Needs some advice if I should walk away from this purchase or not. Found a amazing looking 40th anniversary with 75k miles on it and looks physically pretty good.

Paint looks great no dents or scratches found only issue I found Externally was it looks like someone had issues getting the Porsche Caps off the rims. Internally the door panels and center console were scuffed up but what do you expect from a car with 75k miles on it.

What worries me is the history of the car, I drove the car and only complaint I had was the super hard clutch pedal compared to my 2013 BRZ. But according to the dealer it is cause of a new "high performance" clutch.... The car had 3 owners and at 20k miles the engine was replaced by a local Porsche dealership with the 1st owner.It had consistent information from local Porsche dealers and Euro car mechanics in the carfax for all the service.The 3rd owner took it in for service in 2015 and 500 miles later in 2017 the carfax history shows it was sold to the dealer I am talking to. I called the last shop it had service and according to them the last time they saw the car it had an IMS failure and engine was shot and pretty much undriveable. This prior owner buy a new engine/refurb only to drive it 500 miles and sell it?

They are currently asking 30k, walk away or continue, get Prepurchase inspection and continue if it looks good?

Thank you.

 

Absent any hard proof of a "high performance clutch" present in the car the hard clutch pedal is a sure sign the clutch is worn out. The clutch hardware loses its mechanical advantage as the disc wears.

If you get to the test ride/drive stage arrange for the driver to perform a clutch test. After the engine is warmed up with the transmission in 4th gear at 2K RPMs floor the gas pedal and hold. If the engine gains RPMs without a corresponding increase in vehicle speed the clutch is slipping.

And when you get behind the wheel and are driving the car over the same road test route and are comfortable enough with the car do the same test.

It reads like there is a considerable gap in any info regarding servicing the car had.

Sometimes a car owner will sink some money, sometimes a lot of money, into a car only to then turn around and sell the car. He acts in haste perhaps -- and I'm not knocking an owner for doing this for his thinking may be clouded by the very unfamiliar and unfortunate circumstances the owner facing a blown engine (so to speak) finds himself in -- and then afterwards reconsiders and decides he doesn't love the car as much as he thought and decides to get rid of the car.

I would hope you could find some info on the servicing the car has had since its new engine was installed.

OTOH, what servicing the engine had or didn't have 50K miles ago counts for less than how the engine now runs. If a thorough road test, first as a passenger then as a driver, has the engine (or the car) manifesting any signs of any issues, if the engine (and car) run/drive ok, and you believe you can get the car for an acceptable price, then arrange for a PPI. This gets the car in the air so a careful check can be made for any leak sign.

Also, given the car's history, seek out a PPI guy that is able to remove the oil filter housing and examine the oil filter housing oil and filter element for any signs of any trouble. I'd even consider having a sample of oil sent out for an analysis.

Or perhaps you need to give this car a pass. Is this the best example you can find and afford?

 

I would walk away from a dealer at the first whiff of BS, which that clutch story is.
Also, a 40th Ann. without its original engine goes to the bottom of the list. There are plenty of cars with 75k miles with immaculate interiors. Keep looking.

 

Ye sadly walking away from it. Talk to the dealer and they contact the previous owner and gave me the info for the Shop that fixed the engine. They put in a engine with 30k miles they had pulled from a totaled car and were selling. The shop itself looked run down and a bit shady itself.


Thanks for the help.

 

I know that feeling when you get hot for a car and then fate turns on you. Sorry.
I encourage you to check out your local specialist repair shops first. Just drive by or walk in. They may have a bulletin board where customers post for sale ads, or the owner knows of a customer contemplating selling. Then you are dealing with a known history, instead of trusting carfax or similar, which are not infallible. I wouldnt buy a specialty car if a dealership were the only place I could trust to work on it, since cost is a concern for me. Good luck, patience will pay off.

 

Those are great cars- i had a 40th anniversary #309 couple of months ago i sold for $26k it had 94k miles but was pristine..i still talk to the new owner and he loves it. him and his entire fam are harcore porsche enthusiasts.

 

Ye I bet. I ended up backing off this deal. The engine was replaced less the 500 miles ago with a used motor with supposedly 30k miles on it. it was sold and installed by some shop with no online history that I could find and it had 2-3 different names at the same address. From the photos/google maps its a small old little shop that looks meant to be for quick oil changes with a junk yard in the back. So I don't even know if any of the X51 items were moved over to the new engine. The previous owner tho did bring in all the receipts he had for the car to the dealer except for the actual engine swap receipt I think since the dealer showed me the email exchange on his phone with prices which was about 15k for the swap with IMS bearing from Vortex auto.

It was a shame, amazing looking car but to many questionable things in its background.