[Nourdmrolnmt1]

not much experience with Porsche's in general (other than my GF's father dislikes them, and well, he does own a Pantera GT5-S).



im looking at 968's hopefully with LSD and 6 spd preferred.



daily driver, including winter (snows on it). looking at the low end of the pricing spectrum however, and wondering what i should look for specifically.



i know to look at them for all maintenence records, get a PPI done.



other than that, what issues should i watch out for and avoid?

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[Etnier]

[quote name='Nourdmrolnmt1' date='May 4 2006, 04:04 PM']other than that, what issues should i watch out for and avoid?[/quote]



Failing to anticipate that you might be asking the single most common question to appear in 968 forums, and thus to search the forums appropriately before asking that question yet again.



Very best wishes and good luck to you: I'm sure others will add things here as they see fit.

<img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/smile.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[Nourdmrolnmt1]

[quote name='Etnier' date='May 4 2006, 06:03 PM']Failing to anticipate that you might be asking the single most common question to appear in 968 forums, and thus to search the forums appropriately before asking that question yet again.



Very best wishes and good luck to you: I'm sure others will add things here as they see fit.

<img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/smile.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

[right][post="20457"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post][/right][/quote]





my reading has brought me across.



Tranny issues in 92's.

Timing Chain (iirc) replacement

rear hatch seal

is cracked dashes a problem on these models?

cant think off the top of my head of much else

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[jww968]

Transmission pinion bearing issues have affected a number of these cars in all model years. My 1994 had the bearings redone at about 45k miles. These cars use a timing belt. The engines are interference type, meaning the valves will impact the pistons if the timing is not perfect. Replacing the timing belt periodically is cheap insurance. I do mine every 30k miles or every 3 years, but others use longer periods. The rear hatch seal is an age issue and depending on if the car has been garaged, may not be a problem. There have also been issues with the rear hatch glass delaminating from the frame. Possible causes are slamming the hatch closed and age. Cracked dashes do not seem to be as prevalent with these cars as they are on the 944. The covering has a heavier grain and may be more durable - or it may just be that age hasn't caught up with them yet. Prices are much higher for the 968 and I suspect that many of them are garaged - which definitely helps with the dash issues. The variocam chain, sprockets and tensioner pads should be checked for cars with 60k miles or more. Check the car thoroughly for electrical issues. Corrosion on grounds, switches and connectors can cause a variety of problems. Keep in mind that you have asked for potential problems, so don't overlook the positives. These cars require care, but the return is a beautiful car that offers world class performance even when compared to the latest offerings.

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[jeffm40]

Very well stated, jww968! I think we are all in agreement that this is one very fun car to drive and own!

Good luck and welcome!

Jeff

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[TheMirror]

Very good synopsis by jww968.

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[ether_joe]

welcome!



I almost bought a 95 before PPI determined that it had the tranny-pinion bearing issue. I now have a 92 with 80K and no issues so far.



Great car! keep us posted on your progress! Any cars you get serious about, post and we'll give you feedback, it's not uncommon for those who are close by to give a quick looksee.



<img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/smile.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



Where are you located?

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[Nourdmrolnmt1]

[quote name='ether_joe' date='May 5 2006, 12:21 PM']welcome!



I almost bought a 95 before PPI determined that it had the tranny-pinion bearing issue. I now have a 92 with 80K and no issues so far.



Great car! keep us posted on your progress! Any cars you get serious about, post and we'll give you feedback, it's not uncommon for those who are close by to give a quick looksee.



<img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/smile.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



Where are you located?

[right][post="20491"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post][/right][/quote]





I'm located where there are NO 968's <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/wink.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> lol.



Im located in Cleveland, Ohio (area).



and yes, i asked for problems, i know the advantages.



and this will be a daily, including snow, so i will need snows at some point

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[ether_joe]

[quote name='Nourdmrolnmt1' date='May 5 2006, 10:46 AM']I'm located where there are NO 968's <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/wink.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> lol.



Im located in Cleveland, Ohio (area).



and yes, i asked for problems, i know the advantages.



and this will be a daily, including snow, so i will need snows at some point

[right][post="20498"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post][/right][/quote]



plenty of people in europe and in the US in the snow. Have you seen the pics of the 944 snowplow? <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/laugh.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



be patient, since there were only 4600 cars brought to the US it can take a little while to find your car.



will you be working on the car yourself or using a mechanic? If the latter you will want to locate a good one, your local PCA chapter can probably help with that.



Have faith - Flash in LA found his *extremely* droolworthy car in the midwest somewhere - so they're out there! Maybe under your nose!

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[Nourdmrolnmt1]

[quote name='ether_joe' date='May 5 2006, 01:55 PM']plenty of people in europe and in the US in the snow. Have you seen the pics of the 944 snowplow?  <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/laugh.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



be patient, since there were only 4600 cars brought to the US it can take a little while to find your car.



will you be working on the car yourself or using a mechanic? If the latter you will want to locate a good one, your local PCA chapter can probably help with that.



Have faith - Flash in LA found his *extremely* droolworthy car in the midwest somewhere - so they're out there! Maybe under your nose!

[right][post="20499"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post][/right][/quote]





yes ive seen that pic.



i also am willing to travel, as spending $110 on a plane ticket, and then driving home can only be more fun <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/biggrin.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> (especially if i take a friend who has no idea what type of car were going to buy <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/wink.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />)



also, i can wrench on it myself unless its something i have no clue how to do, but Haynes(or whatever other manual Porsche's use) manual is the second thing i get, after insurance <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/biggrin.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



however, i will locate one. im assuming there has to be one around my area, i know theres a German car shoppe right near a sweedish shop

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[ether_joe]

heh, the snowplow is funny.



Keep us posted on your progress!



<img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/smile.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> Sean

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[flash]

yup - i got lucky all around and had a great experience



it was in cleveland - found it on ebay - 22k on it - wired the money and bought it sight unseen for $28.5k 2 years ago - from somebody i didn't know too



no regrets



keep looking - the right one for you will show up - there are a lot of cars out there

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[Nenehubert]

[quote name='flash' date='May 6 2006, 06:27 PM']yup - i got lucky all around and had a great experience



it was in cleveland - found it on ebay - 22k on it - wired the money and bought it sight unseen for $28.5k 2 years ago - from somebody i didn't know too



no regrets



keep looking - the right one for you will show up - there are a lot of cars out there

[right][post="20570"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post][/right][/quote]



This means that Flash has bigger "Huevos" and I. I like to know the people, and car, i wire money to.

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[Nourdmrolnmt1]

[quote name='Nenehubert' date='May 6 2006, 09:50 PM']This means that Flash has bigger "Huevos" and I. I like to know the people, and car, i wire money to.

[right][post="20574"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post][/right][/quote]





the way id do it, is have the owner take iit for a ppi, then if it passes that, send a person i know knows enough about cars, and cares enough (forums are great for this) ask him to test drive it, and look the car over and what not.



then if it gets his okay, wire a deposit, carry the rest with me as i fly, or drive there.



check it over myself, and as long as it is horribly under my expectatins, give him the rest of my cash <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/biggrin.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[flash]

i'm sure it isn't the norm - my previous owner was just a great guy



generally though, i don't trust a ppi done by the owner any more or differently than the owner's word - i presume that anybody the owner would go to is in cahoots, or a friend, and would be the same result - besides, i can do pretty much the same thing by getting specific photos (like a shot of the lower control arm bushings, and exhaust manifold nuts)



it's pretty much a gut thing for me - i trust my instincts and jump in all the way - hasn't let me down yet, and i've owned over 40 cars, though i've only bought a handful sight unseen, and this was the first one of which i had far more demanding expectations - all the others were cars i fully expected major issues with - i had a great synergy with the last owner, and everything worked out



my best recommendation is to try to get close to the previous owner enough to get them talking about the car - who knows? you might make a new friend out of it to boot

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[Nourdmrolnmt1]

[quote name='flash' date='May 7 2006, 03:41 PM']i'm sure it isn't the norm - my previous owner was just a great guy



generally though, i don't trust a ppi done by the owner any more or differently than the owner's word - i presume that anybody the owner would go to is in cahoots, or a friend, and would be the same result - besides, i can do pretty much the same thing by getting specific photos (like a shot of the lower control arm bushings, and exhaust manifold nuts)



it's pretty much a gut thing for me - i trust my instincts and jump in all the way - hasn't let me down yet, and i've owned over 40 cars, though i've only bought a handful sight unseen, and this was the first one of which i had far more demanding expectations - all the others were cars i fully expected major issues with - i had a great synergy with the last owner, and everything worked out



my best recommendation is to try to get close to the previous owner enough to get them talking about the car - who knows?  you might make a new friend out of it to boot

[right][post="20597"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post][/right][/quote]





i would locate a porsche mechanic myself in the area of him, and make sure ppl on here and other sites agree as it being a good mech. and what not.

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[flash]

that sounds pretty logical - when you find a car, give folks here a shout - very likely to know one

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[Renalicious]

One peice of advice I can offer to a new 968 owner is make sure all your wheel bolts are positioned correctly, with the long / lockable one being opposite of the the tire air fill up nub thingy (yeah, the real name of that thing escapes me at the moment). It'll make your high speed runs a LOT smoother.

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[ron1688]

I too bought my car unseen on Ebay. It had a little over 16k on it and paid $23k. Flew to Salt Lake the day after the auction and drove it back home... So it does work out some of the time... Have faith and good luck

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[Nenehubert]

Hey, i bought my car unseen, also. But, we all know what happened on the way home <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/dry.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> . I will never regret this purchase, and no matter how much work/money i put into this car, I still love it. Best of luck to you and your endeavors.



Paper due in 6 hours.... Finals... sigh <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/dry.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> . PROCRASTINATION makes my world go round!

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