C4 964 Gotchas?

[hbf]

I am in the market for a C4. My budget dictates that I must expect to buy a car with over 100k on the clock.

Although I have plenty of experience with early 911s, I have no knowledge of these cars and am looking for guidance and advice to help me when reviewing a potential purchase.

What are the things to look out for, particularly with regard to the 4x4 drivetrain. What are the serious issues and what are the small items that can go wrong?

Any comments will be appreciated.

[Doug&Julie]

I just bought a 1990 C4 (although I still don't have it yet ). It's my first so I'm no expert myself, but did a lot of research and have a couple of threads that might help you.

Let's Talk About High Mileage C4s (again) - Potential Purchase - Rennlist Discussion Forums

What service would you give a car with spotty service history? - Rennlist Discussion Forums

Here's a good overall info website: John's 964 Web

The Rennlist 964 board is very active and has a lot of good info over there. Not that I'm trying to steer you away from the Pelican boards!

Just a start anyway. Good luck with your search!

[Lil bastard]

I just purchased a '90 964 C4 Cab 3 weeks ago. It was a distress sale in southern FL. After a couple weeks negotiations, I got it for under $20k.

My car, was a creampuff w/ only 20k mi. and some nice extras such as M030 ROW suspension, full leather, everything works and it was all checked out by Champion Porsche prior to my flying down.

The thing is, mileage isn't as important as the individual car. A PPI (Pre-Purchase Inspection) is a MUST!

Don't buy the 1st one to come along, there are really quite a few to look at.

As to the PPI, it is just a guide and no guarantee. In my case, I instructed Champion that I wasn't looking so much for a total 'every hair in place' inspection, only one sufficient to tell me whether it was worth my time to fly down and see it. I also made sure they understood that this was a 'what's wrong with this car' inspection so I could use it to beat the owner down on price and also to recoup the cost of the inspection.

I am a longtime Porsche owner and current Boxster owner, so I knew what to look for and would inspect and drive the car myself prior to handing over any check. This too is important, that you actually see and drive the car. Having been a prior Porsche owner, you'll know if it's a good car or a lemon. Be mindful of the clutch and vibrations which may indicate a failing dual-mass flywheel.

Interestingly, Champion found several things which I brought to the negotiation that later proved erroneous such as; they said the radio was shot and wouldn't accept the code (turned out they had forgotten to reset the radio with a paperclip in the reset hole - works great), they said the alternator was bad (turned out they checked it after a long drive w/ the car at it's lowest idle - above 900 RPM it measures 14.2 VDC), they said the front diff was leaking badly 'Wet' was their word (turned out the car was so low miles, that the cosmolene used by Porsche to protect the metal on transoceanic crossings had not yet worn away and when hot, this substance re-liquifies - this is what they were seeing, there was no leaking at all). All these things were confirmed to be OK by a major Porsche Race mechanic in Macon, GA who arranged to see the car on my drive through because I am friends with one of his best buds. He said the car was fantastic, hadn't seen one in as good a shape. In Champion's defense, they haven't seen an aircooled car regularly for 12 years, so they may be getting a little rusty on them. That being the case, I might prefer having a recommended Porsche 'Indy' look it over rather than a dealer, but in my case, this wasn't possible.

Things to plan for are new tires (if they're more than 6 yrs. old - mine were the original OEM tires (20 y.o.!), same w/ the battery - factory original, wiper blades were shot, alignment (I did mine when I put the new tires on it).

Anyway, miles are not as important as condition and proper service records and timely maintenance.

This would include all the updates such as dual distributor breather, fuel filler tube, oil pressure valve. It would be nice to find one where the headwork has been updated (if pre-92).

Other than this, these are fairly bullet-proof. There is always an element of risk in buying a used car, and you have to expect to do some work to it, so plan on a war chest of at least $1000 to take care of all the piddly stuff so you can reset the clock and also to make the unknowns known. Good Luck!

Cheers!

[nickd]

There are some good buys out there, but any solid 964 driver seems to be at least a $20k car; either at the time of purchase, or during the first year's maintenance. The AWD system doesn't seem to have any problematic failure points even with high miles. In fact the driveline is about the only completely reliable part of the car!

Any 964 with original shocks will need them replaced, rubber seals are becoming questionable at this age, AC systems often need tlc, $100 oil changes, tuneups with 12 spark plugs & 2x dizzy caps, valve adjustments, failing motor mounts, oil leaks, faded/cracked rear reflectors, brake fluid flush, trans oil change, brakes, clutch, tires, failing window switches, and the odd completely random part failure. High miles increase the likelihood of an impending top end rebuild. Windshield rust is another potential big expense.

The 964 is great fun, but I would easily call it maintenance (and bank account) intensive for sure. Prep your budget and have fun!

[MyTurbo3.6]

Add to the list cracked/warn rubber in rear spring plates and warn front stabilizer droplinks...