Ninetynine996

I found a great car with low milage and all records from a very reputable Porsche dealer. Gave him a deposit Saturday and agreed to buy the car after a PPI and receiving 30 years worth of records. PPI came out perfect from an indie shop. This SC has 50k miles on it and needs nothing! Today, the sales manager and the sales guy tell me they can't find the binder full of records...They are searching everywhere. I am supposed to complete the transaction on Friday....
1) Should I still buy the car if they can't find the records?
2) If I buy the car what is the diminished value of having NO Records...for my purchase price and later for my resale value.
3) What penalties should I ask for (if any) from the dealer if I decide to purchase without documents

Its a great car. I've been looking for a 911 since I sold my 996 a year ago and found this great low milage SC....I passed on a few cars becuase of the no records issue but this one I took through the PPI process assuming I had records.
Any advice would be very helpful

wildcat077

Well, if it passed a PPI with flying colors and it was never accidented then go for it ...
The perfect car for " YOU " doesn't come along too many times !

It's hard to find a car with all the records unless the PO was really **** about it,just insist that the dealer find the records and use that in the bargaining process but don't pass on the car because of it !!!

Cheers !
Phil

Peter Zimmermann

Did the PPI include valve cover removal to check for broken head studs?

Ninetynine996

I asked the mechanic to look specifically for updates on chain tensioner, air box pop off and replacemnet of original dilavar head studs....the email I got was..."everything checked out fine". I plan to speak to the shop directly this afternoon.

500

It is really hard to assess if the head studs are dilavar as they are almost completely shrouded. It may be possible to test them with a magnet, but with all the other steel hardware nearby, I'm not sure how certain one can be.

However, unless the car has had a top-end rebuild, the head studs will be original, in for and SC that will mean dilavar on the exhaust side.

Checking whether they are broken or not is a piece-of-cake though. The $5,000 dollar question will (of course) be: If the studs are not currently broken, what is the chance that they will stay that way?

Many variables come into play there and you really just need to hope (and build a reserve against a potential future top-end).

You are on the right track though, interview the mechanic with detailed questions. I assume this mechanic is well-versed in 911s and has the reputation to go with it?

Peter Zimmermann

Wise move. And ask for an invoice complete with shop letterhead and the detailed report. And look for a valve cover gasket set under the parts column. And about 4 quarts of oil to replace what was lost when the lower valve covers were removed.

Ninetynine996

Thanks guys. I appreciate your advice.

theiceman

its a 30 year old car . who cares about records if the PPi checks out.

mjsporsche

Who did the PPI on your planned purchase? Not all PPIs are the same and sometimes are no better than a visual inspection. Great idea to talk to the mechanic.

I would be disappointed with not having the records and not knowing what was replaced and when. If they had the binder, how could it just disappear? It would give me concern not knowing.

As to it being a 30 year old car (and does it really matter), it does! Even more so. Was the suspension refreshed? Was the clutch replaced? Was the 915 rebuilt? Was there any recent alignments? Not all deal breakers but it would make me think that a minimum 10% adjustment in price is in order.

masterdave

If you have the time and money consider a second PPI from a second shop if you dont feel as the one you got was through enough. Old cars are, well old cars. If it has never been done this car will most likely need suspension work, all bushings and shocks and possibly torsion bars. Not a terrible job for the weekend mechanic but its time consuming and Im sure you just want to drive the car. The car will also have to be re indexed after such a job. If the engine and trans has never been touched you will need a valve job and possibly some trans work.

Personally I dont mind if there is no paperwork but it is a good thing to have. I prefer it if the owner does not know the history of the car. Many owners dont keep receipts but can tell you when things were done. If the PPI checks out and the car seems to be in good shape, and it is what you want I see no reason not to buy it.

Regards
Dave

VERBOTN

Wow 50,000 is wicked low miles, speaking from experience of having a car sit still for nearly 10 years with a 150,000 on the clock things tend to pop up even for very well maintained cars very difficult to cover all the bases.

If it feels right go for it I've put 5K on since refresh (cosmetic) and it is running perfectly and I plan on running it up the coast this summer

Ninetynine996

Okay guys...so I got the Service Book with appropriate stamps scanned and emailed to me (still no receipts found). I spoke to the mechanic who did the PPI. Looks like all the updates were done (chain tensioner, air box) Studs were fine. It has relatively new brakes, brake lines, new tires (under 2k miles). I spoke to the GM would took the trade from a long time customer...he said he saw and went through "the most extensive set of receipts he has ever seen" (whatever)...but now someone misplaced them....anyway the only thing that needed attention was the CV joints needed to be repacked...which the mechanic did when he did the inspection. The dealer changed out all the fluids on yesterday and sent me the reciept.

Bottom line is I bought the car! Wired the money today and they are shipping to my house in the next few weeks....I am thrilled. I can't wait to actually drive it Thanks for all of your help.
Maybe you can help me find a new screen name...Ninetynine996 is no more.

masterdave

Congrats on the purchase as a fellow Targa SC owner I will say this about the car.

The Targa is by far the greatest sports car that Porsche ever made and here is why (remember I am a 20 year old college student so my motives for owning Porsche's may be slightly different than some).

Ladies love looking at stars, they also love being complimented and they hate it when there hair gets messed up. On a nice summer night you can take the top down and take a nice lady out for a drive, with the top off she will see the stars clearly unlike looking through the sunroof in a coupe. Because of the rear window the wind noise is far reduced from a cab so she will hear you when you compliment her, the wind reduction will also keep her hair in line. As it is still a Porsche 911 you will be having a blast driving it and every body wins.

Hope to see you at some runs this summer.

Regards
Dave