carrera high milage pricing

[quattrorunner]

Help please, I have an 84 targa that is in acceptable condition with silly high mileage of 360000k mileage. I'm considering buying it as it is a great car with the exception of the miles. The owner is a porsche repair shop that bought it from a lady that couldn't afford to repair all the oil leaks and electrical work(lights and bulbs out) so she sold to them and they fixed it. It runs really well with lots of power and it passed the smog here, I took it for a 45min drive in Vegas heat
(104 degrees) and brought it to temp to see how it held it's own and it did better than I expected. Needs some shocks and I would add a fender cooler for this area but I like it. Is $10,000 too much for a car that must be due for rebuild soon? I can't believe how good it is for that many miles.
Thanks

[yelcab1]

$10K is too much for a 360K miles car. I am guessing you will shortly dump money into this car to fix valve jobs, valve guides, transmission, tired brakes, electricals, and related aging components.

Try $8K and walk if it is more than that. Find a better SC for 10-12K here in Cal.

[83nineelevensc]

Any documentation of a rebuild? If a PPI from another shop checks out OK, the high mileage wouldn't scare me. The mileage could be wrong, my odo rolled from 101K to 301K in the blink of an eye, definitely carfax it.

[barndoor]

If it has that high of mileage,most likely it has had a top-end rebuild and at least 1 transmission rebuild in its past.Can you get the service records ? Car-Fax it.

[dentist90]

At least it is pretty certain that it has not been sitting around collecting dust in a shed somewhere! Sounds like that nice lady liked to drive!

[craigyirush]

Excellence had a story a year or two back about an '84 coupe that had almost 400K on it.

If I recall the story correctly, the guy who was featured in the mag was expecting to get a parts car but ended up driving it for a while. He then sold the engine to a shop (he upgraded) and when they took it apart the P&C's were still in spec!

I'd still do a leak down and/or compression test and maybe negotiate on the price. It'll be hard for the shop to get that price in this market.

Keep us posted.

[Techne]

that seems like too much money. $10K might not get you a perfect SC, but seems like in this market you can do better than 360K and it needs a few things. If you said 360K and it runs and looks great, then maybe.

[m110]

Don't forget everything else that can go with that mileage...ie everything, brake booster, rack, rear bearings, tranmission, everything attached to the suspension, seats,...but....what else can you buy, that you like, for 10K?

[83nineelevensc]

How did you make out with the Carfax, was the mileage correct?

[Matt Monson]

Originally Posted by craigyirush

Excellence had a story a year or two back about an '84 coupe that had almost 400K on it.

If I recall the story correctly, the guy who was featured in the mag was expecting to get a parts car but ended up driving it for a while. He then sold the engine to a shop (he upgraded) and when they took it apart the P&C's were still in spec!

That was Dave Buhain at Road and Race in SoCal.

[quattrorunner]

Well, some more background. First of all, I didn't come to him for a running car, actually more like a roller or engine not both. I want a project(I know, I would have one with this car) but not a lot of dollars spent initially.
I havent done a carfax as I'm not chomping at the bit as it were, but will if I collect the dough.
The shop actually has records on this car that go way back from them but only from them. They did all the serviceing of this car while it was here in Vegas I assume the owner didn't remember any major service that had been done. (I didn't eyeball those records yet)
He was in the middle of swabbing the car ie buffing the paint, swapped the windshield and had the seats out for replacement of the seat covering when I told him that if I were to buy it I wanted him to stop spending $ and give me a car I could save on and work on and he appreciated that. So, I appreciate all the comments as all are good info, I'll get a carfax and look further and also ask less based on how I feel inside.
Brandon

[quattrorunner]

BTW, guess what works on this car......the A/C and clock! yeah I know.

[Zeke]

I have a high mileage car coming up for sale. It has 244K miles and the motor has never been opened up. It smokes on start up if it sits overnight. Runs really well cold an warm. AFA value on your car, it depends a lot on the whole car. Mine is a nice car with a very good tranny and an uprgraded clutch. I'm sure the Targa has one too, but check. That's a 3000 dollar job.

Your potential car and mine are both excellent candidates for a 3.6 upgrade. You can sell a 3.2 core motor for 3K. Running and running well can only get you more. Put that against a 3.6 a say, 10K with all the necessary add ons and you're in a Carrera with a 3.6 for 20K or less if things go your way.

There are a lot of people that wish they had a '84 to '89 with a 3.6 and have only 20K invested.

My final thoughts are about what you are getting. Are the tires fairly new? Brakes? Interior nice? Paint look good? Glass? I have all of that and don't expect a whole lot more than the 10K your guy is asking. For every item you need to buy and replace in the next year that you know of (there will be things you didn't expect), subtract those costs and offer that price or ask that they be renewed.

[johnsjmc]

I just sold a 1980 SC coupe with about 116000 mi and a 3.6 already installed with only about 50k on it. New battery, tires,working AC and a rebuilt trans with stuff like a Sachs powerclutch ,big brakes and 2 Carrera coolers and new leather on the front seats. Sold for $18500 Canadian . I originally thought it should bring low 20s but thousands of lookers out there and few buyers. $10000 is way too high. You can buy a high mileage 993 for less than 20 K And I think of anything over 100 as high mileage. I would price a 350 plus car like a parts car .

[umfan866]

quattrorunner - PM me the VIN and your email and I will run it. I bought 30 days of unlimited AutoCheck because I am in the midst of looking too.

On this car with 350k+ ... that is really pushing it - I don't car how nice it looks -- you could buy milt's car with 100k less miles on it for the same price -- see his various posts -- and its a coupe -- coupes sell for more than targas all day long!!!

I am also willing to trade you or anyone an Autocheck for Carfax. Carfax stopped their 30-day unlimited and now you only get like 5 reports. I have a few VIN's that I've run in Autocheck and I'd like to see what Carfax says about them. After experiencing different results, from now on, on any car I'm serious about buying, I'm going to run both.

[Por_sha911]

Will they give you a 1 year warranty parts and labor? (my local indy P-car shop sells his cars with a warranty) If not, walk. Too many $10k cars out there with a third of those miles.

[Hugh R]

Originally Posted by quattrorunner

Help please, I have an 84 targa that is in acceptable condition with silly high mileage of 360000k mileage.
Thanks

360000k miles = 360 million miles, dude that is one worn out engine.

In all seriousness that seems like a lot of miles. If it runs and doesn't burn oil like crazy and the PPI comes back good maybe not too bad, but less than $10,000K (J/K)

[bxtech]

Originally Posted by umfan866

quattrorunner - PM me the VIN and your email and I will run it. I bought 30 days of unlimited AutoCheck because I am in the midst of looking too.

On this car with 350k+ ... that is really pushing it - I don't car how nice it looks -- you could buy milt's car with 100k less miles on it for the same price -- see his various posts -- and its a coupe -- coupes sell for more than targas all day long!!!

I am also willing to trade you or anyone an Autocheck for Carfax. Carfax stopped their 30-day unlimited and now you only get like 5 reports. I have a few VIN's that I've run in Autocheck and I'd like to see what Carfax says about them. After experiencing different results, from now on, on any car I'm serious about buying, I'm going to run both.

PM Sent.

[agrimmitt]

You start with a great car, you have someone who has taken very good care of it and you end up with a 360,000 high mileage car. But father time is against buying it anywhere near the $10,000 dollar price tag. You have received some valuable input: get a carfax, have a very good Porsche mechanic (sorry not the guy you looking at it from>spent the money) and listen to his input. It's 125,000 to 150,000 over the "normal" rebuild range for the motor (and it's a great motor). Everything wears out at some point, and you can pour money into an older car. (and loved and lie that we did) We all have done it, but if the money is a factor then don't buy a car with that level of mileage. There are hundreds of 80-85 SC and Carrera around with rebuild motors or much lower mileage. And yes, you should think about rebuilding the 3.0 or dropping a 3.6 in with it instant power for about the same $$$ as a good rebuild or upgrade to 3.2/3.3. The sand is or has run out of the motor by everything that is good abour a 3.0 Porsche motor.
Art

[techweenie]

Three weeks ago, I bought an 85 Carrera with 227K miles for cheap. Got it from a dealer, so I have no idea of the history. Main reasons it was cheap: mileage, gold-centered BBSs and India/Guards red paint is out of favor at the moment.

It's not just the miles, it's the treatment the car has received. I found stickers indicating the prior owner had used synthetic and changed it every 3K miles, which helps explain the high oil pressure and clean operation. Has it had a top end in the past? Most likely. Maybe even a couple.

But the car has original paint, a few replaced parts (full leather interior now has standard dash & door tops), runs like a top (excellent smog test numbers) doesn't leak, trans is smooth, good clutch & brakes... worst thing about the car was that the rear bushings were worn out. So it needed a few hundred bucks worth of refreshing.

Three weeks later, am I happy? Heck yeah. I find (Darth Vader voice) the lack of faith disturbing... I mean, we think Porsches are good cars, right? So why are we so concerned with miles? SCs and Carreras, especially, are the ones you can drive a quarter million miles with careful maintenance.