Mid 70's Porsche buyers guide? What to look out for?

So my mind has been invaded by mid 70's Porsches here lately and looks like the only way to get them out of there will be to actually buy one. I've done some initial research and I think I have settled on trying to find a '76 912E, yeah I know it's a VW bus engine, but it's practical and would run in H-Street auto-x.

I know the 76 and later cars have fully galvanized bodies so rust on those wouldn't be as prevalent from what I've seen, and the battery tray area seems to be a rust magnet though on all the years. What other pitfalls should I try and avoid on these years?

Rust can still be a problem on the galvanised ones, they just rust slower. 912Es are pretty rare and not particularly quick; not sure I'd want one for an Auto-X car. Unless you're set on a narrow body car I'd look for an SC - they're not much more expensive than a 912E if you settle for a leggy one.

Other rust magnets are the front suspension pan (expensive to replace properly) and the "kidney bowls" in front of the front wheels. Both will rust on a galvanised car, too. Also, condition of the interior - you can spend a lot of time and money restoring them if they're worn.

I'm not a 912E expert, make sure you know about all the 912E specific parts because my guess is that they are suffering from a bad case of unobtanium.

Thanks for the heads up. I'm going to look at one tomorrow. from the pics I don't see the usual rust areas I have seen on other examples, so I'll keep these spots in my look over.

They only made 2100 of them, so they aren't easy to find. You'd be better off finding an SC that's missing it's engine and building your own.

The 912's aren't all that inexpensive compared to a 'proper' 911 and the performance difference is huge. Additionally, I can't imagine buying that shape and not hearing the flat six roaring behind me. Resale ease is also way better on the six cylinder cars.

You need a copy of the book 'The Used 911 Story'. Tells you everything to look for. I also like 'Porsche 911 Buyer's Guide'.

Keep in mind that 912 != 912E. I personally wouldn't mind a 912, but I wouldn't buy a 912E...

912Es especially are really a small market with expected resale issues and really more collectors items than anything else.

If it's 912e for budget reasons, I'd think about a scruffy targa sc instead. Like others said it's sorta rare and not up on performance. Ultimately it's value will be as an original car or secondarily as a swap with a flat 6. Battery tray, under the rockers and wheel arches can be vulnerable. If you're looking cause you dig them, carry on.

I owned a 912e for 10 years and now own a914 there are some 912e motor parts that are close to unobtainum, plus at least from what I ve seen on eBay they are not cheaper than either a 914 or a911sc so I agree a sc targa or 914 would be a better choice

912s in general don't save you much vs. a 911 anymore. The demand for long hood 911s is so high that more than half of the remaining, solid 912s have 911 engines in them by now. I don't think that most of the RGrouppe guys really care what their car started out as.

If I can find the right price on a 911 I might spring for it, This 912 was rust free and only wanted $9k for it. Unfortunately he sold it to the first person who saw it in less than 24 hours after posting. So I'm on the hunt again.

And I would actually consider a solid 911 body to put a Subaru engine into if it was the right price.

That sounds like a bargain at $9k if it was a coupe.

If you're considering a Subaru swap, you should be looking for a 74-77 Targa, as they have the lowest buy in. The value of all coupes has gone through the roof lately and I'm not sure I'd want to go down the Subie swap project route with one of those. Even the values of the 74-77 cars have crept up. A lot of guys who own multiple Porsches build their track cars out of them.

You might also find a 78-89 Targa roller that has given up it's good stuff to repower an early car.

Woody wrote: 912s in general don't save you much vs. a 911 anymore. The demand for long hood 911s is so high that more than half of the remaining, solid 912s have 911 engines in them by now. I don't think that most of the RGrouppe guys really care what their car started out as.

912E isn't a long hood, but I guess you know that.

Yeah since me and carbs don't get along I'm staying away from the earlier long hood cars. I'm also not a fan of the Targa's. The appeal of the 912E for me was initial buy in is about 5-10k cheaper, I've read about them handling better than the 911's due to the lower weight of the engine, fuel injection (albeit rudimentary), better fuel economy (I know, who buys a Porsche for fuel economy?), and I'm used to a car with less than 90hp thanks to the Insight.

So I'll keep looking, but if I find a white 911 for around 15k I would be hard pressed to pass it up.

The problem with the fuel injection on the 912E - which IIRC is the same system that the 914 uses - is that not many people understand it and it's often replaced with, you guessed it, carbs.

I've only ever seen the "better handling" attributed to the 912 (especially in SWB form), not the 912E. Maybe the journos got used to the 911's handling by then.

FWIW, Bosch L-Jetronic injection is dead simple.

BoxheadTim wrote:

Woody wrote: 912s in general don't save you much vs. a 911 anymore. The demand for long hood 911s is so high that more than half of the remaining, solid 912s have 911 engines in them by now. I don't think that most of the RGrouppe guys really care what their car started out as.

912E isn't a long hood, but I guess you know that.

Guys convert impact bumper cars to long hood.

t25torx wrote: So I'll keep looking, but if I find a white 911 for around 15k I would be hard pressed to pass it up.

So would I.

This is the cheapest, decent 911 coupe that I've seen in a while, and I search the ads several times a day, every day.

http://albany.craigslist.org/cto/4701736749.html

If this one was white I would seriously be contacting them. http://www.carsforsale.com/used-cars-for-sale/1983-porsche-911-augusta-ga-240582758

I can't do a black car in Florida, especially not with a black interior

Why not get a 912e and megasquirt the stock f.I. ? Then all you need is an exhaust.

scottdownsouth wrote: Why not get a 912e and megasquirt the stock f.I. ? Then all you need is an exhaust.

If I get a 912E it's staying as stock as possible, just building it out to the SCCA Street class rules, shocks/exhaust/tires/wheels.

My bad, I though I had read that you could use aftermarket f.I. somewhere. Or replace the brain if it was impossible to find a new one. I may have to rethink my goals....

T25torx, can you enlighten me on your dream 912e setup ? I know exhaust parts are hard to find ....