and a 86 slant nose.
how often does is maintenance needed?
What is the life of the engine being driven hard?
Transmission?
Is buying an all stock car going to cost a lot of money to sort out?
never driven one, but if they are half as fun as the m400 it will be a blast!

Cheers

[WPOZZZ]

Originally Posted by colossians323

IN Nor cal, and already own a tt Noble M400 and possibly converting to a single turbo, but I have always loved the wide bodied porsche, and figured I better take the plunge while prices seem to be pretty decent.

How can you tell from the vin number what is what?
I have my eye on a couple one 89 cabrio, and a 86 slant nose.
how often does is maintenance needed?
What is the life of the engine being driven hard?
Transmission?
Is buying an all stock car going to cost a lot of money to sort out?
never driven one, but if they are half as fun as the m400 it will be a blast!

Cheers

The Noble is a monster of a car and the 911 turbo isn't as quick. However, the 911 is a much harder car to master due to its tail happy nature. Once you get the handling down, it is sublime.

One car will differ from another depending on the amount of maintenance and aptitude/attitude of the mechanic. These motors can last a very long time as long as you have a very good mechanic. My 930 is down at the moment as I bought it with 2k on a rebuild. That rebuild turned out to cut a lot of corners and I was not happy with it so the motor came out.

Preventive maintenance is the key to longevity of these motors as well as quality oil changes and valve adjustments.

[look 171]

Originally Posted by colossians323

IN Nor cal, and already own a tt Noble M400 and possibly converting to a single turbo, but I have always loved the wide bodied porsche, and figured I better take the plunge while prices seem to be pretty decent.

How can you tell from the vin number what is what?
I have my eye on a couple one 89 cabrio, and a 86 slant nose.
how often does is maintenance needed?
What is the life of the engine being driven hard?
Transmission?
Is buying an all stock car going to cost a lot of money to sort out?
never driven one, but if they are half as fun as the m400 it will be a blast!

Cheers

Noble are super rare? Were you on TV in the Supercar series? Does the shop owner who appeared on that show work on your Noble? If so, pretty cool.

I have a 88 930 cab. Look for grinding going into 2nd. make sure the car isn't pinging and it is 1 bar or below on boost. They could go south real quick.

General tune up of maintenance is a must. mine goes in for an oil change every year ( I put on 2000 miles per if I am lucky). Valve adj. every 10-15,000 miles. Driven hard like on the track? From What i know, they are pretty durable id you take care of them. I know a good few turbo owners have their motors rebuilt at 80 -100k miles. My was done at 30,000 by the previous owner for more hp (360 at the wheel, not much compare to some of the monsters here). Now it has 50,000 on it and has been trouble free so far. I am not sure if I can answer your last question. It really depends on who's car and who's doing the work. sometimes a modded car, if looked after properly, it can last a long time vs a stock car that had not been care for. Too bad you are up north, if not you are welcom to drive mine

[colossians323]

Originally Posted by look 171

Noble are super rare? Were you on TV in the Supercar series? Does the shop owner who appeared on that show work on your Noble?

Yes, that was the shop owner that works on mine, he is one of a handful of shops that specifically work on nolbles, he has done much of the r&d that applied to its predecessor 'rossion'

Originally Posted by look 171

Driven hard like on the track?

Occasionally, but the road I live on is a great road for 'testing' performance, of course without breaking the law.

[clohman]

Look for a local mechanic with experience. These engines are highly regulated with sensors. The mechanic needs experience to triage things like hot/cold start issues, the composite air vane noise from the air pump, troubleshooting the many electrical sensors, etc. I have typically bought and sold cars on a 2-4 year cycle. I've kept the 930 for 8 years now because it's so much fun to drive.

Good hunting,

CHip, Woodbridge VA