911SC questions

[Terrh]

Well after reading the buyers guide it looks like if I was to get an older 911 these are the "ones to get". But what I'm not sure of, is what to pay?

What should I expect to pay for a 79-83 911SC with higher milage in fair condititon (like 125-135k miles)?

Am I going to be able to sell this next year if I decide I really want a newer car instead? Or are these cars hard to sell..

I'm looking at two local 911SC targas... both seem pretty similar in condition and milage, one is 125k the other has 135k.

[Superman]

Never buy a Porsche without a professional pre-purchase inspection. Never. There are potential problems that would be quite expensive to address. Broken head studs top the list. Plus, the issues identified in the inspection should be a part of the price negotiation.

I bought my '83 SC wtih 135K miles about eight years ago for $13.5K. Today, that would be top dollar for a reasonable-condition SC with that many miles. You can find SC's for under 10. I might try to find one for $12K that is in very good condition. At that price, how can you go wrong?

Healthy Porsches should sell very quickly. They are nearly impossible to not fall in love with.

[Cooper911SC]

They seem to hold their value pretty well. I bought my '81 in 2001 with 190,000 on it. The guy was asking $12,000. I picked it up for $10,200. It needed tires and some other minor items right away.

Over the last several years I have done other things to the car to make it better and or refresh/restore the systems one at a time. Added a pop off valve and Carrera chain tensioners for example. (The AC stuff is still in a box in storage though.)

The trans had just had a full rebuild when I bought it! I would say that the cars you are looking at might need a trans. in the near future too. Factor that in to the asking prices.

I think the SC's have been creeping up in price the past few years. Maybe to 12k or 13k for what you are looking at.

Sorry I don't have the Excellence Market Report here with their recent figures in it.

What ever you decide to do, get a pre-purchase inspection though! It will be $$ well spent and give you peace of mind.

Cheers, Cooper

[gtihop]

This may sound odd, but the difference between a $9-10 K SC and a $13K one is about $6K in repairs (parts only). ie- interior worn out, trans rebuild, head studs, updates, etc. The parts on these cars to restore them can really easily add up to more than you could resell it for. Buy the best one that you can find and definitely have it checked before buying.

[lfot]

Originally Posted by gtihop

This may sound odd, but the difference between a $9-10 K SC and a $13K one is about $6K in repairs (parts only). ie- interior worn out, trans rebuild, head studs, updates, etc. The parts on these cars to restore them can really easily add up to more than you could resell it for. Buy the best one that you can find and definitely have it checked before buying.

Couldn't agree more. I paid around $15K for mine last year, and it was like new with just over 100K miles.

For one in fair condition, 12K to 14K sounds resonable.

[oregonmon]

Past March I paid $10k for my 79 that had the major upgrades with 127,xxx miles on it. Nothing had been rebuilt but in a really great shape. I thought I got a pretty good deal and so do most people I talk to. I hd to replace clutch and then a few "while your in there" things since the engine was dropped. that bill was about $1300.00.
Couldn't be happier, and if this is your first Porsche, you won't be thinking about selling your SC in a year.

[oregonmon]

Give you an idea of the shape it was in. Oh and 2nd the thought to get the PPI. I had all intentions to get one and when the seller said he was just about to sell it to another guy who wasn't going to get a PPI and pay him immediately I sacrificed the PPI and gave him his asking price. Had to go with my gut feeling and luckily it didn't backfire on me. Well not yet.




Just another excuse to post pics.

[oneblueyedog]

Bought mine in 1999 at 138K for 13K and still have it. Rebuilt motor at 205K and I now have 240K miles on it. So I guess I've bought a couple of 13 grand cars over the years counting the maintenance and AC upgrade, Polybronze, wheels, 4 sets of tires. WURS. Not bad for a car that still gets comments.

[na2ub]

Mine was 10K, in 2001, with 76K on the odo. Needed paint (still does) and a transmission rebuild, which I had done for about 2K. I have also had a new clutch put in, but I consider that routine maintenance.

[DanL911sc]

Originally Posted by gtihop

This may sound odd, but the difference between a $9-10 K SC and a $13K one is about $6K in repairs (parts only). ie- interior worn out, trans rebuild, head studs, updates, etc. The parts on these cars to restore them can really easily add up to more than you could resell it for. Buy the best one that you can find and definitely have it checked before buying.

+1

I paid $14k for mine 3 months ago. It had 140k miles and ran very well. It had excellent paint and a redone interior, the wider fuchs with new tires, upgraded suspension, carrera tensioners... overall a nice vehicle that would have cost me many thousands to create from some of the more tired SCs I saw when I was looking.

[gtihop]

I paid $9500 for mine last year with 75k on it, as a sort of project/toy. Paint was ok, interior was so/so, had oil leaks, etc. So far I've put about 5K into it in parts alone, and still have alot to do. When I'm done, I'll be up over $20K for a car that is worth $15k. Had I known more, I would have bought a better one that didn't need this type of work- we all learn by our mistakes!!

[CMDR Perry]

I paid $14,400.00 for my 1979 911SC with 60,000 miles on it just over two years ago. It had been maintained very well, repainted (original color) and the front seats were redone in new leather. Since then I have spent about $9,000 on parts and some performance upgrades and I do all my own work (read as free labor).

On top of that down the road I am faced with the high cost of a top end and tranny rebuild in order to get more performance from a 30 year old sports car (seems insane to me also).

I think the 78 to 83 SC's are now all $20-25,000 dollar cars. If you drive them regularly you should expect to spend $1,200.00 a year just on basic maintenance. As I recall popular hobbies ranked by cost used to be Flyng, Boating and then Sports Cars. Personally I think owning and racing a Porsche 911 has may be as expensive as Flying small aircraft.

[Superman]

There is no such thing as a Porsche fixer-upper that's a good deal.

[porsche930dude]

Originally Posted by Superman

There is no such thing as a Porsche fixer-upper that's a good deal.

My car is proof that you are wrong I got my 82 sc turbo look last year for 9k with 95k miles. It had been sitting a while and needed some wiring and various updates to things mostly cosmetic easy cheap fixes. It had no maintinence records and i suspect that will make it harder to sell and probrobly why no one bought it but i have no plans to sell anyway. The guy wanted 14k for it and had it for sale for quite some time but i was dumb enough to snatch it up and its rewarded me ever since

[gtihop]

Originally Posted by Superman

There is no such thing as a Porsche fixer-upper that's a good deal.

Depending on what's wrong with it- paint work, interior work can all be done at a reasonable cost of parts and time, but engine and trans repairs can really add $$ up fast. As I said before, buy the best 911 you can find and have it checked properly before you buy it.

[Formerly Steve Wilkinson]

Don't buy an SC wondering how much you might be able to resell it for. that's like marrying somebody while worrying about how much the divorce will cost. If you want a car you can flip, buy a low-mileage Accord.

[DanielDudley]

Steve there wrote a book called ''The Gold Plated Porsche''. Great read.

If you shop around, you can find a nice SC at various price ranges. More money does not always ensure a perfect car, so do make friends with a 911 mechanic. Porsche was well known for the quality of their paint, and Wax is cheaper than parts. Pre purchase inspections save buyers, budgets and marriages. just do it.

Every month I read another post lamenting mechanical ills that were overlooked by an overzealous purchaser. There are a lot of 911s out there. Get a good one in your price range, from a seller who loves his car. Obviously, the more you have to spend, the more cars you can look at. Low miles, top dollar cars will always command a premium, but only when you are buying. I love SCs with about 120K on the odo, because they usually have had all the services and updates. And you can pound them with impunity. LOL

[lfot]

Originally Posted by DanielDudley

I love SCs with about 120K on the odo, because they usually have had all the services and updates. And you can pound them with impunity. LOL

+1

[Terrh]

wow, thanks for all the fantastic replies!

Honestly I wouldn't be mulling it around so much if I could find a coupe locally but all I can find is targas, and I think that the targa ruins the beautiful 911 roofline. I think the search will continue for now. Both of these cars seem to be overpriced from what I see here anyways.

One day, I'll find my 911, dammit!
(and I'm still wondering if I shoulda picked up that $20k 996 on auto trader from california)

[chrisp]

Be patient. I love these threads because they remind me of how I was rewarded for being patient. I got my '83 w/109k miles in 2001 for under $10k and it needed nothing. The only missing substantial update were the tensioners but an '83 has halfway decent tensioners anyway so I wasn't worried. Paint was good for that mileage (everyone asks if it's been repainted because it's very shiny) and until I started prepping it for racing I didn't do anything to it.