911sc help ASAP

Have a 911sc targa that i am looking at, mechanic has it for sale picked it up from a former customer who has neglected it the last 4 years. Mechanic seems to be an honest guy but i have never used him because i have never owned a porsche. the car is UGLY and needs a lot of little things done. dash cracked, hood needs a repaint, various seals need to be R & Rd, carpet, door panels, fuchs need to be refinished seats are sun baked, foam is good. needs a steering wheel small little dings here and there.

Good: He rebuilt the motor and transmission 5 years and 30k miles ago, master cylinder replaced, tires are good

price:7700 firm

Need thoughts ASAP

What is the year?

911's had huge rust problems thru most of the 70's. The mechanic should be able to verify that the cam chain tensioner is the later version....(They fixed the design in the early 80's, I think.)

Thats my $.02 worth...

Rog

Gonna cost you 20 to sort the list you just described. Is the car worth 30 when you are done or could you just as easy buy a nicer car in the first place

In reply to NOHOME:

OOPs 1978 911sc

emodspitfire wrote: What is the year? 911's had huge rust problems thru most of the 70's. The mechanic should be able to verify that the cam chain tensioner is the later version....(They fixed the design in the early 80's, I think.) Thats my $.02 worth... Rog

If its an SC the it would be 1978 throu 1983. IIRC they were using galvanized steel in the bodies by that point. the rust isssues were quite a bit less than the pre '76 cars.

Are there receipts for the rebuilds? The engine rebuild would be around $10k and the transmission about $5k.

Honestly, this sounds like the kind of Targa that a smart Porsche guy would buy as a parts car to rebuilt a worn out coupe. Targas are worth less than coupes and often sacrifice their good parts so that coupes may live (or race).

I'd pass on this one. If you really want a Targa (and be sure that you do. They all rattle and leak), you can probably find a pretty nice Carrera 3.2 Targa for $12k. First and second owners of Targas tended to take pretty good care of the outside of the car. The tops can be a bit expensive to repair, but just think of it as being cheaper than replacing a headliner.

I've done the shopping for a Porsche thing and I know that it's hard to say no to some cars, but keep your wits about you. Look at the For Sale section of Pelican and don't forget to set aside about $400 for a PPI.

How handy are you? Sorta sounds like a $10k parts car or a $6500 runner . The dash is a crappy job to fix and the part is a grand. Mechanically, look for receipts it had the carrera timing chain tensioner upgrade. Also the air box should have a pop off valve installed to be up to date. Good candidate to gut and make a track toy out of it.

NOPE! don't buy it. We have a beautiful 83 cabriolet for sale for 18, and that is the high end of the spectrum for SCs.

Unless you are going to drive it AS IS, which I would, then do not buy it. The nickle dime bull hockey will cost you well more than the car is worth.

I'd buy a nicer one instead.

Getting the Fuchs refurbed (if they need more than the paint touching up) is going to be expensive as they'd have to be re-anodized.

Seals for these are also brutally expensive - you can get them but it's going to cost you.

Interior is going to be expensive if the seats need recovering, etc, etc etc.

hydraulic tensioner, pop off valve all done during the rebuild.
In regards to a parts car that is why some one else is in line to buy this car if i dont.
they want the motor and tranny.

It might be the basis of a nice autocross/track toy. Weld in a cage and the weld on a roof from a junkyard coupe.

Seriously, buy a nicer one - Targas aren't that expensive and there is no such thing like a cheap 911.

Type Q wrote: It might be the basis of a nice autocross/track toy. Weld in a cage and the weld on a roof from a junkyard coupe.

It's not that easy to convert a Targa into a Coupe unless you're after a slot on thereifixedit.

I dont think he will go any lower, because he has another offer, but what should i offer just in case he is playing hardball.

For reference, here's an '87 Carrera 3.2 Targa that I passed on a couple of years ago.

It seemed perfect. It looked fantastic and appeared to run great. Original owner, original paint, perfect black interior, newly recovered Targa top. 103k miles.

The owner was asking $15k. I was almost ready to make an offer of $12k (but probably willing to pay $14k). I towed it 40 miles to a very well respected Porsche shop for a PPI.

I spent the next several hours at home, nervously separating hundred dollar bills into neat little stacks of ten while waiting for the phone to ring.

When I got the call from the shop, I was floored. While the car appeared perfect to me, I was told that I should only buy it if I could get it for five grand. There were so many expensive little (and big) things wrong with it, they said that it would cost another fifteen to make it right. And I thought all it needed was tires, a battery and an A/C recharge. I knew that it would need a clutch before long.

I was very disappointed, but happily forked over $450 to the shop for the PPI, which was the bargain of a lifetime. I didn't even make an offer on the car and trailered it back to the very disappointed owner's home. The owner got a copy of the PPI and spent a long time speaking with the shop owner.

Several months later, it was back on Craigslist, asking $15k, same phone number.

Besides, Targas are for Bob Costas.

Here's an excellent thread with lots of info on refinishing Fuchs wheels:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/204863-economy-rsr-fuchs-finish.html

In reply to Woody:

Harummph on the targas are for Bob Costas - yes I have an 85.

Oh yeah - they leak. I did like my coupe better.

Consider all 911s as $15-$20,000 cars. Some already have the money in them - others will need it. My targa is a poster child for this theory. Runs and drives great - barely leaks oil - but worn valve guides and weak syncros says that long-term it will need $$$ thrown at it even if I do the work.

For your first 911 - move on, nothing to see there (unless you want to disassemble one for fun and sell off the parts).

For further reference, I had hoped to buy this '87 Targa last week for $1250. I just wanted the wheels, but I figured that I could cut and sell enough repair panels and suspension bits out of it to cover the cost.

Someone else beat me to it, but I still got the wheels.

Notice the other parts-Targas in the background.

Bruce Anderson, Porsche Guru, says buy the newest 911 you can afford. My first 911 was a 1980 911SC which needed some heater work, interior work and 2nd gear crunched a little-it landed up costing triple the purchase price and when I sold it, it was worth less than I paid for it 10 years earlier. That being said, if I won the lottery I would track it down and buy it back, loved that car. here's a pic:

Sounds a lot like the 911 cab I passed on last year for $7k... the advice you're being given is good.

Bill

Be especially careful when shopping for a Cabriolet. Many began life as Targas. The conversion was actually endorsed by the factory, and a kit was available, but the conversion was done locally.

oldtin wrote: In reply to Woody: Harummph on the targas are for Bob Costas - yes I have an 85. Oh yeah - they leak. I did like my coupe better. Consider all 911s as $15-$20,000 cars. Some already have the money in them - others will need it. My targa is a poster child for this theory. Runs and drives great - barely leaks oil - but worn valve guides and weak syncros says that long-term it will need $$$ thrown at it even if I do the work. For your first 911 - move on, nothing to see there (unless you want to disassemble one for fun and sell off the parts).

I have an 85 Targa as well (pic in my profile) and actually sought out a Targa as opposed to a Coupe or cab. I looked for over a year before I found my car, which wasn't for sale at the time. Luckily I left my card with the owner and a few months later he called and was ready to sell. I paid a premium, but I got a car with around 50k miles, all records since new, color combo and options I wanted, and the PPI checked out.
My suggestion would be buy the best one you can find and afford unless you want a serious project that could get expensive fast.

I used to love Porsches. I mean really love them. But now I stay away from them. They just ain't cheap once they need fixin'.