I have bought a used engine from this guy I think, the picture is his back yard and garages. He has quit a collection of Porsches and a detail nut. I enjoyed talking Porsche with him and failed to check out the engine. The engine was ran on 5 cylinders with one rod beating the hell out of the case for what looked like meny miles. He did tell me it didn't run and was locked up. I should start a mangled rod collection!

Very sweet. I like the stealth look. I enjoyed his comment about his habit, "or is it stupidity?" of sparing no expense.

But $30K plus for a 2.2S motor in a really neat, but modified body??

If it had a rorty 2.7 or 2.8, well, that would be another story!

I think a 2.2S motor is great...I would love to have a 70-71 E or S. To me the biggest drawback for this car is the blacked-out look. Most people who look early would prefer the chrome-look. There is a small buyer pool for a car like this. For $20K, a buyer could overlook it not being their "dream car" in every detail. But for over $30K, it better be exactly what you're looking for.

Looks like a great car. The first thing I would do if I bought it is bring back the chrome trim . . . at what expense?

I think I could get a decent price for the motor and then shoe-horn a nice 993 motor in the tail.

Albeit expensive, I would like this car as a start to a BBesque transformation . . . a lot of "stuff" has already been taken care of.

Good luck!

BR,

Kurt

Tom,

What kind of numbers were you talking with the owner about?

The owner is asking 30K for the car. We really didn't get into talking about the price . . . I was hoping for 25K so we were pretty far apart. It's really a "garage queen" and I'm having heartburn over spending 25K+ for a car that I couldn't really drive . . . it's just too nice. I know that sounds ridiculous . . . but that's my feeling after think about "what the heck I want out of this car". . . I want a driver. Am I crazy . . . what do you think?

I am the opposite want a garage queen but it must be bone stock

I can understand that, Tom.
I have been looking for a 356 for years now. They all seem to be concours winners or rust-infected projects. All I want is a car like my SC....a solid, good-looking, driver.

I understand, but ponder if you can get past that. No offense to those that have one, but I think garage queens are somewhat depressing...these cars are made to be driven. My car was a total garage queen before I bought it (24 years old with 41K miles). I've solved that problem, averaging about 1K/month.

If this car really floats your boat, and if the car has been redone mechanically, then I think it is worth the money, and is in fact a *great* driver. While it is beautiful, it isn't an original or collectible car...just beautiful. Get it, drive the snot out of it, and keep it looking as good as you can. Enjoy the miles...don't save them for the next owner.

You could find a more "driver" car, but odds are you'd have to spend some cash to get it up to snuff. In the end, you likely would quickly approach the amount of money that this one will sell for. So if this is "it" for you, it is likely cheaper in the long run to pay up front.

Island? This is the USA. Tabby may accomplish many things, and I'm sure we all wish him well. But one thing he'll NEVER accomplish? I'll give you three guesses...

I spoke to the owner of this car about a year ago (the car was for sale then) and he seemed firm in his price. I agree with other comments about a 2.2 car being worth that much. If you are going to spend 30K you (in my view) really need to make sure that you know you won't get that extra $$$ back. I have been following the market for early cars for the last two years on a weekly basis. I think that this car is over priced. This is not against its builder but there is about a 5-10K premium in this car. With 30K you could get a LOT of car right now. Also I would want to know more about the history of the car mechanically. Get a PPI. OK, you asked, there is my two cents. Oh I ended up purchasing a 69 911 with a 3.2 in the car and all 86 running gear. The guy I got her from was asking 25 & I gave 18.5 and that was for a car that had a total mechanical resto (pan seem welded). The weakness was that the car had a blue interior (on black) and phone dials. bottom-line look around before you drop that much cash.

I spoke to the owner of this car about a year ago (the car was for sale then) and he seemed firm in his price. I agree with other comments about a 2.2 car being worth that much. If you are going to spend 30K you (in my view) really need to make sure that you know you won't get that extra $$$ back. I have been following the market for early cars for the last two years on a weekly basis. I think that this car is over priced. This is not against its builder but there is about a 5-10K premium in this car. With 30K you could get a LOT of car right now. Also I would want to know more about the history of the car mechanically. Get a PPI. OK, you asked, there is my two cents. Oh I ended up purchasing a 69 911 with a 3.2 in the car and all 86 running gear. The guy I got her from was asking 25 & I gave 18.5 and that was for a car that had a total mechanical resto (pan seem welded). The weakness was that the car had a blue interior (on black) and phone dials. bottom-line look around before you drop that much cash. Good luck!--James

Again, you guys are thinking about this all wrong (well some of you are). These cars are a hobby, not an investment. Do you think of your vacation or cruise to the Bahamas like your Porsche? No, if you thought of it the same way, then you would see it's a really horrible investment. How about comparing it to a new car? $30K new this year means $15K on the used market 2-4 years from now. That sounds like a bad investment to me.

But what I don't understand is that some people like to buy the cars for $10K, put $15K into it, and then are disenchanted when all they can sell the car for is $15K. They are thinking about it all in the wrong light (in my opinion). You're in it for the hobby and the enjoyment of the car - not the investment. If you thought about it from a pure investment opportunity, you would buy something completely different (like real estate).

-Wayne

Or SMSC ;)

Really guys, nobody here thinks a car is a good investment financially do you?
If you listen to the frugal financial advisors there advice would be to buy a $2000.00 dollar honda and drive it till your seat falls through the floor. Then buy a $2020.00 Honda. I'm giving the $20.00 for inflation.

and by the way... I do own a $2000.00 dollar honda :D
It ain't worth $1000 anymore so in another 10 years the seats gonna fall out!

no question about it, Wayne has a great point. To clarify my post, I think that if you are in the market for an early 911 (Rgruppe style or otherwise) you should be able to get a lot for that kind of money. Jack and others advised me well about knowing what to buy (Cris is another great person to contact) before I got mine.

No doubt mjshira, Unless a millionare collector falls in love with it, $30,000 is too much. But that is the point I think. This guy thinks he has more than he does. If I blow the motor in my $5000.00 work truck, And replace it with a $2000 motor its still worth $5000.00 dollars.
I paid too much for my car, according to todays prices, I have spent a few thousand dollars on it since, Its still only worth less than I paid for it. I can't add up my recipts and say that plus what I paid is the cars value. Its not. That is what the guy who is selling this car on ebay is doing.
Leland paid $11,000 for my car and put $25,000 into it. I paid $15,000 and put another $5000.00 so far. Do the math. I don't know if I could get $12,000 for it today. But I LOVE IT!!!!!!

I think half the fun of owning my car is working on it myself. I could have bought a pristine Weissach for about $25k, but I'm glad I bought a $13.5k car that needs $12.5k worth of work. I wouldn't spend $30k on anything but a original garage queen "S", a turbo, or a 993. Somebody I was talking to recently summed it up pretty good, " any 911 is going to cost $20k, you can pay it up front or you can spend it on mods & repairs later." There will always be exceptions to the rule, & that number may be closer to $25k, but it rang true to me.

Wayne,

I like to buy cars that I know will be easy to sell again, and close to the price I paid.

It isn't the investment thing, but the ability to liquitdate when the next toy comes along.

This reminds of that old saw, "the way to make a small fortune restoring old cars, is to start with a large fortune."