Buying Porsche 993 4S

[Suffolk911]

Hi everyone,

I've found a 2 owner 993 4S for sale with 95,000 km's, 2 owners and full main dealer service history. Usually I buy on condition, however speaking to the (elderly) owner on the phone he tells me that he has always driven the car "aggressively", the engine uses oil and that the bodywork is in good but far from perfect condition. More specifically it has a rust bubble near the windscreen, a few scratches and also a very small dent on the rear. The car's 3 hours away from where I live, and being sold at a fairly good but not outstanding price. Anyone have a view on whether this is likely to be a worth the trip, and if so what points I should look out for?

Suffolk

[Murph7355]

Any car's potentially worth a look depending on the price.

Is it LHD? Have you seen detailed photos? Have you seen the service records? Do you have the reg/vin?

Lots you can check without travelling 3hrs.

[Suffolk911]

Thanks for the reply. The car is LHD but I live in Switzerland so that's to be expected. How can I use the chassis number/VIN - is it possible to track the history?

[rash_decision]

Suffolk911 said:

Hi everyone,

I've found a 2 owner 993 4S for sale with 95,000 km's, 2 owners and full main dealer service history. Usually I buy on condition, however speaking to the (elderly) owner on the phone he tells me that he has always driven the car "aggressively", the engine uses oil and that the bodywork is in good but far from perfect condition. More specifically it has a rust bubble near the windscreen, a few scratches and also a very small dent on the rear. The car's 3 hours away from where I live, and being sold at a fairly good but not outstanding price. Anyone have a view on whether this is likely to be a worth the trip, and if so what points I should look out for?

Suffolk

I guess at least the guy is being honest! The statement about the engine using oil would be enough to put me off, unless it's mega cheap, but as you say, it's not!

[Murph7355]

Suffolk911 said:

Thanks for the reply. The car is LHD but I live in Switzerland so that's to be expected. How can I use the chassis number/VIN - is it possible to track the history?

I'm not familiar with Porsche dealers (am looking myself) but with other marques the dealer network can often provide info (original spec, service records in the network, issues etc).

With the reg number you can HPI it but also check the various net forums (won't always throw something up, but a number of cars advertised on PH have when I've looked).

The owner should be able to scan service records for you, and decent photos of the worst bits and of the car in general should be possible.

I'd also like a 4S, but they're seriously expensive. Too much so in general IMO. I accept the market sets the rates, but I can't see these as 40k cars personally. I know they're different cars, and that noting this on this forum is dangerous but they're pretty much at (or close to) F355 money. Which just doesn't make sense to me.

Good luck with the car you're looking at. Will keep looking myself...chances are I'll revert to a std C4, a 996TT or look for something totally different to fill the need (RS4 perhaps).

[rubystone]

Murph7355 said:

....or look for something totally different to fill the need (RS4 perhaps).

All that talk of RS4s...reminds me...don't forget to do my tax return

[Murph7355]

rubystone said:

All that talk of RS4s...reminds me...don't forget to do my tax return

Sush time you.

I'm tempted to get one just so you can see how good they are

[qureshia]

Suffolk911 said:

Hi everyone,

I've found a 2 owner 993 4S for sale with 95,000 km's, 2 owners and full main dealer service history. Usually I buy on condition, however speaking to the (elderly) owner on the phone he tells me that he has always driven the car "aggressively", the engine uses oil and that the bodywork is in good but far from perfect condition. More specifically it has a rust bubble near the windscreen, a few scratches and also a very small dent on the rear. The car's 3 hours away from where I live, and being sold at a fairly good but not outstanding price. Anyone have a view on whether this is likely to be a worth the trip, and if so what points I should look out for?

Suffolk

Easy to spend between £6k and £10k to bring one up to scratch
As far as what to look out for see the below on what normally needs to be done (lifted from a car add on PH – last 4 years of spend circa £11.5k)

£1024 - Service inc front discs and pads, A/C evaporator door check straps.
£1820 - A/C condenser and pipes, wheels refurbished, Rear shocks, Rear suspension link, Anti roll bar bushes, rear bumper supports
£1501- Brake fluid change, Oil sender replacement, 4 Continental N2 tyres
£4035 - Cosmetic repaint inc doorframes, new rubbers
£3,920 - Oil leak, Cam covers, Front brake pads, Clutch mechanism, 4,5,6 plug leads, Alternator belts
Split rear spoiler wall, Driver s door mechanism, Rear disks and pads

Worth finding out if it is leaking oil or using it, the former should be an easier fix
I would have thought almost everything you need know should be listed as advisories on the service receipts (if serviced at main dealers as suggested)

Good luck.....