1986 930 Purchase Concerns

I am going to look at 1986 930 coupe, with 40k miles - second owner has had car for 9 years. No track time, no hard use. I know SCs reasonably well but do not have the same knowledge base for the 930. If I am able to come to terms with the seller, obviously I will be a pre-purchase done. But what peculiarities of an 86 930 should I be aware of? Specifically, where are the weaknesses or troublesome areas for this car. Again, thanks for your help.

Definitely do a leakdown test on the car; if it has been run with high boost or incorrect timing, it may have suffered detonation ... the Achilles heel for a Turbo. Gearbox can be dicey (watch for grinding on upshifts and downshifts). Check the clutch carefully, too. There are more oil lines and thus more places for oil leaks.

Drive the car (let it warm first) and go full throttle and see if the boost builds to .8 on the gauge (probably by 3500 rpm or so on a stock car). Should stay solid .8 to redline and you should feel the "push" from the turbo. Try it in all gears. If it doesn't build to .8 or hold steady, there's something amiss. Watch for smoking when the turbo comes on, too.

Everything is a little more difficult to work on on a Turbo. It's not uncommon for people to modify a 930 and then restore it to original condition to soothe prospective buyers. A good mechanic can tell.

Vic
87 930

Thanks Vic - this is exactly the info I was looking for. The owner characterizes the car as pampered - the fourth car in their garage - covered garage at work - no paint work, no dings, etc., etc. red on black. Asking $31k. From my tracking prices, this seems like a very good price, depending on outcome of pre-purchase, of course. I'll report back after seeing car this morning. I may have more questions.
Chuck

That is a very reasonable price. I paid very close to $40k for my 87 930 in October, which was near perfect and had 25k miles. Most of the cars I looked at for 86 with 25-30k miles were going mid 30s.

Guess you won't want mine then!

Vic
87 930 for sale/trade http://www.arborsjazz.com/930.html