Just had first PPI

[Stonestreet]

So, I had a PPI done on a car that is being sold locally. A '79 SC. The seller is a real decent guy and is asking a fair price. Unfortunately, I don't have much experience and I'm afraid I might get scared away after reading some of the horror stories around here. I was hoping you guys could help with a bit of perspective...

The shop found, among other less worrying items:

- oil pressure gauge stuck at 3 with engine off
- centre dash vents broken
- gas cap seal broken
- no A/C
- drivers side door check strap (?) noisy and loose
- LEFT FRONT CORNER RUSTED THROUGH
- squeaking coming from front end
- left rear tire uneven wear (won't pass safety as it is quite worn)
- transmission shifter seal leaking
- engine oil leaking from top end
- excessive play at inner and outer CV joints
- rust bubbles on passenger door
- missing heat exchangers
- heater blower missing
- cam oil lines leaking both sides

I know these are old cars, and I shouldn't expect perfection, as a matter of fact, I like a bit of a challenge and I'm eager to learn, but at the same time I want a car that drives.

I'm not really sure how to move forward. I've mentioned a couple of the issues to him and he spoke with the shop he regularly goes to about it. His shop has a good reputation around here and was fairly reassuring about the extent of the rust.

For what it's worth, the car doesn't have the tensioner upgrade, the pop off valve upgrade, and hasn't had an engine rebuild that we know of, so I am going to assume it has the original head studs. 120k miles.

Anyone have any thoughts about how serious/impending/treatable the issues are? Any advice would be hugely appreciated.

Thanks,

Marc

[stevebmd]

Find another. Well cared for cars are cheaper than a car like this, no matter the sale price. Even if it's free, consider the costs of what it takes to make it right. I'd pay a little more and slept well at night

[brock911]

Hi Marc, I would keep looking this car needs a significant amount of work and $$$ to bring back. How much is the asking price?
Mike

[Stonestreet]

Hey Mike, he's asking 15.

[techweenie]

You asked about dealing with the issues. The gauges and vent are just a few hundred bucks to deal with. Gas cap seal is maybe $30. No a/c is an issue for some; not for others. Door check strap is a maintenance item you can get fixed for $150 or so, or do it yourself for 1/3 that.

The left front corner rusted through is vague: floor pan? Front pan? Fender? Door? Perforating rust is VERY serious anywhere in the car. Least so in the battery area where it would have been caused by battery acid. Your repair is in the $1K area on any of these. More, if it includes repainting.

Front end squeak could be many things... no guesses from me

Left rear tire wear is a concern because it could reveal a prior incident. It's possible you have a bent suspension arm. Kiss a couple grand goodbye on that one. But more important, you need a chassis inspection by a body shop to see if there's tub damage.

Shifter shaft leak is minor <$50

Top end leak is vague, again. Could be a number of things. Diagnosis, disassembly and cure is potentially quite expensive. I'm assuming the shop checked the studs, so a snapped head stud is not the cause...

CV joints should not have excessive wear at 120K miles. Figure on two rebuilt axles.

Rust in the door should be dealt with. Likeliest spot is along the lower edge of the door skin. Since it involves paint, it could be expensive. Not going to guess a range without knowing more.

Missing heat exchangers are relatively easy to replace (assuming no exhaust studs are snapped in the R&R), but the fact they'r missing raises a lot of questions about prior history of the car. The missing blower is related. Were they removed because of oil smell getting into the car? It's a possibility. And if so, indicates someone trying to cheap out of fixing a problem.

Leaking cam oil lines are an easy fix.

You're looking at several thousand dollars (minimum $7K, I think) to make this car right. Is it a $22-25K car when done?

[stevebmd]

Tech that was a phenomenal review of the issues and costs....And the market shows that these cars, good ones are int he 22-25k range. But, some of the problems can be a bit of a pandoras box. I'd find a good one for the high teens or low 20's myself

[Patrick3000]

This is precisely why you paid for a PPI. Thank the tech for doing a fantastic job on your PPI, find another car and take it to the same guy for a through PPI. Enjoy the hunt, that’s part of the fun.

[brock911]

Hi Marc, techweenie has provided a thorough analysis of the issues for you at a very fair price.

I still feel you could do better and should pass, however, I have not seen the car.

I'm still working on the 88 sunroof delete coupe I mentioned to you at the Porsche concours.

Let me know if I can help?

Regards,
Mike

[Stonestreet]

Wow guys, thanks so much for the great insight! I really appreciate all the help.

I suppose the best thing for me to do is walk and consider my PPI cherry popped. I wish it would have worked out though. . . Oh well.

Tech - thank you for taking the time to address each issue. I was trying to figure out what it would take to get this car up to snuff, but it was the rusty area around the battery that worried me the most.

Mike - I'm still interested in the Carrera, let me know how that develops. I still owe you a pint from last time, so anytime you're in the city, hit me up.

Cheers,

Marc

[brock911]

I'm expecting some new photos tonight and will forward them to you tomorrow. Let me know what you think and if you would like to see/drive the car?

PM me your direct email for images.
Talk soon,
Mike

[thepenguin99]

It sounds like the car is probably worth the 13-14k you could buy it for but it isn't steal. Also, if you don't want to be upside down on one of these cars the thing to do is buy one that someone else put the money into. That said, I am not really taking my own advice. Currently looking at a car with questionable paint knowing damn well I will be upside down on it if I have it painted.

[saxen]

a car with rust issues (911 sc) really shouldn't be worth more than 10K- considering the cost of repair and repaint- you can easily get a car in near perfect condition for the cost of the fix + purchase.

[Stonestreet]

Yesterday I drove out to meet with a fellow Pelicanite to see and test another car that a friend of his has on consignment. This time it was an '88 Carrera, sunroof delete, and it was pretty clean. A couple small issues with the original paint here and there, but nothing that would ruin my day. It has a fair maintenance history, in that there isn't much that it's needed over the years, one item being the top end rebuild about 6000 miles/3years ago.

We took it for a test drive, I was fairly nervous getting behind the wheel to pull it out of his friend's showroom as it was surrounded by some pretty impressive cars and I'd never actually driven one before. Once we carefully got it out and on the road, she warmed up felt great. From the cold start it idled nice and low around 850-900 rpm immediately. No issues at all that jumped out at me. I already decided I wanted it, to be honest. So finally after pushing the engine and the brakes a tiny bit, we brought it back and hopped out. After walking around the car a bit more and finding one or too tiny cosmetic issues, we noticed a spot of oil on the ground somewhere just below the chain tensioner housing. The car has been sitting in the same spot for as as long as 3-6 months so that might have something to do with it.

I really can't think of anything except the usual tired leather on the seats, a couple small cracks in the dash, minor damage from improper jacking of the car, road rash around the lights. . . all the kind of things I'd like in a car. . .

So I've now been sent back to you guys to see what you think a fair offer would be given a clean PPI. I have a hard ceiling that I've set for myself and I have a bit of a feeling that my hard limit might be less than what the seller would accept.

Again guys, thanks for all the help. I feel like this thread may become the documentation of the hunt if it goes on much longer.

[Sox Fan]

Stonestreet: Can you post a few pics of the 88 and let us know the mileage?

[Stonestreet]

Sure thing, Mileage was around 175k Km or about 110k Miles.

[Sox Fan]

Looks like a really nice car! I would say it is probably a $25,000 car with a clean PPI, possibly a little more?. At least here in the states. High demand out there now for clean G50 coupes.

[Stonestreet]

Looks like a really nice car! I would say it is probably a $25,000 car with a clean PPI, possibly a little more?. At least here in the states. High demand out there now for clean G50 coupes.

Thanks sox fan,

I started a new thread on the car, some of the other guys have offered their opinions as well.

Thanks for checking back,

Marc