Is this bad rust?

[OsoMoore]

I'm looking over some pics of a 911 SC I'm researching buying.
The owner says the car has no rust, but this picture he sent has me thinking otherwise.

Is that rust, or just gunk in the hinge? The image is quite high resolution, if you open the pic in a new window you should be able to scale it up and get a good look. The broken hose also has me worried...

[Shaun @ Tru6]

duct tape = Run Forrest, Run

[OsoMoore]

Yeah, I think I'll pass on this one. FYI my wife has been having me refresh to see how long it takes someone to post, 4 minutes is pretty good!

[tazzieman]

The trailng edge of the engine lid looks suss. Ask him to wipe it down with some degreaser and send another pic. The broken hoses are no issue , original ones get knocked about esp the LHS plastic one. But the fact that it's a bit rough looking may mean the owner has been on a budget.

Where's the car been living in it's long life?

[OsoMoore]

88K miles, and its living in Philly at the moment. Also, what is "suss"?

[porsche930dude]

looks like just dirt in that rain channel to me. the holes in the top corners is where the sunroof drains so they can collect oily greasy water from there . but the substandard repairs and genrally dirty engine bay look like its a driver and owned by someone not so mechanicly inclined or particularly in love with his car. obviously its going to need some sprucing up and the price should reflect that. Your always taking a chance buying any used car but if the major things like the engine/tranny maintinence is good I dont think the small stuff should be that big a concern. Many would run when they see that. Thats when you can get a deal.

[tabasco]

The car is dirty but nothing really wrong with that.
You should be more concerned with the common rust spots on 911s, do a search.
In particular, look at the battery area / front suspension pan, door sills, jack tubes, windshield base.
If you see any rust there, it's not good, you usually see just the tip of the iceberg.
The picture you showed is not typically where you'd find rust.

88K is relatively low miles for this car so if it's cheap and no rust it could be a good deal.

[tazzieman]

Originally Posted by OsoMoore

88K miles, and its living in Philly at the moment. Also, what is "suss"?

"Suspicious", in Oz vernacular.
Or "Dodgy" in British English

[dlearl]

"Bad rust?" AFAIK, there is no such thing as good rust.

Originally Posted by OsoMoore

I'm looking over some pics of a 911 SC I'm researching buying.
The owner says the car has no rust, but this picture he sent has me thinking otherwise.

If you are buying this car long distance, insist on a PPI from a knowledgeable source. Given the bit highlighted in red, I'd suggest asking someone from here who is local for a shop reference, rather than this particular owner.
If you can actually lay hands on the car, I'd take a refrigerator magnet with you. I'm sure someone with greater knowledge than myself (almost anyone here) will weigh in but two places common for rust and costly to repair are the rear suspension pick up points/rocker covers and the upper corners of the trunk lid closest to the windshield. Put the magnet on here and if it doesn't stick, run.

[steely]

Hi Rez is sacrificed when you upload to make life easier for the forum server.
That said, while I couldn't make out much on the hinges, I did see some on the underside of the lid.

[D911SC]

If there is rust in those spots I'd certainly be checking other typical rust spots.

The front bumper shock mounts, the tops of the front struts where the fender joins the tub, and under the rocker covers are a good starting point. Also look at the front pan (at the front of the fuel tank from underneath) and also in the door jambs where the rubber threshold piece is glued. Rust is also pretty common around the front cowl (lower corner of the windscreen).

If there's rust in these areas then you can be sure there's a fair bit of work to do to get it right. There's some threads in the Paint and Bodywork forum you can reference as a guide.

[dlearl]

Originally Posted by steely

Hi Rez is sacrificed when you upload to make life easier for the forum server.
That said, while I couldn't make out much on the hinges, I did see some on the underside of the lid.

Hard to tell if it's grease or surface rust. If it's rust, my guess is that it's not isolated to the deck lid.

[zakthor]

Another rust spot: check the headlight buckets.