How Much Did You Pay?

[Gordo2]

I'm headed to look at 2 911 Targa's in the next two days. An '83 one owner, with 160k miles and an '85 with 150k miles.

Wondering what you folks have paid for vehicles same years. From phone conversations I'm assessing them both to be in fair condition. Kelly Blue book doesn't seem to match what these are going for (lower than what folks are asking/getting?). EBay seems out of whack.

What's a good price for these in fair condition? Neither reported to have major problems:

The '83 sounds like it has been upkept well. Original owner says he took good care of it, regular maint, has receipts... Never required anything major replaced. This scares me. I assume I'm going to be the one replacing all the normal wear and tear items. Has an oil leak that he tried to get fixed but still leaks (minor but leaks on exhaust causing smoke). Body is in great shape but interior needs some work. Has a new set of carpets. Garaged for the last 2 years and just got it running again.

The 85 sounds solid but the body is somewhat ragged out. Not rusted, just worn out (dent's, dings, needs painted). Owned for 3 years and has receipts for duration of ownership. Unknown work prior to this guy's ownership. Has Porsche widebody pannels that were never installed with the vehicle.

Intend to check out both, bring to mechanics for further inspection if satisfied with how they drive.

Asking $9,000 for the '83, $10,000 for the '85. Intend try to back both down as low as I can get them. Again interested in what others have been paying for similar vehicles and if these prices are in line.

Hope to be a regular soon. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Gordo

[bell]

i picked my 85' targa up for a little over 12,000. it had 87,000 miles on it and needed some cosmetic stuff done, limited records and mechanically she's a dream. blue book at the time was a little over 18,000.
get a ppi done on the one you're most interested and it will give you a better idea as to what it's worth.
the more "used" a porsche looks means the ppi is that much more important.
someone posted a good analogy here a while ago (forget who, sorry), basically it'll end up running 20,000 (car+service) to make it a reliable, good looking performer.
my .02

[BlueSkyJaunte]

I paid too much.

$16.5k for 107k mi car that still has tan lines from the bra. Rebuilt tranny and new clutch within another 10k miles.

BUT this was the height of the dot-com boom, and I was impatient.

[Kevin Stewart]

As all will start poping in and saying PPI you gotta have or i will tell you a horror story about my car that i didnt get one done on that will make your toes curl, and teeth chater, ppi remember these letters well, you may get it cheap but you may need to consult your bank for a second loan if no ppi, Kevin

[efhughes3]

I got my '84 Targa right at $10K w/109,000 miles. She's got some nicks and chips, but the body is in great shape, and painting was in my list of "to-dos" from the start. The interior is ok, but the seats need a recovering, as the passenger has a small tear. Dash us a little "wavy".

Mechanically, she passed the PPI with flying colors, and runs wonderfully, and everything works (including the cruise control)

[Mike Feinstein]

A word of caution. Beware of the amazing deals that it seems people get routinely. It is much cheaper to spend a few bucks to get the right car in excellent condition. A $8k car will (likely) end up costing you far more than a well maintained and updated $16k car.

Unless you have specific upgrade plans and want to do the work yourself, you'll save a bucket of money in the long run if you buy carefully...even if you pay more for the car.

[diy83sc]

As Mike just said, find a car that has been well maintained and is not in need of much work and has the options you are interested in. I paid a bit more than I wanted to but have a solid rust free, accident free, mechanically sound machine. Interior/exterior is in excellent shape and has all options direct from factory, and I am owner number two. Again, all the things I wanted. I think it amounts to what is important to you; pay me now or pay me later is what I went by. In my experience, paying up front typically feels better.

[Joeaksa]

I am probably not much help here as I paid a lot more for my 85 than the one you are looking at now, but as Mike above stated, you usually get what you pay for!

Found my 85 on the internet almost 5 years ago. It had been in sitting in a garage in south Texas for years, with its being driven only on weekends. 61k miles on it and one owner, with records from day one, which was important to me. I paid $17.9 for the car and felt that it was a good price. Body in "as new" shape and paint in good condition.

I knew that it needed a clutch when I bought it and other than that and a idle stab valve and a 60k inspection, nothing other than normal maintenance for the next 3 years.

After owning the car all this time I feel that I got a steal and see no plans to sell the car, ever. Strongly agree with what Mike said that these cars can nickle and dime you to death, but if you are a good mechanic and can source parts here on Pelican and do the labor yourself, it might be worth looking at. Personally I want a car that is in excellent condition body wise, with no rust or accident damage. I can swap out mechanical parts easily but hate doing body work or replacing rust!

With 150/160k on the cars, they should have had at least a valve job and you are possibly not too far away from a complete overhaul and this needs to be factored in as well. Some motors have been known to last into the 200k+ region but usually only with the same owner and regular maintenance.

Joe

[weber92037]

I paid 18 K for my 87 with 92 K miles. Everything is in excellent cond. with orig paint (except for minor door and fender repair well done), perfect leather seats, maint. records, local owner for 12 years.

[pbs911]

I'm headed to look at 2 911 Targa's in the next two days. An '83 one owner, with 160k miles and an '85 with 150k miles.

I paid $10K for my 78SC with new motor and trans. The car had about 140k miles. Needed paint, interior was OK, rust free, no accidents. I have replaced almost everything on the car in the past three years and spent 1/2 off my weekends since then working on the car. The older a car you purchase the more work you will have to do. If you can do the work yourself, it is not a big deal. I would have never have bought my car in its condition if I didn't know, or intended to learn, how to do the work myself. If I had to pay for someone else to do the same work I did, would have easily had a SC with $60K invested. Now I know why BA says to buy the newest Porsche you can afford.

FWIW, I don't regret the purchase at all. I enjoy working on the car and would do it again.

[Joeaksa]

Paul,

When I was in college, my Father tried to make me understand what you just stated, but it did not work. Course I as well liked to work on the cars.

Fast forward 20 years and I still enjoy working on the cars but not like before and have much more important things in life to worry about that takes my time. Buying a car in good condition that does not break and does not require weekends under it are important to me at this time. Course that does not explain the Jag I am restoring but its not my daily driver either!

Joe

[rstoll]

I paid $6500 for my 83. 129,000 miles. No records, no PPI, but at that price I figured if it rolled it was worth it. No first gear syncro, second scratches if you rush it. Two years later no problems. I have done chain tensioner update, clutch cable, valve adjustment, sunroof cables and brake fluid flush. Car runs well, no smoke, oil consumption within specs, no broken studs. Body is decent, but by no means perfect. Interior is good with no tears, dash has a crack, could use new carpet. A/C works good, but has the original York compressor. Don't use it unless the wife and I are going out together. This was an unusual buy, where the owner wanted the car out of her garage. I went out, drove the car, wrote the check, never looked back.

[GoodMojo]

I got mine for free from a widow in NY. Flew cross country and picked it up no questions asked. Turns out her ex was a collector of sorts. She also mentioned that I was really lucky since another guy upstate just called about it.


-Wade

[rstoll]

You must be the tow truck driver.

[bell]

Originally posted by rstoll
You must be the tow truck driver.

that's the funniest thing i've heard all day

[stormcrow]

I would say if you're going to purchase a P-car that has no records then be prepared to do some work to it. On the other hand, if you purchase one like that, then you should get a good deal.

I paid $4000.00 for my 78 SC Targa. Pulled the engine, reuilt it, redid the interior, car only had about 72,000 on it. My total cost to date with everything done, including the car is about $9,000.00

I do all my own work so the labor costs I would have to pay goes into tools. I knew when I purchased the car, it would require work so that wasn't an issue.

Again, there are good deals out there on P-cars. just make sure you have the capability to do your own work or it will cost you to get it right.

Steve

[TopsailBeach]

After years of dreaming and months of searching, I just purchased my first--a silver blue 1986 911 Coupe w/125K mi. A local one owner car with all records to day 1 of ownership, serviced in the same shop by the same p-tech for the past 10 years. Interior is perfect except for a cracked dash and a crack in the leather on the steering wheel. Body is straight with a few door dings and a bit of tired paint on the headlamp assembly and on the engine cover, unnoticeable unless you are w/in a few feet of the car. It's one tight driving car! Recent replacements of clutch, a/c compressor, alternator, catalytic converter, synchros. I had the seller pay for the major service before the deal.

I'm in for $14.5K, and even with all the due diligence, I still feel like I paid too much. Time will tell......but what a blast to drive!

[Gordo2]

Did a major inspection today. Body's great, mechanicals risky, interior shot. Obviously not a $9,000 car, but still intersted in that body.

I hate to say it but this one is like a sexy prostitute. Great to look at, you would like to take her for a ride but you can't see yourself in it without getting more than what you bargained for and the asking price is way too high.

Not that I do that kind of thing, just couldn't think of a better analogy.

Gordo

Anyone interested in a '83 with a great body? Richmond, VA area? I can e-mail you the details.

Gordo

[Jdub]

Like Storm I paid low (5K) for my '78 SC. Bad comp/leak numbers on number one were nothing to worry about: Techron runs freed the rings and all is well. Had a thorough PPI and so knew what I was getting into. Car included all updates for the '78 including sump bowler screen and updated pressure spings and valves.

I also work on my own car. I have about 8.5K in it now with fresh trans, rebuild brakes, recovered top, new tires, new windshield (thanks JohnW!), and all the new suspension parts and 7/9"ers to put on after I finish polishing. By 10K this car, with fresh paint, will be like new.

Good deals out there. If you are patient. Now that Winter is coming on you want to find the guy who cannot garage his car or is in debt and doesn't see a Porsche as a daily driver (it is - I do).

Good luck,
John

[nostatic]

I think there are a lot of variables. If you are a strong DIY guy, buying a car with "issues" for a low price can make sense. For someone like me that doesn't do very much work on the car, paying up front for a well sorted car is probably better. I looked for a long time trying to find a great car at a low price. They are out there, but be prepared for what could be a LONG wait. I finally just decided to find the great car and pay a fair market price (whatever that is...in my case high $teens for a very low miles '79 coupe). I've already sunk a fair amount of $$$ into it, but for maintenance and mods rather than big ticket mechanicals...I'm hoping to avoid those