Critique This 1970 S on eBay:

[cegerer]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=599586951

So what'll it take to get this once proud machine back on the road?

[911pcars]

Just because Auto Atlanta is selling this, I'd stay away from it. The car may have "potential", but historically, AA has given a lot of their customers the short end of the stick. Notice they have a new ebay name?Feedback history is now unavailable.

What kind of hit was this in to crack the transaxle case? Is the chassis straight? Do you see any immaculate engine pics? I didn't stick around. After 5 minutes of loading time, then choking and stopping, I left.

Sherwood Lee
http://members.rennlist.org/911pcars

[J P Stein]

IMO. anyone who buys anything from Auto Atlanta is asking for a world of trouble.

Other than that, I would guess about $21500 + shipping from AA :-)

[pwd72s]

I too couldn't get all the pics to load. But I noticed a Washington State front plate. Hmmm, and the car is wrecked in Atlanta? Gotta be more to the story than we are being given. Quote from the ad: "the engine mounting bar is snapped, the muffler is bent, and the transmission case cracked. This superb car is an easy fix for the enthusiast". (If it's such an easy fix, why didn't they do it & sell the car as "restored, concours candidate" for $$$$ galore?) '70 S models used a magnesium cased 901 transmission, a magnesium cased 2.2 MFI engine...engine mounting bar snapped? Assuming the car was running and moving when hit? The damage may not be all to the body. I would only look at this car if I were desperate for an early 911S Targa (I didn't see any VIN or engine numbers in the ad, either)...and only then if I had known and trusted body men and mechanics check this car out for me. OH, the Washington plate? Even with all out rain, we have some amazingly rust free early 911 cars up here in the NW, where highways departments use volcanic cinders on snow covered roads, instead of salt. Now..how much to fix? I wouldn't even hazard a guess without trusted expert opinions as a guide...

[echocanyons]

This joker is guaranteeing this car not to rust that must be worth something.

ownership. P.S. don't even ask about rust because there never was and never will be any on this beauty!

Oh yeah I forgot its AA there word is probably not worth much

[speeder]

This car got slapped really hard. Shame too, looks like it was nice before. Seller is a big jerkov- why don't they just say what it is and see who bids? "Future concours winner??!" Oh yeah, repaired wrecks will beat perfect cars every time. Man, I used to be the world's biggest sucker for "fixers". Probably because I could never afford dream car in one piece. Learned the hard way; save up and buy a nice one, or just forget it. Cheaper that way, especially when you consider re-sale.

[MRM]

This is a very sad case. I suspect from the description that there's nothing to do but part it out. Unfortunately, if you read the description carefully it doesn't sound like it has many good parts left and may not have been in very good shape before the accident. Does anyone else agree with the red flags I see? If the car was a nice S, let alone in perfect condition, wouldn't the insurance payout be more than $22,000?

The we go to the seller's description: "IF the car has EVER been repainted, no one could tell." I take this to mean that the car has been repainted, he just thinks the buyer will be too stupid to figure it out. Then he says: "The original leather seats are great for their age." If this was such a great concourse-quality car before the accident there would be no qualifier. And what does "great for their age" mean for a 30 year old car seats? Ripped and faded but not as bad as you'd expect after 30 years?

But the best part is the damage description: "The damage is not significant. . . " The he lists no fewer than 6 major repairs needed. And what kind of an accident destroys a door and the quarter panel and snaps the engine mounting bar? Not to mention, what kind of force does it take to crack the transmission case? This is a high speed side impact. And if the original owner never saw the car again, it's probably because it was towed to the salvage yard while he was still in the hospital. But never fear, sellers says this is an easy fix. Sure, just slap on a new body and drop a new drive train in it and it will be a new car.

"I cannot stress enough the original perfection of this car." Yeah, if that was true, it seems pretty important after it was totalled, doesn't it?

[cegerer]

Apparently, somebody swallowed the bait - hook, line, and sinker! The auction has ended early with 'reserve met' at $6950. Strange huh?

[marc weintraub]

Hi Guys,

Here's the truth about the car. It was owned by a friend of mine in Atlanta and some aspects of the ad were true, but not much. He was the second owner of this car... the miles were original and it was a spectacular car (original paint, all records, perfect interior, strong engine and trans).

This was my friends first Porsche and he decided to put the car on the track. He had his first DE instructor in Atlanta take him out and he was familiarizing himself with the car. Everything was great! The second time out, he had a different instructor that made him a bit uncomfortable and he lost his concentration. He did this going into a sharp turn and lifted his foot abruptly off the gas... he hit the wall going about 60 and thankfully walked away with only a cracked helmet. The car was torqued very badly and we had gone over it through pictures (I live in New York) and discussions about the salvagability of this car. I told him to run away from it because there was obvious torque tube damage and the transmission and engine block were no longer together and there was no telling if the surfaces were still capable of being mated together. There was frame damage and the car was visibly bent. It wasn't as simple a fix as this ad lead people to beleive. If it were, he would have kept it or I would have bought it. This car was a mess!

I suppose at $6,950, whoever bought it, could part it out. The MFI was perfect and complete, as was the interior, wheels, tanks, etc. Could still work out to their advantage.

I'd just paint a big skull and crossbones on the hood and drive it around as is.

[Doug Zielke]

Originally posted by pwd72s
.... OH, the Washington plate? Even with all out rain, we have some amazingly rust free early 911 cars up here in the NW....

Muhahahahahaaa!!!
More parts fodder for the only 911's that will survive the "plot".

[Randy W]

Sad story, Marc. The danger of this happening to my S was one of the reasons I had my 911T/RS track car built. What a shame........

[cegerer]

This BBS amazes me. As it grows, it seems like there's always someone who has personal knowledge of a particular car (especially the early ones). Thanks for the info Marc. -- Curt

[campbellcj]

Unfortunately I'd probably agree that the car is a write-off. But it is worth a fair amount as a parts car, depending on the engine/wheels/interior etc. If somebody really paid almost $7K for it, they are insane IMHO. I would've maxed out around $2500. People tend to grossly underestimate the time & hassle involved in stripping a car and selling it in pieces. Then of course you have to cut-up and dispose of the remainder.

[speeder]

Chris, Couldn't agree more. Probably bought by some poor luckless bastard who believed ad and thinks he's going to fix it. Either that or a socialist scrap-yard that doesn't believe in profit.

[Bobboloo]

As for Targa's. If I could have anyone I wanted I would pick an E Targa. It always seemed to make more since to me for Targas. 72' being my favorite. As matter of fact there is a 72'E Targa for sale on CollectorCarTrader for $5500 and it isn't wrecked. If I didn't already have a 72T' Coupe And 72T' Targa I would diffenently buy it upon close inspection. I remember a ways back a 72S Targa for sale for $2500. It needed a lot of work. Didn't run. Probably a rust bucket. But could've used the parts.

Bobby