3.2 Supersport buying advice

RichD1 · 20 Sep 2014

Hi, I'm going to look at a Supersport tomorrow, unfortunately the garage who has it won't take it to my local Indy for an inspection.

Can Supersport owners or standard 3.2 owners give me some advice on what to look for re. engine, gearbox and bodywork, what to do when out on a test drive etc. what pressure should the oil be at tick over and when driving?

All advice gratefully received.

Richard

spongebob squarepants · 20 Sep 2014

I'd say no 1 look for a dealer who'll let you take it to your Indy!

clarkycat · 20 Sep 2014

RichD1 said:
Hi, I'm going to look at a Supersport tomorrow, unfortunately the garage who has it won't take it to my local Indy for an inspection.

Then don't buy it.
:nooo:

Seriously, forget the engine and running gear, lets pretend they are brand new and good for 100,000 miles. Lets pretend the interior is mint and all electrics and trim are perfect.

The bodywork that you cannot see on these will take you into five figures easily, my (rebuilt engine and box, perfect interior) 3.2's body needed more than the car was worth, burning money would have been quicker and cheaper than getting the work done.

I would pay thousands not to have to buy one of these if I could not have it inspected first.

igaffz · 20 Sep 2014

Surely if you told them you would buy it if it checked out and they still refused they must have something to hide?? I'm assuming they'll be asking a lot of money, it's not a ford focus for 2k, run run run!

Ian

Big Jock · 20 Sep 2014

If they wont let you get it checked then there is something lurking.A bad 3.2 supersport will break your heart.Dont touch it.

RichD1 · 20 Sep 2014

Hi Guys, thanks for all the warnings. The car is the personal possession of the garage owner and has been for several years, so I think it's a genuine car. My Indy is almost 100 miles from him so I guess it is a bit of an ask. However, he has offered us the use of his ramps to check out the underside and also I can bring along an expert to do any inspection.

I'm planning on having an initial look tomorrow and if it is a good as this guys says it is then I'll try and get my Indy to go with me for a closer look.

Unfortunately I don't have a relationship with my local Indy as this will be my first Porsche and I only made contact with him in the last few days.

stuttgartmetal · 21 Sep 2014

Rust
Oil Leaks
Smoke
Crunching gearbox
Originality.
Get the indy to go to them.

Ad link ?

clarkycat · 21 Sep 2014

RichD1 said:
My Indy is almost 100 miles from him so...

Mate, bin that talk to start with.
:thumbs:

I drove from Oxford to Berlin in one hit in July, 800 miles just to watch a football game on a big screen.

How can 100 miles be considered far if you are spending tens of thousands of pounds?

Pay the indie for a day of his time and get him to go there, I have to travel to all of my work, we guys are only trying to help you here Rich, in pictures and in person I could still not see about £8000 worth of the body problems on mine, not because I am blind, because most of it is out of sight...

kas750 · 21 Sep 2014

Just a note to say not all indies are the same..Make sure yours is conversant with the IB 911's..

Many of the indies have been brought up on boxsters and 996's which are a totally different animal.

Treat every single IB car you view with real suspicion until it is proved otherwise.Dont fall for any of the sales talk and concentrate on the integrity of the body..any other issues are almost incidental.

Let us know how you go on.

RichD1 · 21 Sep 2014

Yeah, I'm expecting to pay an Indy to travel, but I didn't want to waste his time if it was a no goer to start with. That's why I was after some good inspection pointers to start with.

Just getting ready to go, so will let you know how I get on.

skinnedknuckles · 21 Sep 2014

lift rubbers and whatever bits of carpet you can. when it's up on the ramp poke any bits that look suspect with a narrow flat head screwdriver very hard. open the frunk and engine cover. if there are leaves and other bits of tree debris in the seals then the car has spent lots of time outdoors and you should run like the wind.
Take the same screwdriver, wrap a clean white cloth around it and slide it about 1/2 cm under the windscreen rubber in the bottom corners and give it a little wiggle. If it feels gritty and comes out pinky/reddy/brown then there is rust there which has a habit of spreading unseen under the paintwork. same at the rear. have a good look found all trims that attach to the main body of the car. little blisters are just the tip of the iceberg and are an indicator of some serious tinworm.
People have bought these cars thinking they are getting a gem because they feel so solid, and they do feel solid. But if you choose a pup then they can bankrupt you. There is nothing cheap to fix on a Porsche and this goes double for bodywork.
From a mechanical point of view, I love them. I wish all Porsches were still made like this.

clarkycat · 21 Sep 2014

skinnedknuckles said:
lift rubbers and whatever bits of carpet you can. when it's up on the ramp poke any bits that look suspect with a narrow flat head screwdriver very hard. open the frunk and engine cover. if there are leaves and other bits of tree debris in the seals then the car has spent lots of time outdoors and you should run like the wind.
Take the same screwdriver, wrap a clean white cloth around it and slide it about 1/2 cm under the windscreen rubber in the bottom corners and give it a little wiggle. If it feels gritty and comes out pinky/reddy/brown then there is rust there which has a habit of spreading unseen under the paintwork. same at the rear. have a good look found all trims that attach to the main body of the car. little blisters are just the tip of the iceberg and are an indicator of some serious tinworm.

Then when all that's found to be good, buy the car.
:thumbs:

Then take it to a classic Porsche bodyshop who will do all the things the owner wouldn't let you do until you bought the thing, they will pull out the battery and see the pan below is corroded, see the impact strut points behind the bumpers are all rotten, remove the outer sills and see what's rotting behind, take out rear lights and see the rot behind, pop the rear wheel off and see the rotting B pillar and bowls, take off both front wings and see everything around the tub is shot to bits...

Here's mine, lovely isn't it?

Pictures are nothing, it needed most of the above and I sold it one once the quotes got over £16k and bought a 993 with the money instead, using the money I 'gave' the 3.2 away for as a running budget.
:thumbs:

I'd need £30k to find a good 3.2, as nobody who has done all the right work will sell it for less than half the cost of that work, and I don't want to be the guy to have it all done.
:thumb:

RichD1 · 21 Sep 2014

Just got back from our initial visit and I have to say the garage owner was a very genuine guy and a real petrol head with a great collection of classic cars. He's currently restoring a 1972 911T and has almost finished a 1964 Series 1 4.2 Fhc E type. In the showroom he had a TVR, Morgan, MGC, Broadspeed Capri and Merc SL55.

He had just returned from a classic car tour around Normandy with his disabled wife so I think this indicates that this a good car.

After an initial chat he threw us the keys and let us go for a test drive on our own. Was not expecting that.

First impressions: steering very heavy when trying to get out of the parking space, was much better when on the move. Clutch also heavy and difficult to judge the bit point. Throttle response was a bit jerky making a smooth get away difficult, but after a few miles I gradually got used to it.

But boy what a sound!! The garage guy had fitted a sports exhaust and the noise was absolutely wonderful. Made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck.

Gearlever seemed to be a bit of a reach, would have preferred it a little closer. During test drive I did move the seat slightly further forward and that was better. Any upgrades that can be made to change position of gear lever?

All other aspects of the car seemed to indicate a genuine car. No smoke, no oil leaks underneath. The underside of the engine looked really clean and bone dry. Interior was altogether and the leather looked fine. All controls appeared to work and the Targa top was in good condition. All door gaps looked even and fitted well with the doors closing with a nice clunk.

The only real down point was a couple of rust bubbles on the join between the real wing and the bumper behind both the rear wheel arches. Could see no rust in the other areas that you guys have mentioned.

Car has down 90K miles with 6 owners, full history, top engine build 10K miles ago by an Indy. Fuchs refurbished recently shod in matching Bridgestone rubber.

Will ring round the Indy's in our area tomorrow to see if I can get one of them to inspect in the next few days.

clarkycat · 21 Sep 2014

RichD1 said:
The only real down point was a couple of rust bubbles on the join between the real wing and the bumper behind both the rear wheel arches. Could see no rust in the other areas that you guys have mentioned.

About £8000 of rust you could not see in mine, it was also missed by a non classic Porsche inspection that had the car for a day on ramps to check for it. Because they were not experts on the shell and only used their eyes

Drove lovely though, no leaks, rebuilt engine and box, new clutch, mint interior etc.

There is no such thing as surface rust or isolated rust on these, by the time you can see it, it has spent 30-40 years eating through metal you can't get to until there is nothing left. A 5p shaped bubble in each door shut can easily be £1000 a side, and it's already got to that figure before it shows, The fact you have a couple of bubbles means you really need to think on.

Inspection mate please, if you don't the guy you try selling it too will...

I'm done here.

Chris_in_the_UK · 21 Sep 2014

RichD1 said:
Hi, I'm going to look at a Supersport tomorrow, unfortunately the garage who has it won't take it to my local Indy for an inspection.

All advice gratefully received.

Richard

Walk away and find another one.

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