considering a 968

[911vintage]

I have experience with air-cooled 911s and recently drove a 968 and loved it! Good power and amazing handling! Entry price vs. smiles per miles seem like a great value. what can I expect with 968 ownship? The 911's are pretty bulletproof and have had little issues in 20 years plus ownership. I don't wrench so what am I getting into? I've read a lot about the 968 and how production was moved to zuffenhausen etc.. The car has had a lot of work done recently, belts, water pump etc.. it has 110K but clutch has not been done. How much maintenance dollars can I expect to spend each year? will something always need fixing? Thanks!

[PHillary]

About 1K annually just depends a good new clutch is about 2K at a shop

[Ernie944]

Originally Posted by 911vintage

I have experience with air-cooled 911s and recently drove a 968 and loved it! Good power and amazing handling! Entry price vs. smiles per miles seem like a great value. what can I expect with 968 ownship? The 911's are pretty bulletproof and have had little issues in 20 years plus ownership. I don't wrench so what am I getting into? I've read a lot about the 968 and how production was moved to zuffenhausen etc.. The car has had a lot of work done recently, belts, water pump etc.. it has 110K but clutch has not been done. How much maintenance dollars can I expect to spend each year? will something always need fixing? Thanks!

Hello 922 vintage &Welcome to Pelican....I've own a 968 for many years ,,,see my garage .And if maintenance such ,,,oil change,,,tranny ,,,& cooling system maintenance has been done by the book I would not worry to much about the clutch with 110k on it.What I will worry about is the Cam Pad which the camshafts chain ride on,it's made of teflon & over time...They don't have a durable specific life time but with time will dry up & breake causing some expensive damage .See pics,the cluch on a 968 is springs loaded & if not race or abuse should be ok.Sorry PHillary but I don't see spending 1k annually on a 968 if regular maintenance is done annually.In order to check the Cam Pad the valve cover has to be remove & only a shop with experience working on on 968 & 944 S S2 should be a must.Personnaly I consider the 968 one of the best Porsche around & if like said maintenance is up to date I woud'nt heasitate to buy it if decently price.

[Ernie944]

911 vintage....Please send us pics of that 968 you want to buy .

[colingreene]

I like them a lot. very fun cars to drive, timing belt is a bit of a challenge to do the first time though.

[racer]

25 year old German car.. there could be some challenges. I'd be concerned with switches (windows, sunroof), odometer gears, clutch, Waterpmp/timing belt services. That said, they are fun cars. I went "fewc" shopping many years ago.. tried out 924S, 944, 944S, 944S2 and 968. I ended up over the years with a 944 and 924S, but the 968 was my favorite (sold too quickly for me). Plenty of internet help.. ( https://clarks-garage.com/ ) is a great resource.

I have found both of mine to be very reliable, mechanically.

Don't read too much into their known issues and cures. All cars have issues, especially the more you learn. Plenty of Porsche/944 shops in the DC area as well.

[Ernie944]

Originally Posted by racer

25 year old German car.. there could be some challenges. I'd be concerned with switches (windows, sunroof), odometer gears, clutch, Waterpmp/timing belt services. That said, they are fun cars. I went "fewc" shopping many years ago.. tried out 924S, 944, 944S, 944S2 and 968. I ended up over the years with a 944 and 924S, but the 968 was my favorite (sold too quickly for me). Plenty of internet help.. ( https://clarks-garage.com/ ) is a great resource.

I have found both of mine to be very reliable, mechanically.

Don't read too much into their known issues and cures. All cars have issues, especially the more you learn. Plenty of Porsche/944 shops in the DC area as well.

Agree with you ,a plus for him is that the belts & water pump has been done recently,but the cam pads is a must if you want peace of mind,not saying it's an issue on the 968 ,but the reality is that they get brittle & could break,messing up a perfectly good head.Having done some reseach on their life spane nobody could
really come up with an answer, but most owners agreed that those pads should be look at approx 150klm.

[walfreyydo]

Tensioner pad is actually pretty easy to do yourself and the pad itself is only around $100. The hydraulic tensioner is expensive (~$500) but should be ok and last the life of the car. The tensioner and hardline must be removed in order to replace the pad, but after that its pretty easy. Lots of walkthroughs on the forums, (just dont over tighten the bolts that secure the tensioner because the head is aluminum). This was the first thing I replaced after buying my S2 (at 170k miles) and the original pads had hairline cracks, so it was good that I did it.