164000 miles too many miles for a 85 Carrera coupe?

chervas · 04-16-2007, 06:46 PM

164000 miles too many miles for a 85 Carrera coupe? New to this game of Porsche aficionados, I am trying to decide if the purchase of a car with that many miles could most likely be disastrous for some one of my feeble mechanical expertises. Or could this car still offer me many many miles of pleasure? Any advise would be most valuable and desirable.
thanks

Larry_Ratcliff · 04-16-2007, 06:53 PM

I just bought a 1978 SC on Saturday with 180K miles and did not bat an eye. It really depends on how the car has been cared for. The car I bought has been with the same owner for the last 20 years and I could tell that he loved the car and cared for it properly.

I bought it as a daily driver and have already put 200 miles on it since Saturday.

Good luck with yours.

speedracer · 04-16-2007, 06:56 PM

Welcome to the forum!

You will want to find out what servicing the car has had. Has it had an engine & transmission rebuild would be my first question. Last year I purchased an 85 with 194,000 miles but it had a full engine and tranny rebuild. You will want to know if it has service records. A car with that amount of miles should have had a fair amount of work done in the last 20 years. And lastly a PPI (Pre purchase Inspection) by a reputable shop will go through the car with a fine toothed comb and save you alot of $$$ in the long run.

don911 · don911's Garage

9000 less miles than my 87 had on it when I purchased.

boxster03 · 04-16-2007, 07:21 PM

Air cooled Porsche will go a million miles on an engine if it has been serviced religously.

MOMO3.2 · 04-16-2007, 07:23 PM

chervas:

I bought my 1987 with 134,xxx miles on it four years ago. It has 170,xxx miles on it now with the original motor and transmission. I have never had any mechanical issues with it at all (I did have an issue with a solder joint in my ECU several weeks ago, however).

My car shows no sign of breaking any time soon either.

I would not advise buying a 22 year old car as a daily driver. Although, that is what I used mine for during the first 3 years and it performed flawlessly. However, if you are going to drive it for 5,000 miles or less per year and the car checks out well in a thorough PPI and if the price is right, I would not shy away at all.

Good luck.

Mike

slodave · slodave's Garage

My '84 has 225,000 odd miles. Never had a top end performed, it was flogged on a race track mid December '06, no serious problems. Compression is at 175 on all six. Driven hard every weekend these days.

Electrical stuff will start showing age. Solder will get brittle - DME relay failures, DME failures. If the car checks out, go for it!

I'm shooting for 300,000 miles before replacing the valve guides

Dave

JeffreyNMemphis · 04-17-2007, 12:20 AM

I saw a car for sale with 275,000 miles that never had the engine or transmission opened. Owner changed the oil religiously. My 1985 Carrera has 99k miles, and runs fantastic. I imagine that with regular maintenance, it will keep on going forever.

The MOST important thing to do is get a pre-purchase inspection from the mechanic you know and trust, who is going to do your service if you buy it. Do not have the inspection done by the previous owners mechanic, too often their relationship trumps your need for a sober and thorough assessment of the car's faults. If you don't know someone who is independent where the car is located, ask here on Pelican for a recommendation. I spent $200 on a PPI and saved $4,500 from the original asking price (because the repair estimate was for $5,700). The mechanic performed the maintenance on my last Porsche, and the previous owner knew the mechanic as well. Even so, the PPI missed some minor things, but the compression and leakdown figures indicated the motor is excellent. Also the transmission was in perfect working order. I am very happy with my car.

Best of luck,

chervas · 04-17-2007, 06:39 AM

Wow! I am tremendously impress and surely touched by the support and valuable advice that one receives in this forum. Thanks truly.
From the photos, the car in question appears to be in fine estate and in correlation to the age of the vehicle.
May I ask what would be a good offering figure to this negotiation?
Much thanks again.

roger's 2937 · 04-17-2007, 08:00 AM

I agree with all of the aforestated. I bought an '84 Carrera with 162,000 miles and have been driving it daily. It had been faithfully seviced over the years and it shows-it doesn't leak a drop of oil, so far no oil consumption after 2,000 miles and it runs like a scalded dog!!

Roger B.

JeffreyNMemphis · 09:57 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by chervas
Wow!
May I ask what would be a good offering figure to this negotiation?
Much thanks again.

The best way to approach the purchase of a Porsche is in steps, with a rational mind. It is easy to let your emotions get the best of you. Before you arrive at an offering price consider this line of reason:

Before I even got to the car of my dreams, I tried to educate myself on the various model years. You are picking a sweet spot if you are looking at 1984-89 Carreras'. The 3.2 motor is reliable and known for long service and performance.

Try to determine your budget. What could I buy for between 15 to 20 thousand? You don't want to buy a car for $10,000 that needs $10,000 worth of work if you can't afford it. Also, be rational and ask yourself, if I pay $10,000 and put $10,000 more in repairs, do I now have a car worth $20,000? If the answer is "no", then keep shopping.

It is no fun to own a car that you can't enjoy. The 911 is a twenty thousand dollar car, either you will pay for it upfront, or usually wind up with that much or more invested after paying the mechanic. (Some of us are lucky enough to get in for under $20k, but it depends on what you want to drive)

Ok, so now you have looked at hundreds of cars on the Internet and have a pretty good idea of what you want and what you want to pay. You locate a car that looks like what you are looking for.

1. Is the sellers asking price in the ball park of what I want to spend? If you want to spend $15k and the seller is asking $25k, then you are too far apart to begin with. If they want $18.5k, then it is worth a look; you may want to spend a little more if the car is in perfect condition.

2. I look the car over to the best of my ability and take it for a test drive. Never make an offer without a Pre-Purchase Inspection. Or if the car is absolutely perfect in your estimation, and there are ten guys waiting to look at it, make an offer based on the results of the Pre-Purchase inspection coming back clean.

3. If I decided that I want the car, then it goes to my mechanic or another well respected independent Porsche dealer/shop. Now you have leverage to justify a price that is less than the asking price, or you know that the asking price is fair.

4. With a solid understanding of the cars mechanical health and what it is going to cost to repair or bring the maintenance up to date, now I am ready to make an offer.

You may want to buy the first 911 you ever sit in. But it would be wise to shop around for a while. How long do you intend to keep the car? If you think that you will keep it forever, then the economics of value have less meaning as long as you are happy with the car. If you think that this is a car to make you happy while you save up for a newer model, then you have to make sure that you buy a at fair market value or below. If the car is going to need work, can you sell the car tomorrow for what you have in it after the repairs?

How many miles are you going to drive it every year? If it is going to be a daily driver, then you can buy that high mileage car and not worry about losing a low-mileage premium.

Porsche cars are not really that rare at the under $20k price. You should have many to choose from. Take your time and you will be happy with your purchase, and we will be happy for you.