In my opinion an SC is different than non SC cars. It drives different and feels different on the road. I would not let my SC go for less than 17,000. It has c-chain tensioners, pop-off valve, short shift, (though some do not like em) 17 inch cup wheels. 74 911 OEM exhaust and muffler and is a daily driver with over 150,000 miles on it. And it's a coupe. I'd only trade it straight for a 964, though i really probably would never let it go. So if you can pick one up for 10,000 that's pretty flipping cheap. But these cars do cost to maintain and keep road worthy. You'll put 4,000 more into that one easy

Finally someone making sense. I must be from a different place, rr my idea of a decent car is waaaayyy off. I wouldn't pay squat for any of the ebay cars posted earlier, they're crap. I saw one car that was 10K when I was looking and it was early on and it was just like those cars. I probably could have gotten him down to $8k or less but why? I wanted a car that was ready to go.
As for taking your time to find the "perfect one": I said it already, there will ALWAYS be a better deal right around the corner so no matter how good a deal you think you got, someone else got a better one. Plus, I'd rather pay a little more and get my car NOW. I looked for about 2 months and when I finally got my car and got comfortable in it I was pissed I hadn't gotten one sooner!!!! :)

Since there never will be any agreement on what constitutes a "fair price" for an SC amongst this group, let me make a few points about this specific car. It has always been my experience that you can't buy a decent car and make it into a nice car, without spending way too much time and money. So, I always recommend to find a better car than this one. Fer example...

Replacing a headliner is a miserable job. Yank out all of the fixed glass, and the A and B pillar trim... some people pull the dash... spend many, many days stretching the new headliner, working the wrinkles out, gluing it.... then you have to put all of those parts back and you might as well replace the rubber window seals as they're probably half shot and would most likely leak when reinstalled anyway....

If the interior pockets and lids are shot, I'd wager other things need attention... carpet comes to mind.

If the paint is oxidized, you'll be polishing that out over and over... until you spring for new paint...

Acid in the trunk? Not a good thing. There are lots of metal seams up there that soak it up. Better deal with that soon.

At 140k miles, there's lots of stuff that is worn out. I'd wager the previous owners didn't stay on top of much, unless something big was fixing to bite them in the ***. You might not notice some of this stuff unless you happened to drive one of these when they were new, or you go poking around looking for them on weekends. Let's just say I've spent the better part of my free time the last 5 years fixing little things on a similar car. There's no end to it, if you want one to drive nice. There's a big difference between one of these that drive like it did when it was much younger and the average SC.

Let's face it, there are still plenty of low mileage cars out there, if you are diligent. The entry price is higher but you'll spend less in the long run, while most likely having more fun along the way. I'd rather drive my cars than work on them.

Lastly, an SC and a Carrera have a completely different feel. My preference is for a '78 or '79 SC. By '83, they were starting too feel a little fat, like a Carrera... not my cup of tea.

Carry on with the arguing,
JR

New carpet and decent used trim is cheap, headlinings are not impossible to sort if you take your time and I speak as someone who has done the job. Taking windows etc out of a 911 coupe is a piece of cake. This is all relatively easy DIY stuff and shouldn't make anyone discount a rust-free chassis. The underlying state of the body is the key to a good car.

My recent experience says a decent 8 grand car bought with eyes wide open is as effective a buy as at least half of the cars out there priced between 12 and 15 grand, plus you are left with 7 grand from a 15k budget to do some repairs/refurbing to your own personal recipe.

As ever, the biggest investment a buyer can make is time and patience trawling through the dross and deluded owners. I could not believe the number of guys out there who fed me a phone book's worth of crapola on their cars and and thought I was sucking it up.

To me the answer depends upon:
1. Your willingness to compromise.
2. Your ability to perform work yourself.
Many people are prepared to overlook imperfections in finish or performance because for them close enough is good enough. Are you prepared to just accept the worn synchro between 2nd and 3rd? Does the paint colour and finish on every panel really have to match? Is the seat bolster worn through to the natural leather colour a big deal? Does the delaminating glass stop me enjoying the car? You may find a gem out there with none of these problems and steal it for $10k but my experience would be that is the exceptional case. Fixing the little stuff really adds up. The PO of my '83SC spent over $20,000 on a new front floor pan and freshening the mechanicals from bumper to bumper and that does not include anything exotic in the engine. If you price out replacing the rubber trim on the windows, doors and exterior the total is over $1,200. An OEM Sliverknit carpet set at $600 is no bargain either. Based on the SC's I looked at last year when shopping for my car and my experience with the car I bought, if you want a "nice" SC (not concours perfection but one that drives tight, runs good, shifts smooth, good paint, complete interior with most of the little niggly items fixed) you will end up with $20k in the car. YMMV. Cheers, John

I bought an SC recently
 

I probably looked at 20 cars and bought the best one I saw. It was FAR better than the 2nd place car. $15K for an 80 SC.

What sold me on it was the BINDER FULL of 20K worth of pelican reciepts and the CD with 200+ pics of the engine and trans rebuild. That and a huge bin full of spare parts - even a case of oil!

It is true and tight like a new car. It has new glass, all rubber door window seals replaced, new dash, new recaro seats, carpets, RS door panels, Lloyd's mats. Engine rebuilt and CLEAN as can be. Trans refreshed with new syncros and dogteeth. All suspension front and rear rebuilt with bilstein, weltmeister, etc. Freshly polished and painted Fuchs. New T1Rs. Even the door trim has been powdercoated! The engine has been run on a dyno, and there's a corner balance worksheet. It is DONE.

I am really happy with it. Keep looking - they are out there.

and - if you are reading this - thank you Scott!

Mark Petry
Bainbridge Island, WA

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Beautiful car, and one of my favorite colors too.

I paid about 11,000 For mine i think it was. Even had a reputable Shop do a pre-purchase inspection- They stated the car ran like a "bat outta hell" and the only thing it needed was front bearings.

well! Guess that shop missed the transmission issues, that required a major tranny rebuild in the 1st few months! among other things.

Anyways, I am in my 79 SC about $16,000 on top of my original purchase :-) but i love it now and it looks nice!

And she's one hell of a daily driver




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unless the wheels are falling off I thinks a fair price for a 78sc is about 25k.

Thats funny I have a 78 and it could be for sale for 25k.

Seriously, I agree with the comment that at the end of the day you are going to end up in the thing for 20k.

I looked for ever and ended up with one with 77k miles for 11k.

Did a ppi and am still ending up doing a head stud job.

Buy it for 8 youll spend 12.

buy it for 16 you'll spend 4.

I think the key is to find the one with the best body and paint you can find. 30 year old cars are going to need everything else at some point.

id rather spend money on the engine ect than paint and body.

just my 3 cents worth

I'm the guy that threw out the $8k value. Had no idea this post would run 4 pages. I have a bit more time so I will expand on my estimate.

I have been working on, looking at prices and just overall keeping up with air cooled 911's for almost 10 years. Maybe I'm no Peter Zimmerman, but I do keep my ear to the ground. In my experience a car like the one described in the original post is going to need much more than just a headliner and some new armrests. A guy that lets an interior go on a 911 is the same guy that also has done nothing in the way of keeping up with things like suspension, brake systems, etc. Out of sight, out of mind. Don't fix it until it breaks. So get your $8k car, but your interior is going to run you $1K assuming you do most of the work yourself. New suspension $1,500, brake refresh $500, basic tune up and oil change parts another $150. Probably has the original spark plug wires so plan on another $150. Now you are up around $12K, which is probably what he is asking for the car.

I keep hearing about how you can't even get a roller up in the Bay area for $8K and you are paying $16K for average SC's????????????? Why not travel outside the area to look for a 911? In your world my '86 Carrera, 147,000 miles with all maintenance records from new, engine, suspension, brakes all rebuilt by me at 133,000 miles, SSI's, etc. must be worth at least $18K!

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Thanks to everyone who voiced their opinion on the value of the '83 SC. I've decided to pass on it and keep looking for something that has been better maintained. And just as I did that, I noticed that the seller re-listed the car today for $1500 more than his previous asking price. Not sure I understand the logic there, but whatever...

FWIW, I spent some time on several sites last night doing some price-checking on our rides. Prices have dropped in the last 8-10 months...and there's a lot more on the market...probably having to do more with the economy, than with the collectability of the car. Seems like the only places where the asking prices have remained "stable" are EvilBay and Victory Motorcars.

Like many other items right now, it's a buyer's market. There's probably some very nice cars out there at almost-bargain prices.

The guy probably realizes that his car is not that cherry so he is giving himself some room to negotiate.

Good luck with your search.

Where is the car advertised now? Are there a set of photos available? It's possible that he had enough interest in the car that he smells blood in the water! Blk/blk coupes are hard to find...

The car is advertised here: http://sacramento.craigslist.org/cto/1320408491.html. The ad doesn't contain any photos, and I don't feel right about posting photos that were sent to me directly by the seller. I'm sure if anyone is interested, the seller will send them photos.