968 - the best spec...

[Richair]

So we're pretty split on this, all the proof that you need that it's a subjective view...

[mollytherocker]

SidewaysSi said:

I really wanted to love the 968 but personally found it a little dull. More exciting cars out there for similar money.

Did you drive it near its limits? Its sweet handling car.

[blade7]

EGTE said:

blade7 said:

All of the reasons above don't apply when a good 944 turbo has the easily attainable 300+ bhp and is on modern suspension like KW coilovers.

No, they still do apply (for me). I rebuilt the M030 suspension and ran about 270BHP on my 951 and still vastly prefer my unmodified M030 996 with glorious-sounding sports-exhaust (and no rusting sills).

MO30 shock absorbers don't compare to KW's and 270 bhp isn't much of an uprate. No rust in my sills and no RMS or cylinder issues either.

[drmark]

mollytherocker said:

Did you drive it near its limits? Its sweet handling car.

Very sweet, but they are a bit dull after any 911. The 4 pot engine is part of the problem. And the box has an odd shift feel IMO. Still loved mine though (road and race versions).

Edited by drmark on Sunday 13th December 08:51

[EGTE]

blade7 said:

MO30 shock absorbers don't compare to KW's and 270 bhp isn't much of an uprate. No rust in my sills and no RMS or cylinder issues either.

Just trying to inject some first-hand experiences into the thread. I really wanted to love my 951, but the engine noise did let it down (badly). Everything else was pretty good, but in the end it was not enough (for me). Just saying.

[EGTE]

Well it does mine. Twice the car for half the money.

Leaves plenty of cash for mods, too (which you should appreciate).

[lord trumpton]

Thanks for all the replies.

What would be an appropriate figure to pay for a sub 100k mile, manual, tiintop sport?

There are very few available and prices vary massively?

[mollytherocker]

lord trumpton said:

Thanks for all the replies.

What would be an appropriate figure to pay for a sub 100k mile, manual, tiintop sport?

There are very few available and prices vary massively?

About 13k private? Perhaps 16k at a dealer.

[lord trumpton]

mollytherocker said:

lord trumpton said:

Thanks for all the replies.

What would be an appropriate figure to pay for a sub 100k mile, manual, tiintop sport?

There are very few available and prices vary massively?

About 13k private? Perhaps 16k at a dealer.

would those figures allow for a sport model?

[mollytherocker]

lord trumpton said:

mollytherocker said:

lord trumpton said:

Thanks for all the replies.

What would be an appropriate figure to pay for a sub 100k mile, manual, tiintop sport?

There are very few available and prices vary massively?

About 13k private? Perhaps 16k at a dealer.

would those figures allow for a sport model?

Yes, i reckon so, a Coupe is under 10k.

[SidewaysSi]

mollytherocker said:

SidewaysSi said:

I really wanted to love the 968 but personally found it a little dull. More exciting cars out there for similar money.

Did you drive it near its limits? Its sweet handling car.

Drove a boggo 968 sport on thee road and a tweaked 944S2 on track. Good cars but weren't for me.

[lord trumpton]

So, I went to take a look at one today - one that someone told me was coming up for sale. Black in colour

Couple of questions if I may?

- Oil pressure. On start up it was at 4.5 at idle and when fully warm it was 2.5 at idle. On both occasions when a dab of throttle was applied it went up to 5. Does this sound about right?

- The temp gauge tended to settle a little below centre and maintained that position. It warmed up reasonably normally ie it didn't take ages or didn't get hot too quickly. The electric fan kicked in every now and then ( it was started and left idling for about 30 mins) Does that sound about right?

- The clutch felt heavy and bit point was fairly high - not right at the top but fairly high. Does that sound about right?

- There is no interior light right?

- The top part of the rear screen has a black strip around the edge - this seemed to be peeling away a bit. Is this something that normally happens.

Many thanks in advance

[mollytherocker]

lord trumpton said:

So, I went to take a look at one today - one that someone told me was coming up for sale. Black in colour

Couple of questions if I may?

- Oil pressure. On start up it was at 4.5 at idle and when fully warm it was 2.5 at idle. On both occasions when a dab of throttle was applied it went up to 5. Does this sound about right?

- The temp gauge tended to settle a little below centre and maintained that position. It warmed up reasonably normally ie it didn't take ages or didn't get hot too quickly. The electric fan kicked in every now and then ( it was started and left idling for about 30 mins) Does that sound about right?

- The clutch felt heavy and bit point was fairly high - not right at the top but fairly high. Does that sound about right?

- There is no interior light right?

- The top part of the rear screen has a black strip around the edge - this seemed to be peeling away a bit. Is this something that normally happens.

Many thanks in advance

All normal except;

Clutch sounds like it may be worn. When was it last done? Miles and time.
There is an interior light.

[mollytherocker]

And dont forget rust.

In the sills and b pillars and underneath at the rear.

There is much more too, make sure you check. All of the usual stuff!

[edh]

Does the gearbox & TT need to come off to get at the clutch on a 968? I had a feeling I'd read that Porsche had changed the setup so that a clutch swap was easier than on a 944

[nick_968]

The clutch change is 4 hours or thereabouts on the 968 as they have an access panel in the bellhousing to avoid the issues you have on a 944.

[Spaceman2001]

Had a 968CS for a short period before I took a lamp post out ( L224 NSC if it ever surfaced again, was amazing condition before the bump).

Great cars, lovely smooth engine. I really like cabs too.

Also consider for similar money (to Clubsports) MZ3 Coupes and even the cabs. Liked the 968, but hair was on fire with the MZ3 Coupe.

968s look amazing though and go really well. Good luck

[lord trumpton]

Thanks for all the input chaps. it's really appreciated.

I have never really bought an 'old' Porsche before and am a little weary of buying one that turns out to be a wallet hoover. BMW's well I know them inside out. Ive got a golf r at the moment and whilst massively capable and fast, the old raw feeling of the 968 I drove felt great.

Re the Z3M's - I have had a few over the years, both coupe and roady. Strangely enough I enjoyed the roady more just because the S50 roar was ace with the roof down. I was fortunate enough to own one of each at the same time for a short period.





The red coupe I bought back in 2011 for just 8k - I know Munich Legends sold it recently for twentysomething!

Having pondered the 968 over the last few days, I'm minded to perhaps give one a miss; largely because I'm not familiar with them and I would have to pay specialists to sort stuff like the chains and variocam stuff. It's not that I'm a tightwad, I'm just one who prefers to work on my own cars.

Oh god I don't know what to do! haha

[DRH986]

If you're handy with the spanners, you'll not have a problem with replacing cams/chain/belts etc. These are pretty simple cars to work on.

[Richair]

If you like to fiddle then that adds weight to buying a 968 in my book! Whilst many jobs are time consuming they're very well built and are enjoyable to work on. As an engineer part of the overall ownership package for me is how enjoyable the car is to work on and inprove. These cars were built right around the sweet spot before everything became too complicated for the (admittedly well equipped) home mechanic. The potential issues you mention sound far more complicated than they are, but of course they do demand quite a bit of your time...