Ebay Impulse Purchase

[iborguk]

56 minutes ago, 999mch said:

😄 so right

 

+1 , I get the grin just looking at them.

Edited August 5, 2022 by iborguk

[Clarkyboy]

Hi All

Thanks again for the interest. I'm not feeling too disheartened today, after all I do have a Porsche that starts, stops and drives and to all intents and purposes still looks pretty special.

As you can imagine, Paul is an expert and had quite a list. In particular he highlighted that the suspension really needed some attention. I knew about a "cam cover leak" but the engine needs a good clean to identify the source but it looks like the spark plug tubes are leaking and will need attention. The exhaust is pretty crusty (although not blowing as far as I can tell) and the brakes are evidencing a lack of use in recent years. Beyond that there are also the ac condensers, the need for a radio and I've probably forgotten some bits. But that's a long enough list for now!  

I have to say I did an MOT history check and whilst patchy there were clean passes for MOTs in 2021 (DT Sanderson, Spalding) and April of this year. I took that as evidence that the car couldn't be hiding anything too horrendous pre-purchase. Tellingly the April MOT is missing from the small file of papers I have. I did see from a pre-purchase check that immediately after this MOT the car was up for sale for more than I paid immediately after and then subsequently reduced over several months.

I bought the car as a bit of a running project, however my driveway skills are limited and Paul pointed out the need for special tools and knowledge for some the bigger jobs. I'm still in two minds over how to proceed to be honest. The losses shouldn't be too heavy given the car still has a value should I decide to sell, but alternatively maybe there is still some fun to be had should I take it on as a project.

Questions, questions... On a positive note Paul did offer to take another look if I can get down to Surrey from where I am based in Cambridge and talk me through some of these challenges. As I said before, a very helpful and friendly forum here.  

[½cwt]

3 hours ago, Clarkyboy said:

Hi All

Thanks again for the interest. I'm not feeling too disheartened today, after all I do have a Porsche that starts, stops and drives and to all intents and purposes still looks pretty special.

As you can imagine, Paul is an expert and had quite a list. In particular he highlighted that the suspension really needed some attention. I knew about a "cam cover leak" but the engine needs a good clean to identify the source but it looks like the spark plug tubes are leaking and will need attention. The exhaust is pretty crusty (although not blowing as far as I can tell) and the brakes are evidencing a lack of use in recent years. Beyond that there are also the ac condensers, the need for a radio and I've probably forgotten some bits. But that's a long enough list for now!  

I have to say I did an MOT history check and whilst patchy there were clean passes for MOTs in 2021 (DT Sanderson, Spalding) and April of this year. I took that as evidence that the car couldn't be hiding anything too horrendous pre-purchase. Tellingly the April MOT is missing from the small file of papers I have. I did see from a pre-purchase check that immediately after this MOT the car was up for sale for more than I paid immediately after and then subsequently reduced over several months.

I bought the car as a bit of a running project, however my driveway skills are limited and Paul pointed out the need for special tools and knowledge for some the bigger jobs. I'm still in two minds over how to proceed to be honest. The losses shouldn't be too heavy given the car still has a value should I decide to sell, but alternatively maybe there is still some fun to be had should I take it on as a project.

Questions, questions... On a positive note Paul did offer to take another look if I can get down to Surrey from where I am based in Cambridge and talk me through some of these challenges. As I said before, a very helpful and friendly forum here.  

Sounds quite similar to the condition mine was in back in September 2018.  If you are handy on the tools you can do  a little or even a lot yourself.  Depending on which part of Cambs, there is a decent indy at Rushden in Northants - Dove House.

[Guy Wilkinson]

Welcome Clarky. IMO depends whether you want a keeper for 5 years or to run it for 1 or 2 years and then trade it.

if you paid under 5k i'd run it for 3 years, keep on top of maintenace at max £1k a year, enjoy it!

If its nearer £10k than €5k and trooper has found a lot of hassle I'd run it for a year, get it thru another MOT and sell it next Easter.

i bought a 3.2s from a mate for £3.5k a year ago and I love it more than my 996. They are great cars but can throw big bils at this age. They are amazing value and the engines are awesome

[usman10316]

A bit of oil sweat is no biggie as long as the car isn't losing oil. Mine doesn't have AC - one less thing to go wrong, and who needs AC when the roof comes down? 

[RalphyBMW]

To be fair mine has a weep from a rocker cover but doesn’t drip or seem to use any oil so I’m not particularly concerned about it.

I bought mine last year, clean MoT, it’s a nice car now but owes me an absolute fortune.

If you paid less than £4k then you could probably break it and make a profit.

If it needs big spends then ask yourself if this is the car you want to spend that cash on.

It’s far far cheaper to buy a car that’s had lots of recent maintenance than it is to buy one with significant deferred maintenance and try to catch up - I know this from personal experience!

[Darren Sapsford]

21 hours ago, Clarkyboy said:

Hi All

Thanks again for the interest. I'm not feeling too disheartened today, after all I do have a Porsche that starts, stops and drives and to all intents and purposes still looks pretty special.

As you can imagine, Paul is an expert and had quite a list. In particular he highlighted that the suspension really needed some attention. I knew about a "cam cover leak" but the engine needs a good clean to identify the source but it looks like the spark plug tubes are leaking and will need attention. The exhaust is pretty crusty (although not blowing as far as I can tell) and the brakes are evidencing a lack of use in recent years. Beyond that there are also the ac condensers, the need for a radio and I've probably forgotten some bits. But that's a long enough list for now!  

I have to say I did an MOT history check and whilst patchy there were clean passes for MOTs in 2021 (DT Sanderson, Spalding) and April of this year. I took that as evidence that the car couldn't be hiding anything too horrendous pre-purchase. Tellingly the April MOT is missing from the small file of papers I have. I did see from a pre-purchase check that immediately after this MOT the car was up for sale for more than I paid immediately after and then subsequently reduced over several months.

I bought the car as a bit of a running project, however my driveway skills are limited and Paul pointed out the need for special tools and knowledge for some the bigger jobs. I'm still in two minds over how to proceed to be honest. The losses shouldn't be too heavy given the car still has a value should I decide to sell, but alternatively maybe there is still some fun to be had should I take it on as a project.

Questions, questions... On a positive note Paul did offer to take another look if I can get down to Surrey from where I am based in Cambridge and talk me through some of these challenges. As I said before, a very helpful and friendly forum here.  

If it's any help we do a free Saturday surgery which involves checking the car over on a ramp and showing you any issues. Have a look at our website.

AMS PORSCHE, Hertfordshire 👍👍

 

 

Edited August 6, 2022 by Darren Sapsford

[Clarkyboy]

14 minutes ago, Darren Sapsford said:

If it's any help we do a free Saturday surgery which involves checking the car over on a ramp and showing you any issues. Have a look at our website.

AMS PORSCHE, Hertfordshire 👍👍

 

 

Cheers for that. You are only about an hour away from me. Please be aware that I don't want to hear any more bad news though!

[Clarkyboy]

On 8/4/2022 at 7:56 AM, 999mch said:

I bought mine last year from a guy who had only had it a month (wife was ill and insurance was massive) and mine has turned out ok after 15 months. Best thing you can do is drive it, you then end up with a silly grin on your face !

As regards stereo I fitted a continental so it fits in period wise but gives bluetooth, phone USB etc. 

Mine had a lack of service history, so I put it in for a full service with an indie and asked them to check it over. The general rule seems to be a full set of stamps showing a service every 2 years since the year dot is not as good as a load of receipts for work carried out over the last 5 years.

I had some receipts for garages that had carried out MOT etc, and i rang them up to see if they had carried out any work in the last couple of years.

All the best and just enjoy it

 

 

Loving the look of that Continental, it looks like a period match. What model is it and as it still available to buy? Did you need an additional wiring kit? Any issues with the anti-theft wiring when you took out the original?

[999mch]

40 minutes ago, Clarkyboy said:

Loving the look of that Continental, it looks like a period match. What model is it and as it still available to buy? Did you need an additional wiring kit? Any issues with the anti-theft wiring when you took out the original?

I got mine second hand, but these guys seem to be well respected, they will also help with the connections, the HU has no line out so Cannot be connected straight to an amp. https://www.bergvillfx.com/products/continental-cd7416ub-or I have a model with cd, usb, dab and FM also connects to my phone for phone calls and music

[RedBarediver]

On 8/5/2022 at 7:05 PM, Clarkyboy said:

Hi All

Thanks again for the interest. I'm not feeling too disheartened today, after all I do have a Porsche that starts, stops and drives and to all intents and purposes still looks pretty special.

As you can imagine, Paul is an expert and had quite a list. In particular he highlighted that the suspension really needed some attention. I knew about a "cam cover leak" but the engine needs a good clean to identify the source but it looks like the spark plug tubes are leaking and will need attention. The exhaust is pretty crusty (although not blowing as far as I can tell) and the brakes are evidencing a lack of use in recent years. Beyond that there are also the ac condensers, the need for a radio and I've probably forgotten some bits. But that's a long enough list for now!  

I have to say I did an MOT history check and whilst patchy there were clean passes for MOTs in 2021 (DT Sanderson, Spalding) and April of this year. I took that as evidence that the car couldn't be hiding anything too horrendous pre-purchase. Tellingly the April MOT is missing from the small file of papers I have. I did see from a pre-purchase check that immediately after this MOT the car was up for sale for more than I paid immediately after and then subsequently reduced over several months.

I bought the car as a bit of a running project, however my driveway skills are limited and Paul pointed out the need for special tools and knowledge for some the bigger jobs. I'm still in two minds over how to proceed to be honest. The losses shouldn't be too heavy given the car still has a value should I decide to sell, but alternatively maybe there is still some fun to be had should I take it on as a project.

Questions, questions... On a positive note Paul did offer to take another look if I can get down to Surrey from where I am based in Cambridge and talk me through some of these challenges. As I said before, a very helpful and friendly forum here.  

This doesn't look too bad if those are the only things you need to worry about. Most of that is work you can do yourself for next to nothing. Get yourself a floor jack (a really low one so it can get under the car), some jack stands and buy yourself two books; the 101 Projects book and the Bentleys Service Manual. The one thing I would definitely suggest you leave to the experts (ie any decent mechanic) is the brakes. You do not want to cheap out on something that you rely on to save your life... The AC condensers is a very easy job to do on your driveway - and besides you don't need to do them immediately. I tackled most of the other jobs on mine (yes, I had serious Porsche goggles when I bought mine and it had a TON of things that needed doing) before I even looked at the condensers. Even the suspension is not too taxing for the home mechanic - alignment etc I would again leave to experts. If the exhaust is not blowing yet then that's fine - even if it looks a little iffy. In a worst case scenario you can always make do with a dronebox for a few months (I did) until you find a decent secondhand exhaust. If you can get it to Paul I would do that. He knows his stuff and can give you a good steer on what to prioritise. For what it's worth from the sound of it you have a good one that won't cost too much to bring up to scratch.

[½cwt]

Brakes, as in discs and pads, are a doddle on a Boxster.  Even more straight forward than many volume cars,  Brake pipes etc, may be best left to experts unless you are confident you'll get it right.  Suspension just takes time and needs some understanding of how to free things up when corroded.

If doubt Paul will advise I'm sure.

[RedBarediver]

10 minutes ago, ½cwt said:

Brakes, as in discs and pads, are a doddle on a Boxster.  Even more straight forward than many volume cars,  Brake pipes etc, may be best left to experts unless you are confident you'll get it right.  Suspension just takes time and needs some understanding of how to free things up when corroded.

If doubt Paul will advise I'm sure.

Yes indeed. The brake pads, discs and wear indicators are really easy. If you start talking brake booster replacement, master cylinder replacement and so on then I would definitely leave it to someone who knows his stuff. Mine needed a new brake booster and master cylinder and even though these things are easy to get to and change, I didn''t want to entrust the lives of myself and my wife, as well as countless other road users to my tender mercies. Glad I left that to an expert. The car stops on a dime and I have full confidence in the brakes now. I don't think I would have been quite so confident if I had done that job.

[½cwt]

@Clarkyboy I've been thinking about this one. 

You've got a parts only list of somewhere in the region of £2k with suspension, exhaust and a/c even if you buy smartly with after market parts.  A set of tyres in another £500-600 and brakes about £250 for front and £200 for rear.  Unless the interior and bodywork is pretty much mint, there could well be a better example out there to drop that much money on, even if you can do all that work yourself, and you suggest may be not, then a better one (possibly with one or two of the jobs done) would probably allow you to stretch the time over which you need to spend it.

[dpg123]

On 8/5/2022 at 7:05 PM, Clarkyboy said:

Hi All

Thanks again for the interest. I'm not feeling too disheartened today, after all I do have a Porsche that starts, stops and drives and to all intents and purposes still looks pretty special.

As you can imagine, Paul is an expert and had quite a list. In particular he highlighted that the suspension really needed some attention. I knew about a "cam cover leak" but the engine needs a good clean to identify the source but it looks like the spark plug tubes are leaking and will need attention. The exhaust is pretty crusty (although not blowing as far as I can tell) and the brakes are evidencing a lack of use in recent years. Beyond that there are also the ac condensers, the need for a radio and I've probably forgotten some bits. But that's a long enough list for now!  

I have to say I did an MOT history check and whilst patchy there were clean passes for MOTs in 2021 (DT Sanderson, Spalding) and April of this year. I took that as evidence that the car couldn't be hiding anything too horrendous pre-purchase. Tellingly the April MOT is missing from the small file of papers I have. I did see from a pre-purchase check that immediately after this MOT the car was up for sale for more than I paid immediately after and then subsequently reduced over several months.

I bought the car as a bit of a running project, however my driveway skills are limited and Paul pointed out the need for special tools and knowledge for some the bigger jobs. I'm still in two minds over how to proceed to be honest. The losses shouldn't be too heavy given the car still has a value should I decide to sell, but alternatively maybe there is still some fun to be had should I take it on as a project.

Questions, questions... On a positive note Paul did offer to take another look if I can get down to Surrey from where I am based in Cambridge and talk me through some of these challenges. As I said before, a very helpful and friendly forum here.  

To be fair, most of these issues sound like all the common issues these cars encounter when they reach a certain age. Mine's been through most of the above. Just make a list of priorities and slowly work through them until you're back to the start...try to enjoy the process!

[½cwt]

2 hours ago, dpg123 said:

To be fair, most of these issues sound like all the common issues these cars encounter when they reach a certain age. Mine's been through most of the above. Just make a list of priorities and slowly work through them until you're back to the start...try to enjoy the process!

That's a fairly long long list of potential MOT failure stuff though, and if you've got a garage a decent tools it is doable, but if you're paying for labour too...  The shell and interior has to be good above the floor pan to make it worthwhile investing in what's bolted to it.

[dpg123]

14 hours ago, ½cwt said:

That's a fairly long long list of potential MOT failure stuff though, and if you've got a garage a decent tools it is doable, but if you're paying for labour too...  The shell and interior has to be good above the floor pan to make it worthwhile investing in what's bolted to it.

Most of these (oil leak excluded) sound like the usual list of issues that we always say to budget £2k in the first year to fix...

[Menoporsche]

On 8/5/2022 at 7:05 PM, Clarkyboy said:

In particular he highlighted that the suspension really needed some attention. I knew about a "cam cover leak" but the engine needs a good clean to identify the source but it looks like the spark plug tubes are leaking and will need attention. The exhaust is pretty crusty (although not blowing as far as I can tell) and the brakes are evidencing a lack of use in recent years. Beyond that there are also the ac condensers, the need for a radio and I've probably forgotten some bits. But that's a long enough list for now!  

If you paid a good price for it, and if these are the worst problems, then I'd say you have a bargain, better than several 986 out there. You mentioned an MoT in April, so you have 8 months to sort any potential MoT fails.

All these are normal in an old 986. Yes you could sell and buy another where someone has replaced all those parts already, but that other car is likely to be 2-3k more expensive.

Take up AMS offer of a free check, and enquire at Dove House to see if they offer such a service also. Either might give you a priorities list. Then you should be well armed to continue.

My thoughts - put the radio off for the moment