968 - the best spec...

[Spaceman2001]

Good lad.

If you've scratched the MZ3 itch I would definitely go for a 968. You'll love it. There still will be nice ones about. Very rare car.

[blade7]

Richair said:

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.

It's not unheard of for a car that's been run on the cheap or neglected for a few years to need £3k spending on it. Many layers of Autoglym aren't a substitute for proper regular maintenance. The 968 may be a pleasure to work on, IMO the 944 turbo is a PITA.

Edited by blade7 on Thursday 17th December 13:33

[Richair]

blade7 said:

It's not unheard of for a car that's been run on the cheap or neglected for a few years to need £3k spending on it. Many layers of Autoglym aren't a substitute for proper regular maintenance. The 968 may be a pleasure to work on, IMO the 944 turbo is a PITA.

Edited by blade7 on Thursday 17th December 13:33

But I'm speaking as a 944t owner (same difference when talking about S2's, turbos or 968's IMO...). Whilst my car was a good example, I've still played the time consuming and expensive catch up game over the last couple of years (£4K maybe). But it's worth every penny and I've enjoyed all of the work I've put in. However admittedly I did buy my car just before the appreciation curve really gathered momentum so financially I have a clean concience in terms of the car's value versus what it owes me.

But I get the impression the OP isn't expecting not to have to spend money on one... Good cars are out there, but patience and a bit of luck is required to find the right one.

[mollytherocker]

Richair said:

But I get the impression the OP isn't expecting not to have to spend money on one... Good cars are out there, but patience and a bit of luck is required to find the right one.

To be fair, anybody attempting to buy a 20 year old sports car that needs no work or ongoing spending on it, is in for a shock!

[NJH]

Definitely agree that for a competent home mechanic all of this series of cars makes much more sense then buying and then using specialists for all the work. At this age they can hoover cash at a frightening rate. On my 968 I did some of the work myself but got a lot done by EMC, JMG and MR Performance Cars. I bought it for £6K, spent more than £6K on maintenance and fixing things then sold it to EMC for £3K. EMC then sold it on again 3 days later to someone else I know when I think Kevin realised that I had in fact drove quite a hard bargain. That car was 150k miles when I bought and contrary to the oft incorrect advice quoted on forums nearly everything on that car which hadn't been replaced in the few years previous broke. Given that I only did 10k miles over 3 years in the thing that is almost a pound a mile. Easily the most expensive car I have owned, a complete money pit and the most unreliable heap of crap I have had the misfortune to own, worse even that the rusty BL mini that was my first car. It really pains me to post stuff like that after owning a 944 S2 for 15 years now and 5 as a race car but I came close to walking away from the marque for good as a result. It was also a big part of the reason I didn't race enough between 2010 and 2013 as I was spanking £2K PA fixing a car I practically never drove.

[lord trumpton]

NJH said:

Definitely agree that for a competent home mechanic all of this series of cars makes much more sense then buying and then using specialists for all the work. At this age they can hoover cash at a frightening rate. On my 968 I did some of the work myself but got a lot done by EMC, JMG and MR Performance Cars. I bought it for £6K, spent more than £6K on maintenance and fixing things then sold it to EMC for £3K. EMC then sold it on again 3 days later to someone else I know when I think Kevin realised that I had in fact drove quite a hard bargain. That car was 150k miles when I bought and contrary to the oft incorrect advice quoted on forums nearly everything on that car which hadn't been replaced in the few years previous broke. Given that I only did 10k miles over 3 years in the thing that is almost a pound a mile. Easily the most expensive car I have owned, a complete money pit and the most unreliable heap of crap I have had the misfortune to own, worse even that the rusty BL mini that was my first car. It really pains me to post stuff like that after owning a 944 S2 for 15 years now and 5 as a race car but I came close to walking away from the marque for good as a result. It was also a big part of the reason I didn't race enough between 2010 and 2013 as I was spanking £2K PA fixing a car I practically never drove.

Ouch - you took a bath on that one!

I'm pretty competent with vehicle mechanics and can perform most routine servicing and consumable replacements etc. I'm happy to buy one that needs a little work and like others have said; expecting a 20 year old car to be fault free is unrealistic.

My OP was really sounding out what they are like to run and if they suffer terminal problems. I want to avoid buying a wallet opener that's all

[NJH]

I am not bad myself, and I thought I knew the cars really well and what to look for. The problem was I never caught up with the car, every time I thought I was close to cracking it something else broke. Personally I think the advice to ignore mileage is total BS. My race car for example has been properly sorted the past couple of years because it was my road car for many years and during its re-incarnation as a race car anything that I hadn't already refurbed or replaced got done, there is very little of the car left in its original state. Unfortunately we are at that age with these cars but I am sure you can find a either a still fresh one or one which has been effectively rebuilt by an enthusiastic owner. I would be very patient though and prepared to spend a long time looking for that car.

[mollytherocker]

NJH said:

I am not bad myself, and I thought I knew the cars really well and what to look for. The problem was I never caught up with the car, every time I thought I was close to cracking it something else broke. Personally I think the advice to ignore mileage is total BS. My race car for example has been properly sorted the past couple of years because it was my road car for many years and during its re-incarnation as a race car anything that I hadn't already refurbed or replaced got done, there is very little of the car left in its original state. Unfortunately we are at that age with these cars but I am sure you can find a either a still fresh one or one which has been effectively rebuilt by an enthusiastic owner. I would be very patient though and prepared to spend a long time looking for that car.

Its not about Ignoring the mileage, its about not using it as the only true guide.

The mileage is just one clue amongst 100 others into the condition of a car.

[lord trumpton]

Ok chaps

I'm close to buying this black sport I've driven

Faults I have found are as follows

passenger door central clocking does not operate via the in car button or by using the key in the drivers door. If I operate the duff passenger door via the key then it lock the central locking and the drivers door closes. Sounds like a duff actuator?

Are these readily available and are they exclusive to the 968?

The clutch bite point is at about 80% of total pedal travel ie 0% fully depressed and 100% pedal fully up.
Sounds like a clutch will be on the cards shortly?

Finally there is a small amount of corrosion at the top front of the roof section emanating from under the window seal. Peeling the seal back theres nothing underneath - its like the seal edge has worn the paint and allowed a little water ingress. - Is it possible to remove and refit this window seal if i have the roof painted?

Underneath is great and no rust, even the sills and arches are sound. Its had new OEM discs, pads, shocks and bushes all round.

Its done a genuine 92k miles with lots of paperwork and the mileage correlates correctly on papers etc.

So, I've been asked to make an offer but not a stupid one (seems like a chap not wanting to be dicked about)

Its an M reg Sport - what would be a fair offer dear PH members?

[bigunit00]

lord trumpton said:

Ok chaps

I'm close to buying this black sport I've driven

Faults I have found are as follows

passenger door central clocking does not operate via the in car button or by using the key in the drivers door. If I operate the duff passenger door via the key then it lock the central locking and the drivers door closes. Sounds like a duff actuator?

Are these readily available and are they exclusive to the 968?

The clutch bite point is at about 80% of total pedal travel ie 0% fully depressed and 100% pedal fully up.
Sounds like a clutch will be on the cards shortly?

Finally there is a small amount of corrosion at the top front of the roof section emanating from under the window seal. Peeling the seal back theres nothing underneath - its like the seal edge has worn the paint and allowed a little water ingress. - Is it possible to remove and refit this window seal if i have the roof painted?

Underneath is great and no rust, even the sills and arches are sound. Its had new OEM discs, pads, shocks and bushes all round.

Its done a genuine 92k miles with lots of paperwork and the mileage correlates correctly on papers etc.

So, I've been asked to make an offer but not a stupid one (seems like a chap not wanting to be dicked about)

Its an M reg Sport - what would be a fair offer dear PH members?

9-10k

[lord trumpton]

Really? That seems a lot lower than others have suggested they are worth.

I thought it would need to be 13ish?

[eldavo]

lord trumpton said:

Ok chaps

I'm close to buying this black sport I've driven

Faults I have found are as follows

passenger door central clocking does not operate via the in car button or by using the key in the drivers door. If I operate the duff passenger door via the key then it lock the central locking and the drivers door closes. Sounds like a duff actuator?

Are these readily available and are they exclusive to the 968?

Finally there is a small amount of corrosion at the top front of the roof section emanating from under the window seal. Peeling the seal back theres nothing underneath - its like the seal edge has worn the paint and allowed a little water ingress. - Is it possible to remove and refit this window seal if i have the roof painted?

Chances are that the little plastic rod has snapped in the central locking mechanism that's why it works the rest of the central locking but not that door. A couple of quid to replace and plenty of online guides as to how to remove the door card so a nice easy DIY - with the caveat that you have small and nimble fingers, it either clicks in first time or takes quite a bit of wearing and knuckle grazing before seating properly.

IIRC the windscreen seal can be pulled out without removing the screen if you're careful. If the screen does need to be removed to sort the corrosion out then you MUST remove the a-pillar trims before letting the screen fitters near it or there is a very very high chance that they'll get damaged on either removal, reassembly or if you're lucky - both!

[lord trumpton]

eldavo said:

lord trumpton said:

Ok chaps

I'm close to buying this black sport I've driven

Faults I have found are as follows

passenger door central clocking does not operate via the in car button or by using the key in the drivers door. If I operate the duff passenger door via the key then it lock the central locking and the drivers door closes. Sounds like a duff actuator?

Are these readily available and are they exclusive to the 968?

Finally there is a small amount of corrosion at the top front of the roof section emanating from under the window seal. Peeling the seal back theres nothing underneath - its like the seal edge has worn the paint and allowed a little water ingress. - Is it possible to remove and refit this window seal if i have the roof painted?

Chances are that the little plastic rod has snapped in the central locking mechanism that's why it works the rest of the central locking but not that door. A couple of quid to replace and plenty of online guides as to how to remove the door card so a nice easy DIY - with the caveat that you have small and nimble fingers, it either clicks in first time or takes quite a bit of wearing and knuckle grazing before seating properly.

IIRC the windscreen seal can be pulled out without removing the screen if you're careful. If the screen does need to be removed to sort the corrosion out then you MUST remove the a-pillar trims before letting the screen fitters near it or there is a very very high chance that they'll get damaged on either removal, reassembly or if you're lucky - both!

Thanks for that info; seems fairly straightforward.

Any idea on price of the car?

[Gompo]

Given the comprehensive history plus quite low miles for a 968, and if in the condition you say (it sounds in good condition, just with a couple of mechanical jobs that need sorting, possible clutch the major one) I'd think 11-2k might be a fair price. My worry would be the rust bubble you mentioned around the windscreen.

Edited by Gompo on Friday 18th December 18:56

[mollytherocker]

Gompo said:

Given the comprehensive history plus quite low miles for a 968, and if in the condition you say (it sounds VGC, just with a couple of mechanical jobs that need sorting, possible clutch the major one) I'd think 12k might be a fair price. I'd expect a standard coupe in the same condition to be 8-9k.

I agree.

[GC8]

NJH said:

Definitely agree that for a competent home mechanic all of this series of cars makes much more sense then buying and then using specialists for all the work. At this age they can hoover cash at a frightening rate. On my 968 I did some of the work myself but got a lot done by EMC, JMG and MR Performance Cars. I bought it for £6K, spent more than £6K on maintenance and fixing things then sold it to EMC for £3K. EMC then sold it on again 3 days later to someone else I know when I think Kevin realised that I had in fact drove quite a hard bargain. That car was 150k miles when I bought and contrary to the oft incorrect advice quoted on forums nearly everything on that car which hadn't been replaced in the few years previous broke. Given that I only did 10k miles over 3 years in the thing that is almost a pound a mile. Easily the most expensive car I have owned, a complete money pit and the most unreliable heap of crap I have had the misfortune to own, worse even that the rusty BL mini that was my first car. It really pains me to post stuff like that after owning a 944 S2 for 15 years now and 5 as a race car but I came close to walking away from the marque for good as a result. It was also a big part of the reason I didn't race enough between 2010 and 2013 as I was spanking £2K PA fixing a car I practically never drove.

Tiptronic Cab Neil?

[NJH]

It wasn't a cab, artic silver tip with light grey leather interior. I then swapped out the carpets for the black set that came from my S2, really loved the interior in that car the leather was perfect like a new car, as it was an early car it also had the CS wheel from new as well......and the air con worked. Actually it wasn't that bad a car just kept breaking things and emptied my bank account.

[FraMac]

Good luck with your proposed purchase OP. I've owned my 968cs for 11 years - the longest I have ever had a car for. Some big bills in that time (pinion bearing, clutch, single mass flywheel, cams) and some upgrades, but it's all been good.

Please keep us informed. Lots of info on 968uk - not sure if you're on there.

Efa I replaced the DMF with a motorsport copy. Replaced the clutch at the same time, and had an LSD fitted too.

Edited by FraMac on Friday 18th December 22:36

[dry664]

92k mile Sport in good condition has to be worth £15k minimum in the current market.

[blade7]

dry664 said:

92k mile Sport in good condition has to be worth £15k minimum in the current market.

A good E46 M3 makes more sense to me at that money.