My mid-year 911 - a '77 - has had all issues addressed and has turned out to be one of the nicest I have driven. I joined PCA and go to meetings frequently as well other social type things - coffee here and there and of course once the chatting is done some driving gets into action. I have driven a few other 911s - newer than mine as well as some older models. I really like the way mine drives - I am very pleased. And I won't flare the fenders! I love the narrow body look.

Targa on OZ
 

A good running 2.7 Targa for $6K, if only. Double that here in OZ. My first Porsche was a Targa and I loved it to bits, my second was a 3.0 Carrera 1976, and I hated it. It was a dog to drive as a DD but great on the track. My current car is a 76 Targa which I am currently rebuilding, and I can't wait to get it on the road. There is more to owning a car than the sum of its parts, you have lusted after THIS car for a long time, if it was a woman you wouldn't hesitate. Go for it.

Here is another '76 that has been problem-free since purchased in 1983. (Note: only California cars had reactors in '76.) I've done all the recommended updates including an oil cooler and my Porsche has been the most enjoyable car I've ever owned. How many years have to go by before the 2.7's that DO have problems get fixed? Ten years? Twenty? Forty? How many miles? 15K? 50K? 100K? All Porsches have potential problem, some more serious than others. But after some time and miles the problems that do exist have to expose themselves and get fixed. Of course do your due diligence, same as you should for a used Ford.

X2. Best response so far.

I bought this 40K mile 77 911S AC sunroof coupe for $2000. Zero rust although some of the paint is lifting off of the galvanizing from setting out in the weather after the PO died. I bought it from his estate. The thermal reactor was long gone as was the 5-blade fan. It is in the shop now for exhaust backdate and tensioner update among other things. Then to the paint shop and a new headliner. Most of the leather is excellent and the dash is perfect. The original seats had a few cracks, so I replaced them with excellent sport seats for the same cost as recovering them. I found a set of new sunvisors and OEM windshied on here. :cool: I have installed a chin spoiler since this photo. I look forward to driving the "worst" 911! :)



http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1348153464.jpg

Thank God for the worst 911 ever, they are actually affordable... that is until everyone else catches on!

Really appreciate your input guys! Great response here, and thank you for the reassurance that it isn't a terrible idea.

I had the opportunity to buy this car about 10 years ago before I went to school, but I just couldn't justify parking it outside with street parking. Even though it would have been fun, it would have killed me to see a 911 suffer so much abuse from parallel parking "attempts" and the rust/corrosion from winter duties.

I talked to the owner again last night. He is the 2nd owner. The first owner had the car tuned up somewhere here in Madison WI, and whoever the tech was leaned out the carb a bit too far, causing the engine to seize on the highway. Instead of rebuilding it, a replacement engine was ordered from someplace that allowed you to spec what you wanted. He opted for a 2.9 liter, which is from what I can tell, a "big bore kit" offered by Mahle that came with slightly larger pistons and slightly bored out cylinders. This is the engine that is still in the car. The thermal reactors have been removed (sweet!), but he said there is a definite oil leak onto the heat exchangers; he is guessing it's the valve covers.

I searched on that, and found: Pelican Technical Article: 911 Upgrade to Turbo Valve Covers
So it seems that he's got a good chance at being right, and that the original magnesium valve covers are the culprit. So ... because the car is old, and it hasn't been daily driven in a while, how hard is this job? Ideally I'd kind of like to pull the engine, clean everything, replace seals, etc. Does that sound like overkill for swapping valve covers?

I'll try to get pictures at some point, but it probably won't be for few weeks.

Cheers and thanks again!

To ensure all leaks are gone an engine drop is easiest especially for the engine top triangle of leaks... Get Wayne's 101 projects book, it is all in there. Search this site for oil leaks too.
Good luck, sounds like you've made a decision.
Your next post needs to have pictures of the car! :)

I'd like to add one more thing. I didn't buy my 76 Targa as an investment, I bought it to drive around and have a blast doing so. If you're buying the car as an investment and think you'll recoup all your $$$, forget it buy some savings bonds instead. I also own a 1929 Herreshoff Sailboat and if I kept track of all that I invested in that beautiful boat I'd probably end up taking a chainsaw to it. I keep track of all that I spend on the car but I never have the time to add it all up, I'm having too much fun driving the car!http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1348159217.jpg

Wow I did not realize there were so many "BAD YEAR" 2.7 on this forum. I think my 76 is the best inexpensive real sports car too can buy.

Theyre much better cars than the internet would have you know. Great fun.

You can get the new valve covers or just buy the red silicone rubber valve cover gaskets from Pelican. They worked for me. No leaks from the valve covers after that simple gasket change. My 76 allows me to drive a classy car for not much more than a used Japanese import. How can I beat that? The envy on the faces of the minivan drivers is apparent.

Hey Guys: Small update. Going to look at the car on Sat morning. Pretty excited, but there's really no pressure as the car isn't for sale to the public yet, so I'm not forced to make a quick decision. Couple more questions:

1. So how do I tell if it's a 911 or a 911S?
2. What were some options? I know it has black fuchs and I think foglights.
3. Going to take it for a test drive, I know the oil is leaking onto the exhaust manifolds, but how do I verify it's just a valve cover? Maybe wipe down the lower VC before the test drive, then check when I get back?
4. I know basic body stuff, but where are the worst opportunities for rust?

Pretty excited! :)

75 911s
 

Buy it , Have had mine for 18 years , some upgrades , lots of fun to drive take the step to porsche ownership

Where are the Pictures??

FWIW--

If you do your own work, enjoy it, and do not depend on this car for transportation....you can't go wrong for $6k. You should be able to sell a running, driving 911 for that much pretty easily if you change your mind (you won't).

Also, this is slightly OT --

I haven't read this whole thread but I'm sure people have told you to get a PPI. In my opinion, you'll learn more evaluating the car yourself thoroughly than a PPI will tell you. PPIs are valuable for fully restored concours cars or non-vintage 911s (a 996 for example)...but for all the other cars out there, there is no question you'll find something wrong during a PPI...your car is 30+ years old! Clearly you're not buying this car to be trouble free and maintenance free.

Check out this thread:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/695802-fess-up-did-you-get-ppi-before-buying.html

Not exactly water-tight science, but at least in the thread, the majority of Pelicans don't get a PPI before they buy a car anyway...and for those that do, only 13% find the car to not be as described.

Porsche 911 Fahrzeugidentifikation

Go to this website and select 74-77. It is in German but you will see that doesn't matter. Go to the engine numbers section in red and write down or print the legend. Do the same for the VIN section.
As far as what came stock or options for the given year, you can source out later. If there are spare parts/wheels etc, buy all that stuff too or have them throw it in as part of the deal. Sort it all out later. Check the VIN and Engine number and type and you will confirm what you are starting with. Any service records will hopefully tell you more of a story.
Tracing an oil leak is not a quick wipe and tell. It may take a while to figure out. If it is not running out steady, then that is something we've all had to deal with and fix. Could be from a number of places. Remember that every cylinder is a seperate piece from the next, so there are a lot of mating surfaces to deal with.
For rust, check the battery area and the underside at the front left a-arm bolts. You may even want to lift the battery out of the tray to examine the trunk floor there.
There is a center jack point about mid-door. If you have a jack plate, jack the car so the wheels are off the ground. Open the door and close it. Check for sag at the gaps or ease of opening the doors. Do both sides. (check the parts catalog here to see what the jack pad looks like. If you buy the car, you'll need one.) If you don't have one try and borrow one before you see the car.

Cash68,
According to Peter Zimmerman, the only 911 model imported in 1977 to the US, as in 1976, was the 911S. So that's what you will be looking at unless it is a Euro model. The 1977 has improved cam chain guides versus the 1976. Otherwise the two years are very similar.

Thanks Targa, just wasn't sure if it had the 175 horse mill or the 150 horse version. Glad it's the higher output one, though with the engine being a weird 2.9 liter who really knows what it puts out.

Tony: Thanks for the advice. I still think I'm going to try to clean it up a bit before test driving it. If I see leaks from the cylinders to the block.. well... I'll lower my price more. If it's just the valve covers... should be pretty simple to fix up. :) Thanks for the rust tips. I'll post some pictures this weekend.

According to Andial, the marketer of the 2.9 kit for the 2.7 motor using Mahle P/C, the horsepower increase is about 25 hp. You can search old threads on this forum for more particulars. Since the stock 2.7 was around 165, add another 25 and get maybe 190. Probably it has better low end than the standard 2.7. Check what cooling the car has. It may require an external cooler if it does not already have one. Whatever, it sounds like a nice deal to me. Take lots of pics, especially of the engine, and report back.