[Rocco968]

Hi and thanks for approving me so far. I don't have a 968 but I did have a VW Scirocco years ago. I was a mk2 8V and I put the different exhaust manifold with the 4 into 2 pipes and a full 3 inch exhaust. 

 

Anyway I like the 8Vs better and wanted an 8V base 944 but there is a really lovely 968 about 4 hours from here and it is not prohibitively expensive. I gotta see what happens because the seller is a 22 year old kid and he can't get it started. He says it ran 2 months ago. I don't know how I would get it home yet either. It is a 1992 black tiptronic coupe. with about 120k mi. The kid doesn't really wanna sell it either but his mom is pushing him. The last receipt for a timing belt job was 20 years and 20k miles ago. I think it sat for a while and someone revived it not that long ago. 

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[94SilverCab]

Unless you are a Porsche certified mechanic, I would say RUN, don't walk, to get away from this deal.

 

There are decent 968s to be had for a reasonable price. Tiptronics are the least desirable, especially if they don't run and have no history.

 

JMHO YMMV,

 

Jay

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[ds968]

I completely agree with what Jay indicated. Good luck with the pursuit, I am confident you’ll find several, far better 968s ,from which to choose.

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[Waylander]

Only if your brave and it’s less than 6k, because it’s easy to spend 6-8k in the blink of an eye


And welcome

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[Roboman]

And if you run it on 20 yr old belts you could lose the engine in a heartbeat. But fortune favors the brave, so test it well before committing and then if you're happy take it home on a trailer. Good luck and welcome.

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[Karpo]

Always depending on the price. Normally you should spend your time and money in a more reliable 968 though.

In general great cars for sure but you cant compete spare parts to Volkswagen products.

I would go out to check different 968s, only the learn and to see differentes. Maybe some group member lives next to you and you see a car in great condition, too. And finally, I recommend to go out for drive, testing both gearboxes.


All the best and welcome. Great forum, a lot of helpful and inspiring posts you can find.

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[Rap]

Cheap will cost you more.

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[Rocco968]

Cheap will cost you more.

 

 

I am sure you're right and the other person who said that I should run away is right too BUT I put a deposit on the car. It was cheap. 

 

Someone found a mobile mechanic for me and they got it started. It has a miss on piston 1 and needs timing belt badly. It needs a lot of other stuff too but I said "why not?" People are dying all around and I might as well have a nice car. I have a good mechanic here that will help me get the car fixed up and hopefully it won't be THAT much. You only go around once and this is a dream car for me. It can be a little rough around the edges I don't care. The seller has to get a new title though and that might take a while considering everything is closed. Hopefully he doesn't sell it to someone else in the meantime but he seems like a decent sort. The power steering doesn't work either. I kind of realize what I am getting myself into and know this is a project that is gonna take a while. I might not even get it home for some time.  

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[Waylander]

I would not have risked starting the engine on 20 year old belts that could have been the end

 

a proper belt job with a new water pump will be around 2k, if it’s been standing for a very long time I would get the head gasket done at the same time this will possibly push the bill to 4-5k

 

i say these things as I have had to do exactly the same, along with new bouncy bits and fuel pipes and all sorts of other things

 

its taken me the best part of 5 years to do all this and I have spent 5k GBP, 7k$ with no labour charges 

 

keep in your mind that there is no such thing as a cheap Porsche

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[Rap]

You’re right you only go around once. Life is short. You are certainly old enough to make your own decisions. Go for it.

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[94SilverCab]

You don't say what you paid, but figure that you will be in for $20-$25K by the time you're done.

 

We're here if you need advice, support or if you need to let off steam

 

Jay

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[Rocco968]

Thanks for the replies and thanks for welcoming me to the forums.

 

 

The car was running and being driven a couple of months ago. That was probably stupid too but it looks like no harm done. I put a deposit and the price we agreed to is 6500. 25k is a lot but that is how it goes and it is gonna be spread over time. It doesn't have to be a show car anyway, just mechanically sound. There are not a lot of these cars out there. I read that we only got 2000 of them. It will be more fun and interesting than a new car and that's really the only other option. 

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[MCL968]

Don't forget the 968 registry, you can find out a lot about your car there.

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[Waylander]

6000 cars went to the USA

6000 to the rest of the world

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[Roboman]

Good luck "Sir Rocco" (?) you have a lot to do before starting that engine again. You will find pretty much all the info you need in the various forum/themes, and if you don't / are not sure, just post a question.  This is a mechanically / experience-wise safe space, no such thing as a "dumb question"....... am I going to get shouted at for saying that     ?

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[Rap]

Robo for those of us with intelligence we agree with you entirely. If you don’t know something a question isn’t stupid. Not asking a question on something you don’t know might be characterized differently!

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[968ts2]

I would like to add some words of encouragement, though I was a Porsche mechanic in college at a local dealer, welding, fabricating and body work let alone painting I thought were way too much for me, as well as building my own wiring harness for a stand alone EMS and tuning the car. I wish I could find a 968 coupe for 6500, Id build another after the wealth of skills acquired during this ownership. You can do what ever you want with the car given the proper information and effort. If you ever need a cheering section, message me and look forward to enjoying the car!

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[Rocco968]

Thank you thank you so much and I am feeling the love. I am not bashful about asking questions. I am not real hands on either. I am gonna take the car to my mechanic and let him do his thing. I can only hope that the kid doesn't try to start it again but with everything going on right now I am not gonna sweat it. It is probably a better idea to tow it up here than to get it roadworthy in Maryland and drive it up. 

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[Rocco968]

I talked to the person that sold it to the guy that I am getting it from. He told me that he got it from some guy that was a known dude on Rennlist. That guy was going to part it out originally but it was too nice to part out and he sold it whole instead. 

How long does it take to get a title in MD with a title from VA? Who knows when the DMVs are gonna open up again anyhoo? The seller has to get a new title for the sale. 

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[Rocco968]

So I towed the car directly to my mechanics on Friday. He had a look at it and offered to buy it from me for what I paid for it. It doesn't need much at all. The timing belt is good and looks like fresh rubber. I was expecting it to be cracked, dry and frayed but it is fine. The distributor cap and rotor are fresh and new. It needs a power steering pump and the high pressure hose after the pump. The huge assed air filter needs replacement and just plugs and oil. The doesn't even look dirty and the spark plug wires are good too and he is gonna check the transmission fluid. I should have driven the car home but who knew? It needs to be driven badly. Even the brakes are still good and the tires. You doomsday prophets were wrong and I am glad that I rolled the dice. The car is good mechanically and the paint is great. 

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