Refugee from the 911 BB thinking of buying 968

[2ndTARGA]

Hello:

Technically this is not a newbie post since I've been an active Pelican for two years plus. However the question I have is in the new guy category.

I recently sold my '77 Targa and am now intrigued with a '92 968 cab. But there are two problems:

1) Mileage is 155K and,

2) I may not have time to audit this forum for a while to really learn the pros and cons of 968 ownership.

Of course I won't make a move without PPI and history research but can anyone point me to prior threads covering the "what to look for, what to avoid" type info?

Any red-flag warnings on the '92 model?

Thanks in advance.

Ron

[Rasta Monsta]

968 is a helluva lot of car for what you get, IMO. The biggest red flag is "front of engine service" history. If there are no receipts, this service should be done immediately, and can be quite spendy if genuine parts are used (belts, rollers, seals, H20 pump). It then needs to be done every 3 years. Clutches can be expensive, but you are likely already familiar with that one!

Good luck, I hope it works out for you.

[hpservertech]

Read www.clarks-garage.com for buying/fixing tips. Everything is there and will be your new best friend.

[josephsc]

A lot of things that apply to 944 also apply to 968. I bought a high-mileage 92 968 cab a couple of years ago, and it's been a good purchase. A few things I suggest you keep an eye on

* proper maintenance is alot more important than mileage.
* convertible tops are known to fail (either the B-pillar behind the windows break, or the main bow behind the B-pillar snaps) -- many of us have gone to "manual top" mode to prevent problems.
* 968 transmission is known for 'pinion bearing failure' -- but that problem usually manifests itself before hitting ~80k miles.
* some 92 models have 'recessed' hood badges -- many owners like the exclusivity of that.
* among the 4 968 motors I own, I have noticed that the highest mileage motor seems to be the weakest -- but that's just according to the seat of my pants.

There's actually a pretty-close knit group of 968 owners in NorCal -- tends to hang out at 968forums, rather than here.

[flash968]

92 AC systems are R-12, unless already converted to 134, so be aware of that - repair of those is costly

if it has LSD (and in a cab that is pretty rare) it could be a clutch type and not torsen - check the option sticker for that

there are some other small differences in that year, but generally "cosmetic"

as for the pinion problem, it is manual trans specific, and could happen at any time - mileage does not seem to be a factor - i've seen in in low mileage cars and high mileage ones - all years - it's not that expensive of a repair anyway (roughly $1700), so i would not count it as a factor

as with any car this age, all rubber components (especially bushings and seals) are well beyond their life expectancy - i would take a hard look at the rubber components on the car, specifically the suspension - that can run into money if the car has been leaking and contaminated the bushings

at 155k, the head is probably due for freshening if it has not been done, and the variocam is VERY likely due - do a leakdown test and inspect the variocam

the clutch high pressure line is likely due - we are seeing a LOT of failures of those lately

clutch jobs are a lot easier than on a 944 - lol - unfortunately i have it down to about 3 hours now, but i think the book says 4

as mentioned above, service records are key - ignoring belts on these cars (45k or 3 years, whichever comes first) can lead to expensive valve damage - failure to flush the hydraulic systems every 2 years leads to failures there

[2ndTARGA]

Lots of good info and advice - thanks to all.

I'll check this one out carefully and will be back with the results - especially if I end up buying it!

Ron