964 Search Continues - specialist in Birmingham
Discussion
Flippin' heck - not easy this Porsche buying.
Scouring of the Ph classifieds, autotrader and the rest has shown me that there are virtually no cars within a hundred miles of Leeds so I'm having to go further afield.
I have seen a tidy looking red RHD C2 up at £15k in the Birmingham area (Sutton Coldfield to be precise) and am thinking of making the drive over on Saturday). I'm keen to get any car that I end up buying inspected as I've got little previous experience of 911s. However, the distances involved and my chronic lack of free time mean that its going to be hard to drive to the car, check it myself, go home, arrange for someone who knows what their doing to go back with me, drive back to Birmingham etc etc as I run the risk of a decent car selling to someone less prudent than myself.
Soooo... does anyone know any specialists in the Birmingham area who would come out to check a car in situ? (seller has send inspections at his house only, not taking it to a garage - is this common?)
Scouring of the Ph classifieds, autotrader and the rest has shown me that there are virtually no cars within a hundred miles of Leeds so I'm having to go further afield.
I have seen a tidy looking red RHD C2 up at £15k in the Birmingham area (Sutton Coldfield to be precise) and am thinking of making the drive over on Saturday). I'm keen to get any car that I end up buying inspected as I've got little previous experience of 911s. However, the distances involved and my chronic lack of free time mean that its going to be hard to drive to the car, check it myself, go home, arrange for someone who knows what their doing to go back with me, drive back to Birmingham etc etc as I run the risk of a decent car selling to someone less prudent than myself.
Soooo... does anyone know any specialists in the Birmingham area who would come out to check a car in situ? (seller has send inspections at his house only, not taking it to a garage - is this common?)
PaulZR said:
Soooo... does anyone know any specialists in the Birmingham area who would come out to check a car in situ? (seller has send inspections at his house only, not taking it to a garage - is this common?)
Common enough. Why bend over backwards for someone who could be a timewaster? Techs will be able to sum up a car quite quickly anyway, even if they can't get it on a ramp - just don't expect the report to diagnose the state of the engine internals, but then what report does?
Find a brummie tech or independent and ask them to see it for you. Or Andy at Weltmeister (www.weltmeister.co.uk) may be able to travel to there from Silverstone?
PCT in Coventry are good but expensive. Alternatively, have you tried Peter Morgan? He came up to the Midlands to check a car over for me. I can't recommend anybody else from experience although there are several indpendants in the area.
Will the owner drive the car over to a garage for them to inspect the car at your cost? I would if I knew the buyer was serious.
pp
Will the owner drive the car over to a garage for them to inspect the car at your cost? I would if I knew the buyer was serious.
pp
Pickled Piper said:
Will the owner drive the car over to a garage for them to inspect the car at your cost? I would if I knew the buyer was serious.
pp
I thought that too, though having tried to flog stuff through the Autotrader I am also wary of timewasters. Car has had a new clutch and flywheel at 75k (now on 95k) which is encouraging but when asked about oil leaks I was told that it "drops a tiny bit after a run but they all do that sir and I don't want to spend getting it fixed". Would therefore be quite keen to see it on a ramp.
Stressful this business, particularly if you are naturally suspicious!
Proper inspection most certainly required, call me a cynic, but the only reason he doesn't want to "waste his time" taking it to a garage for a proper inspection is he knows the truth will out.
The previous comment Re PCT being expensive may well be true (I've only ever been on the receiving end of one of their inspections !) But my 964RS was "the best they'd seen" and "drove beautifully" in their words, so I wasn't worried !
How much do you call expensive when that £150 ?? (only a guess) inspection can save you the cost of a £2500 engine rebuild ?
It may well be only a leaking rocker cover gasket, but we all know it could just as likely be through bolts , cylinder base gaskets or head gaskets. Add shot valve guides into the mix and £150 (or say £300 with a leakdown test) begins to look like the best money invested in your new Porsche. all IMHO
There's a company that works in tandem with Shirleys of Meriden ....Porschetech ??? who maybe willing to carry out an inspection, again you'd be best off getting the car on a ramp for a proper look though.
If the owners proving inflexible over taking it to a garage, walk away and consider yourself lucky to have got away from being stitched up unscathed.
The previous comment Re PCT being expensive may well be true (I've only ever been on the receiving end of one of their inspections !) But my 964RS was "the best they'd seen" and "drove beautifully" in their words, so I wasn't worried !
How much do you call expensive when that £150 ?? (only a guess) inspection can save you the cost of a £2500 engine rebuild ?
It may well be only a leaking rocker cover gasket, but we all know it could just as likely be through bolts , cylinder base gaskets or head gaskets. Add shot valve guides into the mix and £150 (or say £300 with a leakdown test) begins to look like the best money invested in your new Porsche. all IMHO
There's a company that works in tandem with Shirleys of Meriden ....Porschetech ??? who maybe willing to carry out an inspection, again you'd be best off getting the car on a ramp for a proper look though.
If the owners proving inflexible over taking it to a garage, walk away and consider yourself lucky to have got away from being stitched up unscathed.
paul...if looking within 100 miles of leeds why not give jonny wishbone a try at specialist cars of malton? I can't recomend them too highly..always excelent service..a realy good bunch of guys...if he has nothing to suit I am sure he will be able to locate what you are after..good hunting !
I bought a 1986 carrera and checked it myself . History has shown i was a tool for doing this . It had full history serviced 2000 miles previously and drove it away.The engine lasted 5 miles.The bill was £6,230.There are not a lot of small bills with porsche engines when they go they go big style.However all the owners before me had no big bills and all the owners after me will not either!
>> Edited by shaunportlock on Thursday 1st June 20:10
>> Edited by shaunportlock on Thursday 1st June 20:10
I went through a similar thing myself when I bought my 964 3 years ago.
My advice is be patient, make sure you get the car checked (strasse did a good job there btw), walk away from anyone who objects to a ppi. looking under the car won't reveal leaks most of the time, as the engine has a cover underneath, upon which leaking oil hangs around. Drive as many as you can anyway. Enjoy !
My advice is be patient, make sure you get the car checked (strasse did a good job there btw), walk away from anyone who objects to a ppi. looking under the car won't reveal leaks most of the time, as the engine has a cover underneath, upon which leaking oil hangs around. Drive as many as you can anyway. Enjoy !
I agree with the above. Secondly, they don't all drip oil and if it does, there's a hundred reasons why and some are expensive, some not.
Here's a good one for sale: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1989-PORSCHE-91
The owner is a Rennlister and to quote a friend of mine "I know Doug and he is a well respected member of PCGB and the Titanic 964 group and the condition of his car easily justifies a top notch price."
Here's a good one for sale: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1989-PORSCHE-91
The owner is a Rennlister and to quote a friend of mine "I know Doug and he is a well respected member of PCGB and the Titanic 964 group and the condition of his car easily justifies a top notch price."
Edited by robmug on Friday 2nd June 13:54
verysideways said:
Proper inspection most certainly required, call me a cynic, but the only reason he doesn't want to "waste his time" taking it to a garage for a proper inspection is he knows the truth will out.
Agreed. Couldn't put it better myself so thought i'd quote slippydiff...
C'mon guys...
You're selling a car and some bloke says 'take it to xyz garage at your inconvenience and I may not buy the car anyway' and you'd jump?
Of course not.
Much better to agree a price for it with 'known/seen' faults. Take a deposit (refundable if it's a total dog). Then get it booked in. You can then either get the unforeseen work attended to at your cost or agree a new final price.
Easy
domster said:
C'mon guys...
You're selling a car and some bloke says 'take it to xyz garage at your inconvenience and I may not buy the car anyway' and you'd jump?
Of course not.
Much better to agree a price for it with 'known/seen' faults. Take a deposit (refundable if it's a total dog). Then get it booked in. You can then either get the unforeseen work attended to at your cost or agree a new final price.
Easy
Guess we're going to have to agree to disagree on that one Domster. Ever tried getting a deposit back off someone when they find their pride and joy needs a £3K engine build ?
I was asked to take my 993 RS to Ninemeister for an inspection (a thirty five minute journey) I had nothing to hide so I complied. The bloke bought the car as soon as he saw it and he was satisfied the inspection was ok.
The 964 RS I mentioned previously went for an inspection at PCT (that was a 25 minute journey away from me) I willingly complied.
It always begs the question, how badly do I want to sell my car ? Am I prepared to put myself out a bit? (or do I take the view that everyone out there is a time wasting muppet and I can't be arsed to improve my chances of securing a sale?)
My 993 RS sold within 6 days of being advertised, my 964 however took nearly 7 weeks to sell to one guy ! Numerous phone calls, viewing of documents, phonecalls to all the previous owners and everyone who had seviced the car (viewing the car meant travelling from Birmingham to Bicester as it was in storage !)
If someone told me they weren't prepared to take a car to a reputable garage that was within reasonable distance I'd rapidly move onto the next potential purchase.
Easier still
I have to agree. If a prospective buyer asked me to take a car to a garage for an inspection I would be happy to do so. The buyer is going to shell out £150 odd pounds for the garage fee and therefore clearly not a timewaster. It's quite different from entertaining a tyre kicker or test pilot.
pp
pp
I would have to agree it isn't easy finding a 964 in good condition, for sensible money with a desirable spec. And that doesn't surprise me. These cars are upto 17 years old, have been through a recession (remember them?) and battled with the perception of relative unreliabilty. Three years ago I went looking for a 964 C2 Coupe and gave up after looking at rubbish car after rubbish car in the 17K/18K/19K range. After a while I began to question spending 15-20K on a clapped out old car. I gave up and bought a brand new Honda S2000 instead. I found the depreciation on the S2000 was equivalent to enthusiast level maintenace on my old G50 3.2.
With regard to the 964 you are considering, as others have said, I think you need to find out why the owner isn't prepared to go to a garage for an inspection. If it's for "timewaster" related reasons then it is worth viewing the car yourself first off to see if it passes your assessment of a "Buy/No Buy". If you like what you see then try and win the person round to a garage inspection.
If they can't be arsed - give it a miss - it will be a waste of a Saturday afternoon looking at yet another clapped out old 911.
Two thoughts to leave you with:
1) Have you considered a more modern car?
2) Have you considered finacing a much newer 911 rather than purchasing an older one outright?
Option 2) is the route for my next 911 when I've got over the financial battering of raising small children!
Good luck with your hunting - I hope you do find a good one.
Ork
With regard to the 964 you are considering, as others have said, I think you need to find out why the owner isn't prepared to go to a garage for an inspection. If it's for "timewaster" related reasons then it is worth viewing the car yourself first off to see if it passes your assessment of a "Buy/No Buy". If you like what you see then try and win the person round to a garage inspection.
If they can't be arsed - give it a miss - it will be a waste of a Saturday afternoon looking at yet another clapped out old 911.
Two thoughts to leave you with:
1) Have you considered a more modern car?
2) Have you considered finacing a much newer 911 rather than purchasing an older one outright?
Option 2) is the route for my next 911 when I've got over the financial battering of raising small children!
Good luck with your hunting - I hope you do find a good one.
Ork
Cheers for the advice guys.
Took bogtrotter's recommendation and gave the Malton guys a ring. Turns out that tomorrow there is a Porsche show day / rally type affair at Harewood House, a stately home about 20 mins from my front door. Perfect timing really as hopefully it will give me the opportunity to see what some nice examples look like (a frame of reference, if you will) before going any further. Hence, no trip to Birmingham today!
It's quite easy to become discouraged on this kind of search and while I fully accept that I might be better off taking the company car route and getting a new MX5 or Golf GTI I know for a fact that I'd get bored of it after 6 months. I'm fortunate to have a decent amount of cash for the first time in a while so I'm determined to put it towards something a bit more interesting.
Patience is the key I suppose
Took bogtrotter's recommendation and gave the Malton guys a ring. Turns out that tomorrow there is a Porsche show day / rally type affair at Harewood House, a stately home about 20 mins from my front door. Perfect timing really as hopefully it will give me the opportunity to see what some nice examples look like (a frame of reference, if you will) before going any further. Hence, no trip to Birmingham today!
It's quite easy to become discouraged on this kind of search and while I fully accept that I might be better off taking the company car route and getting a new MX5 or Golf GTI I know for a fact that I'd get bored of it after 6 months. I'm fortunate to have a decent amount of cash for the first time in a while so I'm determined to put it towards something a bit more interesting.
Patience is the key I suppose
If you decide to go for a C4 I looked at a very very good one yesterday. In the end I decided to buy a C2 instead, but if it's a C4 you are after then have a look at the C4 Celebration for sale on pcgb.co.uk - the chap selling it was very helpful, and I'm confident the car would stand up to any inspection.
Gassing Station | Porsche General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff