Picture of my 911-I'm frustrated with the search & wish I had this one back! Help me!

This WAS my '81 SC Targa. I looked for this car for a year and owned it for two years. When we got ready to move from Atlanta to Phoenix I was torn between keeping it (and towing cross country behind the moving truck), shipping it, or selling it.



This car was so perfect except for needing 1st gear synchros. Then my mechanic said it needed shocks. While bleeding the brakes for a track event the same mechanic spilled a drop of brake fluid on the fender and left a gooey drip on the incredible paint job (he felt REALLY bad). I decided to sell and just buy another when I got to Phoenix.

To make a long story slightly shorter, the first person who looked at the car bought it. So now here I am a year later in Phoenix trying to track down my next 911. If you've read my previous posts you know I bought (and promptly returned) an '86 911 on ebay that turned out to be fairly trashed. This week I found an SC that had been converted to a 930 look. Somebody spent a lot of time and money on this car, but it just lacked the details. Mostly, the car was painted without removing any rubber or glass. Sad, as it was really a decent paint job. But everything black had a little line of yellow paint on it.

Now I'm trying to decide what to do. Here's my choices:

1. Keep looking and just know that it takes a long time to find the right car to satisfy a picky tightwad.

2. Lower my expectations of what a 15-20 year old car should look like for $15,000.

3. Be Porscheless for a few years and just wait until I'm mentally prepared to part with the cash to get what I really want... a 993.

Sorry for the rambling post, but I'm ready to listen to suggestions!

I've seen some good prices on Ebay.....Errrr.....forget it.

Joking aside, Living in Arizona, I hear there is an abundance of 911's, at least that is what I hear. Try Autotrader.com and do a search within a radius you can travel for the desired vehicle. It will at least give you some prices to go by. I love 993's also but that seems to be a bad word with some. Hey, its still air-cooled and rear engined. Now the 996, that is where I draw the line.

[This message has been edited by 89911 (edited 06-04-2000).]

Would an 83 euro cab with 44,000 miles on it for $25,000.00 be something you are interested in? White with black interior and a whale tail? Located in San Luis Obispo CA...

Porscheless for a couple years? that thought is too sad to bear. And it looks to me like, if you can spend upwards of $15k, then it's just a matter of time before you find an excellent SC in that range. And it is my expectation that their values cannot fall much further, so when you want to upgrade to the 993, your SC should still have some good value left. Patience. the right one will come along.

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'83 SC

Just go for what you want.You'll eventually buy it anyway , so why waste time and dollars along the way.Start looking for the right 993, by the time you find it you,ll have figured out the finances

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Wild Willie 88-911

There are lots of nice SCs out there.
but also some abused cars owned by people who should't have one I'd stay away from modified customised cars there was usually a reason in the first place for someone doing that such as a major wreck etc and the car will have no value for collector or die hard enthusiest
My 78 Targa is absolutely mint and my dad recently purchased a 78 coupe with 50 k that was near mint condition ,just keep looking

I think I'll just keep looking and TRY to be patient. Maybe I'll put a "wanted" at in the local PCA newsletter.

I've considered a trip to LA or San Diego to look for a car as there seems to be more for sale in those areas.

Why do people place ads describing cars that sound like new, but they aren't even close? I just called a guy in Palm Springs about a 1980 SC. The ad read "VERY low miles" and "excellent condition". How low is very low? Well the car has 195,000 (?) but the engine only had 30,000. Paint? Originally bronze, now white. All this for just $13,900???

Oh well. I'll just keep looking. The only other interesting car I've found is a '75 Carrera (mint, of course) It has 75K miles and was rebuilt at 50K. They've been lowering the price every few weeks and it's now $16,900. At least this is a car that seems to be increasing in value.

Lee - You might want to try a local Porsche mechanic, they always know where the good cars are. A few years ago I sat down and decided what it was that I really wanted in a 911. I discussed this with a P-mechanic buddy and within a year he found me the perfect one-owner donor SC for my project. $15K should buy you a good one.

Lee - check out this thread from the PCA Potomac BBS - an 82 SC with 65k miles - one owner. Actually, I believe there are references to this car on this Pelican Board also. BTW, this is the same Autothority in Fairfax VA, that manufactures the chips.
See contact info at: http://www.autothority.com/pe/contact.html
Chuck

oops, sorry, forget to post the thread. It's at: http://www.pcapotomac.org/ubb/Forum2/HTML/001814.html
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Chuck

Where were you a year ago when I was selling my '84? This was a strong, straight car with a newly rebuilt tranny that went for $11K.
It did have a high clock at about 130K and was renumbered in Colorado after a theft recovery, but it was in excellent condition.
I think you'll find one privately in your range. Remember to bring your head with you as well as your heart when you look at candidates.