Buying a 1984 Carrera

[aeroman]

I am looking at a 1984 911 Carrera with 104K on it. Looks to be in excellent shape interior and exterior. Engine "looks" clean. Owner says 1 and 2nd can be difficult till you get used to them. Does not appear to be any suspension mods or engine mods, at least that the present owner knows of. A few minor scratches is all I could see.

Any inputs on other things to look out for? Any drawbacks to this year and model that required fixes???


Thanks.

[Doug Steinel]

You need to pay an expert to do a pre-purchase inspection. These cars are too expensive to fix to take the risk of buying it without one. It is money well spent as people on this board will tell you. The people here can also recommend where to take it if you give a location.

[aeroman]

Thanks. I live in the Seattle area.

[edgemar]

Take it here for a PPI. You won't be sorry.

http://www.johnwalkersworkshop.com/

[ausgezeichnet]

Definitely have a compression and leakdown test done. It's cheap insurance and very telling. It save me from one bad purchase. You might want to get a Little more specific about 1st and 2nd gear being difficult. That is somewhat true but could also be early signs of needing some transmission work. How does the car idle when cold and warmed up?

[Paul K]

You can add your location in your profile. Is the car advertised on the web? Might want to post the ad here if so- I have seen our resident experts pick up on very small (but serious) details from just a picture. I'll second the PPI advice- don't buy without one, and if the seller refuses, run away!

Keep us posted...

Cheers,

Paul.

[rusnak]

Hmm....

If the valves aren't noisy then it is not likely that it'll suffer the dreaded 3.2 premature valve guide wear.

check the oil lines under the right side. You have to physically run your hand from the front cooler to the point where they go into the rocker panel, and try to follow all the way to the rear thermostat. you're looking for smashed oil lines. If they are crushed shut, deduct $850 from the price.

test the alternator output with a multimeter. 3.2s are known for eating alternators.

look for rust along the top of the left front fender, over the headlight washer bottle and inside the headlight buckets. If there is rust, pass.

shake the wheels for play. new bearings, deduct at least $500.

look for signs of rubbing at the rear spring plates (radius arm) and front a-arms (inside the torsion tubes).

feel for worn steering rack or tie rods.

jack the car up and spin the front and rear wheels. listen for scraping. at the rear listen for cv joint clicking noise.

drive the car, listen for rattles, bearing growling noises, squeaks, valve noise, etc. also feel for the shocks and any pulling to one side either on the power, or on the brakes.

[1973911s]

I had an 84 that lived in Southern California all of its life, and it has some major rust issues, check under the door sills and front suspension area.

Michael

[aeroman]

I saw a single bubble in the paint on the drivers side column that runs from the roof to the tail. It was right next to the rain gutter I if I remember correctly.

[Doug Steinel]

Definitely take the advice above and call John Walker. He has been one of the leading lights of this board and would come highly recommended.

[aeroman]

I spoke with the guy that did the buyers assessment a year ago for the current owner. He said that he found:

One cylinder with 155, 170 and the rest were 160-165.
Some tranny seals starting to leak
valve cover gasket needs replacement at next adjust.
brakes are at 40%.

Car has only been driven about a 1000 miles since this inspection.

The current owner is just retired and does not like the heavy clutch of the porsche model.

VIN number#WP0AV0911ES120847 if anyone has an open carfax and is feeling kind.

I want to take it to John Walker but the guy is getting tired of tire kickers and is losing interest in selling it. Anyone got a good Porsche mechanic in the Auburn, WA area?

Thanks

[Thrasher]

One word: patience.

If the seller is leary of a buyer having a professional scrutiny, you can bet good money there is something to hide. Unless you consider yourself an expert on this vintage of 911, you MUST be willing to take it to a qualified expert.

I can think of no other shop in the US with a better reputation on this board than JWW. You should count your blessings his shop is in your vicinity.

I bought a nice, shiny 84 two years ago. I have completed numerous repairs/upgrades in that time to "sort out" the normal items.

Unless the seller is an enthusiast and has kept up with replacing the consumable items, you can bet that you will be replacing the "usual" items in the very near future if you want the car to perform at its stock level.

Not trying to scare you, but I hope you realize you are buying a hobby and not just a car. Whether you or a mechanic performs the work is up to you and your pocketbook.

Here is a list off the top of my head of the "regular" items:

1. Rear springplate bushings
2. Swaybar bushings
3. Shocks
4. Front torsion bar bushings
5. Pedal Cluster Rebuild
6. Brake rotors, pads, lines, fluid (possibly e-brake shoes)
7. Swepco transmission fluid
8. Steve Wong Chip (optional)
9. Turbo tie rods (optional)
10. Ball joints
11. Shifter bushings
12. Brake Caliper rebuilds
13. Lowering to Euro height with 4-wheel alignment and optional corner balance

...and so on. Wayne's book has 101 projects listed and many of us have done more than half of them. But, that's part of the fun of an older 911.

Caveat Emptor and enjoy the ride!

PS: Pelican member Rich76_911s has a free carfax offer in his signature until sometime this week.

[911finally]

Call the local PCA coordinator for your area. He'll give you the names of a few trusted local wrenches, and preferably the guy who checks setups at DE events. Usually the best guys for PPI's.

(btw, when i bought my 84 carerra, 1st, 2nd were 'difficult' but it just required shifter linkage adjustment to fix. It's not always impending mechanical failure, but a good wrench seems to know the difference of course)

[gpm0414]

Originally posted by aeroman
I spoke with the guy that did the buyers assessment a year ago for the current owner. He said that he found:

One cylinder with 155, 170 and the rest were 160-165.
Some tranny seals starting to leak
valve cover gasket needs replacement at next adjust.
brakes are at 40%.

Car has only been driven about a 1000 miles since this inspection.

The current owner is just retired and does not like the heavy clutch of the porsche model.

VIN number#WP0AV0911ES120847 if anyone has an open carfax and is feeling kind.

I want to take it to John Walker but the guy is getting tired of tire kickers and is losing interest in selling it. Anyone got a good Porsche mechanic in the Auburn, WA area?

Thanks

It's interesting that you mentioned the owner didn't like the "heavy clutch of this model". Before I bought my '86 just over a year ago, the previous owner used the same words to describe the clutch. The PPI I had done before cash exchanged hands discouverd a worn clutch (82,000 miles). The new clutch went on his ticket and saved me just under $2000. The new clutch is smooth as silk, my previous owner drove the car with the new clutch and nearly changed his mind about selling the car...have the car checked out by a qualified mechanic, it may save you thousands later.

[ausgezeichnet]

I think the VIN should be WP0AB0911ES120847

[ChemMan]

Pete Zimmerman's book "The Used 911 Story" is pretty good. He does through each year and tells you what to look out for.
Mike

[aeroman]

Thanks. You were right on the VIN.

The owner of the vehicle has had it on the market for a month or so. He has had so many tire kickers and looky lews that show up full of promisses that he has no more patience for it. He is late 60s and a bit of a cranky person anyway me thinks.

I would hate to miss out on a good car just because he is crotchedy. Price is right as well compared to others I have seen and NADA.

Anybody know anything about Auburn Foreign Car? Thats where he wants to take it.

[Paul K]

Tell the guy if the PPI checks out you'll buy it. Then take it to JWW.
Don't take it for a PPI at the owners choice of shop- way too risky.

Good luck.

Paul.

[aeroman]

Thanks. Thats what I am kind of thinking on him choosing the shop. It's the same shop that did the pre buy inspection for him a year ago. Most likely would not find what they missed last time if it does exist.

[Dantilla]

I had a 912E for a while that came with a bunch of receipts from Auburn Foreign Car, so at least they are familiar with Porsches.

Down in Tacoma there's Pete Bristow's shop. He's a Porsche fanatic, and does a thorough PPI. Up in Redmond there is Monte over at Redmond European, another great guy who does mostly Porsches.