Buy or Pass: 1981 Turbo Body SC w/ extras

Ok folks, I have before me a possible opportunity and I need some input as to buy or pass on this deal.

THE CAR: 1981 SC 64K miles All the updates including tie rods, tensioners, etc. It is a sun roofed car. It also has a Turbo Body kit made of fiberglass. The Guards Red paint looks great, as do the fenders and bumpers. There is no tell-tale visual evidence that this is a fiberglass kit. It has a great sound system - I guess almost $2K worth.
It comes with two sets of wheels - on set of 15" and a 17" Tech Art five spoke set with no tires.

Price is $17,000.00 firm

Seems like I could spend that much on my '77S or my '73 Targa upgrading motor and body and paint and wheels and tires. But I dunno...

Would you buy this car?

No.

No.

Happy with a kit?

Happy with a kit?

I will pass to this day i havent see a conversion of that type that last in 4 to 5 years they look like crap.my 00.02

This conversion is 6 years old...

Vipr,

You have mentioned a few incidentals that don't matter, but you haven't mentioned the important one ... was it used in winter where salt was used on the roads, and is there ANY rust anywhere on the car? If there is any rust at all, then the Dilivar studs are a ticking time bomb!

Appearance-wise, it sounds nice, but I think you need to get under the car and look for rusted fasteners! That will tell a much more significant story than the odometer, CD player, or paint!

------------------
Warren Hall
1973 911S Targa

Thanks Warren,

There is no rust of any description on the car. Eisenbuds is a local Porsche shop of great reputation and they have nothing but great things to say about this car. The bottom row of head studs were replaced the same time the tensioners were installed. This is what I meant by all updates...

The tranny has had nothing but Swepco and shifts buttery smooth - even for a 915. The clutch is easy and smooth as well. The Battery was replaced with a Optima gel a few years ago and the old battery had an aftermarket tray in it from the dealer. They do not use salt in Colorado and the owner (original one)never drives the car in winter - only a few thousand miles in mid summer. As a matter of fact, the original floor mats are stored flat in the mans HUGE gun safe.

The shop told me that the owner ALWAYS spent the needed money to keep the car perfect. They even stored the car for him when he was in Europe for all of 1999.

I have owned my fare share of cars. To look at and drive this one is to be impressed. I was curious to know if the value was on par for such a low mileage 1981 SC considering the extra stuff.

Your opinions are very much appreciated.

Vipr,

In that case, yes, it sounds like a good buy to me!

------------------
Warren Hall
1973 911S Targa

Hey snakestomper - if the car has only one owner you can find out why he chose to do the flair fandango, and more importantly, why he chose fiberglass. You don't seem to hold on to cars very long so the 'glass probably won't be an issue for you. It does affect resale however.

If the owner was willing and able to spend whatever money was necessary "to keep the car perfect" . . . why didn't he spend the extra money for real steel flares? AJ-USA sells them for about $800. Not a huge amount.

Why would the owner butcher a true low mileage SC with fiberglass flares? Does he have all the records? 3,000 miles a year is hard to believe, should be suspect, and must be verified. Why a $2k stereo in a car that is never driven? Because he has so much money? But couldn't afford real steel flares?

Why were the lower head studs replaced? That is not a normal maintenance item. And, it has nothing to do with the tensioner update (its not like "gee, we're doing the tensioners, we might as well do the head studs while we are there." Two unrelated jobs). And, while the head studs can break at any time, and are not necessarily mileage related, they do have some relationship to miles (more likely to break on a car that has been used a lot). Did he break an old one? Was the top end done at the same time? What's the story?

I don't see a lot of "extras" that are worth much. You say the stereo is "worth" $2K, but i think you mean you think he spent that much on it. As a used car selling point, or as a used part, its likely worth more like $200. 15 inch wheels are nt worth much, not sure how much the 17 inch wheels are worth without tires. Tensioners are good, worth a few hundred more than a car without them.

I don't usually give much credence to what the owner's shop says about the car. I am not saying that shops are dishonest, but they know who their paying customer is.

Overall, I think the "extras" actually detract from that car. If I were spending $17k on an SC, I would want a true low mileage, unmolested (no glass flares), ORIGINAL car. Original paint. Verified mileage. No stories. By that I mean, the description would go like this:
'83 SC. Original Owner, all original paint. 55,000 miles. Updated tensioners and popoff valve. Never been in an accident. All maintenance records since new. With a little cleanup, will compete at Street Concours in PCA events.
That might be a $17k SC.

I agree with Banks about the head studs. Did they do a top end job and tensioner upgrade?

------------------
Robert Stoll
83 SC
83 944

I am unsure of why the headstuds were done, but will ask.

The man liked the turbo look and that is why he did the conversion. Having talked with him numerous times, I doubt if knew there was a steel kit, and a fiberglass kit. I think he just got A KIT. The dealership confirmed him as the origianl owner and the miles are correct. That was the first thing I checked out.

Perhaps I will just work on my 77 S instead. Damn that 2.7...

I just got the latest issue of the Porsche Market Letter (PML). Looking at the SC ads, $17K is on the high side for a car that is not stock.


------------------
Doug
'81 SC Coupe (aka: "Blue Bomber")
Canada West Region PCA
http://members.home.net/zielke/911SC.htm

The Dilivar head stud breakage problem was a relatively new issue in 1996 when Bruce Anderson published his 2nd edition of Porsche 911 Performance Handbook. To anyone that thinks that it is not a problem to be addressed in 2001 ... well, you can keep your head buried in the sand as long as you wish! Just don't come whining when you hear the heads slapping the cylinders!

------------------
Warren Hall
1973 911S Targa

who has said its not a potential problem?
who has "buried their head in the sand?"
who has given an indication of being a whiner?
cuz I don't see any of that above from anyone.
I do think it would be foolish for someone looking to drop $17K to not inquire as to why a supposed 64k SC has had its head studs replaced. Because in 2001, that is still a pretty rare occurance on an SC. Having the head studs replaced can definately be a plus. But, I'd want the details as to WHY, and as to exactly what other work was done (top end, etc.), who did it, how it was done, etc.
SC head studs have broken, and more will break in the future. But, as of this time, the vast, vast majority of SC headstuds have not broken. They will break in the future, no one thinks they will hold up 50 years.
Anyone can e-mail Bruce Anderson directly to see what Bruce Anderson thinks in 2001. (You'll find that he does not view it as a cause for major concern on SCs/Carreras).

OH MY GOODNESS PEOPLE!!! did you just read Mr. JBANKS getting snooty with WARREN!?!?! I hope they don’t shut the BBS down or anything because of that...

JBANKS - First of all I thank you for your ideas, all are welcome here. But you would be wise and much respected to NEVER, or should I say www.NEVER.comsay anything remotely negative about Warren (Early S MAN) or refute his posts. While we are all human, Warren is the exception. There have been posts dedicated to thanking and honoring him because of his endless supply of accurate information and his willingness to share with us.

We will let you slide this one time, JBANKS, but we will be watching.


[This message has been edited by VIPRKLR (edited 03-15-2001).]

Fibreglass wings on a 911? Yuk!

Fibreglass wings on a 911? Yuk!