Buying tips for 964 C4
Discussion
andy964 said:
Hello Folks
Looking to buy a 964 C4. I have around £15000/£16000 to spend. Any useful tips, things to look out for etc would be a great help. This will be the first time i will have owned a porsche so the more info the better.
Cheers Andy
Looking to buy a 964 C4. I have around £15000/£16000 to spend. Any useful tips, things to look out for etc would be a great help. This will be the first time i will have owned a porsche so the more info the better.
Cheers Andy
Start off with www.porsche964.co.uk/ and by doing a search on this forum.
Then join the PCGB
www.porscheclubgb.com and then you can use the club forum and pick some brains there.
Hello all,
My first post but have been lurking for a while.
I have 964 C2 and what a great joy it is.
I'd have the following advice to give to anyone thinking of getting into 964 ownership as a "new boy" to the club.
1. You are doing the right thing, it is a fabulous car and you will smile every time you open the garage door.
2. Check out the service history, having all the stamps by a porsche main dealer or respected independent and the right services having been done (48K service, fluids changed at the right time etc) is a must.
3. Perhaps more importantly look at the detailed service history. You'll be looking to buy your car from someone who has looked after it not just owned it. Take a look at the bills that the owner has collected. You should see a folder with the receipts and breakdown of the work done. If they ahven't collected these then they don't know what they are about and walk away. Look for clutch, shocks, brakes and the holy grail of 964 ownership top end / full engine rebuild. If you can't see clutch / brakes / shocks having been done in the last three years think about walking away. There are plenty of 964s that are well looked after.
An engine rebuild isn't a must have but it's more than likely that the old girl will leak a bit of oil at this stage if she hasn't had one. Not a real concern unless it's pishing out, I go through half a pint or so every 1,500 miles, I'll rebuild the engine when the wife's not looking but it will be fine without.
4. Consider having it looked at by an Independent garage, they'll give it the once over and give you a job list, can be a sobering experience if you haven't had it done before you drop the cash.
5. Once you've bought the car, if it hasn't had it done already modify the airbox to open face or just drill the thing out (the rennlish forum has this mod somewhere) the aready stonking noise just gets better.
6. Take your time in buying but do buy one.
Good luck
My first post but have been lurking for a while.
I have 964 C2 and what a great joy it is.
I'd have the following advice to give to anyone thinking of getting into 964 ownership as a "new boy" to the club.
1. You are doing the right thing, it is a fabulous car and you will smile every time you open the garage door.
2. Check out the service history, having all the stamps by a porsche main dealer or respected independent and the right services having been done (48K service, fluids changed at the right time etc) is a must.
3. Perhaps more importantly look at the detailed service history. You'll be looking to buy your car from someone who has looked after it not just owned it. Take a look at the bills that the owner has collected. You should see a folder with the receipts and breakdown of the work done. If they ahven't collected these then they don't know what they are about and walk away. Look for clutch, shocks, brakes and the holy grail of 964 ownership top end / full engine rebuild. If you can't see clutch / brakes / shocks having been done in the last three years think about walking away. There are plenty of 964s that are well looked after.
An engine rebuild isn't a must have but it's more than likely that the old girl will leak a bit of oil at this stage if she hasn't had one. Not a real concern unless it's pishing out, I go through half a pint or so every 1,500 miles, I'll rebuild the engine when the wife's not looking but it will be fine without.
4. Consider having it looked at by an Independent garage, they'll give it the once over and give you a job list, can be a sobering experience if you haven't had it done before you drop the cash.
5. Once you've bought the car, if it hasn't had it done already modify the airbox to open face or just drill the thing out (the rennlish forum has this mod somewhere) the aready stonking noise just gets better.
6. Take your time in buying but do buy one.
Good luck
964 is obviously the model of choice for lurkers and newbies and I'm another one..my first post as I entered Porsche ownership for the first time last Saturday with a 964C4
...agree with 1231 on points. The forums are great and there is plenty of useful advice (maybe too much sometimes)...both positive and negative on each of the models. History is King but at the end of the day, it comes down to understanding what you REALLY want. What do you expect from a 15 yr ish car? What car are you driving at the moment? If you like the 'security' (ha ha) of a modern warranty and all the blandness that goes with it, then maybe walk away from 964. But if you want to fall in love with driving again, are happy to live with the personality traits and quirks that a 964 will doubtless have and you are happy to irritate friends and family with a permanently inane grin, then it might just be for you. Is it the best 911? Not really the issue...try it and if you love it, then buy it. You can always upgrade in the future...I know I will when my wife's not looking.
For where to buy, you can try www.911virgin.com in Uxbridge. Henry is well known in the forum. Lots of posts in PH covering them but in my experience, they made first time ownership and the buying process a pleasure. There are no guarantees in life of course, but it really helped me to talk to enthusiasts about the pitfalls and watch outs before making a decision. Of course they are keen to sell cars but that's not a crime and as a newbie, it can look like a pretty daunting task to try and find a good one through the private channel...
Best of luck
...agree with 1231 on points. The forums are great and there is plenty of useful advice (maybe too much sometimes)...both positive and negative on each of the models. History is King but at the end of the day, it comes down to understanding what you REALLY want. What do you expect from a 15 yr ish car? What car are you driving at the moment? If you like the 'security' (ha ha) of a modern warranty and all the blandness that goes with it, then maybe walk away from 964. But if you want to fall in love with driving again, are happy to live with the personality traits and quirks that a 964 will doubtless have and you are happy to irritate friends and family with a permanently inane grin, then it might just be for you. Is it the best 911? Not really the issue...try it and if you love it, then buy it. You can always upgrade in the future...I know I will when my wife's not looking.
For where to buy, you can try www.911virgin.com in Uxbridge. Henry is well known in the forum. Lots of posts in PH covering them but in my experience, they made first time ownership and the buying process a pleasure. There are no guarantees in life of course, but it really helped me to talk to enthusiasts about the pitfalls and watch outs before making a decision. Of course they are keen to sell cars but that's not a crime and as a newbie, it can look like a pretty daunting task to try and find a good one through the private channel...
Best of luck
Henry knows his porkers all right just don't look into his eyes when he's talking to you.
He'll tell you to buy on condition not mileage - which is fair enough you've just got to make sure that the "condition" of the car overcomes the 90 - 120 thousand miles on the clock........
Take a good hard look at the service record and at the detailed bills history, if it's not been looked after it will need a lot of dough (thousands) spent on it to put it right.
Another thing that I forgot to mention is the running costs.
I've spent on average circa 1,500 a year on mine to keep it nice (clutch / shocks / brakes / tyres / servicing etc. What you lose on the running costs you win on depreciation, (I think I've lost circa 500 to 1,000 a year). It's still the cheapest car I've ran in terms of combined depreciation + running costs.
I'd think about the C2 as well, you need to try really hard to get the back end stepping out, really hard.
He'll tell you to buy on condition not mileage - which is fair enough you've just got to make sure that the "condition" of the car overcomes the 90 - 120 thousand miles on the clock........
Take a good hard look at the service record and at the detailed bills history, if it's not been looked after it will need a lot of dough (thousands) spent on it to put it right.
Another thing that I forgot to mention is the running costs.
I've spent on average circa 1,500 a year on mine to keep it nice (clutch / shocks / brakes / tyres / servicing etc. What you lose on the running costs you win on depreciation, (I think I've lost circa 500 to 1,000 a year). It's still the cheapest car I've ran in terms of combined depreciation + running costs.
I'd think about the C2 as well, you need to try really hard to get the back end stepping out, really hard.
epoch911 said:
For where to buy, you can try www.911virgin.com in Uxbridge. Henry is well known in the forum. Lots of posts in PH covering them but in my experience, they made first time ownership and the buying process a pleasure. There are no guarantees in life of course, but it really helped me to talk to enthusiasts about the pitfalls and watch outs before making a decision. Of course they are keen to sell cars but that's not a crime and as a newbie, it can look like a pretty daunting task to try and find a good one through the private channel...
Best of luck
Read this and thought I would reply. Even though mine is a 968, it was a 911virgin car. I paid top money for it, but it was the best one I had seen (and I saw lots). Both independents I had look at the car (pre sale and subsequently, when I had extra security fitted) sadi that the car was an absolute peach. Only spend since has been routine preventative maintenance and petrol (touch wood). 911virgin made buying it an easy and pleasurable experience (unlike some other Porsche specialists who I won’t mention here).
Recommended. If they ever get a reasonably priced 993 rhd manual convertible in black onto the stocklist, I will be back down to their Uxbridge HQ sharpish.
Harry.
Having just sold my '89 C4 964, I have experienced what buyers are looking for...
£15k should get you a corker - particularly as prices seem to have slipped over the last year or so
in terms of C4 watch out for the PDAS as this can be a bitch to fix if summat goes wrong (doesn't often)
I sold mine for just shy of £11k - 'twas a left hooker, but had had a recent rebuild and had been VERY well looked after by all the owners (somewhere in the region of £25k of invoices with the car)
they can handle very differently due to set-up and, again, for a fifteen odd year old car lots of bits could have been done over the years
Fundamentally very solid car and built to last - but as a previous poster has highlighted - engine rebuilds are very expensive and can quickly make a low entry cost 911 into a costly proposion indeed.
Check my profile for the costs over the course of a couple of years....
Rennlist 964 forum will be a goldmine - there is a meet this weekend in Surrey if you want to see a load in the same place.
£15k should get you a corker - particularly as prices seem to have slipped over the last year or so
in terms of C4 watch out for the PDAS as this can be a bitch to fix if summat goes wrong (doesn't often)
I sold mine for just shy of £11k - 'twas a left hooker, but had had a recent rebuild and had been VERY well looked after by all the owners (somewhere in the region of £25k of invoices with the car)
they can handle very differently due to set-up and, again, for a fifteen odd year old car lots of bits could have been done over the years
Fundamentally very solid car and built to last - but as a previous poster has highlighted - engine rebuilds are very expensive and can quickly make a low entry cost 911 into a costly proposion indeed.
Check my profile for the costs over the course of a couple of years....
Rennlist 964 forum will be a goldmine - there is a meet this weekend in Surrey if you want to see a load in the same place.
Hi
if you are willing to live with left hooker check out
www.gtclassics.com, based in Andover. Does really good cars, might push your budget
as they bring in very low milages cars.
Hamish
if you are willing to live with left hooker check out
www.gtclassics.com, based in Andover. Does really good cars, might push your budget
as they bring in very low milages cars.
Hamish
Hi, having owned 2 boxters a 2.5 and a 3.2s I can tell you that the 964 p***es all over them. The quality of finish would put most cars to shame now nevermind 15 years ago. Quicker than the 3.2s even if you have to work it a bit harder(taller gearing). Purchased from 911 virgin a few days ago and throughly recommend them if you want an honest straight forward approach, If not go to Mr shiny shoes and suit who will tell you anything to sell the car.
P.S. dont worry about the c4 you really would have to give a c2 some to get it to step out of line.
P.S. dont worry about the c4 you really would have to give a c2 some to get it to step out of line.
Sold my 964c2 manual about 2 months ago and got a993 c2 but that 964 was fantastic at making the old ticker beat so fast it felt like it was comming out of my chest A great entry into the 911 world,
Drive a few and check out Johns 964 site for plenty of info ,sorry i dont know the address ,find through google
Drive a few and check out Johns 964 site for plenty of info ,sorry i dont know the address ,find through google
hamishbeattie said:
Hi
if you are willing to live with left hooker check out
www.gtclassics.com, based in Andover. Does really good cars, might push your budget
as they bring in very low milages cars.
Hamish
if you are willing to live with left hooker check out
www.gtclassics.com, based in Andover. Does really good cars, might push your budget
as they bring in very low milages cars.
Hamish
IMHO the left hooker
is very worth considering, much improved driving position, a couple of thousand cheaper and if you're very lucky the wife will refuse to drive it !! Would have another LHD in a flashclinchy said:
Drive a few and check out Johns 964 site for plenty of info ,sorry i dont know the address ,find through google
John's site is here. You might like to join the Yahoo Group too. It's here where you'll find a wealth of 964 experience from across the World. Rennlist is also very good here.
Refards
Dave
PS If you're interested in the weekend 964 meet it's at the Worcester Park pub (in Worcester Park) at around 10:30 to 11:00 on Sunday morning. There promises to be a good number of 964s there.
Edited by computamedic on Friday 24th November 08:30
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