16 replies to this topic

[MattO]

Looked at one that appeared to have many more miles on the car than the odometer indicates from the wear on the driver's seat and general condition of the car. No maintenance records either. I realize how important the maintenance records are in determining the true mileage. This search for 968 is going to take some time.

[tamathumper]

It does take some time, and you'll see a lot of rats before you find the right one, especially if you use CraigsList / eBay / AutoTrader.

[JWahlsten]

The odometers gears are notorious for breaking in these cars. So, while it may not have been tampered with, it may not be working...

[DaveN]

I put mine in reverse every Friday for an hour, Bueller.... Bueller.... Bueller

[Inkedupfatboy]

I knew a guy who plowed snow and he said his odometer went backwards while he backed up, so plowing only put half the miles on his truck. I called him on it and he threw me his keys. I lost $10 bucks worth of beer on that one.

[craigawoodman]

If it doesn't look right, it probably isn't. Buyer beware.

A good car will have history with it. You can't wind back the odo if every service states what the km's are.

[rl968]

Carfax has DMV registration info, including mileage. Should be easy to track, no?

Edited by rl968, 20 August 2013 - 01:33 PM.

[MattO]

I pulled the Carfax for this car...last stated mileage is 75 miles back in 1993. Since then no registration or smog test records and therefore no recorded miles. Came into my state last year and the mileage was not reported to Carfax. Very strange.

[Inkedupfatboy]

I don't think carfax notification is mandatory.
Here is a blog post about it
http://brokensecrets...-carfax-report/

[JWahlsten]

If it looks like it has a lot of miles, it probably does. I'd look at the shift knob, the pedals, the seat bolsters, and the door handles. Those are going to be the obvious cosmetic locations for wear. Of course, I'd be more likely to just walk and try another vehicle...

[paulzebo]

You have come upon he blight of the used auto industry since it began. CarFax is voluntary and may not have the info you need to make a good decision. There is no 100% sure way of telling. Even if it was owned by "my departed Grandad who just passed away. I'm helping my Grandmother sell his prized possession." Car records are great because they tell the history of repairs in chronological order. Generally people are consistent in the amount of "drive time" they have monthly. A big gap in accumulating miles needs to be checked into. JWahlsten gives you some excellent guidance. No records equals a detailed inspection. Even the newer electronic speedometers are susceptible to tampering. A few years back I ran across a guy who was smart enough to figure out the engine control module sent data to the speedo cluster to accumulate miles. If he snipped the vehicle speed wire between the two and installed a switch, the vehicle would accumulate miles only when he wanted it to. So he would get up to speed on the freeway, engage cruise and flip his switch. Zero miles accumulated until he turned it back on. Another figured out if he pulled the fuse to the Speedo cluster, it would not accumulate miles. In each case, the tires, seats, suspension and interior trim were worn out at a very low "indicated" mileage.

[Inkedupfatboy]

Of course, when you transfer a car it is legal at least here to say that the odometer does not reflect the actual mileage, and as long as it is disclosed and accepted by both parties, it is then noted on the title for all future transfers.

Regardless of the mileage or the story, we all know it is the potential buyers responsibility to have the vehicle inspected. I bought my daughter a 2008 Hyundai with about 40K on it. I was one of their "Certified Used Cars". One of the owners had the car for only like 15 miles. I bought the car and took their "Certified Used Car with a 75 point inspection" to my mechanic and it needed a grand worth of repairs to satisfy me it was safe enough to take to my daughter 2000 miles away and trust it wouldn't leave her stranded.

On the other hand, the 1994 Grand Marquis that had 170,000 miles on it, bought from my neighbor the retired NASA engineer for $2000 came with a 20 page spread sheet of every repair done to the car including oil changes.

I would probably trust a private individual over a dealer most times.

[ds968]

I would probably trust a private individual over a dealer most times.

+ 1

[MattO]

I passed on this right away. I have been around cars long enough to know when the general condition of the car does not reflect the mileage. A local Porsche specialist told me he has seen cases where the instrument panel was swapped from a lower mileage vehicle. Even electronic odometers in more recent cars can be tampered with via software dedicated for such purpose. The conclusion is that there is no substitute for comprehensive service records with stated mileage on the invoice.

Since there is a shortage of decent 968s (non-cabs or tip) on the west coast (preferably Pacific NW cars not subject to salt and sunshine), I have started to look at 951s and 944 S2. They are not my first choice, but not enough 968 coupes with manual transmission on the west coast. Unfortunately many of these 951s and 944 S2 are thrashed even more than some 968s. The pristine ones are too expensive...nothing in the middle ground.

Perhaps I need to go back to rear engined Porsches. Perhaps a 964 since 993s are too expensive...All 911s before 964s have brake and clutch pedals sticking out of the floor (as in organ pedals) that I don't care for as well as torsion bar rear suspension. 964s have coil springs in the rear. At least 968s have both torsion bar and coil springs and that makes it easier to adjust suspension settings as compared to 944s where they still rely on torsion bars. Anyone know the stiffness conversion rate for torsion bars to coil springs?

[JWahlsten]

The 968 doesn't have coil springs in the rear unless you have an M030 car. Those aren't adjustable coils either. It's Macpherson strut up front and torsion bar in the rear. The M030 cars have adjustable coils up front and fixed in the rear in addition to the torsion bars. The conversion rate is about 62% if I remember for wheel rate for coils.

I would widen your net to nationwide whether you are searching for a 968, 951, or 964. There just aren't that many out there in good shape for sale. I flew to Minnesota from NJ to grab mine when I bought it, and I know a lot of guys have shipped cars.

The pedals on the 964 swing from the floor as do the 993s...

[Inkedupfatboy]

There is a really nice 968 in Melbourne Florida at a dealer for around 17K. Look on craigslist for Florida, then Space Coast then search Porsche 968...
They are out there. Most people don't fall into theirs the way I did mine.

Edited by Inkedupfatboy, 27 August 2013 - 09:57 AM.

[Rap]

Ink, I was driving to a Leo Kottke concert when it appeared magically from the back seat. Don't be so sure how people find these babies! lol