If you buy sensibly it should give you many years of reliable, stylish and enjoyable motoring that won't break the bank. The 3.2 litre engine is a very tough unit but it does need regular servicing - thank the owner and walk away from any Porsche that doesn't have a full service history. The engine is a flat-six which means that oil can seep past the piston rings and puff out a little smoke when first started from cold. This puff of smoke should quickly clear - if it doesn't then its probably ready for a top end rebuild with prices starting at about £2,000.

A Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2 is not a cheap car- buy a bad one and it will be very, very expensive. From my own personal experience there are always a number of these cars for sale and you should be prepared to walk away from any car you are not sure about.

Top Recommendation - One of the safest ways in to 911 ownership is to have your potential purchase inspected by a qualified Porsche specialist. This normally costs about £150 but can save you many thousands in repair bills.

Oil leaks can also potentially be very expensive to fix and are quite difficult to trace on a 911. Leaks from the crankcase oil pipes, cylinder heads or camshaft seals mean the engine has to come out. With a car potentially nearly 20 years old I think you must expect a degree of seepage. My car does have a slight "dirty bottom" but doesn't drip oil on the drive. I'm keeping an eye on it and it isn't a problem at the moment. At the next service I'll ask the mechanic to hazard a guess where its coming from - it may just be a poorly seated gasket somewhere.

Oil pressure is something else that can be an indicator to the condition of the engine. I can remember reading an article by Philip Raby where he stated that the "oil pressure on tickover should be 3 bar". This caused me some concern but on discussing this with several other Carrera owners I believe Philip is wrong - the rule of thumb adopted by most owners is 1 bar per thousand revs. So in a hot engine look for 1 bar at tickover and 4 bar at 4,000 rpm.

Oil pipes should also be checked for corrosion or leakage. The photo (left) shows the two oil pipes running to the oil cooler. These pipes run from the oil tank at the back of the car to the oil cooler at the front. The ones in the photo are both in good condition for a 16 year old car. If they are corroded - check out the prices at www.porscheshop.co.uk or www.design911.co.uk .

However tread carefully if you think the rear oil pipes need replacing - see below. Budget £800 if all the oil pipes and thermostat need replacing (non OPC prices).

This is one oil pipe not in such good condition - note the corrosion and split in the joint at the end of the flexible pipe. Its obviously not leaking but due for replacement. Care must be taken when replacing the rear oil pipes - they connect into an aluminum oil thermostat. Steel pipe threads into an aluminum casting are not good news - the two different metals react with each other. From my own experience replacing the rear oil pipes usually means replacing the thermostat as well. Allow £450 for a full set of oil pipes and £350 for the thermostat - OUCH!

Corrosion - All Porsche bodyshells were galvanised from 1976. Whilst this was a major step forward (in reducing the dreaded rust) it obviously can't get rid of it completely. Common places for rust on a Carrera 3.2 include the "C" pillar inside the door shut (photo left) and around the fuel filler cap (photo on home page). This is because there are no inner wings on a Carrera 3.2. Another key area to explore is the floor pan where corrosion is just as likely as any other car.

Panel fit - Porsche cars always seem to have a larger gap between panels than any other car.... my last 944 had huge gaps between the wings and the bonnet! However even if the gap is a little larger than its Japanese or Italian rivals the seams should always be straight and the gap consistent. Any sign that the gap is not even probably means the car has had an accident and may not of been properly repaired. Badly repaired accident damage can also lead to corrosion problems in later life. The body work on a Carrera 3.2 is a superb piece of engineering - I suggest you look at each seam and admire the strong parallel lines.

Heat Exchangers and the exhaust system are prone to rust - The one on the left looks in reasonable condition. A rusty or blowing exhaust system is not the end of the world but you should adjust your purchase price accordingly. There are several companies now offering stainless steel exhaust systems and if you are planning on keeping your Carrera for several years then this may be a good investment. Again check out the prices at your OPC or look at www.porscheshop.co.uk or www.design911.co.uk

Condensation in the lights can cause serious corrosion. Check both the front and rear lights for evidence of rust. The rear lights are particularly vulnerable if the seals split or deteriorate. Also remember that cracked lenses will mean an MOT failure.

Tip - after 2 decades the rubber seals around the front and rear indicator lense seals can be a little brittle. Smear a little grease on to each seal - this protects the seals and also keeps out the moisture.

The electric sunroof is prone to a couple of problems -
1) Check that the mechanism works freely, without sticking or complaining;
2) Look for signs of water leaking on the headlining (photo far left). The seals around the sunroof (photo left) should also be in good condition to ensure a waterproof fit. Replacement seals are quite cheap to buy but I'm not sure how difficult they are to fit.

Check that all the controls are working as you would expect. The clock on the right of the instrument cluster is prone to breaking and can be expensive to replace. Another gauge which I have seen failing is the oil level indicator. I believe the sensor is normally the culprit and replacement is quite straight forward although I haven't any personal experience of this. Interesting that the dash board layout has hardly changed since 1963!

Oil temp guage - it has a wide white band near the bottom ("warm-up band"--top of this band is 140F or 60C), then a white tick mark (200F or 90C), a second white tick mark (250F or 120C), and a wide red band (bottom of this band is 300F or 150C).

Optional extras - many Carrera 3.2s were sold with the "Sport" package which include the desirable Whaletail spoiler. It also included a small black front spoiler which is more like an extension to the front sill - check this for damage as it is so close to the ground! Another useful extra with the Sport package is the firmer suspension due to upgraded shock absorbers.

My own Carrera also has the sound package which adds an additional amplifier to the sound system and uses no less than 8 speakers to deliver the sound!

As these cars are well over a decade old, there are a number of other extras that have been added or upgraded including, alarm/immobiliser, replacement alloy wheels (such as the Cup wheels), CD systems, etc

All of these extras can add value to your perspective purchase - but only if they are in good working order!

The early 3.2 Carreras have the Porsche 915 transmission which not only held back further development of the engine but struggled to keep synchromesh on first and second gears. The Getrag G50 was introduced in 1987 providing a much stronger and driver-friendly gearbox.

However - even with the G50 gearbox don't expect a silky, short gear change!
PS - Gearbox rebuilds cost about £1000.