unmolested '82 Targa

psu7979 · 01-26-2010, 05:38 PM

There's an '82 Targa I have my eye on with under 50K miles. It was stored for 10 years and recently came out of hibernation. It's been gone over by a Porsche shop but it doesn't have any updates. Needs tensioners, A/C, head studs, may even have the original clutch. What's a fair price? I figure the tensioner upgrade at a minimum and I'd want A/C. The clutch and syncros seem OK. No broken head studs yet but can I wait to change them?

Asking price is $14.5K

gshiwota · 01-26-2010, 08:20 PM

Beware of the low mileage unmolested 911. They are great but be prepared to invest in bringing the car to date in terms of mechanics and deferred maintenance items.

I purchased my '82 911SC 3 years ago with only 46K original miles. The cosmetics were excellent however I had to replace all of the items you mentioned above and more. Don't forget about suspension, brakes, steering and electrical components. In addition, there are window / windsheild / targa seals that if neglected over the past 10 years may be dried out.

If I had to do it again, I would have purchased a car more miles and regular use over the past several years. I would have been able to spend more time enjoying the car compared to fixing / sorting issues.

Feel free to PM me directly if you have any questions.

Good Luck!

Gabe

LWJ · 01-26-2010, 08:35 PM

What Gabe said. There is a lot of decay that goes unaddressed when the car sits.

psu7979 · 01-28-2010, 12:20 PM

I drove it yesterday and it is in very good shape. Needs chain tensioners and completely new A/C. No broken head studs. The body isn't in great shape. The doors are a little out of alignment. The top and seals need attention. There's a little rust at the base of the targa bar and in the passenger door on the bottom. If I could get it for 10-11K it might be a good. We'll see.

gshiwota · 01-28-2010, 01:15 PM

If the car needs cosmetics then I don't see any value into the low miles - in fact, the low miles are a negative IMHO since it doesn't sound like the car has received any mechanical updates.

I'd pass on this one unless you're ok with putting significant money into mechanics and cosmetics. In my case, I spent $10K easily into mechanics in my first year. I was fortunate enough however to have a cosmetically original and nice car to start with.

I just don't see how it'd pencil out in the long run especially since you can buy higher mileage but well sorted cars in the $10-13K price range.

kevjandon · 01-28-2010, 03:53 PM

Agree and disagree with posts above.

If the body is not great than the value of the low miles is not worth it.

I wouldn't shy away from a low milage car. You will have to sort some things out when you bring it back to life, but that allows you to get to know the car and sort things your way.