17 replies to this topic

[SMuCK007]

1994 Porsche 968 Coupe ¡V Midnight Blue Metallic / Tan
Vin # WP0AA2968RS820137
64737 Miles
I am the 4th Owner
The car is located in Marlboro, New Jersey (Central New Jersey)

First and Second Owner combined miles: ~ 20000 Miles
Third Owner drove car to ~ 45000 Miles
The current mileage is 64737 Miles

I will be attending the UVM College of Medicine starting August 2006 and have decided that it is time for me to sell the 968. At this point in my life, this move makes financial sense (the added maintenance, gas and insurance costs on top of my tuition is too much for me). This move also makes common sense ¡V I will not have the time to drive this car in M.S. nor do I wish to subject the car to snowy Vermont winters that begin in October. So I am reluctantly putting this car up for sale.

The car was purchased on 4/1/2002. During my first year of ownership, the 968 served as garage queen and was gently driven just over 2000 miles. Major work was done in April of 2003 at Ray Catena Porsche in Edison, New Jersey (see below) to fix an oil leak, change the clutch, perform a 60000 mile service, replace the belts, and change fluids. I drove the car approximately 5000 miles a year for the next two years following that, doing the maintenance oil changes myself. I also added a variety of removable modifications onto the car during this period (see below). Over the past year I have driven the car almost 7000 miles. I had the car extensively serviced by PowerTech in Rockaway, New Jersey. In September of 2005 I had the car checked by PowerTech (belts & fluids) before I made the trip up to Vermont for my medical school interview. In February of 2006 I had the car brought back to PowerTech to fix another major oil leak that have developed, install larger M030 sway bars and a Brey-Krause Underbelly Crossbrace. The car was brought back to PowerTech in April of 2006 for recall work ¡V the engine was leaking oil again from the newly replaced seals. The balance shaft belt was also replaced at this time and retensioned 2000 miles later. The car no longer leaks a drop of oil.

Over the past month I have installed a new Diehard International group 48 Battery and an adjustable 14.4V voltage regulator. I also have a brand new 30 lb Optima G35 Reverse Terminal battery.

During the past year I have used this car as a highway driver mainly to hustle between Marlboro, NJ ¡V New York, NY ¡V Burlington, VT ¡V Washington, DC ¡V Hershey, PA. The car has made these trips without any incidents and I would not hesitate to drive this car across the country (I am/was actually thinking about doing this as a last hurrah before school). I have also used this car in a variety of autocross events as my scuffed up fiberglass front splitter can prove.

I am a firm believer in driving the 968 rather than letting it sit in a garage. However, I am also a believer in keeping up-to-date with maintenance to keep the car in top shape. The car is scheduled to visit PowerTech in July to check belts, fluids, and the suspension components.

I have been a member of Porsche Club of America ¡V Northern New Jersey Region since purchasing the car four years ago.

More photos will be posted and updated at the following website:
http://smg.photobuck...007/porsche968/

My asking price is $22.5k negotiable. Feel free to contact me via email at Chris.Chih.Lin@gmail.com .

_______________________________________
Option Codes

CO2 ¡V Equipped with Catalytic Converter
XC9 ¡V Dark Rootwood Gear Shift Knob
XD4 ¡V Porsche Crest Rim Caps
331 ¡V AM/FM Cassette with 2/Door Speakers
454 ¡V Automatic Speed Control (Cruise Control)
490 ¡V HiFi Sound System (10 Speaker Option, On each side: 1 Tweeter, 2 door speakers, 2 Rear Panel Speakers, 1 AMP under each seat)
650 - Sunroof
718 ¡V Program Vin Change (Car built later in 1993 production year and bumped up to next 1994 model year)
09991 ¡V Manufacture from the Exclusive-Programme
L37W LC ¡V Midnight Blue Metallic Clearcoat with Beige Interior
OEM Porsche black floor mats with red letters included
Early 944 Style Seats (not later 993 Style Seats)


_______________________________________________
Service / Modifications Performed under my Ownership
RED for OEM additions, Blue for aftermarket additions


4/1/02 ¡V Purchased ¡V 45380 miles ¡V 4th Owner
„X Installed Tech Art Cat-Back Exhaust (OEM Available)
„X Installed Alpine 5-CD Changer in Glove box Compartment (OEM Version)
„X Self-Oil Change
„X Passed State Inspection Tests


4/24/03 - Ray Catena Porsche 60000 Mile Service ¡V 47593 Miles - $5525.29
„X New OEM Front & Rear Brake Pads
„X New OEM Front & Rear Brake Discs
„X Brake Fluid Flush and New Porsche Brake Fluid
„X Coolant Flush and Replacement
„X New Valve Cover Gaskets
„X New Front Engine Seals
„X New Oil Filter Seals
„X New Clutch Disc, Pressure Plate, Release Bearing
„X New Fuel Filter
„X New Timing Belt
„X New Oil Filter
„X New Air Filter
„X New OEM Spark Plugs
„X New Gear Oil
„X New Washer Fluid
„X New Wiper Blades
„X New Pollen Air Filters
„X New Brake Cable Holds


2004-2005 Self-Maintenance
„X Mobil1 Oil and Mahle Oil Filter self-changed every 3000 miles with 15W50
„X Added Porsche OEM ROW Front Turn Signals (USA OEM turn signals and front bumpers available) $90.00
„X Added Rennline Aluminum 3-Pedal and Dead Pedal set (removable) $150.00
„X Added Fiberglass 968 Turbo Front Splitter $350.00 ($550 Porsche Motorsport Polyutherane Splitter Available)
„X Added KLA Industries Strut Brace 50000 miles (removable) $150.00
„X Replaced OEM 968 DME Fuel-Pump Relay with 993 DME Fuel-Pump Relay ¡V (OEM Spare Available) $15.00
„X Added 2002 Porsche 18¡¨ 996 5-Spoke Silver-Painted Wheels with Pirelli Pzero Rosso Tires (225/40, 285/35) with OEM Colored Crests at 53000 miles $3300.00
„X Added proMAX 7100 RPM Chip at 53000 miles (OEM Chip Available) $150.00
„X Added 993 OEM Twin Turbo ¡§Big Red¡¨ Front Brake Calipers, 993TT OEM Cross Drilled Rotors, 993 TT OEM Brake Pads at 55000 Miles (OEM rotors, calipers available) $1400.00
„X Added Zimmerman Cross Drilled Rear Rotors at 55000 Miles $120.00
„X Added 944Racing Short Shifter Linkage Kit at 55000 Miles (OEM Available) $150.00
„X Added NGK Iridium IX Spark Plugs at 56000 Miles (4 Extra Available)
„X Professionally detailed by Erich Lipinski to recondition paintwork. 3/2005 $500.00

9/2005 ¡V PowerTech Road Inspection
„X Belts and Fluids Checked, replaced, and/or re-tensioned accordingly
„X OEM Porsche 928 Front/Rear Brake Bias Valve installed to accommodate larger front calipers (OEM available)

2/22/06 PowerTech Service (Oil Leaks) ¡V 58626 Miles - $3146.27
„X Added Porsche OEM M030 Front and Rear Sway Bars (rear set at full stiff) with new brushings
„X Added KLA Industries Front Sway Bar Bracket Supports
„X Added Brey Krause Underbelly Cross Brace between Control Arms
„X Flushed and Replaced Coolant
„X Power Steering pump resealed
„X New Oil Cooler Gaskets
„X New Mobil1 15w50 Oil
„X Power-steering Fluid Flush and Bleed
„X Four-wheel Suspension Alignment

4/14/06 PowerTech Service (Recall Oil Leaks Again) ¡V 60740 Miles ¡V Recall Work
„X Previously installed seals leaking again
„X Entire car was resealed again.
„X New Mobil1 15w50 Oil
„X Replaced Balance Shaft Belt

Balance Shaft Belt was retensioned at 63000 Miles - $100

06/2006 - 64000 Miles
„X Passed State Inspection Tests
„X Added New Diehard Group 48 Battery $100.00 ($130.00 Optima Group 35 Battery Available)
„X Cleaned Battery Cable Grounds, Front Headlight Grounds and Rear Engine Compartment Grounds
„X Added new 14.4 Adjustable Voltage Regulator (12.7V at battery, 13.7V at battery at idle)
„X Flushed Brake Fluid with ATE Blue and bled all calipers.

5w30 Oil Change Imminent

I also have 4 extra Mahle Oil Filters, OEM Porsche 968 Car Cover and Bag, Extra Alternator/Air Conditioning Belt. The car comes with all manuals, tool kit, spare tire, and Porsche Air compressor. I also have the Iceshark (Dan Wray) Headlight Harness Kit that will give the 968 a HID look ($250.00).

Please see the following links on IceShark¡¦s headlight harness kit:
http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforums/showthread.php?t=134230
http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforums/showthread.php?t=171946&referrerid=18107

______________________________________-
Exterior Condition

The midnight blue metallic paintwork is in very good condition. There is no evidence of repaint anywhere. I had the professional detailer Erich Lipinski clay-compound-polish-wax last year to remove the swirls and give the paint a deep wet look. I just spent six hours detailing the car (6/22/06) by using Griot¡¦s Garage Clay & Speedshine to remove any contaminants in the paint, 3M HandGlaze to fill the minor paint swirls from everyday usage and add a wet look, P21S Gloss Enhancer to give the paint a deeper shine, and P21S Wax to seal the whole look. (Every since I observed Mr. Lipinski work on my car, detailing has become a side hobby of mine). The car¡¦s paint is smooth as a baby¡¦s bottom now.

The side sills underneath the doors are pitted with rock chips from normal driving usage. They look good from a distance and OK up close ¡V they can be repainted or left alone. There are numerous rock chips up on the front bumper cover and lower hood ¡V again, it looks good from a distance and OK up close ¡V they can also be repainted or left alone.

It appears the previous owner bumped into something both at the front and rear of the car. The paint on the upper front bumper cover has very light spider marks at the point of impact. The driver-side rear bumper cover has similar spider marks. The bumper covers themselves ARE NOT cracked or broken. If you¡¦re looking to fix this, Mr. Lipinski suggested to wet-sanding the afflicted areas and repaint over. They are not that noticeable so I have left them alone.

The fiberglass front splitter has paint-cracks, scrapes, and chips all over it. I personally like the rugged-look but understand that others may not. Thus, I am including an unpainted OEM Porsche Motorsport Polyutherane Turbo splitter ($550 part).

There is a major ding on the driver-side rear quarter panel from the past owner. There are also a couple of dings on the passenger-side door.

The rear tires look like they have another 3000-5000 miles left on them, depending on driving style. The front tires appear to have a good amount of tread left. I highly recommend with sticking with the Pirelli PZero Rosso System. Tire sizes front and rear are 225/40 and 285/35, respectively. You MAY be able to fit 235/40 up front to compensate for the inherent understeer in this tire arrangement, or you can reduce the fat rear tire sizes (but then you¡¦ll lose the cool-look factor ƒº ). I purchased these tire/wheels brand new from Brandywine Porsche in Pennsylvania.

The wheels are near perfect. There is a minor scrape on the front-passenger-side wheel. The front and rear dimensions are 8x18 ET50 and 10x18 ET65. The whole wheel/tire combination fits fine with no rubbing issues.

There are no chips on the front red calipers.



__________________________________________
Interior Condition

Because this 968 was produced in late 1993 production year and sold as a 1994 model, the interior seats are the 944 style rather than the later 993 style. The seats are 4-way adjustable.

The partial-leather driver-side seat has some outer-bolster wear but no rips or tears. The passenger-side seat is perfect. I regularly apply Lexol Leather cleaner and conditioner on both seats. The vinyl seat-backing is in excellent condition with no tears or scuff marks. The vinyl rear seats are perfect and fold down with no problems. I clean the vinyl areas with Meguiar¡¦s Heavy-Duty Vinyl Cleaner and finish it off with Lexol¡¦s Vinyl Conditioner.

The OEM black front& rear floor mats are in excellent condition. The driver-side floor mat is a little worn due to normal usage. The beige carpets underneath the mats are perfect with no stains. The carpet around the console is also clean with no stains.

The cassette cover is present and works fine. The leather around the gear shifter is a little worn but is not ripped. The rootwood shifter is in excellent condition but the upper insert is showing a little wear. I do have an aluminum 996 shifter with an adapted leather boot that can be installed (included).

The dash is in excellent condition with NO CRACKS. I also clean and condition the vinyl with Meguiars and Lexol. The door and upper roof panel areas are in excellent condition. The sun visors work perfectly.

The carpet in the rear hatch area is perfect with no rips or stains. However, the black cargo cover is slightly stained (I¡¦ve tried everything to get it off but it won¡¦t get off).

One issue that this car has is with the glovebox hinges. Essentially, they don¡¦t exist. The cheap wires Porsche used to hold up the glovebox cover appear to have snapped. The cover swings all the way down now. This seems to be a common problem with the 944/968 model line, but it is an easy fix with the kit provided by www.Paragon-Products.com

__________________________________
Electronics

All the electronics in the car work perfectly. The exceptions include the temperature gauge (the digital display only produces gibberish), the rear wiper (when it¡¦s plugged in the motor begins to run despite the switch being in the OFF position. I currently have it unplugged), the rear defroster (only two lines work), and one of the up-buttons on the driver-side seat (doesn¡¦t work). The cruise control, radio, interior & exterior lights, driver mirror adjustments, windows, hatch release, alarm system, horn, roof lifts, air conditioning, fans, heater etc. all work as they should.



___________________________________________________
Engine/Suspension/Driving Impressions/Misc.

The engine runs strong, especially with the iridium spark plugs and proMAX chip installed. I do not think that Techart Exhaust adds any horsepower but it is lighter and the sound is much deeper/growlier (sp?) than the OEM version. I have not had the car dyno-tested. Stock horsepower at the engine is 236 and information provided by proMAXmotorsport.com indicates an increase of 10-22 horsepower and 17 lb/ft torque. Various members on .net have installed this chip on their car with no complaints.

(Please see the following links on information for the ProMAX Chip:
http://65.61.16.109/...?TOPIC_ID=11736
http://65.61.16.109/...p?TOPIC_ID=9261
http://65.61.16.109/...?TOPIC_ID=11837
)

The 944Racing short shifter kit is well worth the money spent. The shift-throw is much shorter and very precise. It has given shifting a more notch-like feeling. It also reduced shifter vibration.

The combination of the KLA strut brace, m030 front sway bar with support brackets, and the Brey-Krause crossbrace has tightened the front of the car tremendously. The rear m030 swaybar was set at full stiff to compensate for the inherent understeer in this setup. Also, because of the different tire sizes (225/40 front, 285/35 rear) this car still has a slight tendency to understeer. However, this is only noticeable when the car is pushed to its limits.

The front struts and rear torsion bars are stock and can be improved depending on the desired setup.

_________________________________________________
Again, my asking price is $22.5k negotiable. I can be reached via email at Chris.Chih.Lin@gmail.com . Photos will be continually updated at the abovementioned website (http://smg.photobuck...007/porsche968/ ) . Feel free to request photos of specific areas. Please contact me if you are absolutely serious about purchasing this car. Thank you for your interest.

-Chris Lin

[SMuCK007]

Photographs have been uploaded to the photobucket website:




http://img.photobuck.../ForSale028.jpg
http://img.photobuck.../ForSale034.jpg
http://img.photobuck.../ForSale049.jpg

[GuardsRedCoupe]

I saw Chris' car in person this year at Hershey. Wow, what a beautiful car! Sorry you have to part with it!

[chris]

Car looks great, but wow, steep price!

Good luck with the sale

[sasilverbullet]

God I want that shifter in my car!!!!!

[flash]

somebody here recently paid more for a hardtop - it's all about the buyer really wanting THAT car

if you have clear title, and really don't want to sell it, i'd consider parking it in a garage someplace, and borrow against it if you needed the money - there are places that will do that - the rates are high, but at least you'd still have the car

[tobyport]

Chris--
Congrats on what must be the best classified I have read yet in my endless search for a 968.
Two questions:
1) Do you have the original wheels? Forgive me if I missed that point in the listing.
2) Have you used a paint meter to determine that the paint is all completely original? I would only be interested in the car if I had the piece of mind knowing the car had never been painted.
Thank you.

[SMuCK007]

Thanks for all the kind words guys. I apologize for the long writeup but I really want prospective buyers to know the state that this car is in without any of the "this is the cleanest car on the market!!!" phrases dealers like to use.

When I did a routine carfax check on this car a few years ago it did indeed come out clean. The car has had an abnormally high number of owners over the years, but I am sure it was not because of any mechanical problems. From what I recall, the first owner bought it as a collector car (probably got out when prices began to tank) and the second owner seemed to use it more as a weekend driver. The third owner used it as a daily driver and was forced to sell it because of his growing family.

I can potentially keep the car for another four years but then I'll really be in a pickle. I will have about a $200,000+ loan (not including the interest) that MUST begin to be paid back to the federal government and paid in full within 10 years. Residency salaries are somewhere around $30-$40k a year - just enough to live off of and pay monthly payments, but not enough to continually maintain and run a sports car. I'll probably also be in the market for a house/apartment at that time too... It just makes more sense to sell the car and either begin to pay back these loans earlier (cut down on the compounding interest) or invest the money to have a little bit more wiggle room later. I'm still somewhat young and there's plenty of time to jump back into a Porsche later in life. However, thank you for all the suggestions.

Now to the questions:
The OEM wheels were the 16" C2 style that WILL NOT fit with the 993TT calipers on them. I actually just sold those wheels/tires about two weeks ago to a member on this forum. However, the stock (and rare) 7.5x17 Front and 9x17 Rear wheels WILL fit. The 993 Cup 7x17 front and 9x17 rear wheels will also fit. Basically, any wheel smaller than 17" will not clear the front calipers.

I have not used a paint meter to check the originality of the paint. However, I am quite positive from my own inspection that the paint on the car is original (the paint on the panels match perfectly and are not faded). Also, Erich Lipinski (somewhat legendary detailer located here in NJ - I can provide more information on him if you want) also confirmed this after spending close to 10 hours detailing my car. The only exception is the fiberglass front splitter which I admit was a poor (but cheap!) paint job to start with. I didn't expect the piece to last as long as it has. Of course the fiberglass piece can be replaced with the factory polyutherane splitter once it's painted (Glasurit paint is what the factory used). I am also a stickler for original paint - it's one of the main reasons why I have not gotten the front bumper cover, side sills, or the affected rear bumper cover resprayed despite their numerous rock chips, pitting, and/or impact-resulted spider cracks.

I feel that my asking price is fair because of all the money I have put into the car - both in terms of modifications (the wheel/tires cost me over $3000 at the time, the brake kit over $1200, the swaybars just over $500) and the major maintenance work I've had done on the car (Ray Catena $5000, PowerTech $3000). A buyer can always purchase another 968 for a lower price, but then probably have to put more money into the car to get it up-to-date with the maintenance work. This car should not require anything except for an upcoming oil change. The car is scheduled to be at PowerTech after I return from another quick trip to Vermont in July to get everything checked over again.

I am willing/expect to negotiate on the price of the 968 assuming that the potential buyer has already inspected the car and is willing to buy. I really want all potential buyers to know the exact state that this car is in and be happy if a decision to purchase is made. Also, feel free to make an offer.

Sorry for the long post! Thanks again for the kind words and the interest.

[Royal Tiger]

Chris I posted on your R.L. ad. I never said it was an unfair price, but mearly on the high side. flash is the best indicator of the market, but it would have to be someone that wanted that exact color. John Wade had no takers on his factory M030 at $21k and his car is just as beautiful and in a more desirable black/black. I wish you the best. Good luck in school. I have been to Vermont twice, and loved every moment up there.

[flash]

oof - i'd hardly say i was the best indicator, but thanks - i am trying to watch the trends, and keep an eye on what kinds of cars are going for how much - so far, the only thing i've been able to ascertain in patterns, is that there really isn't one - lol

the buyer's desire is everything on this car - lately, there have been a couple of fairly high priced cars that have sold, and others, which on the surface seemed to be better cars, that have not - there have also been a few very reasonably priced cars that have sat stale too

just no telling

best of luck - looks good though

[Darryl]

I too have seen Chris' car in person...I was the purchaser of the OEM 16" wheels a couple of weeks ago. I'm planning on a wheel refinishing project - more on that later as it begun today!

With regards to the car and asking price, yes probably a bit higher than most current offerings BUT, wouldn't it be nice if it sold for that amount? Wouldn't it also be nice if the value of our cars would start going back up? Perhaps we may be seeing the beginnings of that as more fine examples continue to be well maintained. Most everything I've done to my car in my first year of ownership so far has been to clean, clean, and clean and bring everything possible up to snuff. I really don't ever plan to sell but if I'd ever have to, I'd like to get the most out of it as possible, and would love to get MORE than I paid! I feel I got mine at a great price, and so far, have had no MAJOR issues - purchased with 103K and now close to 113K. It was obviously fairly well maintained by a dealer or enthusiast or both.

Chris is correct that this car will need basically nothing except to be driven and enjoyed! Too bad the Flash suggestion of keeping it somehow may not work out.

- Darryl

[chris]

Hmm, due to the loan situation, if I were you, I would try to get as much $ as I could out of the sale. You never do get back much for modifications that are installed on the car.....but have you considered parting out the aftermarket stuff? You might come out ahead, money wise (if you have the time of course). Plus the lower asking price for the car would draw more buyers.

Just a thought...

[SMuCK007]

Thanks again for all the kind words !

RoyalTiger, sorry if it seemed that my response was directed at you ... "unfair" was wrong word choice on my part I've actually gotten a few comments regarding the price and I have a confession - the price is purposely elevated to attract more serious buyers. I consider $22.5k more as a starting point for discussions. I want to see this car go to somebody that can be happy with it - the price can be worked to a certain degree once everything else is established.

Chris - I considered parting out the car and selling the extra stuff. It's just that I don't have the time to do that right now since I've been packing all my stuff and getting all my school/medical/insurance forms in order. And then when school starts... well... at that time I don't think I'll have time for sleep anymore

It's great to hear from you again Darryl! (Hopefully you were able to replace your swaybar brushings with no problem)

I am in agreement with Bob - it's all about what the buyer wants and is willing to pay. (when isn't it? well... I guess healthcare for starters )

[SMuCK007]

The car is no longer available - Thanks all for the interest.

[flash]

wow - that was fast - did it sell or did you decide to keep it? i'm hoping the latter, since you put so much effort into it - if it sold, i hope you got what you wanted from it, and make sure the new owner knows about this site

either way - best of luck in school

[Royal Tiger]

Don't keep us guessing? How Much?













and flash pays me $5 a compliment to keep his rep intact.....
R/T

[flash]

lol - no chance of keeping my rep intact, but hey "that's a mighty spanky looking avatar you've got there"

[Royal Tiger]

It's a close up on a black 951. It looks better in 180x180 on R.L.. I changed over there to an animated version of Bob Blackwell's 93 968. Check it out. Same name. And yes, Bob gave me permission first.