It's an 84, three owner, with around 160k on the clock. Body wise I figure look at it like a 914, gaps, rust, paint, bring a magnet. Engine wise, noises, smells, smoke, drips, and it should pull hard.
I guess I'm mostly wondering about the maintinace records. He says be has a lot of them(maybe all). What should I be looking to make sure was done. On a lesser car I would skim for the Timing belt, or head gasket, what would be the equivalent to the 3.2.
Thanks
Samson

Not sure when the bodies on 911s started being galvanized... I want to say 78 for some reason. -- rust other than the battery area shouldn't be a problem if that's the case.

If you think it's worth what they're asking, get a PPI done. Get a compression and leak-down test. Pull the valve covers and inspect for broken lower head studs. Don't forget that smog cert if your state requires it.

how much is it and is it a coupe or targa should be no problem with rust it is galvanized.

The '84 3.2 had valve guide/seal issues that led to wear on the shafts of the valves. If she blows smoke (most 911s do after sitting) it should go away shortly...if not, ask for receipts for the valve job/ head rebuild.

BTW; my running '84 3.2 went for a head rebuild (due to some smoking)...while the heads were off we measured endplay of the crank...oops...total rebuild! $11,000 later I have a fantastic engine.

Remember it is a 23 year old car and will show wear....offer $ accordingly.

Number one concern is head studs. Number two is valve guides. Check the maintanance records for head stud replacement as with that much time on the clock it will have been done at least once.
Rust is not really that much of an issue unless it was a rust-belt car driven in winter in which case it is probably junk or parts at best. Not likely though...
The value of the SC and Carerra has gone up but this one has lots of miles. I know of an excellent maintained and good looking car here in NorCal area that started out at $18.5 and is now down to a $15.5 asking price. Beautiful black paint with a very nice bright red sport seat interior. Just to give you a reference. These cars in California bring at least a slight premium because they have no rust issue to speak of but can have many miles. The one I describe above has 191K on the clock!
A tip on ownership: always keep a DME relay in the glove box. Forget AC, at its best it is a cruel sound effect. Something like pointing a hot blow dryer right at your face

Just make sure you buy the car cheap enough so that it does not cut into the rest of your conversion budget

First year of the plain jane Carrera. Porsche used to use that term for the high end model. Has the 915 transmission which came with the 3.0 and the SC. Porsche switched to the G-50 later on.

3.2s are mostly known for the valve guide issue but at 160K it's either been fixed or not going to be a problem. Head studs breaking are rare in the 3.2 as THAT was an early 3.0 issue. Again, at 160K probably not a problem. They went early or not at all in high corrosion states.

Yes, they are galvanized but they STILL rust in areas where has been damage. Check for underbody scrapes, look under the battery, seams in the trunk. The 915 trans is a SLOW shifter, so don't expect a Muncie rock crusher.

Check for fuzzies and chunks on the magnetic trans plug when doing a PPI. Second gear is the weak link on the 915. The bearing in the intermediate plate gets sloppy and then second gear will explode. You shouldn't pay over 15K for a nice 84 unless it has some type of special options.

A/C, if any, will suck compared to American cars unless it has been updated to barrier hoses and/or modern gases. Ask for repair receipts.

Other than that, they are OK. The SC is a better bang for the buck IMO.

Brando, it's an Evilbay car so I'm probably not going to drop $100 for a PPI on a car I may get out bid on, but good advice. I'd love to have one done.

Thanks ConeDodger, Head studs and valve guides. That's what I need to look for in the repaire logs. I had heard about the DME relay, and AC is not that important to me.

TROJANMAN, one of the ways I justify the car is by buying it cheap enough that I could part it and get a free engine out of it.

Mike, I was thinking SC because they are selling so cheap and still come with a great power plant, but I'd like something with Motronic FI. More power and economy out of essentialy the same package.

is this the burgundy one?

burgundy one? I must have missed that one. No it's the silver Cab in the Collins.

The burgundy one I was interested in had 160k miles.

was it a Feebay car?

I would not buy a 2.7 S car, a 3.0 SC, or a 3.2 Carrera without torquing the head studs, under any conditions unless the car was nearly free. All 3 of these engines have had or are beginning to have head stud issues. For many years we thought that the Dilivar studs were the answer, but they're not any better than steel studs, probably worse.
The mileage and condition of the car means nothing. At one shop that I worked at, a guy brought in an SC that he had just bought. It was absolutely perfect. Concourse. 20,000 miles.
It had 7 broken head studs!
Another guy bought in a 3.2 that he had just purchased and installed in his 914. It ran great, but it had an odd popping sound on acceleration, like an old VW van.
5 broken head studs.
You don't know until you know.

Yup... Head studs are a problem. The reason I place it number one is that it will cost you a big buck or two. If you find yourself owning a 3.2 that needs head studs you should do the valve guides anyway as part of the top-end rebuild...

So the definitive answer is that while the head studs were more of a problem for 2.7 and 3.0 motors, the 3.2 still has the problem. You should never buy one thinking it will not have a head stud problem.

Well put this is good advice. I have three 3.2 never had a head stud or guide problem it has been heard of but not like its every other car or anything like that. Condition of the car as it sets tell how the owner cared for it. But if you can ask the owner to pull the lower covers off and check it would not hurt.