should I buy this 1968 911

I am considering buying a 1968 911 with a sportomatic transmission. This car has not been driven in 7 years. It is in LA and garaged it has a dent in the front fender and a dent in the hood. It has 58,000 original miles. I was told the car ran fine when it was parked...The owner has accepted a 1500.00 dollar offer and it will cost me 1500.00 to ship it to my home in NC.
My questions:
do you feel this is a worth while deal?

I wanted a project car that I could do most of the work my self can a back yard mechanic work on these cars)

Is the sportomatic trans a potential problem area?

I am willing to put an additional 4-5 grand into the car (is this reasonable)

thanks for your help

Hell yeah! A California car that is low mileage, early and rare? If you don't buy it, give me the # and I'll gladly become a triply blessed 911 owner.

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Tyson Schmidt
72 911 Cabriolet
92 C-2 Cabriolet

The bodywork will cost a pretty penny to fix (properly), but that price is so very low that worst-case you could part the car out for quite a bit more than $1500, IMHO.

The early body panels, interior, and trim parts are getting harder and harder to find now. This can work for and against you, i.e., make sure the car is "complete" and not missing too many things, which could make it uneconomical in a real hurry.

bharrell, see that you are from Charlotte...me too. Good luck on the car. Have you seen it? 58,000 is rare low mileage for a 1968, does the speedo still work? How many owners, maintenance records, why was it parked, how did the dents ocurr? Even being parked for 7 yrs that still leaves 26yrs of driving or 2230 miles a year. Sounds too low to me but it could be a great find. For the price, I would buy it sight unseen, even if you stripped it and sold for parts you should make more than that. Heck, you should plan on going to California and drive it back to NC. We had one member fly to Washington I believe and drive his car back to Texas. Keep the group posted.

Chris

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Shakenbake (Chris Baker)
1974 911 Sunroof Coupe

darn dbl post

[This message has been edited by Shakenbake (edited 05-02-2001).]

Is it really a clean car delivered new in Ca.? There was a lot of rust belt stuff brought out and resold in Ca. Be careful. Solid project deals are common in Ca. In addition: You'd be into the car for $3k and is a pig in a poke 68 sportmatic worth that to you? If that is the one you want, then its okay. However, if its not exactly what you want, you'll be a lot happier even if you have to spend a bit more to get what you want.

Diverdan

[This message has been edited by diverdan (edited 05-02-2001).]

SWEET! I have the same car (except mine's a targa). Don't be flamin' on my car Diverdan, it may not be a rocket but it sure gets a lotta looks!
Sporto is interesting to say the least but runs reliably. BTW, buy the car just for the parts. '68 is a unique year for several items, most importantly the dash. Keep in touch.

Joe Hahn

Porsche won the "Marathon de la Route" an 84 hour endurance test on Nurburgring with a Sportomatic equipped 911R driven by Hans Herrman back in 1967.....Maybe you should make an RGruppe car out of it....

regards,
Eric

Joe:

I'm not raggin' on your ride, just expressing concern about a car that in its current state can't be tried out or tested, so its tough to ascertain what it really is. It's a long way from the gentleman's home. IMHO a sportomatic is really only for a special group. I'm in another special group that requires a manual in my Range Rover, my 928s, or anything that I want to enjoy driving. The F1 in the newish Ferraris is really trick and kind of fun and does it better than I can clutch and go through the metal gates, but dang, I want what I want, (besides I am a little put off by the added complexity that compromises entertainment.) Also, to date, my two favorite P car daily drivers were my 69 911S followed by my 67 911S. That sporto car probably has great value before the transportation gets figured in, but there are a lot of unknowns for the Eastcoast buyer.

(I could sell you a great Testarossa for under $37k, but its a long way away and there are certainly some federal questions that you could probably straighten out. How about a 95 Twin Turbo that is in awesome condition with real low miles for under $50k?
I got an 85 930 I'd let go for $6k that is mostly all there but the engine is out, 34,000 km.) Great values, but far away with a lot of unknowns.

Diverdan

....I wasn't really sweatin' it! I just like to keep the string moving when it relates to a pre '70 car. All too often us SWB owners post and then within minutes it is on page 2.
Joe

May not be as great a deal as it first sounds, given your criteria.

The main one being that you are willing to put $4-5K into it. That tells me that you want to be into the car for $6500 tops, that is what it is worth to you.

Depending on the condition, you could go way over that, pretty quickly, even doing the work yourself. You have to read between the lines for a lot of common "used car sales" phrases. For example, "ran fine when it was parked ___ years ago" should be read as "engine is now siezed and rusted together into a solid metal block." "Rust free classic" means buy the classic and the rust comes for free. You get the idea. If the engine is gone, so is your budget.

$1500 if you are looking for a parts car may not be a bad deal. $1500 if you are looking to end up with a nice 911 may be a horrible deal.

If it were me, and I was willing to sink $6500 into a 911, I'd start looking for a nice LWB 911T in good condition. For $6500, or maybe a touch more, you can get a nice, solid one that you can enjoy driving right away (and, don't worry, there will be plenty to tinker with!).

Anderson's advice is good: Buy the best 911 in the best condition that your budget will afford. In the long run, you'll be better off.

Don't be discouraged. "Fixers" can work out well, but you would be WELL advised to consult a mechanic before you put much repair money into it.

I got lucky on mine--most repairs were cosmetic. Knock on wood, the only major repairs have been a used top in good condition for $500, $800 for throttle body rebuild and $1,000 rebuild of the tranny. Everything else has been relatively minor, expected repairs and planned upgrades. Not bad for 12 years and 45,000 miles later.

You might make more money parting it, if major repairs are required. However, if you start into it, you may spend more than you expected on your "labor of love."

The best advice of all is buy exactly the model you want in the best condition you can afford. If you buy the wrong model or year, you will always regret it.

a while ago i was going looking into getting a car similar to the one you are looking at. i passed on it. let me give you this piece of advice.

a car like that may end up costing you many times what it was worth. the only thing i don't like is the $1500 to ship it to you. that $1500 could pay for a LOT of stuff that you will NEED. after 7 years every piece of rubber in that car may need replacement. also, it's gonna smell real bad, and you may have mold, mice, and moths in every nook and cranny that a camera lens can't reach (sk me how i know )

as for putting a few thousand into it... Sportomatics are not as prized as highly as 5-speeds. you will never get the money back out of it. if the sportomatic designs to turn itself into a 1-speed tranny, then be prepared to see a repair bill that may look like a mortgage.

here's 2 scenarios:

1) buy it, take a bus to go out and inspect the car, start it up, drive it around, take it home, don't put a penny into it, beat the hell out of it, take it to the track, drive it like you stole it, and let it run until you have 6 connecting rods shoot out of the hood. after that, part it out and you'll get MORE than $1500 in parts that other people can use.

2) keep shopping around for another car that may be in better condition, and closer to you.

in either case, good luck!

obin

those old cars tend to be rust buckets, and they won't tell you that if you're out of state and can't see it. $1500 kind of says it is. may or may not be good for parts, depending on how much rust. you'll be buried in it by the time you get it looking good. why not pay $3000 to $4000 for a good local one you can properly check out?

There is a drastic difference in the car when it changed in 1969 to a slightly longer chassis. These early cars were really tail happy and the prices usually reflect this. Unless your into vintage stuff, the 69 to 73 is the best for performance and resale. The price you see is for these reasons.