Things that make you go hmmmm...

[dr.porsche]

Thanks to all for the responses. I decided to respond to myself to save time. I do feel guilty for not taking the car. I think it is mainly because the '72S Targa was my dream Porsche. I knew going in that the car was not pristine, but it was offered as being in good condition. I know that Bruce Andersen rates the '72S Targa in excellent cond @~$17-$18K and good @~$12.5K. But this car is somewhere between poor and fair in my book. Like I said, it seemed to run well, but the tranny, interior mold (yuck!) and the the obvious poor re-paint, IMO, pushed down the value quite a bit. I have been second guessing myself all weekend, and that is bad. I just need to sit back, relax and try and find myself a decent car.
Thanks again....Jeff.
PS, no presumptions on the nickname, Dr.Porsche, just thought it was a neat way to honor the man who gave us such a fine automobile.

[stomachmonkey]

Your situation is what scared me about finding a car long distance.

I spent a year cruising ebay and the classifieds getting familiar with the pricing and available inventory.

I passed up some real interesting vehicles, a few that in retrospect may have been diamonds in the rough.

When I decided to bite the bullet and buy it came dowwn to 2 vehicles, the 84 in Fla and an 86 in Seattle.

My brother lives within an hour of the 84, is a shop foreman for the largest Toyota dealer in S. Fla. and goes racing on the weekend with a friend who owns a Porsche speed shop.

They looked at the car for me and told me it was a good buy for the money.

The 86 was probably in better shape but who knows for sure.

I could have had a PPI done by someone in Seattle, but it's still a gamble. I did not know about this board at the time so my odds of finding a reliable shop were severly diminished.

I don't think you should purchase a car sight unseen unless you can get someone that you know/trust to eyeball it as well.

All in all my 84 needs things but it is an 18 year old car with 100k.

The shop that I found for service tells me I got a great deal, paid $2500-3500 less than what it is worth in the NY market. They are the tech advisors for the local PCA chapter so their word is good.

Scott

[Joe Bob]

No problem on the screen name.....at least it is in lower case letters....

[speedkillz]

dr.
Don't beat your self about walking away. If in two or three days or a week you want to call the guy and look again... do it. Then make an offer based on what you have learned. I would start at 6,500.00 and tell the gentleman that with the work need to repair the car this is a fair offer. Remember no galvanised bodies before 73 .You might have a real rust problem at the windshield posts and more.If he gets mad, smile and state your case again. He will see that your not goofing and might just take your price. If the car is still there in a couple of weeks he knew the price was too high. If its not... your money ahead from the experence you gained. just my 2 cents

[nostatic]

actually I believe galvanized bodies started in '76.

[silverc4s]

d.p.,
You have NO cause to feel guilty. That wet targa is probably a money sink just waiting for some fool to fall in love. You are better off to continue looking, and wait for the right car--You will know it when you see it....

PS - Share your goal with us...exactly what kind of car are you looking for & what is your price range..

"What", could be: Weekend car, resto project, daily driver, driver/track car, weekend now - resto later. etc.

Range of cars you are interested in, i.e. Early long hood car, early S only, SC, 74-78 bumper cars, Carrera 3.2, etc... Targa only, coupe or Targa, etc...

It helps to define in your mind what you want to do with the car, so you don't fall into the trap of finding a car, then defining WHAT you will NEED to do with it... Good Luck

[Kevin Stewart]

Once you finaly find that special car you are looking for you will know, Kevin

[Jim Richards]

dr. P, when the seller said no PPI, you should've saved yourself the time and money by not going. Now I didn't ask how far you traveled to see the car, but I hope it wasn't far. If it was, you should've had the seller provide you with detailed pics, and preferably lined up some local Pelican member to eyeball it for you prior to the trip. Having said that, based on a single pic and some conversation with the seller, I took a 3 1/2 hour trip (each way) to PA to see the 73E that I eventually bought.

[47silver]

i am not an expert in any way and only commented as
i've seen some adds locally for 67/ 68 911's in supposedly great shape for 7/8 k (garage kept,mfi, all records etc.) and the last one the guy was in a must sell mode so i just assumed that the prices were low for these cars (sorry but i am not a fan of the long hood) nor that original bumper look.

gary

[dr.porsche]

Jim you are absolutely right, I should have seen the red flags. But the owner sent me about 15 pics of the car, copies of recent service and I thought all was well. At least he agreed to let me bow out if I wasn't satisfied. I traveled by air from Columbus, Oh to PA. Not bad, but what a waste of money.

[dr.porsche]

Silver, thanks for the advice. I envision the car to be a fair weather vehicle....no snow or rain. Something that I could drive to work, weather permitting, and enjoy on the weekends, I had thought all I wanted was a Targa, but coupes always have that "right" look to them. I l really like the early lwb cars, and the SC's. I am not a fan of the 74-77 cars nor the SWB cars. I like the S for more power. But if the right E or even T came along, I would take a look. the '72 S targa is my favorite due to the one year oil filler that makes it unique. However the the one year only mainshaft seal design makes it a headache! I can live with some dings and an interior that needs help as long as it is all there. Mechanically, the car must be in good shape. And now that I've been through the ringer, the owner must not be liar!

Thanks
Jeff

[silverc4s]

d.p.
I am sure that there are really nice early targas, as well as SC targas that fit your criteria. Non S's should be available for 12 to 15K or so in really nice condition, T's lowest, then E's and SC's together, depending mostly on condition, and sometimes color!!!

Keep looking, be particular, insist on a PPI, ask for help from local BBS members, and you will be a happy owner in the end...

Good hunting!

[silverc4s]

d.p.,
here's a 72 targa on ebay in FL right now. It has some issues, but it is both better and cheaper than the PA car you were looking at...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1876369863&category=10156

I have no idea if this car is a POS or a diamond in the rough, but cars are out there, keep looking...

[lukeh]

I had a seller send me pictures once. The car looked to be in good shape. I found it interesting that he had his 4 year old sitting in or standing by the car. I drove 6 hours to get the car with my dad. I found out why the kid was in the pictues. He was sitting on the hole in the drivers seat. He was standing in front of the missing hood crest. He was also standing in front of a crack in the side window... It turned out the car was vandalized a few weeks earlier. Why wouldn't the guy be nice enough to tell me the car was damaged before I drove 6 hours one way? What a jerk. I had to keep my dad from killing him. And yes, I did walk away.

[Moses]

Originally posted by lukeh
I found out why the kid was in the pictues. He was sitting on the hole in the drivers seat. He was standing in front of the missing hood crest. He was also standing in front of a crack in the side window...

If you want your kids to grow up to be first class rip-off artists, you gotta start 'em early...

[silverc4s]

It is very sad, but there ARE people like that out there, CAVEAT EMPTOR, right?

[Jay Auskin]

I traveled by air from Columbus, Oh to PA. Not bad, but what a waste of money.

No, not totally a waste of money. Coming home with that car for the price mentioned would have been a waste of money. You saved yourself some headaches!

I was looking for a 70-73 911 and saw some with lots of rust, little rust, and no rust. The one with no rust, excellent paint wasn't running, but I bought it anyway. I figured if I tore apart a rusted early 911--I'd have a mess on my hands. If I remove, and tear apart just the engine on a 911...well, I just need to find out what's wrong, fix it, and have fun!

[stone43]

I am going to only partially disagree with your decision.

You made an offer (verbal agreement) on a car you could not drive. A used old car from someone you did not know.

The guy would not let you do a PPI--obviously hoping that your lack of knowledge and lust for the vehicle would take over and you would buy the car without professional counsel.

I think you lucked out. This whole thing looked kind of bad from the beginning.

My worthless opinion (especially with these vehicles)--see it, touch it, feel it, smell it, count its droppings and its holes and if it still meets your criteria, THEN make an offer. It will save you a bit of grief.

[tobluforu]

Put it this way, now you a gage to judge other cars in the future. So, you made out. I looked at 6 cars before the 7th came around. I learned so much from looking at all those cars that the 7th was a no brainer. Until one of the chain ramps broke, fell between the cover and intermediate shaft and bent my valves That was a few years later though. Go wayne!

[Randy W]

dr.p., if you really want a clean, rust free, "good" condition '72S Targa, I would start by budgeting 20K and buying the best one I could find in CA, AZ, or NM. I wouldn't spend my time looking anywhere else personally. These are great cars, but unless you want to spend another 20K getting it to where you will likely want it (I'm assuming you want it to be a "keeper"), why not find one that has had lots of love (and money) lavished on it by an informed and honest person. They are out there, you just have to check the internet for a few months (LA newspapers, early911Sregistry, etc.) The found in a barn (or Pomona) early S stories are nice, but the chances of that happening to you within the next six months are less than you might imagine. Best of luck!