1984 911 turbo-look question

[onebad911]

i am about to pull the trigger on my first porsche purchase--i test drove her for the first time yesterday--as a matter of fact it was the first time i have ever driven a porsche--the acceleration and power was everything i had dreamed about, however it seemed like i could feel every bump in the road--i guess i had envisioned a much smoother ride---so my question is is a rough ride common for a 23 year old car or do you think there might be some suspension or shock issues that i should be aware of----thanks for the input

[MattAlpha]

Yes it is, as long as the road is rough. If you're on a perfectly flat road (not likely this time of year in PA, my home state) the ride should feel very smooth.

My simple way of checking the shocks and struts is to push down on each corner and see how quickly the car resets itself, it should be immediate. A turbo look has the turbo's suspension and brakes. You should look for these differences to make sure you are paying for what you're getting. The turbo brakes are a dead give-away usually, but also check the engine lid to make sure that its a factory tail (the proper opening for the tea top tail and a shock on each hinge). If you know what you're looking at (which you can learn by searching this bulletin board) you should also check the tie rods in the front end. A dead sure way of determining as well is if he has the factory/regular maintenance records and you could see if someone can run the VIN for you. Its a big plus if the car still has its factory tool kit (make sure you ask about it).

Just some things to look for,
Matt

[tonythetarga]

Welcome to the Porsche world. Before you pull the trigger or as part of the process, get a pre-purchase inspection by a mechanic of your choice. If there are suspension issues they will be discovered and you can use that in your negotiation.
That being said, if you've never driven a Porsche 911 before, they are a lot stiffer than your basic Toyota. The suspension "spring" is by torsion bar, literally a steel bar that twists. The size of the bar is matched to the shock damper and anti-sway bars to give you the ride and handling characteristics. These cars come into their own on the track and then you'll know why they are as stiff as they are.
The newer 911's have moved more into the comfort ride than the older ones. You might be better served trying a few different 911's and find out what suits your intended use.

[Christien]

It all depends what shocks are installed on the car. Sport shocks are very stiff and you feel everything - this is generally considered a plus with performance driving - outside of the obvious advantage of better handling in corners, you can also feel what the road is trying to tell you. Other shocks are softer and meant more for everyday driving rather than performance, so you get a more comfortable ride.

Make sure you do your research on buying your first car - the most often given piece of advice is to never buy the first one you drive! Though I think most of us do, anyway - I did...

Congrats on coming over to the dark side!

[tonythetarga]

VIN. The correct VIN for a factory turbo-look car for 1984 should start with:WPO AAO 91ES12xxxx (x = production sequence #'s)

[cellison]

drive another 491 car or narrow body for comparison.

Charles
88 Cab

[chris57]

PPI and driving another car for comparison is the best way to go. Everything may be fine with the car. I would ask, are your past cars raw sports cars or not. when I first drove a porsche I noticed it rode rough and I could feel everything in the road much more than my daily driver at the time. It immediately gave me flash backs to driving my formula mazda racecar (my favorite car of all time) which you can feel everything which I think is a good thing. My 1985 turbo look 911 Has pretty fresh suspension and it rides good. Still not a good car to drive and drink a mocha, probably why it has no cup holder.

[madmmac]

Yes they are going to ride rough. I believe all m491's came from the factory with Bilstein sports unless specifically ordered otherwise. After 23 years you may want to send them in to get rebuilt or just buy new ones.

Call 1-800-porsche and go for the Customer Care option, I can't recall the number.

Give them the VIN number and they will give you the option codes for the car.

Then go here to decrypt:

http://www.kindel.com/porsche/options.asp

Good luck,