Advice and CARFAX please on '88 Carrera

[Burger flipper]

Well, I'm in the market for a 3.2 Carrera Coupe and I found an '88 with 113,000 miles, spoilers, sport seats, and it looks to be the anniversary edition (I may be mistaken) because it is that shade of blue and has same-color wheels. Interior is grayish-white. It is in excellent original condition, all original paint, recently serviced, etc. Everything works, all is good so far. It does however have a few door dings and some rock chips, which is understandable. Are there any "weak links" on an '88? My other question is, "Can anybody run a carfax for me and see what turns up?" VIN: WP0AB091XCS120386

I previously wanted an '84-86 because it had the tried-and-true (though somewhat balky) 915 transmission. I like the 915. I've never driven the G50. I was planning on installing a lightweight pressure plate, wevo shifter and a 7:31 r/p to speed the car up and make shifting better. Any advice on this? Do I have any such options on an '88, short of installing a more powerful engine or installing a close-ratio gearbox? I have ~$20,000 to get in a Carrera. Anybody know of one for sale? Advice? I'm still leaning towards the '86 as the best because it had the 915, the bigger A/C vents and the late-80s torsion bars.

PLEASE, HAVE AT IT...

[targa88]

1) Invest the $20 @ carfax. On line and quick.
2) PPI @ a reputable Porsche shop/dealer.
3) B.Anderson's advice, always buy the best , most recent model that you can afford.
4) Personally I would choose an 88 any day of the week. I am little biased. G50 transmission in my mind will outweigh the 915.
5) You need to decide what you want to do with the car: collector, daily commuter, track car, etc. The anniversary edition was sold for a premium at the time - not sure that it commands a premium today.
Once you have it you will enjoy it....

[Burger flipper]

Are there any "weak links" on an '88? Also, what would a car like this go for? Has front and rear spoilers, no accidents, excellent orig. paint, CD player, diamond blue, clean recent service, sport seats (are these power or manual?), 113,000 miles, clutch at 65K supposedly due to previous owner not knowing how to drive it, 2-owner car, all docs, history. Did I miss anything?

I want a car that I can drive every day, I am planning upgrades for it because I want to run in DEs and maybe autocross. I liked the idea of the 915 because with the 7:31 rp you can basically bolt on 40hp, at the expense of worse mileage, etc. I will be using it as a daily commuter. I have a short commute and I know that's hell on 911s so I will be making the trip longer every day. Just drive the opposite direction, turn around and drive fast to make up any lost time. I do not mind loudness or stiffness in the suspension, but I will be asking more questions when I own one. Thanks

PS. A PPI is in the works, assuming this checks out pre-PPI. Car is in San Mateo, which is how far from Kahler's? He's worth taking it to, IMHO.

[GeorgeM]

An '88 won't have any more weak links than the '84-'86 has. The G50 is the way to go. No short shifter required here, it's built in. Trust me, you'll love it, especially on the track.

You should be able to easily get this car for less that 20K in today's economy with that kind of mileage. I got my '89 in '98 for under 20K, and it had 98K miles. '87-'89 Carrera values are going up, so it'll be a reasonable investment as well, bonus if it's an anniversary model.

I have modified mine for DE as well, and it's a little rough for a daily driver, so I only drive it on nice days and weekends.

It has held up very well with 3 years worth of DE and 123K on the clock now. I've had no major issues.

If you get it, email me and I'll send you a list of all the mods I've done to mine.

Good luck.

[jhoagg]

I don't think this car can be an anniversary edition if it has a gray-ish white interior. According to "Original Porsceh 911" all the 88 anniversary editions have "plush" blue metallic leather with a special blue velour carpet. They also all should have the F Porsche signature on the seat headrest.

[masraum]

Depending upon all of the variables I would expect that car to be priced anywhere from 18-25, with to me the right range being 19-22 if it really in top notch shape with ~100K.

There aren't any major weak links in the '88. The G50 is actually a plus, not a minus. You don't need the shifter with the G50 because it has a shorter throw and has the spring which causes neutral to sit in the 3rd/4th plane built in. I think you can get different gears for the G50. On my car all of the fan motors are worn out or almost worn out, but that is with any 100K mile 15+ year old car, not just the Carrera's.

I drive mine everyday, about 15K miles a year, with no problems. I add gas and oil and do regular maintenance.

[Burger flipper]

It has faded Fuchs, probably some faded other stuff (rubbers, etc.), and it has some dings so it is not "top notch," but a driver. It has 113K. Is there any way to determine what options it has?

[ewave]

Here you go:

11/16/1990 22,324 California
Inspection Station
Passed emissions inspection


11/27/1992 35,288 California
Inspection Station
Los Altos, CA
Passed emissions inspection


10/22/1996 51,220 California
Inspection Station
Los Altos, CA
Passed emissions inspection


10/09/1998 55,339 California
Inspection Station
Los Altos, CA
Passed emissions inspection


10/09/1998 Vehicle Repair Center
Los Altos, CA
Vehicle serviced


05/17/1999 55,746 California
Inspection Station
Los Altos, CA
Passed emissions inspection


05/17/1999 Vehicle Repair Center
Los Altos, CA
Vehicle serviced


06/11/1999 California
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Title issued
New owner reported
First lien reported


12/25/1999 California
Motor Vehicle Dept.
San Mateo, CA
Title issued


12/08/2000 79,154 California
Inspection Station
Belmont, CA
Passed emissions inspection


12/08/2000 Vehicle Repair Center
Belmont, CA
Vehicle serviced


02/24/2003 111,429 California
Inspection Station
Passed emissions inspection


04/07/2003 Porsche Cars North America No recalls open for repair

[Burger flipper]

Thanks, ewave. Nice of you to do that. The car looks good. Now how much is it worth? Anybody able to recommend a PPI shop near San Mateo, CA?