first look
 

I am just beginning my quest to own a 911 Targa. I'm looking at my first 911 tomorrow, an '83 w/low 80's miles, runs good but int/ext very rough. Any suggestions on what to look for visually and driving...sounds, smells, feel,ect.? Dealer asking $11,900.

That seems high--that would be a good price for a car with good interior and exterior and passed ppi ok (good mechanicals). By good I mean weathered slightly of course from daily driving but doesnt need work because it was taken care of. Rough interior and exterior typically means it wasn't well cared for by one of the PO's. On a scale assuming it runs good I would estimate this car to be a $8-9000 tops car, acceptable int/ext would bring 10-12k, and excellent int/ext 12k and up. (This is for SC years 78-83).

Way too much money for that car! I would not even waste my time driving that car.

thanks, you guys are already a big help. how do I find someone to do the PPI?

In todays market that may be high, check the sale adds here, i will say that the only thing i regret to this day about buying my sc is that i didnt get a PPI, i would have passed on this car and got another, so if you dont get a good PPI, you may not have a very good experience owning a Porsche, Kevin

Is the car local to you? Check the yellow pages for Porsche mechanics. See if you have a local chapter of PCA (Porsche Club of America). Contact them for recommendations.

Good luck, and I agree with others that the current one you are looking at seems priced too high.

Tom

I am sure some folks from IL will give a few names or you can contact your local PCA (Porsche Club of America) chapter and see who they recommend. Most independent garages will do a PPI for $100-200. In the main Pelican Web site, one Tech article is one that outlines what you should expect for a PPI.

As others already said, the PPI is well worth the cost both in terms in preventing you from buying a money pit and to educate you on the finer points of P-car evaluation.

FWIW, I spent 12 months looking for my 1973 and purchased several PPI's before I was satisfied with the car I have now.

Patience. Don't settle for a sub standard car. You'll know when it's the right one. The price for that SC sounds high. If the car needs a repaint, thats's worth around $3-4K. If the owners of this car cared about it, it wouldn't be ratty. If it's ratty on the outside, chances are it wasn't mechanically maintained either. I'd pass on this one and keep looking.

Nothing much to add, just that I agree with the above posts. Take your time. If you're willing to spend $12k on a SC, you should be able to find a very nice one without "issues".

Your timing is very good. You can find a very good 911 for a good price. Just keep looking and make sure you get a thorough inspection by a qualified, reputable Porsche mechanic. Dont use a dealer to get the inspection. Take your time. Part of the fun is looking, knowing you will find the right car.

dealers bad. private party better. enthusiast best.

There are lots of cars out there...most of them are tired and need a lot of money to set them right (and to a certain extent, you can't turn a pickle back into a cucumber...thanks Denis).

Keep in mind that pretty much any car you buy will end up needing a few $K of fixes soon after purchase...no matter how well kept it was. They are old cars and things wear from both mileage and age. But if you are patient and get a good one, the costs should be fairly consistent and predictable.

But if you start making mods, then all bets are off. How much are those new seats? ;)

For a PPI try Midwest Eurosport in Bensenville, Perfect Power in Libertyville or Fisher Motors in Barrington.....also there are a lot of guys in the western suburbs who can help.

Thanks Slow911. That's a big help.

Re: first look
 

Welcome to the club :)

Like you I'm also in the market and have looked low and high for a nice 911. Started with SCs in the 10-13k range, now looking at 84-86 Carreras in the 12-15k range. There’s a lot out there, I've looked at almost a dozen cars since June - came close on a few . . . getting closer everyday :D

My suggestion is first buy a couple books; Zimmermann's "The Used 911 Story" is a good start. Read up on all the various incarnations (good and bad). Next spend time looking and driving, you'll slowly begin to develop a sense for what you like and don't and more importantly what a car is really worth. Talk to as many owners as you can, lot's of sellers know tons about these cars and are only too happy to educate you, of course there are a few out there that know . . . well . . . that the engine isn't in the front and Porsches are very rare and collectable and obviously worth lot's of money ;) ;) .

Best advice; take your time. Good luck!!!

You may even consider joining the Porsche Club of America. website www.pca.org they have a huge classifieds section. You can join and begin surfing the classifieds almost immediately. I found my 911 out of the PCA site, you also get a subscription to Panorama, the official PCA magazine. An incredible resource of info as well. I would stay away from a dealer like the plague. You know he probably bought the car for $8,000 and is trying to make a quick $3,000 on you. You should be able to find a solid SC for your price range needing nothing.

Ditto on the PCA offerings. Our region has some excellent deals on some SCs and here in Denver there's very little chance of any rust on cars. RUN LIKE HELL from dealers and go with a car from a private owner; maybe even somebody off of this board. And try not to take the first one you see. Spend a few weeks (at least) and get a good feel for a 911. In case you dont know, 911s dont shift great and you certainly cant speedshift them. But they should shift ok and if not you're looking at a couple of thousand dollars getting the tranny rebuilt. Good luck.