BODY & IDENTITY
The 968 you’re looking at should display a matching Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) on its V5 document and on the identification plate located in the engine bay. Additionally, the car’s VIN will be stamped into the nearside bulkhead. Elsewhere on the V5, you’ll see the engine number. Check this against the number etched into the rear nearside of the block. If they don’t match, ask the owner why the car has been fitted with a replacement powerplant. There might be a perfectly reasonable explanation for an engine swap (failure), but make sure it ties in with what the supporting paperwork suggests. Receipts from Official Porsche Centres or recognised independent specialists should fill you with confidence and, in our experience, it's more than likely the garage responsible for carrying out the work will be happy to chat to you about the fault and, importantly, the fix.
Spend a couple of quid at mycarcheck.com, where you can download a history report outlining any insurance claims, change of registration number, recorded mileage and whether there’s any outstanding finance on the car. You should also enter the vehicle’s details into the DVLA’S free-to-use MOT history database, which can be found at bit.ly/dvlamot. The service will return all test passes, failures and advisories registered as far back as electronic records are stored, which is helpful in identifying any ongoing mechanical or safety issues. If you have the V5 document number at your disposal, you can even see which test centres carried out the inspections.
You don’t need to park a 968 next to a 924 or a 944 to see obvious similarities between the styling of each model, but the 968 represents the most curvaceous iteration of Harm Lagaaij’s vision for Porsche’s four-cylinder transaxle offering. Despite being galvanised at the factory, however, the 968’s body attracts rust in hard-to-see spots, including around the rear suspension equipment and floor pans. It might be difficult to check these areas in advance of your test drive, but try to get underneath the car and have a good poke around. Better still, take someone with you who knows what they’re looking at. Fortunately, sill corrosion isn't as profound as it is with the 944, although the 968's chunky side skirts can hide a multitude of sins. Again, get on the floor and have a good look at the car's metalwork.
Damage may have been inflicted upon 968s in track trim, so check panel gaps to make sure they’re straight. Look for signs of mismatched colour and don’t be afraid to ask questions. You might be eyeballing a Porsche which has simply been tapped with a trolley in a supermarket car park, but then again, the car might have been stacked into a tyre wall at a race circuit. Either way, Porsche body repairs shouldn’t be done on the cheap, so ask to see receipts relating to the work, if applicable. A paint thickness gauge will help you to determine if you’re looking at rear quarters full of filler. Oh, and be mindful of the existence of the 968 Sport, a Uk-only model with limited production of just 306 units. Essentially a Club Sport with a handful of creature comforts reinstated (cloth-covered Sport seats, power windows, electric mirrors and boot release), it's easy to confuse the two cars, though the V5 will list model name.