Looking at a 964 C2

[Jay..]

I'm sat sitting on a wad of cash after selling my 996t and I'm itching to buy a 964 (ideally a C2).

I have noticed the market is softening quite a bit, with cars not really shifting very quickly? I put a couple of feelers out with the usual suspects and they all jumped on the idea of someone willing to buy.

I've just seen this advert, and I'm really considering it as it's relatively cheap considering it has low(ish) miles, good service history and appears to be in lovely condition. Does anyone know the car? or any advice?

https://www.classiccarsforsale.co.uk/porsche/911/2...

[pec996]

That car sold over 6 weeks ago after being advertised for a week...... I went and had a drive, was cheapest out there as needed a lot of work but was honest

[g7jhp]

Yep, not that cheap if it had a declared oil leak and rust to sort.

Prices are softening and more aircooled cars are hitting the market.

Hold on for the warmer weather when more cars come on.

JZM's monthly outlook highlighted it's a buyers market and sellers need to be realistic if they want a sale.

[SRT Hellcat]

There is a mint black one for sale. Magnolia interior. Non sunroof. RS rear bumper. 17" cups with cup mirrors. 1992 from memory. Give Chris a call at 911 bodyshop on 02089000572. It is a customers car. I would have been interested for myself but I currently have too many cars.

[ianwayne]

Oh for a crystal ball. When I was looking for a sports car in 2001, you could get cars like that (dealer in Stoke had a few) for about £12k. And they were only 12 yrs old then.

[soad]

ianwayne said:

Oh for a crystal ball. When I was looking for a sports car in 2001, you could get cars like that (dealer in Stoke had a few) for about £12k. And they were only 12 yrs old then.

A lot of cars were cheaper then, if one had spare funds.

[ianwayne]

Well I spent £12500 on a 5 yr old TVR Chimaera 500 at the time instead. Kept it a year and got my money back. If I still had it, it wouldn't have tripled in value like the 911.....

Same goes for many other cars I suppose. Mental prices for old Fords etc. At least an old 911 is fast.

[Jay..]

SRT Hellcat said:

There is a mint black one for sale. Magnolia interior. Non sunroof. RS rear bumper. 17" cups with cup mirrors. 1992 from memory. Give Chris a call at 911 bodyshop on 02089000572. It is a customers car. I would have been interested for myself but I currently have too many cars.

That sounds out of my price range I reckon! 😂

Back to the drawing board for me!

[kevs 172]

It’s really difficult to find C2 Manual Coupe’s. When you see one act very quickly.
I pick mine up in a couple of weeks and can’t wait!
Cheers

[Koln-RS]

The problem with the aircooled cars was prices escalated very quickly - and this included a lot of very suspect and average examples.

U think buyers are now a bit more savvy. The best cars will still get snapped up quickly, but I'd be wary of anything that didn't tick all the important boxes, as the rectification costs are high.

[Jay..]

Koln-RS said:

The problem with the aircooled cars was prices escalated very quickly - and this included a lot of very suspect and average examples.

U think buyers are now a bit more savvy. The best cars will still get snapped up quickly, but I'd be wary of anything that didn't tick all the important boxes, as the rectification costs are high.

Yeh, I've noticed that!

I do have an opportunity on a cheap c2 (same price as the above) , but it does need work done on it (2x rear quarters and LHS scuttle). Probably at least 3k worth of bodywork, so would want to at least budget twice that much.

The good news is its had all the suspension, coolant pipes, brake lines, brakes and discs completely replaced. The engine came out and was resealed, although it didn't get rebuilt as the analysis came back good.

Opinions? Initially I was put off by the bodywork issues but it seems everything else is in order, and it'll give me the opportunity to get it done properly

[RT964]

Jay.. said:

Yeh, I've noticed that!

I do have an opportunity on a cheap c2 (same price as the above) , but it does need work done on it (2x rear quarters and LHS scuttle). Probably at least 3k worth of bodywork, so would want to at least budget twice that much.

The good news is its had all the suspension, coolant pipes, brake lines, brakes and discs completely replaced. The engine came out and was resealed, although it didn't get rebuilt as the analysis came back good.

Opinions? Initially I was put off by the bodywork issues but it seems everything else is in order, and it'll give me the opportunity to get it done properly

I've had my 964 (manual C4 Cab) for about 18 years now and they do require money spending on them to keep them in tip top condition. I've just had a load of bodywork done to repair some rust that was bubbling under the paint, and this is the second time I've had to have that done since I've owned the car. I've also had the full engine rebuild a few years back and had the braking system completely rebuilt a couple of years ago (inc the ABS pump which tends to seize if not used, and the only time you know it doesn't work is when you actually need it !). All told, I've probably spent an average of £2k per year on it over the past 6 years inc. servicing as well. Interestingly, as I've driven the car less over the past 6 years than I did previously, the bills have gone up - this is a car that likes to be used !!



With regards to the car you've found, I really wouldn't let the bodywork put you off if the rest of the car is sound. I can recommend an excellent bodyshop if you're in/around the Berkshire area. I'd also recommend getting a specialist to do an inspection of the car prior to purchase, as that way you'll get more peace of mind that you're going in to it with your eyes open and know what is sound and what will need attention. Some will be cosmetic, some will be mechanical, but those are the joys of owning an almost 30 year old car - I believe it's known as character

[Jay..]

Thanks for the reply - I love that colour!

I viewed this which I'm very trempted, I quite like the high mileage!

https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...

But it is a C4 and does ultimately have silly miles on it, even though it's had a bunch of money spent on it.


Would you be able to PM me pictures of the body work? And how much it cost? I guess it'll give me a better feel for how much I should budget too

[Steve Rance]

When I was looking for a 964 a few years ago there were a lot of cars available but very few good manual C2's, and very few with a good spec - no sunroof, LSD, colour combo etc.. I think that the market tends to snap these up very quickly. If you are not looking for the purest drive, there are a lot of other models available that make up the bulk of the market. It all depends on what you want. Before you pull the trigger, i'd advise you to drive a C4 or a C2 targa etc.. You my be very surprised. The 964 platform is very good and responds well to tuning but in it's original form the damping is not inspiring so it's likely that whatever you buy - if its original - it will need some chassis mods to bring it alive as nothing will be particularly inpiring to start with. You can get some lovely results tuning Targa's or C4's so it may be worth keeping an open mind

[RT964]

Jay.. said:

Thanks for the reply - I love that colour!

I viewed this which I'm very trempted, I quite like the high mileage!

https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...

But it is a C4 and does ultimately have silly miles on it, even though it's had a bunch of money spent on it.


Would you be able to PM me pictures of the body work? And how much it cost? I guess it'll give me a better feel for how much I should budget too

Will send you some more pics once I've cleaned the car - was out in the snow yesterday getting the roof replaced, so it's covered in salt grime !! Small job for the weekend once the snow has gone.

That 193k mile car does seem quite a lot money for what it is. I know it's a cab, but have you looked at the Baltic Blue one at Williams Crawford ? It's got 63k miles and up at £40k.

http://www.williamscrawford.co.uk/vehicle/964-carr...

[RT964]

Steve Rance said:

When I was looking for a 964 a few years ago there were a lot of cars available but very few good manual C2's, and very few with a good spec - no sunroof, LSD, colour combo etc.. I think that the market tends to snap these up very quickly. If you are not looking for the purest drive, there are a lot of other models available that make up the bulk of the market. It all depends on what you want. Before you pull the trigger, i'd advise you to drive a C4 or a C2 targa etc.. You my be very surprised. The 964 platform is very good and responds well to tuning but in it's original form the damping is not inspiring so it's likely that whatever you buy - if its original - it will need some chassis mods to bring it alive as nothing will be particularly inpiring to start with. You can get some lovely results tuning Targa's or C4's so it may be worth keeping an open mind

I'd agree with this - I was originally after a C2, but found my C4 in the right colour/mileage/price combination, so bought it and not looked back. Very early on I replaced the rear anti-roll bar with a thicker one to help the front end turn in and have always had the suspension geometry set up by GT One as "fast road", albeit still on the original shocks and springs - as mine is a cab, I didn't see there was much to be gained by going more aggressive on the suspension kit !

And, on the plus side, the 4 wheel drive (including diff lock) can be handy when you are out in "inclement" weather

[Steve Rance]

Absolutely. It looks a lovely car. A 4WD soft top makes. You will be surprised how well the chassis will cope with a mild suspension upgrade.

[n12maser]

RT964 said:

Steve Rance said:

When I was looking for a 964 a few years ago there were a lot of cars available but very few good manual C2's, and very few with a good spec - no sunroof, LSD, colour combo etc.. I think that the market tends to snap these up very quickly. If you are not looking for the purest drive, there are a lot of other models available that make up the bulk of the market. It all depends on what you want. Before you pull the trigger, i'd advise you to drive a C4 or a C2 targa etc.. You my be very surprised. The 964 platform is very good and responds well to tuning but in it's original form the damping is not inspiring so it's likely that whatever you buy - if its original - it will need some chassis mods to bring it alive as nothing will be particularly inpiring to start with. You can get some lovely results tuning Targa's or C4's so it may be worth keeping an open mind

I'd agree with this - I was originally after a C2, but found my C4 in the right colour/mileage/price combination, so bought it and not looked back. Very early on I replaced the rear anti-roll bar with a thicker one to help the front end turn in and have always had the suspension geometry set up by GT One as "fast road", albeit still on the original shocks and springs - as mine is a cab, I didn't see there was much to be gained by going more aggressive on the suspension kit !

And, on the plus side, the 4 wheel drive (including diff lock) can be handy when you are out in "inclement" weather

I did the same thicker anti-roll bar mod on my old 964 C4 manual, made a subtle change to the handling but it still didn't fix the scary understeer at the limit...i.e. turn the wheel in a corner but the car just ploughs on in a straight line. Maybe I should have persisted with upgrading the original suspension & getting a proper geo, it sounds like that would have turned an ok car into a great one. at the time though i sold it and got a rwd 993 instead, no regrets. think the point is to reiterate what Steve says - they're only 'ok' from factory, you need to be set on some minorish mods to make them great.

[RT964]

n12maser said:

I did the same thicker anti-roll bar mod on my old 964 C4 manual, made a subtle change to the handling but it still didn't fix the scary understeer at the limit...i.e. turn the wheel in a corner but the car just ploughs on in a straight line. Maybe I should have persisted with upgrading the original suspension & getting a proper geo, it sounds like that would have turned an ok car into a great one. at the time though i sold it and got a rwd 993 instead, no regrets. think the point is to reiterate what Steve says - they're only 'ok' from factory, you need to be set on some minorish mods to make them great.

Yes, that understeer can catch you out to start with, but I found that upgrading the alloys to the Cup style and then the thicker anti-roll bar and fast road set up dialled most of it out, alongside driving it a bit slower in and then use the 4 wheel drive to push you out of the corner by getting on the power sooner. The good news is that most of these minor mods are easily done and don't cost a fortune.

[RT964]

Jay.. said:

Thanks for the reply - I love that colour!

I viewed this which I'm very trempted, I quite like the high mileage!

https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...

But it is a C4 and does ultimately have silly miles on it, even though it's had a bunch of money spent on it.


Would you be able to PM me pictures of the body work? And how much it cost? I guess it'll give me a better feel for how much I should budget too

Just tried to PM you, but got an error message saying you weren't allowing emails ?