Hi:

I looked at this 1983-Turbo yesterday but my understanding is that there were no 930's imported in 1983. It must be a Euro version.

What is the final word from this group as to the issues of buying a Euro spec car in the USA?

99C2

 

my cousin has a 1984 Carrera with euro motor and he has not been able to pass smog in California despite many trips to a good Pcar mechanic...he was told it was because the motor has higher compression than US spec and engine has been ported/polished and has larger af meter...doesn't pass no2

 

Chuck:

Ummm....that is something to think about here in IL too. Thanks for that tip.

99C2

 

Guys,

We are talking apples and oranges here. There is NO comparison to a modded 3.2 Carrera and a 3.3 Turbo in terms of passing smog and all.

History: First, the Euro 930s got a bad rap from when they were very new and a lot of shady dealers...well, everyone.. was importing them and a lot of them were done very sloppily or not at all with forged paperwork. BA bad mouthed them at the time and this reputation stuck with them for that reason. Remember, you couldn't even get a new 930 in these days in the good 'ol USofA, so the only way was to buy a performance turd of a Turbo Look Carrera or a gray market imported 930. The "looki-me" guys got the TL cars and everyone else had to either buy gray market or used.

Buying: Same as any other 930. These are very durable and strong cars. They will suffer some pretty poor mechanical work and keep running and a great many Porsche mechanics don't really understand them. [Whatever you do NEVER take to a P-car dealer. They stopped training on them a long time ago and rarely have competent mechanics.] You absolutely need to have a through PPI done when considering one of these. So many have been butchered up.. BUT that it true with any older USA 930 anyway.

The only.. honest.. big sweat is that they are still supposed to have their EPA and DOT paperwork to be considered "legal". However, as many of them are now past the EPA 25 year import rule and would be importable today with no EPA requirements, I am not sure it matters anymore. These are getting old. Mainly, you want an inspection by a good 930 mechanic- not just a 911 mechanic. Honestly, you can't be too careful with a mechanic as so many people really don't understand the cars all that well.

We also go back to the old and fairly good standard. If it starts with no smoke or unusual noises, drives nice with nothing unusual, and after fully warm takes full boost and back to the garage with no leaks, nasty noises and nothing unusual.. they are... usually.. fine. IF anything doesn't work, or doesn't work right, NEVER presume it will be a cheap fix. The reason I insist on a PPI is that I have seen examples that have been overboosted and had a lot of broken rings that ran well, didn't smoke, and acted just fine. You can't be too careful with these cars. They were expensive new and tend to be expensive to properly repair.

Don't be any more afraid of this than a USA car. It may need some smog bits to pass our strict California emission testing but that shouldn't be an issue with a good 930 mechanic. One last thing, you really want a smog test done before your own eyes and not just a certificate. BTW, you can go to the DMV website and dig around.. I think it is under the BAR [Bureau of Automotive Repair] section you will find a form that will allow you to see the smog test history by license/vin of any California registered vehicle.

GOOD luck and don't be scared of a gray market 930.

Oh, to the gent who has a relative with a 3.2 Carrera and emission problems. I may be able to refer him to a SoCal P-car mechanic who might be able to help him make it legal enough to pass. Hard to tell without a list of what has been done, but it should be do-able. Just contact me if I can be of help.

JR

 

I'd say the biggest difference between the Euro Cars and the US one are the diference in the way the Germans and Americans use them. Americans tend to baby their Porsche's and German's tend to use them as they were intended to be driven all the time rain, snow or sun. If the car has been well cared for doesn't really matter where it came from. If car has not been well cared for doesn't really matter where it came from.
Phil

 

Hi John:

Thanks for that response. I think you are correct back in the day if the conversion was not correct there would be a problem. Today, these cars are 25 years old and today my mechanic says that the emissions are not important here in Illnois.

I do have a great Indy Shop that I go to and they are very much Air Cooled professionals - building race ready cars too. That helps....

Puff of Blue Smoke on Start-up - I did see that this past weekend and am concerned what that could cost.

I did drive the car too and when I last drove this type of car I remember much more boost and excitement - that was back in 1985 I'll never forget that experience. Wow!

Still thinking about it and my Indy is ready to perform the PPI.

Plan "B" - What if during the PPI we discover the engine is bad - how much would that cost to make right? Silly question.....?

The car has 29,XXX miles - 1983 Euro version.

99C2

 

Much anguished gashing of teeth. OH MAN.. what a loaded question!

I see people all the time suggesting that you can "rebuild" a 930 engine for about $5k. Sure.. if you like "parts is parts".

Frankly, it depends on what is wrong with it. Really. Could be as simple as a worn out turbo. Even that run a couple of Thousand. If it is worn inside, hold on tight. A quality rebuild of a worn out 930 engine starts at about $12k. Don't EVER believe it will be less as these parts cost the same as they always have...usually more with inflation... and labor never gets cheaper. To rebuild a worn out engine and upgrade it can easily set you back $25k. Of course, we are back to apples-and-oranges. A quality mechanic building one of these up is going to make performance that will rival the newest performance tt Porsches and will simply run away from any stock 930.

They are expensive cars. You can buy a cheap one on the buy in, but rarely do you find a really cheap one that doesn't end up costing more in the long run. I really believe that 930s are ultimate examples of
"Buy the best car that you can afford" .. and I would ad that if that is too expensive you are looking at the wrong type of car. There is nothing worse than buying a 930 with expensive problems. You will sink a fortune into making it right and unless you were prepared to do this and upgrade it into something that you specifically love and want to keep, you will end up dumping it at a huge loss and burn a hole in your wallet and heart. If the buy in is too expensive, look around. There are plenty of 3.2 Carreras, 91+ C2s, and especially hot rodded earlier 911s. If you find a GOOD one you really can have your cake and eat it too. GOOD LUCK.
JR

 

I have an 82 EURO that is waaaaay better than my old US Version. Love the better looks and the higher HP motor.

 

Live in NY and tree-huggers are working to get some of the stronger CA smog rules adopted here. Have good friend working for DEC and smog tests can be made retroactive to a degree and as restrictive as they want; state can do whatever it wants. NY has done some strange things with laws, so nothing is beyond belief. If they want to get performance cars (under the guise of being "gas guzzlers") off the road, they will do it. For Porsche the easiest to target will be Euros; they have a tough enough time passing some tests now. For years many performance models of American Muscle could only be ordered with automatic transmissions and only certain performance options in CA. Once they start they are like a disease, they spread like wildfire and then all of us will have to worry. The ethanol debacle is a good example of how the government works. Clearly has had only negative results, but those smart in-charge fruitcakes are pushing to increase the additive % from 10 to 15%. Nothing they do makes logical sense. Would advise to stick with US only for street and either if track only. No matter what a deal you get, if you can't drive it what good is it???