Need advice on if this car is good or not-
 

Hi-
Just found this forum and though you guys would be the best to ask this question to.

I am helping a friend find an older 911 to buy. We recently found an old guy who has been working on Porsches his whole life. He usually has around 8 cars and currently has two 911's for sale. One is a 74 and the other is an 82 carrera targa. Both are 8K.

We decided against the 74 because it has the dreaded 2.7 and there are some spots (very very tiny) of surface rust. The interior of that car is decent, needing a tiny bit of door panel work. Both cars have rebuilt engines and transmissions

The 82 is more of a mish mosh of years. The current owner bought it as partially restored shell, he had it painted and installed a rebuilt engine and trans that he had. It has a 3 liter euro spec motor from a 79, and an earlier trans with the funky first back and to the left shift pattern. The interor is much nicer. It has new performance tires and is much quicker than the 74. It is not original by any means however. Is this still a good car/price? Chassis has 80k original miles on it.

On both cars, the owner is willing to stand behind his car should anything major happen and will perform all regular service at basically the cost of parts so that is not an issue. He is well known around local porsche clubs as a good guy to go to to get work done to your car.

Thanks for any and all advice you have

If your ok with a non orignal motor in the car then go for it. But go get a PPI from a independent shop that deals with these air cooled cars and have them check over the car ... They will tell you if anything is wrong with the car 50% of the time, after all you never know what your're going to get unless this car was well documented . Thats the key "records" and a clean PPI

The "82" sounds like a "whatever I've got lying around" car. Why put a 901 tranny in? Could be a fun car, but only if it was done right. I wouldn't dismiss the '74 out of hand. If the rust is surface only, that can be dealt with. And if the 2.7 was properly rebuilt, it shouldn't be an issue. Is the 74 a coupe? I think that is the first decision to make...coupe, targa or cab.

The 82 sounds very suspect to me, strange combination especially for someone in the know to put together.

I’d say the 74 is the better buy. That’s sound to be about the right money for that car and if the 2.7 is done properly the latter car should not be much quicker..

Definitely go for the PPI before any decision is made with these..

Good luck..

The 74 is a coupe. 82 is a targa. My friend has no qualms about a non original non matching car. The 901 trans is annoying, but is it a decent trans? If done right, is the 79 motor and 901 trans a bad combination?

Thanks

I'm far from an expert, but... you're right, a 901 trans in an 82 in quite odd, and from what I've read, probably quite unwise. The 915 trans replaced the 901 when the engines started to get larger displacements. The main reason being to handle the increased torque. I strongly suspect that the 3.0 liter engine is too large for the 901... at least if you expect any reasonable life out of the tranny.

Also, since when were 915's that rare and expensive to rebuild?


-MAS

I have no idea, I am not a porsche expert, that is why I am asking here :) .

Guys: If there is rust at the surface, anywhere visible from the outside, there will be PLENTY more in areas you don't see. Rust is your worst enemy. I would not buy the 74 for that reason. Period.

The 82 sounds "interesting". That 901 sure helps it too go quick, the gears are much lower! But WHY?

I would likely stay away from both cars. For 10k, you can get a decent, mildly tired SC around here that has it's original drivetrain.

Maybe you can convince the mechanic to put a 915 into the SC. Then it sounds like it is a good car - if your friend likes the targa.

Note that the targa top is prone to leaks and not cheap to rebuild.

Cheers, George

Looks like because of the targa and the trans we are skipping both the cars. We will look for something else. My buddy has 8k and 8k to spend only, nothing else.

I would try and buy a 6k car and keep the other 2K for repairs, or upgrades.

Good luck hunting.

Michael

Aaron:

8k isn't a good budget for any 911. Good idea is to keep looking and keep saving while you are doing it.

The problem with 8k is, that it will buy you a car that will need some help earlier or later. Even only buying parts can set you back significanlty.

Cheers, George

It may take a while. 6 months to a year is not out of the question. (probably necessary) In the meantime, save some additional money and look at lots of Porsches. Be patient. With 2 guys looking for a car, you can do it! When you do find another candidate, post here and we'll help you.

Good luck!!

Danger Will Robinson!!!

An $8K car will almost assuredly need work. And most stuff isn't cheap.

Leland???? Honey, iz that you? ;)

Thanks for info, convinced my friend that there is no reason for him to spend all his money that he has to his name on a car that will need work. Hopefully he can find something that is cheaper and needs work. Just bought 101 projects, great book, I work on american stuff and the porsche looks even easier!