scwdp engine life

[nostatic]

I'm looking at a '78 w/about 150K on it and no rebuild (but consistent work and recent big ticket including clutch and all oil leaks, seals, etc). I'm thinking that I should factor a near-future rebuild into the asking price (haven't had a ppi done yet though). I know the lore is they 3.0 can go 250K-350K without freshening, but what do most of you scwdp-er's think? I remember at least one person here remarking that they thought engines were often rebuilt unecessarily, and the advice was to drive drive drive.

[L Sjoberg]

IMHO, the engine is the least of your worries. So long as it's been properly taken care of, and has the pop-off and chain tensioner updates, it should run forever. I'd be more worried about all the other stuff that has 150k miles on it, like the transmission and suspension. Plus the normal wear and tear on the interior and exterior cosmetics. My Targa has just about 115k miles on it, and will need 1st and 2nd synchros and other tranny work sometime in the near future. Fortunately the suspension was gone through by the PO right before I bought the car (at 70k miles), as was the interior (new leather; etc.). All the stuff besides the tranny, of course, is relatively minor, and can for the most part be sorted out over time. If it drives and rides nice, and the tranny and clutch seem okay, I wouldn't let the mileage bother you a lick, since 150k miles on a 25 year old car is by no means excessive.

[epbrown]

You won't find many people with over 200k on their SC engines, but that's because either the car wasn't maintained properly or, more commonly, the owner rebuilt it in a quest for more power.

Emanuel

[5axis]

Time to quit walking around the pool and asking EVERYswimmer if the water is too cold! Get in the damn water or go to somebody elses pool party.

David 89 turbo cab

tough love approach

[nostatic]

Originally posted by 5axis
Time to quit walking around the pool and asking EVERYswimmer if the water is too cold! Get in the damn water or go to somebody elses pool party.

David 89 turbo cab

tough love approach

If jumping in and finding cold water cost you $5K, asking people in the pool might seem like a good idea.

That being said, point taken. See, he can be taught

[island911]

Wow, $5K to drop a thermometer in the pool (so to speak) . . .I wanna be your mechanic.

to jog the mem' compression, leak down. . .

[nostatic]

Originally posted by island911
Wow, $5K to drop a thermometer in the pool (so to speak) . . .I wanna be your mechanic.

Hey, you're not coming on to me, are you? I don't swing that way....

[Jdub]

No topend work in a '78 means you need to look at those valve springs: they made a bad batch for that year. I'd check into it.

If you intend to knock him down on price you must work from a position of known problems with the SC and then with the 1978. The popoff, oil-fed tensioners, and valve springs are areas of concern that ought to be addressed.

The updated sump screen, oil pressure/valve springs, Carerra valve covers, catalytic converter (bang it and listen for broken honeycomb) are areas that you might dicker the seller down on.

John

EDIT: By the way, I paid just a bit over $5,500.00 for my car. The '78 Targa may have been one of the most-built type/year out of the factory. There are a lot of them around.

[don911]

It's not the cold water that is the problem, it's the heat in the kitchen.

My prediction...NS buys higher mileage car that needs some work. His wife, who must now be ok with a p-car purchase, gets upset at all the $ being spent on this car. Two to three months after purchase, NS is surveying the bb for market value of a high mileage SC. NS then goes in search of a lower mileage p-car that doesn't need as much work.

Sorry NS, some humor at your expense. you'll never live down your last p-car purchase. My opinion, you should have listened to this bb and kept the last car.

[nostatic]

Originally posted by don911
It's not the cold water that is the problem, it's the heat in the kitchen.

My prediction...NS buys higher mileage car that needs some work. His wife, who must now be ok with a p-car purchase, gets upset at all the $ being spent on this car. Two to three months after purchase, NS is surveying the bb for market value of a high mileage SC. NS then goes in search of a lower mileage p-car that doesn't need as much work.

Sorry NS, some humor at your expense. you'll never live down your last p-car purchase. My opinion, you should have listened to this bb and kept the last car.

No offense taken. If nothing else, I think people here can see I have a pretty good sense of humor (you have to when you're me ). The funny thing is that both me *and* my wife agree that I should have listened to this bb and kept the car. Alas, hindsight is 20-20....but at least the kitchen has cooled down a bit.

I'm also taking your advice (and that of others) and looking at some newer/lower mileage cars. The budget keeps creeping up, but it's easier to swallow a big up front than a bunch of medium hits along the way. The last thing I want to hear is "you're spending *another* $1K on the car?" Of course I can always reply with, "and how many times has your Audi been in the shop?"

[Harold_89_911]

OK, I will get sucked into this one too. It does look like you are going all over the place, kind of like a puppy dog. Starting with late a Carrera to beemer, to 356 to early SC now. Even when you actually owned the Carrera, which seemed to be a very nice car, you had some issues with it (outside of the marital issue).

Usually, you get what you pay for. If you get a well maintained recent car you have a decent chance to have a relatively reasonable cost of ownership for a daily driver. If you buy a very old model for a daily driver, you might save some money on the purchase price but parts and mechanics will eat that up very quickly, unless you plan to do a lot of the work yourself (and even then parts are expensive). In the end you still will have an old car that will not stand up against the Carerra that you once owned. You will always be comparing the two and kicking yourself again and again.

So, if money is an issue for you, I would advise not to buy an old 911 for a daily driver unless you are a very good mechanic on consider yourself very lucky.

P.S. If I remember correctly, you test drive the car I ended up buying. Paid 21k, replaced the shocks, one CV boot, and had a new swaybar bracket welded on. Other then that no problems. Solid daily driver.

[Superman]

An '89 911 in good shape for $21k is an excellent automotive bargain.

That is, if a good SC is not available, right Leland? Whew!

[nostatic]

Originally posted by Harold_89_911


P.S. If I remember correctly, you test drive the car I ended up buying. Paid 21k, replaced the shocks, one CV boot, and had a new swaybar bracket welded on. Other then that no problems. Solid daily driver.

If it was from the attorney that lived near the rose bowl, I believe you are correct. That was a very clean car. It is also good to hear about cars that end up not being a nightmare or money pit.

[Doug Zielke]