Need some 968 shopping advice...

[The Chris]

Hey all,

I'm looking to get a 968 in the spring (coupe, manual transmission), and I wanted to get your guys opinions on what to look for. This would be my first Porsche, as I've had Toyota's and Nissan's in the past.

What kind of mileage should I consider? I would like to keep the price under $20k if possible, but I would be willing to go a little higher if that's unrealistic.

How expensive would it be to maintain? I do most of the work on my Maxima, so I was wondering if the 968 is easy to work on (assuming you know your way around a car).

This is my "base" car right now...it has everything I want, but has a tip-tronic:
http://www.raycoeuro.com/html/95Porsche968CoupeBlack/car.html
Think that one is a good price?

Oh, and how's the aftermarket support?

Thanks for your help!

[Blackfoot]

'95+ M3

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Cars

[josephsc]

That car is way overpriced given 1) miles and 2) tiptronics. Browse through the "Buyers Guide" in the forum over at 968.net and you'll start developing a good feel for this market.

[944jeff]

Way overpriced indeed. For reference, my girlfriend got her '92 last year for 15K, one owner with 55K miles, all maintenance done. Read up on the pinion bearing, that is the one big thing to worry about other than the usual 944 stuff. 20K should get you a near concourse example.

[The Chris]

Ok thanks guys.

Any other common problems I should keep an eye open for?

[CJFusco]

Just timing belt, really

Maintanence records are a must.

[mike944]

Pinion bearing is one of the more common problems. Affecting maybe 10% of cars. It usually shows up early (less than 50K miles), but can show up at any time. The only way to tell, is when the transmission starts making noise. There's no way to check, short of diassembling the entire transmission.

The other big 968 issue, is Variocam mechanism inspection. There is a chain and plastic wear-pads inside the valve cover that wear. Based on what i know about 968's, the wear of both parts seems highly dependent on quality of oil used and frequency of changes. This mechanism should be regularly inspected starting at around 60K, and inspected every 15K miles. It's not a difficult or expensive inspection to do, just requires removal of the valve cover, and a dental mirror. Inspection intervals are at your descretion based on condition observed during the first inspection. Neither pads, nor chain is expensive, but a failure will produce heavy collateral damage (many bent valves and possibly damaged pistons, which are all very expensive!)

As CJ said, Timing belts are an issue with the 944/968 series of car. Replacement at shorter intervals than most other cars is required. Factory reccomended replacement interval for the 968 is 45K miles. Most people replace them every 30K, since a failure, again, will produce heavy collateral damage. If you work on your own cars, the belts are not expensive, or terribly difficult to change. The 968, unlike the 944 does NOT require the very expensive factory belt tension measuring tool to be used, since it has an automatic, hydraulic belt tensioner.

Overall, i have found the 968's to be pretty reliable, and alot of fun. 968.net is the best place to go for specific questions.