Also, thoughts on this car, as another example?

1980 Porsche 911 Targa-Price Reduced

Four years ago, I took the same leap, and bought the car I had always wanted, a 1986 3.2 targa. I bought a car that needed some TLC. Even with a PPI, one needs to be prepared for the possibility of an expensive surprise. It might not happen, but if it does, you need to be able to keep smiling through it. When I bought my car, the PPI found $4k of repairs, which I negotiated off the price - but I spent twice that getting it where I wanted it. Since then, it has been a very reliable car, but the project list never gets shorter, there is always that next thing (as a Fiat owner, you know what I mean, all due respect to the Fiat :D) Cars this age, especially in the lower price brackets, will have needs, some more urgent than others, but as someone suggested, have a generous budget for these, and be comfortable with the notion that you may occasionally wish you had just paid up for that elusive better car in the first place...

Good luck with your search!

I say go for it on any car like the two you posted, in the range you posted. Thorough PPI is prudent. All these cars can be winners if you (a) look at them right and (b) put the right priorities into them. You might end up paying a little more than you want to for some of the repairs but most of them (besides engine/trans/susp) are optional anyway.

There are racks for targas available, both original and aftermarket. The targa bar has four threaded holes for a ski or bike rack. You can either find a rack that fits (new or old), or make a bracket. Front clips to the rain gutter on the A-pillar, a fairly standard approach as I understand it.

As others have said, the current market is so strong for these cars and only seems to be getting stronger, but I do think you'll be able to find what you want for the budget you have. In my experience I've found that the biggest factors in getting the collector car you want depend heavily on your mechanical ability and your patience. Here's what happened to me:

Three years ago I was looking to fulfill my childhood dream of finally owning a 911. I was aware of the market and realized it was now or never with prices rising. I had an unrealistically low budget, but I would have been happy with even a shell to just put in the garage and slowly chip away at restoring. I also have a degree in antique auto restoration so finding a project was high on the list. After around a year of an unhealthy amount of time on here, craigslist, the samba, etc., I ended up finding my '86 coupe for less than half of what we paid for my wife's used Prius. Certainly I was lucky and those circumstances were rare, but they were not exceptional. I definitely had to act fast as the guys phone was ringing off the hook as I handed over my good-faith money. I was lucky for sure, but it wasn't the only car I found that I could afford and I've seen cars since, even recently, that I would have considered.

It's now been a couple years and I absolutely love my car and can't imagine ever getting rid of it. That's partly for sentimental reasons because I had to take my 1.5 year-old son with me to go see it and have pictures of him walking around it (he's 4 now and loves it), but it's also because I've become familiar with the mechanicals. I feel much more confident when something breaks but was also able to address a lot before putting it on the road and haven't had to deal with too much since. I'd rather have that over a car that should be in good condition but all you've really done is inspect it and crossed your fingers. Those buys can turn out great as well, but can also be full of surprises. They're all going to need something at some point, just a question of where you want to start.

On the other side of the coin, I was so happy to finally have the car I always wanted that I convinced my dad to finally get a Porsche as well. He always loved the look of Caymans and we found a good local car for 20K. It's not an S, and I'm sure the purists would say that's the better buy, but for a first time Porsche owner, it's more car than he'll ever need. We don't track our cars but we do push them on any good local road we can find and for that either car is more than capable of producing ear-to-ear grins. It's certainly a different overall experience though. I still have yet to open the hood on our Prius and it's been almost a year. I doubt I'll ever really work on the Cayman either (it doesn't even have a dipstick!?). It's not exactly user friendly, I'm always wondering how the IMS bearing is holding up, and maintenance isn't cheap. I think with regular upkeep it should be just fine, but I shudder to think what it would cost if anything ever happened to it. So, the argument for a more modern car is strong. I definitely see early Boxsters for laughably cheap, and I know they fall into the same stereotypes as the Miata, but wow, a flat six mid-engine car for under 10k? Good value there as far as driving experience goes.

The whole point is that you have options, and I wouldn't be too dismayed by the current market. Certainly a car on BaT is going to go for huge money, it only makes sense as it's being seen by every guy in the entire world looking for a 911. The same can be said for ebay and the classified section on here. BUT, I think those values are more of an example of what a 911 is capable of getting, not what they're ALL selling for. I'm quite sure there's private sales happening all the time for much less than the auctions we're seeing. Find a car listed locally, sitting in a driveway, or not for sale at all and make an offer, and I think you'll be surprised at how far your money will go. I know that if I were driving around and some guy flashed 15k at me I'd have the think long and hard about what to do.

Last year I bought my 82 sc from florida and I live in BC Canada. I found it on a local craigslist. Use 'Search Tempest' and you can search every north american craiglist in one swoop. I did that several times a day for months and finally mine popped up and it was in good shape for low price. Luckily the sellor was a dude and agreed to respect that fact that I was first in line. I offered to split cost of inspection done at local dealer up front, all was good and shipping company picked er up. Pelican site is good but I find there are soooo many guys watching if a deal pops up it is gone in minutes. Craigslist all the way

I love this quote. It's going in my sig.

I bought mine a couple years back with a driver quality repaint and a stripped-down interior for $17k. The car has appreciated considerably but I feel like I could get a similar Targa for that money now. I used to be very anti-Targa but I'd like to add one to the stable while they're still somewhat affordable.

Posts 17 & 18 nailed it. Sure, the 996 series perhaps don't match the visual impact of an earlier car, but for the price/reliability/performance point of view, nothing comes close to them. Heck, I'm about to sell my 2002 Carrera 4S with 33K miles for $24K!

First, I've seen plenty of good looking SC's lately in the low 20s, so I don't think that is unrealistic with some searching. My only warning would be that I would feel uncomfortable with no reliable Boringmobile for the long trips or when the conditions are bad (too hot, too much traffic, too much rain, etc). While the classics are in general pretty reliable, if something goes wrong, and it will, you can't just go to your autozone and pick up a part and drop it in. Any part replacement is minimum a week considering shipping, etc. For me its one classic 911 to enjoy and one Boringmobile when I absolutely have to be somewhere.

That car in Spokane looks like a great deal.

They say you should buy the best car you can afford. Good rule of thumb. Leave some cash in hand for the "must do's" and "wanna do's".

The "wanna do's" take over your brain pretty quick once you have the title in hand and drive it for a while. It is a sickness. Consider yourself warned. One day you will be sitting around shopping for parts online after spending hours reading the forum while also briefly pondering what the going rate for a slightly used 40 year old kidney is on the medical black market and then the brilliance of the wisdom I am imparting to you will make perfect sense.

Understand that you are also on the upward side of the appreciation curve. Whatever you put into it now you will likely get out of it.

In terms of reliability, well the cars are generally very reliable but as with anything it depends on the maintenance. Take care of it and it will take care of you. I have had my car down twice in the last 4 years for several months. I work on it at my own pace as work and family time allows. If you have other transportation then maybe that's ok for you if you need/want to do that. I could've written a check and had it all done faster but who wants to be a checkbook mechanic?

Thanks, again, for the continued commentary. My replies take a while to show up since I just joined the forum and so my posts require mod approval before they appear. CL is indeed where I've been looking - it seems to me to be a better place to find good deals if you have some patience. Here is a car in Vancouver:

1980 Porsche 911 Targa-Price Reduced

That comes to $20k USD. Car was originally a California car (per the owner) and originally red. He does not seem to have the records from the PO but did offer to put me in touch with his mechanic to answer questions. Chain tensioners and pop off valve have been done.

If I end up buying a car and it is far away, I will make a nice road trip out of getting it home, especially if it is on the west coast.

As far as having a backup boring mobile, I understand. My finances, or at least my willingness to spend available cash, just don't allow me to spend this much money on a car without selling the Accord, which I could get maybe $9k for. I do, however, have my SE-R. I am pulling the engine (at 220k miles) to do rod bearings and clean it up, and doing a bunch of smaller things the car needs. When all that is done (fall), it will be available as reliable transportation. That car is probably the most reliable thing I've ever owned - I did nothin g but replace consumables (and a few mods) until the starter died at 185k miles. It was my daily driver until about 2004. I am doing more than strictly needed on it right now (e.g. Pulling the engine instead of doing rod bearings with the engine in, so I can take care of other things at the same time) so that it will be in drive-anywhere-at-any-time condition when I'm done.

Just be very aware that scams abound on CL for 911's at the moment.... several postings lately here on Pelican by a couple of buyers losing a lot of money. If you can't afford to go inspect the car in person and take delivery, you might want to rethink this. Some serious due diligence is definitely in order for a long distance purchase.

Yes, indeed - I read a couple of those threads. While I would buy a car long distance under the right circumstances, I would not do so without at least having someone lay eyes on it and give an evaluation - a friend I trust, a local forum member, a local shop, etc. or else just buy a RT plane ticket and if the car isn't worth buying I fly home.

OTOH I just saw an interesting candidate in Peoria - close enough to drive down and check out myself.

I've become very pessimistic whenever a new person asks me about buying an air cooled 911.

I think the average guy or gal is now up against some well heeled buyers who can buy a 20k car and send it off to a shop for a year instead of buying something new.

I just can't see someone buying an air cooled 911 anymore unless they have a $15k maintenance budget on top of the purchase price. Some of the buyers are coming in with $50k+ fix up budgets on an otherwise solid car that they want to make very nice.

When compared to the price of a new loaded minivan, its not that difficult to rationalize. $50k doesn't really buy that much anymore, and much of the exhorbitant prices for an air-cooled 911 are only high when compared to what they used to be worth, but not compared to what else you might buy new or a few years old (Loaded Honda civics for example).

Like I said, I am pessimistic, and deals are likely out there, but...

Someone will flame me but I think this should be said. I wouldn't fly out and drive back an old 911 over considerable distance. You first gotta get used to the car and know what sounds and smells are OK, and those other ones that are pending trouble. There's a lot of wide open spaces between you and these cars. You could very well be out a lot of coin for towing and repairs at the closest P shop. Or, you might have to put it on a truck and ship it anyway, then buy another plane ticket to get home. You can't possibly bring the tools you would need for road trip repairs. Road trips are fun, especially in a new car, but that 20k car could be a 25+k car before it ever sees your driveway. Just my 3 1/2 cents.

Wayner, I can understand your pessimism even if I don't share it. Yes, someone like me who just wants to buy and drive a car he loves is up against people with a lot of bank, but then again I don't even want to turn it into the kind of car that those people who buy 20k cars and spend 15k on them want. I just want something fun and reliable to drive, and I can take care of nonessential stuff over time.

I do, though, realize that my maintenance budget will be a lot higher than that for any of the Japanese cars I've owned. I've factored that into my "what am I willing to pay?" Calculations.

Westy, your point is well taken. There is a certain romance or the idea of driving such a car back from the PNW, for instance, but a localish car would certainly be better.

Nothing wrong with a rebuilt 2.7, especially when it's rebuilt to 255 hp :)

Given the $$, I'd shop for a 74-77 and just make sure the rebuild has been done.

Ha. Thanks. There are exceptions but it is a brotherhood for those that count.

If you are posting CL ads of decent deals, then that means you are not interested in buying seriously.

Why give the other guys a heads up? Find the one, do your own DD, and buy it. I don't think it's a smart idea increasing the competition for a car you can afford. Get on your bike and get over there!

That car looks like it's in pretty good shape. No pics of the top, so there's some hmmmmmm. Price is definitely nice. Standard questions,,,,pop off, tensioners, tie rods, valve covers, receipts, etc. Would be worth the drive.