911 Pricing Question

danandbetsy · 10-11-2009, 04:32 PM

Hi all. Yet another noob, but I won't bother everyone with yet another engine size, more power, wide body question. I'll look it up myself on this great forum. I'm somewhat experienced driving later model boxsters and cayennes through my job with Michelin, but I've never owned a Porsche. Motorcycles have been my thing.

So, I looked at a 1984 911 Coupe with 130,000 miles on it today. The body was average with several paint chips from thrown rocks, but no rust. I even pulled the carpet up and look in around the sunroof and didn't find any.

Everything on the car including the power sunroof, power windows, windows defroster etc. works except for the AC. The owner said that it has a leak in one of the hoses that he hasn't taken the time to track down, so, he took the belt off of the AC compressor. The only mod sthat I could find was the addition of a sway bar on the front, a short shift kit, and maybe adjustable shocks in the rear. The car also has the original 16" Fuchs wheels and lots of documentation.

I drove it for about 45 minutes. The engine started right up cold, with no smoke and I couldn't see any under acceleration either. The gearbox felt okay though it seemed difficult to engage the gear. I chalked that up to my inexperience with shifiting this car. There was a rattle/tinking at idle, (valves adjustment) but sounded good at anything above idle.

So, the question of the day is how much would you pay. I got the owner to $12k. Is this reasonable. I'm not looking for an investment, but would like to think that I could recoup my money if I decide to sell later.

Thanks for the help,

1990C4S · 10-11-2009, 04:38 PM

In todays market I think it is close. Might be a bit high, but only by $1,000 max.

enzo1 · 10-11-2009, 04:50 PM

Since you are inexperienced with 911's and aren't sure about condition, let a professional look at it. Get a PPI/ pre-purchase inspection. Also it might help to show ur location so another person on this board can help u. Would not like ur 1st experience with these cars to b a bad 1, for example: 1500-2000$$$ transmission rebuild or 6500$$$ engine rebuild....etc. It is definitely a buyers market.

80-911SC · 80-911SC's Garage

from what it looks and described price close , but get a PPI and dont buy for resale value ...

ONLY BUY A PORSCHE IF YOU WANT A PORSCHE ...

not because the idea of a 911 sounds cool ... .

spinner37 · 10-11-2009, 05:47 PM

get a PPI, i did not on my 77 and i was very lucky, as there could have been alot wrong with the car that i would have never known about! as i learned, i learned my car was ok, and realized i was lucky!

Winter · 10-11-2009, 06:10 PM

the extensive documentation you mention is definitely a +.

It means the owner cared enough about the car to address issues with it. Price seems about right for this vintage in this shape, but I'm only speaking with the knowledge I've picked up on this forum over the 1.5 years of owning my '75 (which came with no documentation and, in hindsight, never would have passed a PPI).

One thing to consider: how handy with a wrench are you? The little things add up, and are expensive for a shop to address, but relatively straightforward and much, much cheaper if you do it yourself. That could be the tipping point in addressing issues a PPI finds.

Good luck!

---

Tom '75 targa

nineball · 10-12-2009, 06:31 AM

I just picked up an 83 targa with 105k for $9000. I had a thourough ppi done that revealed no problems. The exterior sounds like it us in the same condition as mine was - no rust but lots of chips.

In the 2 months I have owned it I have already dropped about $3k for various items it needed including the tensioner update. Even with a good ppi have a few thousand on hand after your purchase for things it will need, because in this price range they will all need something and quite possibly a few things.

danandbetsy · 10-12-2009, 03:18 PM

Thanks for everybody's feedback.

I've read about the importance of having a PPI done. How much should one cost?

I'm reasonably mechanically inclined being a mechanical engineer by schooling. I'm by no means a mechanic but I have torn into a couple of engine rebuilds on my motorcycles. Is a Porsche so specialized that it requires a paid expert to determine whether it is buyer worthy? Speaking to another comment above, I haven't paid a shop to do any work on any of my cars or motorcycles in the decade, preferring DIY

nineball · 10-12-2009, 04:04 PM

i had 4 done in the last year while car hunting and they ranged in price from $200 to $450. variances included the details of the test (compression/leakdown or just visuals) and each shop's hourly rate. a full ppi with all the bells and whistles should take 3-5 hours total.

it's not that the car is so specialized its that you want the mechanic doing the ppi to be specialized. guys who only work on porsche, and specifically older 911s, will have a much better working knowledge of what to look for. it's safe to bet that your average garage mechanic will not know to check the headstuds to see if any are broken.

Techne · Techne's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by danandbetsy

Is a Porsche so specialized that it requires a paid expert to determine whether it is buyer worthy?

Yes. Mostly because if it does need something big, it can be big money even if you do it yourself.

I paid around $200 for a PPI 1.5 years ago.

THECARREAPER · THECARREAPER's Garage

buy it, drive it, and enjoy it.

i bought a Pelicans 85 targa off the classifieds. it was delivered this past week. i already did the Carrera graphics and a few small things to it. i want to put a duck tail on it, and will leave the rest alone. its my 4th 911 so far.

you wont regret the fun of a 911. several of mine had over 150k miles on them. the 3.2s are great fun cars.

pic with my euro 308 GTB QV:

kidrock · 10-12-2009, 06:18 PM

that is a beautiful car. If the PPI checks out, I don't think $12K is too much to pay. Make sure to have the PPI done by someone who really ***knows***Porsche. It's not so much that the motors are weird and exotic...it's more due to the fact that parts and repairs to these cars are not inexpensive.

chocolatelab · chocolatelab's Garage

plus 1 on the ppi

that price doesnt sound off the mark

if you buy it and keep it for awhile, who knows maybe you can get your original invesntment back.

i think you will find that you will put more money into it.there is a list a mile long of things you will want to do.

That money you wont get back.

chamilun · 10-12-2009, 06:43 PM

-1 on the PPI. PPI is a great myth unless you don't have a lot of car experience.

Drive it, look it over carefully, make sure you started the car from total cold state, look through the documentation, get a read on the owner. do you like them? Seem honest? Any strange discrepancies or story changes?

Give them 10k and buy the car

good luck

nineball · 10-12-2009, 09:00 PM

that's some pretty bad advice. how can you check for broken head studs from a visual inspection, or any other internals for that matter? that repair alone could be as much as half the purchase price.

twistoffat · 10-13-2009, 12:10 AM

Here´s an excellent link on what to watch for when picking up a 911. Ita a good summary and very useful. The pre purchase inspection is also excellent advice. I did 3 on 3 cars before I bought mine. The one I bought came up trumps

Porsche Carrera 3.2 - Buying a good one

chamilun · 10-13-2009, 04:41 AM

I bought a wheel balancer because no-one could balance my tires on one of my vehicles correctly (needed two plane balancing, come to find out).

I would make a list of things to check, and check them out yourself. Is a great learning experience.

There are those rare mechanics that can do a proper PPI, but I would say its the exception, not the rule.