New here and didnt see a common problems thread.

I have wanted to be a 911 owner most of my life and have come close many times but never did it. Recently I have been playing with an E36 M3 and have loved it. I have done all the work on it and I do track it.

Today I saw a 1985 Carrera 3.2 at a local lot in town. Guy that owns the lot is a real enthusiast, he has a GT3, and generally keeps clean cars. This one is a Targa, red with black interior, clean carfax, new paint (for chips he says) all original otherwise. 115,000 on the odometer and he wants $13,500.

Do you guys have a link to a good inspection list. No dealer in town. Fairly good with cars if I know what to look for.

Thanks so much

 

Hi, welcome to the board.

If you are looking for a track vehicle, I would not recommend a Targa. Find a coupe instead. With that being said, there isn't a substitute for an experienced eye for these cars, but I would recommend the following:

For sure a leakdown and compression test. This is a must. Make sure all the numbers are close to each other. An engine rebuild will run you about $8k, so you want to make sure the engine is solid.

Front pans for rust. Take a screwdriver and jab upwards at the bottom of the front trunk pans to make sure they are solid. They do rot out underneath the battery if one has been leaking acid.

Of course make sure the transaxle shifts smoothly with no noise. Typically they are solid units, but you are looking for clutch wear.

Oil leaks. Check it over well for these.

All bushings and suspension components. Fairly self expalnatory.

Any records?

Last valve adjustment? Etc.

 

Thanks for the response!

I thought the targas where just as rigid as the coups, what do u lose? Needless to say , I am a beginner driver in a porsche and want to start out pretty tame! Will I need to do much to the car to take it to the track, other than making sure the OEM components dont need replaced. I guess I mean will I need much aftermarket stuff or is the car fun on the track as is? I noticed the shifter throw is like 6 feet! lol

Is it hard to do a leakdown compression? I have done them myself on my M3s?

 

The targa hoop and rear glass are very heavy which kills any hope for it being a decent track car, and they do flex more. Sure it would be fine for a few DE events, but you really wouldn't want to start throwing money at it for track components.

To get the car ready for the track really will depend on what kind of condition it is in. Obviously if there are oil leaks, it will not pass a track inspection, so those need to be under control. At 100k+ miles, if the suspension components haven't been replaced, then you will need to do those as well.

Leakdown and compression test are not difficult in my book. Compression being the easier of the two obviously. Get ahold of a Bentley manual, and it will walk you right through it.

 

Thanks for the help! Wondering if I should wait for one with a G50 tranny and a coup?