Not On The Rug Man- 1993 Porsche 968

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About two months ago, I was chatting with a friend who works in the same industry as myself at a regional trade show.  His house was under contract for sale and in addition to moving the contents of the house, he only had two weeks to get rid of his Porsche 968 before the closing date.  He had owned the 968 since 1996, but it had sat under a car cover for an undetermined amount of years by the side of the house.  After a couple phone calls to some enabler friends of mine, one offered me up the use his 2wd Chevy truck and car trailer and another (who is a ASE certified tech) volunteered to make the three hour one way trip with me from CT to Wilmington, DE to pick up the car.  The 968 was the final evolution of the 944 and were sold in very limited numbers.  The auto press loved neutral handling, overall balance, and it’s giant 3.0 four cylinder engine.  The frog eye pop up headlights are decidedly retro cool in 2018.  This particular car is in rough shape and would be much better served by someone intimately familiar with these water cooled Porsche models.  The values on these have recently been on the rise so it is possible someone with some ambition may want a project or a PCA club racer.  Find this 1993 Porsche 968 for sale in Norwalk, CT for $5,000 via eBay.

My buddy Jim was a hero for spending the better part of eleven hours with me from start to finish on this Saturday adventure.  The Lebowski stickers helped save my bacon with a NJ state trooper who pulled us over for headlights not working on the way home.  In case you were ever wondering, driving 55-60 MPH on the NJ State Turnpike is roughly the equivalent of competing in NASCAR race with a Vespa scooter.  This was my first time being behind the wheel towing a car and hopefully my last for a long time!


Here are the details of the car from the listing:


I have a 1993 Porsche 968 that would likely best considered: a track car candidate, Chevy LS V8 swap victim, parts car for a 944/968, or ambitious restoration project.  It is a rare 6 speed coupe with the limited slip diff option.  The car has a little over 109,000 miles now.  It was owned by a friend since 1996 and 46,000 miles.   


The car is not currently running.  Best that I can tell, it has set for the better part of 10 years.  The previous owner claimed the car was always good shape mechanically speaking.  


The little info that I can actually verify is a $4500 receipt for head work on the car from 1998.   At 54,000 miles this repair included a set of new cam shafts, head gasket, exhaust valves, and intake valves.


I am not familiar with these engines, but know the timing belt, balance shaft belt, and the rollers is a huge deal are not to be taken lightly.  They all should be replaced immediately.  The car is completely out of gas.  A friend and I recently installed a fresh battery and put some Mystery Marvel Oil in the cylinders.  The car would not turn over due to some sort of alarm immobilizer issue.  I could hear the relay clicking loudly in the passenger floor area.


The one non Porsche key I have for the car does not work on the door locks or the hatch.  


 Here are the list of things that I can tell are not working or broken:

  • dash top is cracked all over the place 
  • passenger door does not open at all
  • one head light does not want to go up
  • one power window does not want to work
  • rubber brake line has a leak
  • hatch seals are shot
  • tires are junk
  • visor clips are broke
  • paint and clear coat are terrible
  • nearly all exterior rubber trim is sun damaged and shrunk
  • probably more issues that I am forgetting or am not aware of….

The good:

  • exhaust system looked to be new when I was under the car
  • body is relatively straight with the exception of a dent on the drivers front fender


The car will need to be towed and inspections are welcome.

If I didn’t know better, I would swear the car sat out in the Arizona desert by looking at the roasted paint and dash top.  It is really a shame the car is in this sort of shape.  I wish I had more knowledge or deeper pockets to get it running and driving shape.

Know anyone interested in this 968? email cory@dailyturismo.com

Cory is getting his 1999 Mercedes E300 aligned on Monday after successfully converting over the suspension from the E55.