In despearate need of some guidance.

[mr110]

Hi All,

This is my first Porsche forum post, im normally over on the Mercedes side. Story goes as i have been working on restoring my 1967 Mercedes 200 W110 i have been longing for something smaller and more agile. that search quickly lead me to Porsche...i mean its always the dream car. Any ways i was perusing craigslist today and i ran across a 1976 912E for sale. I know its a 4cyl, i know its less power than an earlier 912 and with a little less power. But what im looking for are opinions on things like price, possible issues, major expenses because it was a one year only car. Just general opinions on this car or maybe even a suggestion to another one for a good price.

Any help would be super appreciated.

this is the posting:

1976 Porsche 912E

[Jaems]

With the exception of the engine, the body parts are all 911 for that year or earlier. He stated that the engine now has carburetors instead of the original fuel injection. The aftermarket front seats can be a plus and look like they may be from GTS. The body is galvanized where the usual rust appears on the earlier 911/912.

The stock 912E is a heavier car than the early 912 and not as quick. However, if the engine is strong, there are things that can be done to make it quicker.

There are some early Porsche owners in the Portland area that could help you look at the car. The $9,900 is the asking price, you should be able to talk them down some.

There is a strong fanatical following on this and the 912 Registry site for these cars. They should also be able to help you before or after, if you decide to purchase this car.

[upwardr]

If I were local I would snatch that up, as long as rust isn't too bad. That's a nice looking project.

[billvogt]

357K miles on this car and he's willing to sell the engine separately? You should inspect carefully.

[WFBowen]

Adding to what billvogt stated in the previous post: Do your DD and make certain that the motor is, infact a 912E or 914 2.0 and not a TypeIV VW bus engine with carbs on it - by the sound of the ad the seller is a "VW guy" and could easily stick a VW motor in it.
Having owned two of these cars I can tell you that they're not as cheap to run as you might think with a VW-based engine. Also, I'm not sure what the smog laws are in Oregon, but if you're planning to bring that car into CA it'll never even get past the initial visual inspection of the smog check with missing factory engine (smog related) equipment.
Good luck,
Bill

[mr110]

i have been posting on the 912 registry FB book page too and some people think that from the description and the pictures this car could easily be a pos. But im really not looking for a concourse car but rather just a porsche i can drive and enjoy (even if it is under powered). Still 350,000+ is frighting to think about considering how much some of the parts are for this car..

Thanks WFBowen for pointing that out. Ill be sure to check if it has the original 912E engine with the new heads and carbs.

By "not as cheap to run as you might think" what do you mean by that? Engine is expensive to maintain? Are alot of the parts interchangeable with the 911 of the same era? i was excited to learn that is the same body (could be wrong there) and hoping that would lead to the one year only aspect being less crucial..

[WFBowen]

mr110:
By "not a cheap to run" I'm stating that IMO you can sink a lot of money into these cars for little in return. I purchased my first one in the mid 90's and bought it site-unseen because the car was almost a give-away price. A friend who also was heavily into 911/912 cars drove me the 100 miles to pick the car up. It had a clean smog certificate and had recently been serviced. On my drive home I stopped two different times to see what was wrong with the car. My friend then drove the car for a while and said that this is, in fact, what they're like.
I'm not trying to dissuade you from the car, but drive it for a while and definitely check under the car for any signs of accident damage, etc. Racing seats, shoulder belts, satin black paint, etc. can sometimes indicate a hard life. I think that price is definitely negotiable.

[Jaems]

What would you look for when you're purchasing an older 357K miles MB? The same with an older Porsche, suspension, brakes, steering, rust, transaxle, and engine. The transaxle and engine are expensive for parts and to work on. Still 357K miles is still a lot of miles.

Any part that has a "P " on it is expensive. About 5-10x that with a VW on it.

Example: A horn for a 66 Porsche was $95 in 89. The exact same horn for a VW, except for the part numbers, was $15. The same with a engine. the Type IV with the Porsche number that was messaged by Porsche. Is going to be more expensive than a regular VW Type IV.

However, there are those out there that can message the VW Type IV to out perform the Porsche one. Unless your are a purist and you claim your are not. Then that shouldn't matter to you. if the engine is a VW type IV. As long as the body and everything else run out good, then go for it.

[Jaems]

Also these folks are very knowledgeable about the 912E.

912E Help