Sure!

So if you can get it for 10K make sure you will have cash left over to start rebuilding/repairing things ASAP...

Can we see a photo perhaps? :)

Condition is king. I've seen 180k mile cars that look like new, I've seen 120k cars that look tired. 180k miles with religious maintenance is usually preferable to 120k miles with 10 years of neglect. Oil leaks are not a sign of meticulous, aggressive maintenance.

Get a proper inspection and an estimate to bring the car to the condition you want it in, then add 20% to that number, because it will need it. All in, you should not exceed $20k. The closer you get to $20k, the closer the car should be to "excellent condition." If you can't get there from here, if the numbers just don't work...

In case you don't know about this...

http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforums/911-forum/189606-the-pre-purchase-inspection-by-peter-zimmermann.html

. . sight unseen.

That is, the buyers are bidding w/o having the detail knowledge of the car. ...records, the smell of the car, meeting the owner, knowing whether the owner kept a garage queen, or parked it under a tree.

Say you are a smoker with a clean looking 911 - ebay baby.

So, ebay prices are often not the best examples for pricing.

I guess this is the preferred way to buy nowadays. I bought my car from the original owner. I don't even watch Barrett Jackson its total madness...

Agreed...but as the case with ANY classified.

And really, once you read the description, you can totally tell which cars are being sold by a loving Owner, which ones are dogs, and then there are the dealers.

My point was really that (I think) its a good way to get an idea of where a specific car model price range is at.

I paid $8.5K for my SC with 180Kmiles on it. I sold it 5 years later, and I never put more than $12K into it. And, it did not leak one drop of oil when i sold it.

Yeah, I'm often checking the 'completed listings" on ebay, just for that reason.

Certainly one can get a feel for the deal, thru the ad (w/ good ad's). . . .but so much more can be known when up close and personal.

Being that most people want to sit their butt down and drive before buying, ebay (sold cars) will be often take a $ales hit.

As a reference, I just paid $13k for a 140k mile '84 3.2L. Get a ppi w/compression and leakdown and use this forum if you need help understanding the results. I paid $270 for ppi on a 2.7L and walked away.

About the oil leak - after driving, mine drips 1-3 drops of oil overnight, but if not driven for a day - no drops. I'll live with it - engine fires up instantly hot or cold and runs strong.

Enjoy your car search

John

$8500.00 to $10500.00 depending on condition. Make a deal on it it will be one of the greatest things you ever do for yourself!
I paid some jacka$$ over $7000.00 for a partial top end cause I was in a rush, so maybe do some homework to see if there is a good independent around you or if you think you are willing to take the anticipated work on yourself.
Second on the pic post request.

I paid $10,000 for my 81 SC about 18 months ago. Paint and wheels were beautiful. PPI by local"Porsche air-cooled expert" was clean. Turns out I paid $5000 too much. It took another $20,000 to repair,most of which was taken by my "expert." Once I found a top notch wrench all was good. So my $20,000 car cost ME $30,000. It is a fine car now. It should be for that kind of money.
Watch out for unscrupulous mechanics when you get your PPI.

Curious why do you think the price of these is absurd? This was a premium sports car, the values simply stabilized and now seem to stay in a general range? Ask this same question 2 years ago and what you are looking at would have been a $13-15k car, with today's status of the economy a reasonable person will find a good one for $8-11k.

Hell, even a decent classic VW Beetle will fetch similar prices, I'd say for what they are a 911 is an amazing bargain. Most any remotely desired car that makes it past a point where it's just a "used car" (say ~20 years) stops depreciating and the market decides what they are worth ±

What would be nice for those of us already in one is if they began to rise in price like the formerly unloved longhoods, but only time will tell that :)

Sorry to hijack, but what kind of condition was it in at 530K (I assume you mean miles and Kms)? Did it smoke? Burn a lot of oil?

As many of you are aware , people happily pay triple USA prices in Australia - and feel they are getting a good deal for an iconic , well built used car that can easily be used daily. And over here , a complete engine rebuild is around 15k+ if someone else does the work.

Enjoy your 10k bargain , spend 2-3k straight away and enjoy looking after the old girl in the manner in which she deserves.

Hell , you can even find good cheap used motors in the states; if it goes pear shaped. In Oz, good luck on that front - it is a hole into which you throw money. But an old Ferrari costs three times as much to maintain.

If you pay more than 10K make sure the motor has been rebuilt(with paperwork). You will still need a PPI and money left over for repairs/rebuilds.

Humm...maybe I could be persuaded to sell... is there an Australian version of eBay? just kidding.

[QUOTE=Matt7127;5970526]
I have a few friends that own SC's 1980-82 and they paid between $8-10K, has the price really gone up that much on these since they are now antique status.

I HAVE A QUESTION AS A 6 MONTH NEWBIE and owner of 83 and 86. I realize in the real world there are other more important factors like rebuilt engine and overall condition but in our Pelican World.

Same condition and miles cars what is worth more ...lets say all are coupes

identical condition examples 76 2.7 versus 83 3.0 versus 86 3.2 ????

It seems the older cars are worth more but the trade off is the newer cars have more HP as in above example

87 up seem higher cause of the G50 and lower miles etc

Prices are much higher in Europe also... I have one of my 911 for sale and get calls from Germany every week and had 2 Germans living in Florida come by to import to Germany.


They said about $1200 to $2,000 depending on country to Europe

What is the cost to ship to Austrialia????