Advice on car and PPI in Ft Myers, FL

[lufetarg]

On the hunt for a '87-'89 Targa. I am interested in purchasing the ‘87 listed in the EBAY ad below. The owner/collector has been forthright and open with the cars history and records. As part of my pre purchase due diligence, I want to have a PPI performed. The car is located in Ft Myers, FL. I pulled a shop named TILL'S IMPORT CAR CLINIC from this forum. I wanted to know if anyone can "vouch" for this shop or can recommend an alternative shop in the area. I want to be respectful of the current owners’ time and energy staying within a 20 mile radius of Ft Meyers.

Lastly, if anyone by chance has background on this car, it would be welcomed. I sold my previous Targa when my kids were born six years ago and have been saving up for this purchase ever since. I intend on keeping the next one…well, until the DMV tells me I am unfit to drive.

I am indebted to the experience and knowledge possessed by the members of this form. Thank you in advance.

LINK TO EABY LISTING: Porsche : 911 Targa in Porsche | eBay Motors

[kramer747]

I would stay away from Targas regardless of condition. Cheers from Vegas!

[cajun]

^^^Not helpful...

Lufetarg, hold tight. I'm sure some locals will chime in soon. Looks to be a very nice car. It also helps that the seller is being open. When I bought my 930 back in '05, I had the seller email receipts and detailed photos to me prior to PPI. I had a local wrench who had worked on several of my Pcars (and I really trust) take a look at what was sent over and offer guidance. This helped ease my conscience when I sent the car to a PPI at a shop I had no experience with.

For their BIN price, that car better damn well be perfect.

Keep us posted. I hope this is the one you have been waiting for.

[plumb4u2]

Originally Posted by kramer747

I would stay away from Targas regardless of condition. Cheers from Vegas!

Very ignorant person here....he wasn't asking your opinion on targas vs coupes



To OP, I do agree that that is a beautiful car from pics but agree that price is way above market value right now
Hell I'm seeing nice 930s for not much more then that

Good luck with your search and let us know

[Chuck.H]

Car looks great, I think it's worth going forward with the PPI - if you do buy it, make sure to fly down and drive back, Florida this time of year is perfect targa weather (which begs the question, what is perfect coupe weather - cloudy and rainy?).

Re: market value, I wouldn't get to hung up on that - focus on finding the car you really want, not on getting a 'bargain'.


Chuck.H
'89 TurboLookTarga, 346k miles

[wgwollet]

Looks very nice....OK, the dealer has on consignment.....get the owners number talk to him and get comfortable with the car...make the deal with the owner, the dealer is just advertising the car and getting a cut...so the owner could come down...

But you must see the car and owner or pay for a good PPI it would be worth the money...but very nice car.. Good 930's are easily $40,000....and not unusual for these cars to get 23-30k...the cheap good Porsches are slowly gone...some members on here expect a good deal and it's very hard to get today...remember these cars were made to be driven with many now having over 150-300k miles...

[Sox Fan]

Looks to be a very nice car.

I would take some of the pricing advice on these forums with a grain of salt. I just finished a long search and bought a low mileage G50 coupe. Much of the feedback I received on the price of these cars did not match up with what i actually found in the marketplace.

My guess is the market has gone up substantially over the past few years and maybe some enthusiasts are basing their advice on purchases they made in the past or, on the very, very best deal you can get. Based on looking at a ton of G50 cars in the past few months, I would say that car is worth 25k for sure, maybe more to you if that's the color you want and you find yourself dealing with decent people.

I have purchased quite a few cars and motorbikes over the past ten years or so and have always been willing to pay a little more to get the exact vehicle I wanted from a good seller. This has always worked out well for me. A couple of years after buying, I have never regretted paying a bit of a premium for a really good vehicle.

Good luck!

[Nathans_Dad]

Nice car, price is probably at least $7k high though. You can get decent Targas for $16-18k pretty easily here in Texas. Unless that car has had a lot of upgrades and such I'd keep looking at that price. YMMV.

[Bob Kontak]

Till's Import Car Clinic - Fort Myers Florida

Looks like a really good team.

I like what Chuck.H says about market value.

However, the car has been repainted. And, to me, there is also a little something not right with the color/paint. Can't describe it. Have owner talk about the paint to you. I love the color. Appears to change and there is a hint of green in it.

Have Till's check it out. Pics were taken in the late of day and light does strange things.

I will argue that you should rather spend $30-32k on a cosmetic cream-puff/ultra time-capsule if you are fussy and don't care for spending 16 hours of a weekend underneath the car. If you can look at that carpet/interior and think "I know I won't get that dirty" you are fussy. :-)

[Storage Man]

Bob is right paint work has been done.
I also considered this car in my search for 87-89 but I was looking for an all original car. From what I could tell when researching this car it spent most of its life in Ca. changed hands twice then it made it to Florida where it may have been reconditioned.

The repaint was a deal breaker for me but it looks great on the web. If I got to the PPI I was going to use F1 which I found through PCA. F1 Imports & Exotics Contact info: 239-430-2206 - 568 Industrial Blvd, Naples, FL 34104.

I recently found a car on Craig's list that I am going to see in Florida this week. It turns out I actually found the previous owner here at Pelican who confirmed some of its history and filled in the blanks for me on a head studd issue the current owner told me about.

[Storage Man]

Originally Posted by chuck.h

car looks great, i think it's worth going forward with the ppi - if you do buy it, make sure to fly down and drive back, florida this time of year is perfect targa weather (which begs the question, what is perfect coupe weather - cloudy and rainy?).

Re: Market value, i wouldn't get to hung up on that - focus on finding the car you really want, not on getting a 'bargain'.


chuck.h
'89 turbolooktarga, 346k miles

indeed

[Jmorski]

A friend of mine considering buying this car, and we did a conference call with the guy selling it. As we were about to do a PPI, we started researching the car and the guy selling it. The guy is Phillip Haupt, also goes by Phillip Todd. After a background check on this guy, and posts on here and Rennlist from Porsche enthusiasts who have dealt with him, we passed.

[hcoles]

Originally Posted by Jmorski

A friend of mine considering buying this car, and we did a conference call with the guy selling it. As we were about to do a PPI, we started researching the car and the guy selling it. The guy is Phillip Haupt, also goes by Phillip Todd. After a background check on this guy, and posts on here and Rennlist from Porsche enthusiasts who have dealt with him, we passed on dealing with him in any way.

Not surprising, the sellers branding implies more likely to be finding and flipping compared to a private seller with very few transactions. Run Forest.

[kkinzli]

Till's Import Car Clinic - Fort Myers Florida is a reputable shop as far as I know. I know nothing about the seller or the car. Good luck!

[da Vinci Dan]

Would love it if this car is worth that much...

That would mean my coupe is worth mad money.

[Chuck.H]

Did you guys determine the repaint just from the photos? If so, wow. When I got my car in 1993, I spent 2 hours going over the paint looking for any evidence of repair (found none) but that was in person, not from photos.

I agree, if you want perfect, stay away from repaints. But in the end, how rare are these cars getting to be in perfect condition and no resprays?

I'm also amazed about the amount of records kept - I wonder what all that work was for?

Chuck.H
'89 TurboLookTarga, 346k miles

[BSNMOE]

I live in Naples, a few miles away from this "Detail/paint Shop". About a month ago this shop listed a 87 Carrera in Marine blue. Sounded great with 44,000 miles so I took a look at it. They were asking $28000 quite high ,but, 44000 attracted me. As soon as I arrived I noticed tape lines around the window trim, dooor jams etc. Also, most apparent was the paint was in my opinion a cheaper brand. When I restored my 73 911 I found Glasurit was the only brand that would match the orig color and also quality. Ten yrs ago I had a 86 Turbo in Guards Red and same was true when I had to repaint a mirror.
The paint on this low miles Carrera was the only reason why I did not even negotiate price. It just did not look right. now I even recall the finish was about one shade lighter and lacked the metallic of the door jams, engine bay etc.
My advise has always been stay away from EVIL BAY and buy from a Porsche guy.
I'm pretty busy this week, but, if the car is still available, I can take at look at it next week.

[lufetarg]

...on this thread and through off-line messages. Due to the warning flares fired in my direction by fellow Pelicans regarding this car and seller, my quest for a well-maintained Targa continues. If you know of a private owner selling their 87-89 Targa (preferrably Venetian Blue or Grey) shoot me a PM or email at lufetargbas at yahoo dot com.

Thanks again!

[da Vinci Dan]

Originally Posted by lufetarg

...on this thread and through off-line messages. Due to the warning flares fired in my direction by fellow Pelicans regarding this car and seller, my quest for a well-maintained Targa continues. If you know of a private owner selling their 87-89 Targa (preferrably Venetian Blue or Grey) shoot me a PM or email at lufetargbas at yahoo dot com.

Thanks again!

Where are you located? That may help us point you to the right person in your area.

[lufetarg]

My apologies, I just noticed that my Location was not listed in my profile. I am located in Northern California, Walnut Creek to be exact. I moved from Denver, CO 6 years ago which is when I sold my previous ‘87 Targa. BIG MISTAKE! Let me know if you know any that need a good home. Thank you.