New to porsches

[Cousindave]

Hi evereyone. I am looking to get a 930 but really have No idea where to begin. I have done numerous searches and read numerous articles and forum posts. My question is really reliability. I am reading about mythological reliability in one article only to read that never buy ANY porsche without a ppi. Forgive me for my ignorance, it's just that I have been driving z3ms and z4ms without any of the "be extremely cautious!" advice, and th ose cars don't have the mythical reliability that a pprsche does. Also what should a novice really look out for. Are oil leaks ok? How many miles is thought of as"stay away"? I'd love to own my childhood dream car but am afraid of conflicting information. Thanks everyone

[RarlyL8]

Welcome!
I don't think the info is conflicting if you look a little deeper. An un-maintained 930 has potential to break the bank quick, thus the need for a PPI before purchase. Miles make little difference it is maintenance that counts. I'd buy a well maintained 200K 930 before a neglected 20K garage queen any day. I'd also stay away from "weekend whores" that are drove hard and put away wet. Cars with adjustable boost knobs or big boost springs on stock engines. Oil leaks are normal, bad leaks should be fixed.
930's do not have mythical reliabilty unless that is the myth. These cars are 22-35 years old and only as reliable as their owner.

[Cousindave]

Thanks Brian! Makes sense. I live near a race track so I come across alot of porsches. I came across a couple of 930 s with salvage titles. I know of a couple of friends that have owned salvage title cars with absolutely no issues. Of coarse, they weren't high performance handling cars. Should these cars be avoided? Also noticed 930's with k27 turbos. Are these to be avoided since there is the potential to have been pushed hard? Thanks again.

[Helmsy]

Find a nice bodied car that has been looked after but also driven.

As Brian said oil leaks are fine and after 20-30 years not necessarily an indication of major problems.

I would avoid any car that has had the boost upgraded (and dial-a-death knobs) with the stock intercooler and stock internals.

Best thing would be to find an honest mechanic (I know - it's like finding a 4 leaf clover) and/or someone who knows Pooshes and get them to look over the car.

[Tilikum Turbo]

I would attempt to find the least tampered with car. Closest to stock(and a good/great example) is highly desirable.

Heavy mod'ed cars might be fine for that owner, but buying a used one is a bit of a crap shoot.

78-79' and 86-89 US cars are the most desirable 930's. Of course some great example of a 75-77 should present itself... Depending on where you live(if your in the US), a gray-market car can be a potential headache to smog/pass inspections, etc. Plus these particular cars were not designed from the factory for smog equipment, that was often iffy at best(even when getting an EPA Cert).

Something to consider...these are like owning a small aircraft, so in terms of cost, it can be pricy. But a well-sorted, servicable car that is well maintained, will bring a lot of driving joy that dollars cannot quantify.

Good luck hunting!

[pkracer21j]

their all 40k 930's, Like shade tree said, pay now or pay later. I've been both routes. My .002 cosmetic work(paint & interior) are far cheaper then engine and tranny work.

[1986 930]

Hi Cousin Dave,

I am new to the forum but this 930 is Porsche #6 for me over the last 25 years. I have had a 1974 911, 1984 Carrera, 1986 930 (for only a month, long story) followed by a 1987 930 I drove as a daily driver for 5 years, a 1991 C2 I drove as a daily driver for 9 years and the current 1986 930.

I have learned over the years that it is good to have a cash reserve of around $5 k for the big "Oh my God" event that may or may not occur and plan on $2K for every 15K miles driven to cover the major service and tires. I generally got 15k miles out of the rear tires and around 30k miles out of the fronts on the 87 turbo. That depends on how you drive and I drove them down to the nub. Be careful doing that, I almost got on the 6 o'clock news in Dallas by flying down the LBJ Freeway at 60mph backwards in a rain storm one afternoon. (Another not-as-long story)

After I started driving the 87 turbo daily it became the most reliable car I have owned. OK, tied with the two S420 Mercedes but very reliable. I am hoping for the same results with the current '86 Turbo.

The irony is that if I had done a PPI when I was young and stupid, I would not know nearly as much about 911's as I do now. The school of hard knocks is the best education in the world but tuition is pretty steep! So it is always a good idea to get a professional opinion if you can. Sometimes it is pretty hard to get that opinion! You need access to some of the kind of guys on this forum and there are not many of those around. Check with your local Porsche Club people. They are a good source of info and they are enthusiasts who for the most part work for a living and get the financial impact of one of these beast.

One finall bit of advice for you. It has been my experience that 99% of the worlds population would rather be seen in a 930 than to actually be in a 930. I am talking about the pre 1991 cars. Post 1991 cars are pretty comfy. If you do not have the "bug", you will wonder what all of the hub ub about these cars is. The first drive you will be surprised at the turbo lag and the "Holy Buckets" exclamation when the boost kicks in. When you have to deal with the glass fogging up on a humid fall/spring day and the AC sucks or the fresh air fan went out because it is a 25 year old car, well that will test your enthusiasm. But once you get the bug, oooooof! It is bad.


Good Luck,
Mark