1 Get the car inspected whether the seller is private or dealer.
Cars do not spend all of their lives in a dry state,(you can ski in California and it also has a shoreline) and like all others of cars the period started corroding going over on the boat. Sadly because they were entry level models sold in a less romantically inclined, i.e. disposable society, and were the poor relation to the 911 most have not been well looked after/repaired. They are now seen as affordable/good value and have been imported by the truckload and simply 'jollied up' for sale.----------THERE ARE NO ORIGINAL RUST FREE CARS AND IF YOU CAN SEE ANY SIGNS Of CORROSION AT ALL THERE WILL BE MORE-MUCH MORE.------------ That small bubble at the base of the rear of the front wing means the inner flange is rusty which means that rust may well have started in the sills, A post and floor areas. Those small imperfections below the rear window mean serious trouble. Check the floor from above and underneath around the fuel tank/front suspension mountings, if it looks bad find another or budget £800 for a proper repair, check the rear torsion bar tube area on the inner rear wing if it looks bad, WALK AWAY whatever the asking price unless under £1000. Despite what you may be told telltale bubbles on door bottoms, bootlids, bonnets and around the windscreen base are all very expensive to eradicate.-YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

2 Check the numbers and actual engine type.
Is it really a 912 or a tired 356B or even Beetle engine-8 EXAMPLES AND COUNTING-remember you can put the third piece of the engine case where the number is marked on any of the engines. Secondly note well--they are NOT the same as Volkswagens and each different 356/912 derivative engine had very different characteristics and mechanical parts are only readily available for 912 engines.

3 Check the distributor.
Almost all imported cars have been fitted with the obsolete NPR 1720cc aftermarket pistons/barrels of varying quality and the seemingly cheap VW 009 distributor which is 23 degrees out in advance curve and can only be made to run well at either low or high speeds. US speed limits mean the cars are set to run acceptably at up to 60 mph but have rarely been run at their designed operating speeds. The result is when they come over here and run at 70-90 mph and/or max revs they run poorly and all too frequently damage/destroy no 3 piston first just before the whole engine goes bang---55 EXAMPLES AND COUNTING. The correct 050 distributor compensates for the poorer air flow to no 3 cylinder and is within 1 degree advance of the unobtainable original fitment. Budget £125

4 Check the carbs.
All original SOLEX 40Pii's are now 30 years old they are invariably worn out, porous and not all can be rebuilt properly. If Webers or Dellorto's are fitted the car should run properly and even if these are worn they are relatively cheap and easy to cure, check if these carbs have velocity stacks fitted. Note that both of these aftermarket carbs could have originally been made for Alfas, Lancias or Beetles and will require changes to their operation and jetting. If original carbs are still fitted Budget £500. NB Good original rebuilt Solexes are best/cheapest as they are correctly sizes and do not require the extra expenditure on air cleaners and velo stacks. WE CAN NOW OFFER A GOOD SOLEX REBUILD SERVICE.

5 Check the tyres.
Even if they have good tread a tyre only has a life of 3-4 years if kept in the light. The majority of examples we see have 10-25 year old hard Michelin X or a mixture of unknown makes which are cracking and bulging--35 EXAMPLES AND COUNTING. All Porsches in good condition steer, stop and handle as well as modern cars, if the car hops, seems unstable/skittish or the tyres squeal at low speed, do not drive it far or in anger until remedied, even if it has an MOT--The normal rims up to 69 are designed to have tubes fitted. Budget £300.

6 Check the suspension.
In most cases the rear spring plate bushes are badly worn and poor quality dampers have been fitted, if the car sits up too high at the rear or either has too much float or no movement when the rear corner is pushed sharply downwards it will need dampers and bushes. It will also need a geometry check.Note the front ball joints are expensive to replace as the joint includes part of the suspension strength which goes into the front A arms on pre 69 cars. At (at least) £170 pair it is worth having them checked before you buy-do not believe the MOT. Budget £400-£800.. In truth the only way to experience the excellent handling and supple delight that the cars were when new is to renew the A arm bushes and all torsion bars--until this bullet is bitten the car will not reveal its true self. Normally all of these forgotten, out of sight parts, are 30 plus years old and totally worn out. Budget £800 plus

7 Check for lowered suspension.
If the car has been lowered i.e. no visual gap between the tyre top and wheel arch lip find out when it was done. A 912 with lowered suspension looks good--it does however add further stress to an old car via wrong steering angles and at 'soft' and/or corroded body welding points. If the car has been lowered for some time it is very likely to have been used hard/unsympathetically and may well have suffered from the attention of speed bumps, kerbs and/or ramps. Budget £200 to raise the car to a useable height ie able to clear speed bumps-ferry ramps with two people, fuel and luggage..

8 Check the gear selection.
If the gears are vague or hit and miss, probably the front bush and or rear joint are worn or broken/missing, in good condition the gearchange has a long travel but is very good, do not be fooled by the old car excuse/explanation. Budget £75-£150 if the rear joint is worn. If the car is a four speed it can be changed to 5 speed but is not cheap-be sure you are happy with the 4 speed performance designed for American speed limits before you buy. If you have worn synchros on dog leg boxes normally 1/2nd don't rush to rebuild until you have established that the clutch is not dragging or the gearchange bushes are worn or the housing cracked, Also find out which drive shaft joints the car has. The originally fitted Nadella open hook joints are not available. The solution is to change to the later Lobro closed sphere type which requires a different output flange on the gearbox. New is very expensive and used will be circa £200 per side. Because of this many cars have had only one side done, causing an imbalance which can further damage a worn transmission. Get under the car and look if there are two Nadellas they will break soon--an odd pair will require correction-- with two Lobros you are OK.

9 Check the seat recliners.
Most mechanisms, through lack of maintenance and the build up of dirt don't fully engage and will deposit the driver or passenger onto the back seat under strain. 95% can be cured by cleaning, freeing and lubricating.

10 Check the lights.
Pre '69 cars have one piece indicator units, the colours of which are illegal here, you can now get new European white/amber lenses for the front and rears. Fitting RHD H4 European headlight units enable the side lights to be re-routed to the these headlamps avoiding having to change the front indicator lenses if in good condition. Budget £300 lenses-£180 headlamps. Most MOT testers are lenient with faded all red rear lights. It is also possible to put orange bulbs in the reverse light section and rewire. Budget £25-£150. 69-73 cars you can now get good front indicator units again at circa £100 each-well worth it. 

11 The Interior.
Many parts are now hard to find let alone in good condition. Dash tops always suffer as do the armrests and door release buttons, make sure it is all there, if not it will be nearly impossible to get a good two piece dashtop. window winder cranks are always weak or odd-fit the available later type-approx £18 each. The chrome swan neck headrail mounted mirrors are very rare and invariably poor-find an alternative or expect to pay circa £100. Seats are always worn ie sinking but recovering and repadding is not difficult to do at home. Headrests for the pre 67 cars are repro and/or rare -circa £150 each.

12 Brakes.
Do check the brake master cylinder area for leaks and corrosion-- the forgotten pedal box bushes do get attacked by debris and rust-a stuck open throttle at the pedal end will cause severe engine damage-you may not know until you dip the clutch to change gear or if you are lucky enough to feel the problem-- SWITCH OFF don't dip the clutch-5x Engine destruction examples-- AND COUNTING. We strongly suggest that you change the master cylinder and then dual circuit the brakes ie split front and rear for peace of mind on pre 69 cars--budget £300. The solid discs are still available but best to consider upgrading to the later vented disc system particularly if the car is used hard or on a daily basis-budget £800.