To buy or not to buy - 86' 911

[RAM]

So, here's where I am on an 86, 911 that I have been looking at purchasing. Without mentioning the names of those involved, this is what I have.

Found a 1986 911 in Chicago area that was traded in on a new vehicle. Sent the car over for a PPI that was from a reputable shop and they provide a report. I decided not to dig into the PPi too far without negotiating a better price so we did not look at the head stud to see if any were broken. The car has WK miles with the following issues:

Oil leaks from engine and transaxle
oil lines need to be replaced
torn tie rod boots and one rear axle boot
brake light and turn signals not working (short in the system)
old tires
AC does not blow cold
paint on fair shape and need a respray

I can work around all the small stuff but the head studs concern me. Price for the vehicle is between $16 and $18 and I still need to transport.

What are your thoughts on this? Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,

[McLovin]

You don't mention the miles, but $16-$18K sounds like way too much for a leaking '86 that needs a paint job. Way too much.

That sounds like a $10-12K car, and even at that, I'm not sure I'd want it.

If that '86 had nice original paint, has reasonable lowish miles (say around 100K), nice original interior, shows and drives really nice, and needs some moderate work (tires, a few leaking lines, etc.), then maybe it would be a $16-$18K car.

SCs/Carreras with bad paint are a very hard sell.

[db_cooper]

Pretty much normal stuff if the owner was not staying on top of maintenance. Head studs would be a big problem if they were not checked. Compression and leak down numbers are important too. Were they done?

If this is a report..it is very light on work done. Sounds like it went on the lift and notes made. Ask for more or get it to another shop.

[JeremyD]

Originally Posted by RAM

So, here's where I am on an 86, 911 that I have been looking at purchasing. Without mentioning the names of those involved, this is what I have.

What are your thoughts on this? Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Keep looking. Buy from an individual rather than a dealer trade in.

16-18K should buy you a decent carrera with a minimal amount of work.

[RAM]

Sorry, I meant to add that the car has 75K miles. I chose not to proceed with the PPI because of the finding up front without negotiating the price. No compression test done because I didn't want to spend a whole heck of a lot on the PPI if it didn't seem right.

[Bob Kontak]

Paint alone is a deal breaker at that price. Good choice.

[175K911]

I agree with the others, for that kind of money you should be able to find a nice car with good paint and needing very little mechanical work.

What makes you think it's got a broken head stud?

I'm in the Chicago area. If you like, I could take a look at it for you and at least let you know what the overall condition is. Obviously can't do a leakdown or mechanical checks easily but I'd at least be able to give it an honest eyeball look. Oh, and would you care to mention the shop that did the PPI? There are some good ones around here that know 911's very well and lots of good shops that probably aren't that familiar with a 911 and it's nuances. If you don't want to post this all, feel free to shoot me a PM.

[B0XER]

Originally Posted by McLovin

You don't mention the miles, but $16-$18K sounds like way too much for a leaking '86 that needs a paint job. Way too much.

That sounds like a $10-12K car, and even at that, I'm not sure I'd want it.
.

Originally Posted by JeremyD

Keep looking. Buy from an individual rather than a dealer trade in.

16-18K should buy you a decent carrera with a minimal amount of work.

Originally Posted by Bob Kontak

Paint alone is a deal breaker at that price. Good choice.

*sigh*

Consideirng our dollars are now basically at parity - your guys would die if you knew how much we pay for a decent SC or 3.2 over here in Aust

[Jeff964]

Originally Posted by B0XER

*sigh*

Consideirng our dollars are now basically at parity - your guys would die if you knew how much we pay for a decent SC or 3.2 over here in Aust

Over here in Hong Kong as well!!

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by B0XER

your guys would die if you knew how much we pay for a decent SC or 3.2 over here in Aust

Here is a 177km 81 SC for the price of a NICE cream-puff US 89 Turbo. $50k.

1981 PORSCHE 911 Private Cars For Sale in VIC - carsales.com.au

Hong Kong

83 930 - 110km 7.78 HKD to one USD - 43.5k USD

http://www.adpost.com/hk/vehicles/8016/

Australia "wins" the price bummer contest.

[tazzieman]

Mind you , Oz delivered cars never see salted roads and long dark wet winters.
By & large rust is not an issue. Neglected cars are certainly out there and the usual problem is the deferred maintenance of items which have not yet reared their ugly & oft expensive heads. We all know how little things add up...well we never actually add up the receipts , DO WE ?

[redridge]

I would never buy a car in that part of the country if it was driven in the rain and snow..... Way to many bolts snapping.

[GothingNC]

Just check out this nice looking 85 for $17.5K

FS 1985 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe - Awesome Car! $17,500 obo

[N11Porsche]

Here's a terrific-looking Carrera, inside & out, for $17.5k. Looks like a great deal to me. Paint is like new, interior is very nice and the engine looks new. Not that a new-looking engine means anything. And it's for sale by a fellow Pelican......


Here's the link: FS 1985 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe - Awesome Car! $17,500 obo

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by redridge

I would never buy a car in that part of the country if it was driven in the rain and snow..... Way to many bolts snapping.

Chicago? Houston? What bolts you speaking of?

[redridge]

Part of the country would be the snow belt zone..... Chicago included, I've worked on cars that are from that area and it is a nightmare To work on. Watch out for rust that creaps in areas that you can't see.... Of course I'm generalizing, but I'm mainly talking about cars that were driven in daily in foul weather.

[wgwollet]

I lived in Chicagoland for many years, and believe it or not there are some great buys and many great cars to choose from.

The Chicago area has six Porsche dealers that sold many cars over the years. Most Chicago drivers park their Porsche in bad weather and all winter. I found a very nice 1986 930, low mileage, original paint, there are many good ones because much were sold.

Be patient, they are there in Chicago and buy from a private owner.

[JeremyD]

Originally Posted by redridge

Part of the country would be the snow belt zone..... Chicago included, I've worked on cars that are from that area and it is a nightmare To work on. Watch out for rust that creaps in areas that you can't see.... Of course I'm generalizing, but I'm mainly talking about cars that were driven in daily in foul weather.

Funny - but I specifically targeted that part of the country when I went looking for my 2nd car - a 1987 Cabriolet. I ended up buying a low mileage g-50 cab with 46,000 miles - that was put away every winter and covered. Tuned up every spring.

Had a great trip back from chicago on December 20th - snow was on the ground when I left chicago - was able to drop the top for the last 300 miles in Florida.

[ivangene]

I would not buy one that needed to be painted - or was already painted poorly

[175K911]

Originally Posted by JeremyD

Funny - but I specifically targeted that part of the country when I went looking for my 2nd car - a 1987 Cabriolet. I ended up buying a low mileage g-50 cab with 46,000 miles - that was put away every winter and covered. Tuned up every spring.

Had a great trip back from chicago on December 20th - snow was on the ground when I left chicago - was able to drop the top for the last 300 miles in Florida.

That's part of the beauty of finding a 911 in the winter belt- we have to put our nice cars away for 4+ months every year so the mileage on our cars tends to be lower as a result.