What's it worth?? 84 Carerra

[avendlerdp]

Sorry for the boring question. I am being offered a 1984 black on black sunroof Carrerra with 140k miles on it. It runs perfectly and is cosmetically very nice. The motor is unrebuilt and this worries me. It does not appear to have bad valve guides but who can say for sure.

Any input would be great as the price range for these cars is so wide I just don't know what's a fair price. Here is a picture

[charlesbahn]

Looks nice. If no accidents and no body/frame damage and good records, depends completely on the engine and tranny. Get a PPI, get a PPI, get a PPI. If good leak down, no broken studs, and guides OK I'd guess about 15 K, otherwise adjust the value down accordingly. I'm sure others will chime in.

[MRM]

$15k is top dollar for a 140,000 mile Carrera with the engine never being rebuilt. On the other hand, lots of people report Carreras and SCs going a quarter million miles without the top end being opened as long as they were maintained and used well, so don't let the mileage alone scare you. The point is that there are very nice Carreras with a lot fewer miles on it and full documentation available for $15,000.

One final thought, be wary of low mileage Carreras or SCs. The odometers use a plastic screw drive and are notorious for wearing out. I bought my 84 with 52,000 on the odometer and was told it was accurate. Five years and many thousands of miles later, I'm showing only 54,000, and the car looks nice enough to fool someone as stupid and inexperienced as I was when I bought it. Fortunately, with 140,000 on the clock, you can probably trust this car to have the miles it was advertised with and price it accordingly. With that many miles you can say for sure it doesn't have the valve guide wear issue. That would have shown up about 80,000 miles ago.

With all that in mind, I my vote is that at $10,000 it is a steal, $12,500 a good buy, $15,000 probably full price.

[avendlerdp]

Thanks for the input. They are asking 13k. I like the color combo so I think I will go for it. The PPI will tell all.

-Alex

[PatrickB]

PPI!!!
When was the clutch replaced last?
Has the trans been rebuilt yet?
If yes, then $15k is not such a bad deal if the rest of the PPI is good...
Clutch & trans if you R & R & have a shop rebuild the tranny = ~~$2.5-3k.
Have a shop do all the work ~$4-6k depending on the condition of the tranny... Ask me how I know... My 136k mile trans is on the operating table as we speak... While your at it (PPI) have the wrench closely inspect the engine mounted oil cooler. If unfamiliar, this is on the lower front of the engine, closer to the tranny. Mine is worn out and weeping, and will be replaced. Not cheap though, as our host sells the part for $1100.

While I have enjoy spirited driving in my 7 years, and 70k miles of ownership , I certainly don't abuse my almost 140k mile 20 year old car! The components on my car that have failed certainly don't last forever... While I've heard of 915 tranny's living through 200k miles, that is certainly the exception, not the rule. My clutch had just been replaced by the P.O. as well at 65k. Useful life of the clutch is ~70-80k as well...

This should be a serious $$$ consideration to you if the tranny hasn't been opened up yet... Same for the oil cooler, an often overlooked $$$ item!

While a leak down and compression check will give a good indication of the engine's health, transmissions are a little harder to diagnose.... Good Luck!!!

[glenndeweirdt]

It has been pointed out ad nauseum on this BBS that all Carreras are $20,000 cars. Are you going to pay it up front or over the next few years? Offer them $11K ( assuming OK PPI) and keep the other $9K in reserve for the inevitable. There are too many nice cars on the market to overpay for this car.

[yelcab1]

12K is my bid.