ok...how about the previous PO?
 

Looked at another candidate today. '83 coupe w/89K on it. Current owner has owned it since '98 and has records during that period. About $5K in work including alternator, tensioners, shocks, brakes, engine mounts, headliner, tires, etc. Drives clean. Only downside is he bought it in '98 from Chequered Flag, a local "dealer" of questionable repute, and there are no records from any previous ownership. Would you consider that a deal-killer, worrisome but a PPI can cure, or not an issue?

http://bender.annenberg.edu/cars/83sc/82.jpg

Deal killer? a car like that for only $37k -buy it. Buy it now.

ONly with your wife's permission, of course. ;)

I bought a car whose previous records were very partial...the PPI was all I was really concerned about. I beat them up a little for not having records...took about 1k off the price. I think if the PPI is thorough it really doesn't matter that the records are incomplete.

Island's thread mentions 37K...that's a joke...right?!? I can't imagine spending more than 22 for an '83...even if it's cherry.

For $37k maybe you can get your '87 Carrera back from your neighbor. While that would still be waaaaayyy to much to pay for it, it would be a better deal than an '83 - and it may get you to stop crying wolf every day to the other Pelican Heads.

Girlie color - don't buy it. What about the silver green one? That looked nice.

Right! The question itself was a joke, wasn't it?
He is once again thowing out an ambigous question, doesn't give a price on this one, sits back and waits.

Now would someone help me get this fish-hook out of my mouth.

edit; we'll just wait for the "oh clumbsey-me I fo'got da prce"

Man, monday's are rough all over. Bad weekend?

mea culpa. Asking $14K.

Woop -- der it iz.

LOL

Man, nostatic, you are driving everyone crazy on this board! Monday's are only rough on your posts! What is so difficult about buying an SC? There's a ton of them, they are as reliable as a Honda, they're cheap- just get the damn thing! It's not a lifelong commitment, if you don't like it, sell it and get another!

ps: do you go to a lot of self help groups? A lot of "hello, my name is nostatic, and I'm terrified of buying a cheap, used car..."

glad to be able to supply you with your daily dose of amusement. See, I'm not useless after all...

Still leaning towards the green one. One more to drive later today or tomorrow. And you keep up the good work Island...god knows I need someone to keep track of my shenanigans.

once I finally buy the damn car the beers are on me. :)

Nostatic,

Have your wife look at this one. I am contemplating upgrading to a 993, but would need to sell my '86 first. 167K, third owner, purchased in '96 from Sonnen in Marin (the original dealer that first sold the car), lots of records. I am taking it in to my mechanic next week for new brake pads and valve adjustment. Clutch is near the end of its life, but it hasn't started slipping yet. Otherwise, the car is solid! A couple door dings, usual rock chips up front and the engine lid is showing some age after 16 years.

Let's make a deal. I am pretty sure I could give you a better deal than $37K (I would have to check with my Mrs. on that one though).

http://www.drricupito.com/ebaypics/86-911.jpg

JrDavid68

nostatic, for all the heartburn you've caused on this BB, the beer budget would push into the 'have I spent too much?' camp

Aw, leave the poor guy alone. The way you guys talk to Nostatic reminds me of the playground in grade school. On the other hand, Nostatic, you might want to just find a car that makes your heart flutter, get a PPI, plug your nose and jump in. The water's nice and warm, trust me.

I'd say a PPI is better than a bunch of paperwork. But it would still be nice to know what's bee replaced and what hasn't. The absence of paperwork over most of this car's life (the most critical part) is certainly reason to negotiate on price. I'm not sure whether I like the color. Looks like tan interior, which is not my favorite. Low enough miles. If I liked the colors, and if the PPI suggests an outstanding car, I'd offer $11k and not go much higher. In my humble view, $14k gets you a NICE SC.

Well, with that kind of attitude, you'll have to drink domestic. Kein Deutsch bier fur dich.

Nostatic, talk to JrDavid and see if you can get his Carrera for the same price or a little less than the SC you're looking at. If you can, it might be the better deal - more ponies, better previous documentation, buying from a known party may outweigh the high miles and clutch issue.

If you don't want to go the Carrera route, I say pull the trigger on the SC. If the PPI comes out ok, and what sounds like some TLC from the current owner, the previous PO issue doesn't bother me. $14k is a bit high. Also, find out exactly why he is selling after such a short time and so much into the car. If it is because he put so much into the car over such a short time, maybe it's not the right car. If there's a good explaination, go for it.

FWIW, I was in the same price range as you when I was looking and also looked over SC. I squeezed a few bucks more out of the budget and got my Carrera instead, mostly because of the extra HP. You've driven a Carrera, of course, but I wonder if you get an SC, every time you punch it you'll be thinking that if you were in your old Carrera you'ld be going faster. Don't flame me SCWDPers, just telling him something to watch out for.

You should buy quickly, though. Prices are probably already going up in anticipation of spring. Well, it's already spring where you are. I have to wait a couple more weeks.

i'll bet 10 bucks static ends up buying a miata.

Hey, jrdavid68, sweet color. I almost bought one that color myself, but the front fender had been replaced and the hood didn't line up not to mention the fact that the owner told me, "Porsche didn't put a syncro on 1st gear, that's why you can't shift into first until the car is stopped." Needless to say I passed on that one even though it was a pretty car.

MRM - I don't think I could let my baby go for $14K - I know I could get more than that in the Bay Area.

Nostatic - I got your e-mail and will respond later today.

masraum - Thanks! Check this out:

http://rossj.best.vwh.net/ross/911s.html

The wife and I used to have matching cars. Hers was the '80 SC on the right. Once I put her in a New Passat last year, she basically stopped driving the '80 so I sold it. Now I have the itch for a 993 so am thinking of selling the '86. That will be a little tough though as she was my "first" (selling car not wife).

JrDavid68

Okay, I'll jump into the nostatic feeding frenzy.

My thoughts on a "no records" car. It has to be a great deal. A clean PPI and take enough off the price could make me forget about those missing records.

Without the records, you don't know how often oil was changed, if any other routine maintenance was done - all this affects longevity. Then you will sit around and wonder, "what did this poor car do to make it end up at a dealer like Checkered Flog?" Yes, it could be that a PO was down on their luck and had to come up with funds fast, but that'd be an unusal case.

To the extent that buying a 20 year old car is a crap-shoot anyway, I like to stack the odds in my favor by knowing more about how well the machine was taken care of.

My $0.02.

Don