Thinking of buying this...

[porsche911girl]

OK I've fallen in love with a car, and obviously, it's not mine (hence the title of this thread). It's a 1973 911S coupe in Aubergine (purple=my fave color!) It's a local car all its life, has a 3.0L motor from a 83 SC, and a 'turbo' but is there such a thing as a turbo that's attatched to the exhaust? I asked where the turbo was cos I didn't see it in the engine, and he pointed to under the car near the exhaust...I was like, hmm ok.

It's got 50-60,000 miles on it (I'm not sure if all original), short-shift kit, Recaro seats, BBS wheels (small ones, not huge oversized newer ones) original stainless chrome headlight surrounds with updated halogen lights.

He's asking $12,000 for it. It's not advertised as he's only just decided to sell it. The owner works at a gas station here in Charlotte, seems very knowledgable, hell when I told him how much I liked his car, he took me out in it around the block! Boy did that make my weekend! And man, that car is F-A-S-T! It's got an aftermarket steering wheel similar to a Momo with a Porsche crest in the center...

I know some cars with low miles sell for lots more than this, and in short, I REALLY WANT THIS CAR! However, convincing the parents will be another thing entirely. I have the go-ahead from my grandma (early college grad present) already.

Anyway, here's the negatives (that I can see without a PPI or very close inspection): The rear decklid has a sizeable dent in it that affects the Porsche script on it. And there is a rust spot on the side of the car. Apparently it's not been stored in a garage while this guy had it (only about a year) But the paint is all original, he pulled up one of the floor mats to show me.

I'm sure most of you will advise me against getting this car, but damn, I'd give all my life savings to have this car. One ride and I'm addicted to it!

Will try to get some pics of it next time I see it. Have a short vid of it on my cell phone that I can't figure out how to upload to the computer/internet, but it shows the dent in the decklid...

PS I've already named it 'Aubie'

Edited to add that I've loved this car from the first time I saw it, back in early Sept. 2006, FWIW.

[Christien]

Is this a 73 longhood 911S, or a mid-year shorthood 911S? If the former, $12K is a steal if it's in even halfway decent shape. If the latter, well, that's different ballgame. It's a 2.7 - problematic engine. Has it had a rebuild? If not, might be better to avoid.

[LakeCleElum]

How old are you....You come across as young, but very knowledgeable and mature?????

We need pic's of the car......

[Dan in Pasadena]

You say its a '73 so I assume you know the difference between an early car and a middy, right? Impact bumpers. You say it is a 3 liter SC engine that has been turbocharged? That along with the fact that there is visible rust would raise BIG suspicions in my mind that would have to be settled.

First and foremost is that whenever you see some rust, there is MORE rust. There is no stronger warning I could give a new early car buyer than to be mindful of rust. Second, a forced induction car is synonamous with MONEY! Not to put you off it, but I suspect there are better cars for you out there. It is never a good idea to fall in love with a car BEFORE you buy it and it is NEVER a good idea to buy the first Porsche you find. Best of luck.

P.S. Better have a few thousand dollars reserved for post purchase whether this 911 or another.

[Won]

Christien, apparently the car has a turbocharged 3.0.

Katie, a "turbo" utilizes the exhaust gas to spin the turbine, more info here: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/turbo.htm

There are more issue to be discussed regarding the car, but I'll leave the details to more knowledgeable people. One thing I want to say though, as another university student, is that you probably don't want to spend all that money and then borrow some for a car. After all, you already drive a 911, and it's gonna cost more than you expect to keep it on the road. Ask me how I know, aside from the running cost, things break, wear out, need replacing, and then you just want to "upgrade"... Not easy unless you have a 9 to 5 job with something above minimum wage.

Again, I have no idea what your situation is like, and maybe this is just "I wish I had this car" moment that (I'm sure) all of us have at some point. I want a mid year coupe with built 3.0 for a 3.0 RS replica Good luck.

[edit] Looks like Dan's got most of what I was going to say covered! [/edit]

[Jays72T]

Buy it if it's really a 73 S, the vin is almost worth that.

[randywebb]

What is the best shop in your area? You need to get them to do a PPI on it.

$12k is low for a '73 - even with a non-stock motor.

THe rust may explain the story here...

[aigel]

NC is not a rust free place. Compared to IL it may be, but I have had cars from the south and they were real rust buckets. So, be very careful about the rust. While rust can be fixed, it's usually not limited to one area, and on an old car like that, to do it right you look at a lot of money and time or both.

The turbo sits next to the exhaust because that's the only place where there was a lot of room in the 911 to put it. On a lot of the other cars out there, turbos indeed sit higher in the engine compartment. As a matter of fact, the room issue may be one of the reasons Porsche went with turbo chargers in the first place over superchargers, which have to be run off the crank.

If you have to borrow money to buy this car, my advice is not to do it. If you borrow money in the interim until you sell your SC, then that's fine, but I strongly believe that these toys aren't something you should go in debt over at any age.

Cheers, George

[dd74]

Soon-to-be-mine: 1973 Aubergine 911S

That's in your sig., so I imagine you've already made up your mind.

FWIW, Porsche stopped building turbo 3.0s early on in the turbo Carrera days, so if this is an '83, it's an aftermarket Rajay system or home built. Now, with that in mind, the '83 3-liter had .8 higher compression than earlier (78-79) 3-liters. Needless to say, 9.3:1 compression is very high on a CIS-injected engine.

Only once have I known of someone to adapt a home-built turbo to an '83 three-liter. I forget the guys name, but he posted quite a bit here about four or five years ago. He was trying to market the system to Pelicanites and had a huge following, but it seemed the plans fell through.

Anyway, I drove a Big Bear, CA. run with him (all mountainous roads), and without a doubt, that car was smokin' fast. Smokin', too, from what I recall, so be very careful investing all your savings and then some into what might be someone else's problem.

IMO, your SC is regarded as part of a historical line of problem free, reliable and extremely tough 911s. Even at $12K for this '73, I'm not positive it's worth the potential problems.

I'd just sink that $12K in suspension work and track days if I were you.

[Thomas Owen]

I would be very careful here... you may be buying into something that could have some unexpected maintenance/repair costs associated with it.
You already have a very nice 911, and any additional funds at this point would be much better used toward improving the existing car or your driving skills.
Good luck -

[Rick V]

Ok IMO, The rust alone would scare me off. As stated earlier, if you see a little there is more lurking underneath. The engine, I love the 3.0/3.2's, and the color....................yeah, the color. My wife would buy it just for that. ( I would agree)
Do yourself a favor, have it PPI'd, I would hate to see someone as young as you, get into something that will cost so much to fix/keep you could be paying for it until you are my age. 73 is non galvanized, and could cost a fortune to repair the iron worm. I assume you have a spot in the garage for it. You can't store it outside, unless you want it to rust away.
I know what your hears is telling you, do yourself a favor and allow your head to have a say in it as well.
The color.......................yeah.
Pics are required, soon.

[crosby50]

If you were mechanically inclined or had a job that threw off some disposable income I would say go for it. However, in your position, you are buying a headache that is more likely to sour you on Porsches. I would save up and buy something that is sorted out and unmodified. You are falling in love with the idea. I would run.

[berettafan]

WAIT a minute here!

You've got $12k to toss into another car? Well let's get back to the thread on changes to your existing car!

I would prefer one badass SC over an average SC and a bastardized, rusty longhood.

[porsche911girl]

Originally posted by Christien
Is this a 73 longhood 911S, or a mid-year shorthood 911S? If the former, $12K is a steal if it's in even halfway decent shape. If the latter, well, that's different ballgame. It's a 2.7 - problematic engine. Has it had a rebuild? If not, might be better to avoid.

It's a 73 longhood, its not a mid-year. I know what mid-years look like and this is definately a pre-74 car. It no longer has the 2.7mfi engine; that was replaced with a 3.0l at some point along the car's life.

[porsche911girl]

Originally posted by berettafan
WAIT a minute here!

You've got $12k to toss into another car? Well let's get back to the thread on changes to your existing car!

I would prefer one badass SC over an average SC and a bastardized, rusty longhood.

Well, it's not MY $12k. My grandma has promised me a vintage Porsche when I graduate from college. I still have at least another year to go. However, she told me that she'd rather buy me the car and be able to see it and watch me enjoy it while she's alive (she's 88).

Hell, she told me she'd write the check tomorrow. And yes I have a garage to put it in. It's a question of convincing my parents. That's the big issue...

[porsche911girl]

Originally posted by LakeCleElum
How old are you....You come across as young, but very knowledgeable and mature?????

We need pic's of the car......

I'm 23. But I've been into Porsches since I was 18 (maybe earlier). I've been reading up on them since 2002, and have subscribed to Excellence for the past 5 years as well.

Unfortunately, pics will have to wait till Monday when the owner's working again. Unless I could call him up and try to get pics of the car this weekend maybe...I do wanna ride in it again...

[porsche911girl]

Forgot to add, the car has electric windows and cold a/c.

[911teo]

Katie

Is this the one at the Texaco pump on Povidence?
It's just around the corner from where I live. I have been "looking" at it for a while...
It'll be a lot of work... but there is something about it....

[Dan in Pasadena]

What comes through the screen about your enthusiasm for this car is that you've got "hot pants" for it! When that happens your ability to carefully consider if this is the best car to begin your Porsche life with goes out the window.

Since your grandmother is paying and likely doesn't know anything about Porsches, why not find a SUPER clean SC to buy for that $12,000? THAT is the "best Porsche you can get" for the money you have to spend...and if you've been here 5 years? You know it!

An SC like this exists and will give you years of driving pleasure with a relative minimum of maintenance costs. I say "relative" in comparison to a known rusty (just not HOW rusty) early car with a forced induction transplanted engine.

Just my $.02. I don't mean to represent that I have never made unwise decisions about cars but it sounds like if you buy this and the rust is extensive or the engine takes a dump on you; you have little or no means to fix those things. Which means asking Grandma for more money and doesn't exactly impress your parents with your adult decision making. Best of luck, Dan

[slow&rusty]

Is it owned by an illegal?