Cost to rebuild 1989 Targa Engine

[28tbsfan]

I am new to the forum and in the process of making a bid on a 1989 Targa with 113K. It seems the engines in this class are solid runners if well maintained but if something were to happen with the engine, I was curious how much (estimate) does it cost to have a repair shop rebuild the engine? I plan to use this as a summer car (fun), parking it most of the winter months.

The owner is asking 14,900 for the 911, which seem to run good and did not have any body damage. My next step is a PPI. Anything else I should be looking for?

Thanks!

[s5uewf]

It's impossible to guess but a general range for a complete engine rebuild would be somewhere around $10k. Some are a little less, some are much more. Depends upon how many replacement parts are required beyond the basic bearings, seals, bolts, clutch, and valve job.

[PatrickB]

If possible, be sure to include in the PPI a leakdown as well as a compression test. Also, find out what the current oil consumption is. This will give a good indication to the health of the engine. If the numbers are good, these engines can go for 3-400k miles. The achilles heel is the proverbial missed shift/over rev. Ask me how I know...

[porschenut]

Have the shop that does the PPI do compression and leakdown tests on the engine to assess its health. Many of these engines have gone 200k or even much more without needing a rebuild. However, at 113k I'd be concerned about valve guide wear. Make sure the shop makes an assessment of that as well. To fix that only requires removal of the heads, not a full rebuild. Most Carrera engines wear out slowly.

[jimbauman]

If you do get the car (or any 911 for that matter), be sure to ask the board for recommendations on an engine builder in your area if and when you have any work done. It's pretty easy to go wrong...

JB

[paulgtr]

this is my question, I am in the new york area and my car is in connecticut. I am looking for a good shop to do a rebuild on my motor. A 3.2l like the thread starters 89 targa. I have been doing a lot of searching on here and have become quite confused with all the different possibilites open to me when I do decide to go for the rebuild.

[kidrock]

whatever you choose, make sure you pick a true Porsche specialist to open up your baby. There are WAY to many horror stories of owners who took their cars to Joe Mechanic and spent $10K on trash rebuilds...only to spend another $10-$15K to have a Porsche guy fix what Joe f'ed up.

There was a poor fella here that had his motor rebuilt, only to have the entire motor painted in Chevy Red and orange silicone sealant oozed from every crack and crevice. If that would've happened to me, I'd be awaiting my prison sentence for murder right now.

Oh, and by the way...do yourself a favor early, and do a search here on Motormeister.