Newbie question - buying a 911

[sir911]

Hey folks! Newbie question here.

I'm looking to buy my first air cooled Porsche 911. I found a 1985 911 targa at a dealership that is in good condition but it doesn't have air conditioning. The dealership said it never had one but I'm not sure about that. Did Porsche sell some 1985 911s without air conditioning?

The label under the frunk hood is missing option codes but I know this was the case for some 1985 911s.

The car is otherwise in excellent condition.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CCvmeCo8hyvoZqUpDeJHyXCoAJ5NNCE0/view?usp=drivesdk

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bYXs7xPh1zmnU2-Cin_UpBnWPda7mejD/view?usp=drivesdk

It has 75k miles on the clock. It comes with heated seat, and the turbo whale tail.

Price is $50,000. Is this a good buy?

Any help is appreciated.
Thanks

[Tobra]

Maintenance records?


AC was never great in them

[Daves911L]

ha ha! See that big yellow sticker on the air cleaner snout that says "charge level"? That's your proof the dealer is a moron, or a liar. But Tobra is right. The AC in these never was great, and its a targa. Targas are awesome. But why have a targa if you are going to put the top on?

Hard to find much of anything for less than 50K now. But is it a good buy? From two pictures no one can tell.

[911MANN]

You really need to have it inspected by someone who knows his way around these cars to have any level of confidence, IMO. Regarding air conditioning, it depends upon your climate. I live in Florida and wouldn't do without mine from Easter to Thanksgiving. Even though AC was not great in these older ones, getting ventilation in and out of these cars is rather poor. Also- are you itching to have a Targa? These are my thoughts.

[ccallana]

Yeah, the Charge Level sticker says it had an AC system at some point.

As said above, 2 pictures are not enough to judge if it is a good deal or not. If it needs transmission work, engine work .. rust ... You could find yourself another 50k in...

Check under the floor mats, corners of the windows, door frames, etc for rust... Get a compression and learn down test done.... Have a proper 3rd party PPI done.

If you really want AC, $5-8k or so will get a new Griffiths or Classic Retro system...

[ErrorMargin]

Originally Posted by sir911

Hey folks! Newbie question here.

I'm looking to buy my first air cooled Porsche 911. I found a 1985 911 targa at a dealership that is in good condition but it doesn't have air conditioning. The dealership said it never had one but I'm not sure about that. Did Porsche sell some 1985 911s without air conditioning?

The label under the frunk hood is missing option codes but I know this was the case for some 1985 911s.

The car is otherwise in excellent condition.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CCvmeCo8hyvoZqUpDeJHyXCoAJ5NNCE0/view?usp=drivesdk

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bYXs7xPh1zmnU2-Cin_UpBnWPda7mejD/view?usp=drivesdk

It has 75k miles on the clock. It comes with heated seat, and the turbo whale tail.

Price is $50,000. Is this a good buy?

Any help is appreciated.
Thanks

$50k for an 85 Targa with 75k miles in good running condition with good paint, correct rims, whale tail and heated seats (assuming all those are original options) is likely too good to be true…even if the AC system was ripped out.

Did you drive the car?

Find a local Porsche shop or dealer to do a pre-purchase inspection.

Make an offer of $50k to the dealer contingent on a clean pre-purchase inspection where you pick the shop to do the inspection and you pay to have it done and the dealer cooperates by transporting the vehicle for the inspection.

Make sure the inspection includes a leak down test and a very thorough check for rust and oil leaks.

[silverlock]

Agree with ErrorMargin, above. $50k is very cheap for an ‘85 Targa as described.

I do notice the car is in Canada, which depresses the price a little, but as the saying goes: there is no such thing as a cheap Porsche. If the car has surprises you will watch $20k+ fly by very quickly and wish you’d just bought a sorted, inspected car from day 1 that can you drive.

[WMichelsen]

Seems too late. Sold for $72K (what's the USD-CAD exchange rate?)

[PopsRacer]

Agree with prior posts fwiw. 100% get a PPI either from a local expert/shop or a dealer. It can be wonderfully made and carefully cared for and still be 40 years old which is an eternity for cars. 75,000 miles over 40 years is less than 2,000mi a year. So we know the car sat a *lot*. Personally, sitting is not great for cars, any car, not just Porsches. If it does not have service receipts to show what has been done that would be a big red flag. At its age you have critical safety systems like brake & fuel lines that may be deteriorating. How old are the tires? The battery? On and on and on. You could spend several thousand dollars just doing the next scheduled maintenance; setting the valves, changing the oil, spark plug wires, cap, rotor, fluids & filters... and that is if nothing is wrong. The 3.2 is a great engine and can last a very long time but valve guides are a weak spot and a top end rebuild can easily run you $12k. Which gets you back to that PPI - make sure you know what you are getting into. If you enjoy working on your own cars, these are generally great cars for that. Simple suspension, minimal electronic stuff, and the parts are not crazy in the common cases (tune up parts, brakes, etc.) There are good modern options for A/C if you live somewhere that you need it. If your car had it and it was completely removed it could be a bit of work to re-install though. Good luck!

[sir911]

Originally Posted by ErrorMargin

$50k for an 85 Targa with 75k miles in good running condition with good paint, correct rims, whale tail and heated seats (assuming all those are original options) is likely too good to be true…even if the AC system was ripped out.

Did you drive the car?

Find a local Porsche shop or dealer to do a pre-purchase inspection.

Make an offer of $50k to the dealer contingent on a clean pre-purchase inspection where you pick the shop to do the inspection and you pay to have it done and the dealer cooperates by transporting the vehicle for the inspection.

Make sure the inspection includes a leak down test and a very thorough check for rust and oil leaks.

Thanks everyone.

It drives good. I bought the cleanest looking, rust free, mechanically sound Classic Defender I've ever since from the same dealership at half the price they are being sold for on bring a trailer - I think they got that from an estate sale. So, I'm going into this with a lot of trust but I'll take you all's advice and get a PPI.

The points mentioned have also given me some ideas for the kind of questions to ask.

If I do get it, I will get a Classic Retrofit AC installed.

[sir911]

Originally Posted by WMichelsen

Seems too late. Sold for $72K (what's the USD-CAD exchange rate?)

Not for me . I put a deposit on it. The exchange rate is $1 to CAD$ 1.39

[sir911]

Originally Posted by PopsRacer

Agree with prior posts fwiw. 100% get a PPI either from a local expert/shop or a dealer. It can be wonderfully made and carefully cared for and still be 40 years old which is an eternity for cars. 75,000 miles over 40 years is less than 2,000mi a year. So we know the car sat a *lot*. Personally, sitting is not great for cars, any car, not just Porsches. If it does not have service receipts to show what has been done that would be a big red flag. At its age you have critical safety systems like brake & fuel lines that may be deteriorating. How old are the tires? The battery? On and on and on. You could spend several thousand dollars just doing the next scheduled maintenance; setting the valves, changing the oil, spark plug wires, cap, rotor, fluids & filters... and that is if nothing is wrong. The 3.2 is a great engine and can last a very long time but valve guides are a weak spot and a top end rebuild can easily run you $12k. Which gets you back to that PPI - make sure you know what you are getting into. If you enjoy working on your own cars, these are generally great cars for that. Simple suspension, minimal electronic stuff, and the parts are not crazy in the common cases (tune up parts, brakes, etc.) There are good modern options for A/C if you live somewhere that you need it. If your car had it and it was completely removed it could be a bit of work to re-install though. Good luck!

Thanks. This will help me ask the right questions. So far, all I know is that the clutch, battery and tires were replaced in the summer of this year. I'm not sure the dealership got the service history from the previous owner but they inspected the car before buying it.

They are a reputable dealership in Ontario, Canada that I've dealth with in the past and I'm putting a lot on that but looks like I gotta do a PPI.

I do enjoy working on my own cars and looking forward to a Porsche ownership.

[MBAtarga]

Heated seat? When was that an option. I've never heard of it in a G series.

[megerian]

Congrats- let us know when it’s yours - love the color

[sir911]

I got the car and it's been an exciting 2 months of ownership.

It had three issues when I bought it:

(1) The alternator was bad, (2) acid from the battery had leaked and caused part of the battery tray to rust, and(3) bearing issues on one wheel. I could fix these myself so I went ahead and bought it.

I fixed the rust right away, upgraded the alternator and fuse panels to Classic Retrofit ones.

The engine sounded and ran good but I did an oil change and a valve adjustment anyway because I wasn't sure when it was last done. The thickness of the retaining nut on one cyclinder was bigger than the others. I'm dumbfounded as to why someone would go through the trouble of replacing it and not do it right.



I also replaced the factory engine fuel lines to Griffith ones. I took at the entire intake manifold for easy access. While I was in there, I replaced fuel pressure regulator, damper, oil hose, breather gasket, thermostat seal, and serviced the injectors. I will document the project in a different post. The car now runs even better.

Part of the reason for getting a 911 3.2 is their simplicity and the gratification I expected from fixing it myself. My expectations have been exceeded.

I'm planning a cross Canada/US road trip in the spring. Until then I'm going to be working on a few other upgrades.

Thanks for helping me pick a great car.

[fallingat120mph]

For me two issues I wish someone had told me about years ago (for buying used 911's) is broken head studs and rust in/on the cross member up by the fuel tank.

Those things to me are the problems that remain hidden for new/first time buyers.

I didn't notice any rust on the cross member until I removed the fuel tank and oddly was never aware of head studs being an issue, but now 20 some years later (of ownership, cars are both 40 years old of course) it seems to be a more common problem if you research it.

Food for thought-

Erik


Sounds like you are on the right path...best of luck and get out there and drive it when you can!

[fallingat120mph]

Originally Posted by sir911

I'm planning a cross Canada/US road trip in the spring. Until then I'm going to be working on a few other upgrades.

Thanks for helping me pick a great car.

I am in the Midwest and there is a great shop in Kansas City in the event you need anything on your road trip. I drive across America every few years in my 911 to see friends and family and well, just drive. Hope you get to in yours...


Erik

[Cairo94507]

sir911 - Congratulations on your purchase; it seems you know your way around cars and have done all the right stuff.

[Kevin Stewart]

Pelican may sell it.

https://griffiths.com/porsche/air-conditioning/911-930/