opinion please

[jakemu24]

I'm looking at buying my first 911. I found one on ebay that is near my house. What do you think of it? Reliability is very important to me.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4563414168&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1

[anthony]

First go look at it in person before the auction ends. Second, don't buy a car without getting an inspection by a good 911 mechanic of your choosing. Now whether the seller allows you to bid contingent upon an inspection would be something to work out now. It's important that the inspection includes compression, leakdown, and a check for broken head studs.

[ianc]

Looks like a nice example. He says its got low mileage, but doesn't say how low. I'd say the price is in the right ball park too. Engine looks clean. New shoes and brakes...

I'd say go have a look at it. You want compression test and\or leakdown #'s on the engine. Have a PPI done by a third party if you think it's warranted. Check out the body carefully. Look for rippling in the sheet metal indicating crash damage anywhere, particulary under the hood. Check over the body very carefully, since that will in large part determine the car's resale value.

Oh, and did I say get a PPI by a third party? Good luck and hope you pull the trigger if it's a good 'un,

ianc

[anthony]

Did '83s come with 180mph speedos? My '81 came with the 85mph speedo.

[SCOTITUDE]

Can anyone explain the " L shaped exhaust pipe?" Don't remember that one on my SC. The stock exhaust has been off for a long time and I could be brain fading tho.
Scott

[911Mac]

The ad says 71,482 is the mileage. The "L" shaped pipe is an oil line, and the 180 speedo is correct for an "83".
I'm not sure I'd consider an air conditioner to be a rare option, it would be rare if it worked well on a hot day.

Car looks nice, have a look and PPI if you like what you see.

Good Luck,

-Mac

[stomachmonkey]

Looks nice. Check it out in person, get a PPI.

Scott

[DustinTarditi]

Definately get a PPI before purchasing anything.

The AC is probably marginal if it does, in fact, work - as stated, it was not necessarily "rare" however.

It seems to have a fair share of road rash, but the price seems about in-line with condition.

The "recaro-like" seats are not recaro, so they don't really have any value-add... they may be a decent brand (i.e. Sparco) or may be a cheap manufacture - hard to say. The momo wheel is a nice add-on, if you like that sort of thing. The rest of the interior looks ok from the low-res pics on the auction site - gotta see it up close & personal.

For this price there are a lot of cars available with no time pressure to buy, so don't think it's a screaming deal you need to execute on ASAP... it seems fairly priced if everything checks out from a professional inspection.

[74goldtarga]

One thing I'd add is that there are a lot of cars for sale on ebay and for that matter newspaper etc. Don't get overly excited about one car unless it is exactly what you are looking for. This one has some mild paint issues - if you don't mind it that way fine, but I've found that the minute you buy it you'll want it to be perfect, if it isn't already making it so is costly but fun. Agree you have to have an inspection before purchase, some auctions have compression and leakdown in the listing which gives you more confidence in what you are getting. Engine rebuilds on porshces are not like getting a GM crate motor for $3500, it's more like 4-10K.

[charlesbahn]

Looks pretty good to me. Of course, the price will go higher with two days left to go and lots of bidders. I guess a fair question for the group would be what is a good upper limit $ if the car is OK otherwise, $14-15K (?).

Or maybe cash talks, and if you go in with 11.5K in your pocket tommorow they'd end the auction early? Just a thought.

[DustinTarditi]

If it were to go much higher as trhe auction closes, say $14K - $15K I would pass on this one from what I've seen...

That price should get you a no-pressure (getting a PPI, not letting too much emotion carry you away, etc.) very nice condition SC

[Eric Coffey]

Originally posted by 911Mac
...and the 180 speedo is correct for an "83"

Not on an `83 SC it's not. SC's have 150mph speedos, and Carrera's have 170mph units (160mph + one hash mark). The speedo (and odometer) on the car in question appears to be one from a 930, so it was obviously replaced at some point.

[anthony]

Ouch, so much for the value on this 71K mile car. It's probably 171K miles.

[jakemu24]

are u sure its not the correct speedometer

[Moses]

Originally posted by jakemu24
are u sure its not the correct speedometer

The speedo on my '83 SC goes to 160 MPH

[Moses]

Here's a pic from another '83 on Ebay. It looks just like mine.

[Hetmann]

The dreaded "selling for a friend". Buyer beware.

[craigster59]

I agree. Between the speedo, and "selling for a friend" I wouldn't touch it. There are alot of nicer SC's out there with documentation for around the same amount of money. Higher mileage perhaps, but SC's are known to be good, tough engines.

[Eric Coffey]

Originally posted by Moses
The speedo on my '83 SC goes to 160 MPH

Yep, should have clarified that in my earlier post. SC's have the 150mph speedo up to early 1983. But, the later-production `83's have the 170mph unit just like the above picture (160mph + 1 hash mark). The 170mph speedo was used on the 3.2L Carreras as well, all the way to the last 1989 models. The only exception being that the inner kph ring was omitted on the 1986+ models (the kph values remained, just the ring itself was lost).

So, to recap:

1978 to early 1983 SC speedo:


later 1983 SC to 1985 Carrera speedo:
see Moses' pic above.

1986 to 1989 Carrera speedo:

[glenndeweirdt]

Jake,
Auction ends in 8 hours. It is in Chicago area. Contact buyer and see it in person. Get them to agree to sale subject to an INDEPENDENT PPI.
A local buyer has a great deal of additional transaction safety for the seller. Use that to your advantage. If this guy is legit he will play ball, if not-run.