The $3500 968

[1blk968]

Hi everyone,

I though I'd start a thread about my somewhat recently acquired 92 968 coupe. It's black with 6 speed and 17" Cup I wheels. I purchased it for $3500 back in February and have put a few thousand miles on it. It's a great car and I love driving it! It has 211,000 miles on it, with head work done about 40,000 miles ago for a failed timing belt. Which also means it's past due for new belts.

A few pics:





Time for some much needed maintenance, adios "$3500 Porsche!"
Tools, timing belts, rollers and tensioners:

Power steering pump rebuild kit:

R-134 AC conversion kit:

Just because, Momo Competition wheel:


And not pictured, but equally important, new water pump, gasket, and thermostat, as well as a new front crank seal.

At this point, the timing set and water pump is removed and I'll begin reassembly today. Then next week, I have an appointment for a new windshield. Good thing for insurance, because that's nearly $1400! Clutch will be next once I stop financially bleeding.

Anyway, I'll post some more as time goes by. Cheers!

Jeremy

[bobt4945]

great price for a nice car good luck and enjoy

[pfarah]

Very nice...
Good luck with her.

[mytrplseven]

I was looking at the rear quarter picture and thinking "Darth Vader". It's a great looking car and the pictures look like around Albuquerque, New Mexico. Am I right?

[1blk968]

Thanks for the comments!

And yes, the photos were taken in Albuquerque, in the foothills of the Sandia Mountains.

[jwmc1]

Let's see the interior pics...

[mazdaverx7]

That's a heck of a car for the money, even with the miles. The car looks great despite the mileage! Can't wait to see more pics of the car!!

[Rasta Monsta]

Looks nice. Of course, you know it is actually a $10k 968...

[911tracker85]

Looks nice. Of course, you know it is actually a $10k 968...

I got my 86 951 project for $3500. now past $6K in parts, with a few more to go. once I get to the full suspension upgrade, will probably hit a total of $15k.

but then everything rebuilt/fresh, and many upgrades as it is a DE/street car.

good luck on your project, may your work reward you for years of driving to come.

[Paul Waterloo]

I'm a little jealous! Nice work!

[flash968]

yeah - it spirals easily. i've been watching for the last 11 years, and it's ironic that it seems that no matter what the initial price is, the end cost always comes out about the same. a decent running and reasonably clean 968 will cost between $15k and $17k, whether you buy one and fix it up, or buy one already done. the stuff it needs is very often hiding or initially overlooked, and it frequently takes up to 2 years to find it all and resolve it.

off to a good start though, as that is the lowest price i have seen yet.

[jeff968]

Congrats on the purchase of a great car.

[mattdavis11]

Nice car. I see a lot of parts and tools there that you could return!

[1blk968]

A few pics of the interior. Overall nice condition, but driver's seat is pretty worn:




Test fit of Momo Competition wheel:


Front of engine torn down:


Power steering pump rebuilt. Rennbay kit seems good, we'll see if that was really the leak:


First "project" I did on the car; polish exhaust tip:

Final result looks copper in the photo, but it's a nice polished stainless steel:

[1blk968]

I appreciate everyone's comments. When I bought the car, I figured I'd probably double the purchase price in my first year of ownership catching up on maintenance and fixing stuff, and then probably put another $3500 into it over the second year doing some minor cosmetics and upgrades. From there, who knows. But I'm enjoying owning it, whether I'm driving it or working on it.

A few more just for fun. The night I bought the car, just to rub it in to my brother, who passed on buying it before me:


But don't feel bad for him, he has an RS-inspired 69 911 project:


Holding its own in the Porker row at Cars and Coffee:


Cheers!

[mazdaverx7]

Car is amazing man!! Looks stellar for the amount of miles! Looks to have been well cared for! How'd the right fender get dented?

[1blk968]

Originally Posted by mazdaverx7

Car is amazing man!! Looks stellar for the amount of miles! Looks to have been well cared for! How'd the right fender get dented?

Thanks! The fender was dented when I bought the car, so I'm not sure. I always think it looks like someone kicked it. Of all the little cosmetic issues on the car, that's the one I can't just barely stand. oh well, one thing at a time.

[Lapkritis]

Originally Posted by 1blk968

Thanks! The fender was dented when I bought the car, so I'm not sure. I always think it looks like someone kicked it. Of all the little cosmetic issues on the car, that's the one I can't just barely stand. oh well, one thing at a time.

I had a Land Rover that I picked up second hand for a "winter beater"... it had several rage marks on the outside. All little stuff brings out the hulk in people. Bad o2 sensors, loose wire on the body control unit, wet fusebox...

Nice score for the $3500. Doing your own work will leave you way out ahead.

[strath44]

great car and a true bargain, you can't go wrong for that money (no matter what anyone says)!

the cups are great don't change the wheels!

It would def be worth getting someone to have a go at getting that dent out without paint.

I had a dent in my rear quarter and everyone said it would need paint. Our local dent guys is brilliant and got it 99.99% perfect in an hour or so for £90. Versus £500-£1000 for a paint repair of a reasonable standard.

It would be well worth giving it a machine polish, the black would really "pop". Menzerna are doing a sample kit (which can easily do a few cars) which even with a cheap dual action polisher (kestrel or harbour freight) will make the paint look amazing! (sorry uk £ link)
Menzerna 250ml Sampler Kit - Clean Your Car

have a look at the uk clubsport detail:

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=36552

I think and someone else might help with this, that early boxster seats will fit, which might be cheaper in the tan than getting the old ones recovered - or even go black!

[1blk968]

Originally Posted by strath44

great car and a true bargain, you can't go wrong for that money (no matter what anyone says)!

the cups are great don't change the wheels!

It would def be worth getting someone to have a go at getting that dent out without paint.

I had a dent in my rear quarter and everyone said it would need paint. Our local dent guys is brilliant and got it 99.99% perfect in an hour or so for £90. Versus £500-£1000 for a paint repair of a reasonable standard.

It would be well worth giving it a machine polish, the black would really "pop". Menzerna are doing a sample kit (which can easily do a few cars) which even with a cheap dual action polisher (kestrel or harbour freight) will make the paint look amazing! (sorry uk £ link)
Menzerna 250ml Sampler Kit - Clean Your Car

have a look at the uk clubsport detail:

Porsche 968 Clubsport... - Detailing World

I think and someone else might help with this, that early boxster seats will fit, which might be cheaper in the tan than getting the old ones recovered - or even go black!

Thanks for the comments and suggestions. Definitely a machine glaze and some quality time with a buffer is in it's future. That link to the CS was inspiring, especially because I'm considering painting the Cup wheels black.

Here's a little update:

I decided to replace the front main seal and discovered that if the oil pump sleeve has wear that a new seal probably won't work, so had Pelican overnight one.


Prior to installing, I had to create a seal press. In this case, I used the old seal, the crank gear, and a fan spacer from a 67 Datsun Roadster. Tighten the bolt and seat the new seal.


New stuff in place.


The car's back on the road now and running great. The power steering pump seal kit worked great; no leaks. My efforts at reducing oil leaks, not as great. Still leaking some at the front, maybe oil pan.

Took the car to get the new windshield installed. They pedantically went through the car looking at the flaws, then when I got it back, they had gouged the dash in a corner, scraped up the leather on the new Momo, put my wipers on backwards, finished breaking the console lid, and did a mediocre job on the seal install. I insisted they buy me a new Momo, which they agreed to, but decided to let the rest go because I didn't want them touching my car again.

Also got a four wheel alignment with more aggressive settings, which was a very nice improvement. I'm planning to do a two-day track event next weekend, so hopefully I'll have a some pics of it in action.