I was back there yesterday and saw a few more cars, actual cars not rc. One was a classic 2nd generation camero like the one in the first transformers movie. Th e other two were modified Nissan 240 sxs. One a confpvertible both modified to drift with big tires and v8 eninges with turbos. I'll try and get pics next time, I was in awe this time and just forgot.
Back on the Porsche, I've talked it over with my wife and have decided that if it's an automatic and still available to purchase it and have the ims (intermediate shaft) bearing replaced soon after I take possession of the car. Since the offer to sell was made I have not been able to speak to the seller, my dentist, he doesn't work many days per week as it is and was off most of last week. I have porsche on the brain and have been looking online for over a week. I've also done a lot more research on the ims issue and may identify a shop to do the ims work next week. My regular mechanic can handle the general maintenance but I'd like a shop with specific experience on the ims to do the preventive maintenance work of replacing it with an upgraded bearing. If I get the subject porsche or another one I will probably be rearranging the garage so that my wife and I can each keep a car in it.
So why buy a porsche I could care less about less than 2 weeks ago? Simply put, I want to own a really nice sports car while I'm still young enough to enjoy it and I can't find a better deal on a similar model. I don't want a Boxter or a coupe, it has to a convertible and now it has to be an automatic (my wife and I both know how to drive a stick but since it will replace her commuter car, a '93 civic, she wants an automatic or she won't drive it, especially in the commute traffic out here). Other cars I've considered are used vettes, Nissan 350s/370s and their infinity variants, the Subaru brz and Toyota frs, BMW m3s and mereceds SLs. For me, it's got to be a porsche . I looked at a few used ferrarris as well but that is purely fantasy land at the asking and maintenance prices I saw (e.g. $55k for a 1997 355 before $5k to $8k for the 25k mile mfg suggest maintenance, I didn't even bother to get an insurance quote on that). If my dentists car is no longer available, I will just keep my eye out for something comparable. The plan is to get into one, including the upgrade, first year ins costs and tax for less than $20k (and no auto loan) drive it for a year or two and decide if I want to keep or sell it at that point.
About the ims. Pictures speak loader than words so here are links to videos that explains the issue better and the cost to repair better. In short, the bearing sits at the end of a shaft at the bottom of the engine, the shaft holds the gears that the it timing chains are attached to, the other mounting points of the timing chains are the cam shafts. If the bearing fails it throws the timing off and sends debris through the engine, effectively destroying it in seconds. The cost to replace the bearing with a better one is $1,500 to $3k depending on which bearing is used and who does the work. The cost to replace a destroyed engine is $12k to $18k depending on if the engine is new or used, this excludes labor costs.
Ims bearing:
Catastrophic failure results:
Thanks to all of you for your thoughts on this, especially @ Bruce and
@Zeus2013.
I almost forgot the pics (fr my phone).
