Sourced another UK 911 cabrio....

[McRod]

Hi again,

I`ve sourced another potentially interesting Cabriolet which is currently being advertised by Northway Porsche in Reading, UK.

I e-mailed them for some info and this is what i got;

Rod

The 911 was registered on the 07/01/89 and has 6 former keepers. We supplied the car to the last 2 owners and have been servicing the car since the 10/07/99 when the mileage was 65944 before that the car was serviced at Lancaster Bow and at AFN. The car requires a full service,front brake discs and pads and the front bumper painting and a new rear window. All of this work would be done prior to collection at the price of £16,995 if you wanted to take the car as is without the work done we would trade the car to you for £15000.

If, after inspection, the bodywork and mechanics seem right, I suppose the big question is how much does;

1. Brake pads
2. Brake Discs
3. Rear perspex window.
4. Full service.

cost to replace approx?.

I talked to the salesman (Sean) on the phone 2 days ago and he did sound quite genuine (but don`t they all) . He described the bodywork as best he could and mentioned it did have very good potential. It sounded a hell of a lot better than the white one i looked at in Glasgow last weekend.

If the car bodywork does seem to be good and i do take the "trade" option at £15k, is it advisable to attempt to drive it 400 miles in this condition?. £2000.00 does seem a lot of cash to fix those things and i`d rather my local Porsche dealer done the service so the service book can be stamped by a "Main" dealer.

The car is advertised here. Scroll half way down the page.

As usual, i`m hanging on you guys` every word

/edit Found some larger pics of it




McRod

[Siena911]

Hi McRod,

Good to hear that you are buying a 911. I had a look at the advert and the car looks quite nice, and from the description the bodywork sounds better than the other one that you posted pics of.

If I was you I would try and get the salesman to send you some closeups of the areas around the headlamps and the doorshuts/Bposts and sills, these are areas where rust is likely to occur, Others might chime in here with other trouble spots (maybe some more specific to cabs.)

How mechanically minded are you, are you willing to do a service yourself? If so a service kit etc with all the necessary goodies incl new nuts etc for after the valve adjustment comes to around £75. It is not that difficult. The brakes etc you should be able to do as well. If you have not already got Wayne's 101 projects, DO SO, it describes everything you could want to do initially very well, incl brakes, service etc etc. (Some of the best money I spent)

I have no clue as to the cost of windows etc, and the repaint of the front bumper can't be more than £200. What's the reason for the front bumper to be repainted, is it due to accident or just paint pealing etc etc?

Good luck with whatever you decide,

The 400 mile trip won't be a problem. I did 300 with mine the first time and loved every minute of it, and yes it needed a service badly (it would'nt idle properly etc...)

Another thing, just make sure that you at least have enough brake pad left to make the trip home..

Cheers Jakes

[smithH]

McRod,

Northway Porsche has a good reputation, he is fairly small and relies on repeat business. They dont seem to have to advertise too much - which is a good thing.

rough guide to prices - a full service is £370 for a 12k depending where you go (jz machtech I use).
Disks and pads - front £205 - rear £245 (again JZ machtech).
rear screen I dont know
Tyres I paid £120 a corner last time so say £500.(mentioned in the ad)
so thats about £1400 + rear screen (not on JZs fixed pricing menu on the website).

Looks like a fair price really (check if its a 12k service). However, if you can do some of this stuff yourself (disks and pads are easy). Then you could save some cash.

Worth checking if you main dealer can do the work for 2K, I doubt an OPC will give you much change.

I would imagine if the brakes and tyres are not too bad then a 400 mile drive would be OK, just dont be tempted to hoon it all the way home!

Can they send you some photos of the car, like the interior, engine bay etc?

[smithH]

Forgot to say, I had my bumper sprayed for £200, took it off myself and took to the spray shop, they get stone chipped and then the ali corrodes which bubbles the paint, doesnt sound like too big a deal. But as siena911 says, get close up pics.

[Al G]

Northway gets good reviews on many UK Porsche Forums.

I would say it is definitely worth investigating further, even getting it inspected by someone independant.

Al G

[McRod]

E-mailed them again and asked for some closer pics etc. We`ll see what happens.

No matter what happens tho i`m gonna need to try and get down and have a good look at it.

McRod

[stomachmonkey]

I'm sure I speak for many when I say we are happy you decided to pass on the white one.

This looks more promising although a personal inspection is warranted.

Looks like the car has 8's in the back already which is a plus.

Fronts look like 6's.

Cool mirrors and it's got a tail.

Let Northway do the work if you get a good feeling from them.

It seems they are known and have a good reputation.

Don't worry so much about the service stamp being from a Main dealer.

I don't know how it is over there but here in the states we generally shy away from the factory dealers and prefer the small independant specialty guys.

The small shops are sometimes more experienced with the eccentricities of the older cars and tend to see them more than the Main dealer.

Look at the reputation and knowledge of someone like John Walker, I've never met or spoken to the man but I'd trust him before any dealer.

Good luck,

Post pictures and let us know how you make out.

Regards,
Scott

[McRod]

Originally posted by stomachmonkey
Looks like the car has 8's in the back already which is a plus.

Fronts look like 6's.

forgive my newbieness Scott but i don`t know what 6`s and 8`s mean

However, i`m one of those peoplke who only ever need told something once and i`ll never forget

McRod

[Glasgow 911SC]

The numbers are the widths of the Fuch alloy wheels. 6" on the front & 8" rears. 8" And 9" Fuchs alloys are highly sought after. They were fitted to the Turbo models. Some people fit newer style wheels but regret it later.

That car looks really nice. Much better colour & has cup mirrors fitted. As has been said already, the bumpers are aluminium and can corode & bubble-nothing serious.

Glenvargil OPC in Glasgow would charge you about £410ish for a full service assuming nothing nasty crops up.

[stomachmonkey]

Some cars came with 6 and 7's, 6 inch wide rims up front and 7 inch wide in the back.

There was an option to have 7 and 8's, 7 inch up front and 8 inch in the rear.

7 and 8's combination is highly desired for Carrera bodies. They fill out the wheel arch much nicer and in my opinion they drive better.

Much Better

The 8's are also very valuable from a monetary standpoint. A pristine original pair can fetch $800-1000 US.

The 6's are very common and really not worth more than a couple hundred. The 7's are also fairly common and are worth a few hundred.

[McRod]

Just to add to my original post, I missed out the cost of a full new set of tyres.

So basically this car is £16995.00 with

New Tyres
New Brake Pads
New Brake Discs
New rear Screen
Full Service

If i decide to take it the way it is its £15000.00

Thats £2000.00 to put those things right, i think i can do it myself cheaper tbh but would like advice.

Not sure about the price of 4 tyres though

McRod

[rob justice]

Tyres are not too dear - I bought 4 yokohama avs intermediates from Cooper Bros near Motherwell - cost all in was approx £330

[Glasgow 911SC]

McRod

Check out these UK parts suppliers for prices;

Berlyn
Type 911
9 meister
Essential Styling

[silverc4s]

McRod,
Nice looking car! That is a great color, really brings out the subtle lines of the car.. Seems to be in much better condition than the white one for similar money, it's from a reputable Porsche dealer, AND, best of all, you'd get to start ownership with that 400 mile road trip!!!
Keep after the details you are looking into, and I am sure you will make a good final decision..;-)

[nick-moss]

6+8" x 16 Fuchs were standard on the last 3.2s.
Contact Southbond to get a quote for the perspex screen, and ask them how much work is involved in fitting it.
Discs and pads will cost about £150 from Berlyn services. It will take a couple of hours to fit them, it's an easy job.
Paint is your department isn't it?
Save £2000 and do it all yourself, but don't forget the independent PPI

[dickster]

wheres reading in relation to dartford tunnel? how far?

[nick-moss]

Reading is 20 miles down the M4, beyond Slough

[dickster]

nick,

thanks, bit of a trek for me to go and check it out then.

[McRod]

Hi Guys,

Writing this from Sunny Aylesbury. Drove down here today and i`m staying the night with my friend then we`re driving to Reading in the morning to have a good look at this 911.

Will be driving straight home after looking at the car so i`ll get the pictures posted up a.s.a.p. Looks like i`m gonna miss Rangers V Motherwell Semi Final . Lets hope this trip has been worth it

Off to bed now for an early night and to lose some of this jet lag.

cheers

McRod