87 S Purchase

[etomer368]

Hi Everbody!

I'm considering an 87 S for purchase. There are a couple of things that seem a little out of place on the car and wondered if you folks also think they are out of place on the car:

1) S2 style wheels. They're great looking, but I didn't think they were available in 87.

2) Turbo/S2 style rear lower valance. Again, I didn't think they came on this year and model.

3) There is no script on the side. I've seen two other 87 S models that didn't have them, but all of my books say it should be there.

4) Is there supposed to be an ID tag on the inside of the driver's door? I see a cat sticker, but no build date and ID tag.

I haven't gotten the car on a rack yet, but from what I can tell, it doesn't look like it's been repainted. It has high mileage (136K), but the engine was rebuilt about six months/3000 miles ago. They are asking 6 grand and everything is order. The only negatives are the typical dash crack, the leather seats have some wear (driver's seat has one big crack) -- but not too bad, and the owner couldn't tell me if the cruise or the sunroof worked (it was raining lightly and I didn't want to test it and have it get stuck open). Everything else is almost like new.

Any thoughts or opinions on this car are welcome! Thanks for your time!

[LtUSMC]

As far as 1) and 2), they must be aftermarket add-ons. Doesn't the owner know?

Some questions for you to ask are why was the engine rebuilt, and why is it being sold so soon afterwards?

What about the service records? Where has it been serviced and for what? Timing belts? Water pump? Motor mounts? Clutch? You can call the regular mechanic and ask about the car. If no regular mechanic, I would say skip the car unless there's a good reason.

Check the engine compartment for an ID and build sticker.

I would also always take a used car for a pre-purchase inspection at a qualified Porsche mechanic before making the buy. A little effort and patience can equate to years of joy out of a good purchase.

[etomer368]

***As far as 1) and 2), they must be aftermarket add-ons. Doesn't the owner know?

This is the first Porsche the present owner has ever had. He's only had it for about a year and a half. My guess is that somebody has, as you say, added them on. I particularly like them, so it's a good thing.

***Some questions for you to ask are why was the engine rebuilt, and why is it being sold so soon afterwards?

It overheated and the owner bought a new BMW.

***What about the service records? Where has it been serviced and for what? Timing belts? Water pump? Motor mounts? Clutch? You can call the regular mechanic and ask about the car. If no regular mechanic, I would say
skip the car unless there's a good reason.

All of the service records are available and I know the shop that did all of the work. They are good, but very expensive. Belt, pump, mounts have all been done. They resurfaced the head, new rad and bottle, did the valves, gaskets, new piston rings, new hoses, and on and on and on. The clutch has not, there are no records indicating when it was last done, but it feels very solid.

***Check the engine compartment for an ID and build sticker.

Excellent! Will do.

***I would also always take a used car for a pre-purchase inspection at a qualified Porsche mechanic before making the buy. A little effort and patience can equate to years of joy out of a good purchase.

Def good advice! I WILL be having another shop look it over (they saved me from buying a really ratty S, previously).

Thank you VERY much for your response!

[todd951]

The S2 "Design 90" style wheels were in fact only available on the S2, so those have been added on. I've never seen aftermarket replicas of these wheels, so they probably are genuine, so that's good. I do believe that the Turbo style rear valance was an option on the 944S, but not standard equipment. Although it is possible that it's an aftermarket piece. Look in the trunk next to the spare tire bucket, there should be a sticker there with a list of all the car's option codes. The rear valance is option 472. The "16 ventiler" script on the side is also optional, code 598.

[etomer368]

VERY interesting about the script!

The car seems to have several thoughtful mods, such as the valance and the S2 wheels. They also added a Blau CD player that is very nice.

Thanks for your reply!