72 T Targa w/MFI value exercise-Rough
 

I recently made an impulse purchase of a non running 72T Targa, and did so without a clear objective. My thought process was to get it home, take inventory and decide what to do next. Get it running and drive it for a while before restoring to original? Do the outlaw thing and club DE's, sell as is, part it out....all depending on its overall condition.

To start with, I'm a 30 yr PCA member and this car is my 14th 911 in that period ranging from a 69S to a 2002 996. This is my 7th long hood and easily the ugliest I've ever had. Most of my cars have been clean original 1 owner cars from So Cal with no rust and good pedigree. Consequently, I'm really on the fence as far as where to go with this one. My current rides for the last several yrs are an 80 Weissach with 80K miles...PMO's, SSI's otherwise original. 84 Carrera with 30K miles. Completely original. Yes, I've been spoiled over the yrs having always found and driven really nice original cars!

Having reluctantly sold my last long hood, a 38K mile completely original Sepia 71 T back in 06 during a short period of poor judgement, I've since wanted another but the prices have kept me away. Perhaps my favorite driver was another original Sepia 72 T I had in the 90s. It was perfectly tuned and balanced and did everything right.

So along comes this 72T Targa with its original MFI and advertised as "cosmetically challenged but runs good". At 1st glance I thought this is way to big of a project, but then I saw the paint code...415-9-2 "Sepia" aka "No Sale Sepia" as it was known in the 70's. Thats when I made the decision to buy. I know, I've got issues!

The seller had purchased the car in 06 from a dealer and he drove it very sparingly over the next 8 yrs before parking it outside in Oct of 2014 shortly after his cancer diagnosis. It was "running good" when he parked it and he assumed it would be running when he sold it.

The bad: Body- Several resprays in various shades of red. Some bubbles on several panels, some rusty spots, a misaligned drivers door, various dings and dents. No obvious holes in the floor or front pan and tank support area from which I have removed all carpet. I haven't thoroughly inspected the underneath yet so can't be sure. At 1st glance it looks ok. Has a RS Ducktail, otherwise original body. Interior is terrible. Carpet is being ripped out as we speak. Seats are structurally good but need recovered. Headliner hanging down. Plastic dash cover over the original dash pad...not sure of its shape. Door panels recovered but very ugly. Although the title is clean and the car shows 77k miles, including an odometer disclosure statement from the last sale in 06 verifying it as the actual mileage, the condition of the car does creates doubt. I guess its possible.

The good: Numbers matching 72 911T Targa with 2.4 MFI. Chassis # 911211183. Engine type 911/51 #6122764. Brakes, clutch gearbox all seem to function. 3 good Fuchs alloys. Nice steering wheel...looks like a Momo Prototipo but thicker. Its a 72 911 with the oil fill on the RH R fender and its original MFI!!!


In with a new battery and several attempts have yet yielded a start. You can tell it wants to start as it turns freely and sputters but it just doesn't quite catch. Its got spark and fuel so perhaps its bad gas and sediment...not sure. Slight turpentine-ish smell every time I turn it over. I've changed the oil and plugs and I'm starting to whittle away at the basics...filters, lines, tank, compression etc...It appears as though everything is original and hooked up...Cold start enrichment etc...so I'm cautiously optimistic that it will run.

I should mention that although I have some mechanical abilities, I've never completely restored a car from nose to tail myself so this would be a big step for me. And I'm keenly aware of the cost to properly restore to original....easily more than the cars eventual value....especially since its a Targa.

Any thoughts on its current value and recommendations as far as a go forward plan would be greatly appreciated. Pics to follow.

Let the fun begin!

72T Targa-VIN
 

Correction-VIN is 9112111183

When I see bondo filling the seam between the cowl and fender, I want to run screaming. The left door gap appears to be near zero at the rear.

I suspect prior chassis damage. You are looking at a big number for professional restoration.

Color change back to Sepia is an iffy investment, as you imply.

IMO this is a car for the guy who sees his time as recreation and has done a few restorations before. Someone like that should be willing to pay $25-30K depending on how it looks on a lift.

Thanks for the feedback Techweenie.

C'mon guys, need some more feedback.

Ok, my feedback is that it is a 72 Targa, a very cool period piece. Forget the Coupe preference thing as this is not relevant to 'fun' cars, which this now definitely is. Open air trumps all for a fun car.
Worth saving but do it properly or not at all. How deep are your pockets??
Car should be restored and painted Sepia, as is your preference, so go for it. Pics please.

Ever read one of those threads on the Tech Forum where they strip the car of every nut and bolt, media blast it and put it all back together to look like new? That.

Now, anything is possible. How much time and money do you have? This will take a long time to do, and cost a LOT of dough. Is it worth it? Probably not financially, but only you can make the decision.

If it were me, I'd get it mechanically sound and drive her, until somebody made me an offer I couldn't refuse.

Nick

I'm with Nick. This car is $50-60k from being a nice car. Someone will do it, but will it be you?

Doesn't sound to me like this is your thing. You want a DE/hot rod car? Get this one on its feet with brakes and fuel system refurb. Then drive it and sell it. Take the proceeds and buy an SC. A much much better basis for a track toy.

Thanks to both Matts and Nick for the feedback. Do you guys have a feel for its current value?

As far as the DE/hot rod comment, I could certainly use my 80 Weissach or 84 Carrera for that...agreed. I was really thinking more along the lines of making it kind of a period correct hot rod with perhaps S pistons, cam, suspension, brakes, etc....I've always admired the outlaw thing since living in Ca for many yrs. Stripped interior with a nice set of vintage race seats, RS door panels, etc...

Do you care about ROI? Hot rods only pay if you go all in. Depending on the exact condition of the chassis, it's worth $20-30k right now. Do an S spec engine still on MFI? You will spend $20k on just the engine. A hot rod would be a labor of love. Check out "my boys" thread father down this forum for an idea of the hot rod market.

Doesn't look like it's all that bad. Definitely a restorable car but it just takes time and money . If you redo it at least you will know what you have when your done. There will be no hidden issues. Seems like a great car to create what you want and when it's done it will be exactly what you want. It can be restored affordably, you just need to be creative :) love the car though!

It looks like it had accident damage and was repaired on the cheap.
This is from looking at the gaps on the left side.

You should get an evaluation on the body & chassis by a professional Porsche body shop.
Then you will know what you've got, what it might take to make right, and the true value of it.

It looks very expensive to repair.

Go back and reread Techweenie's post. There is no gap by the cowl and the front fender, filled in with bondo? Yuch. Makes the whole car suspicious.
Hot rods are cool, and in theory this is a very cool car. But again, and especially since you said you had very little experience with restorations, I'd get it running and sell it, or just sell it.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

Thanks for all of the comments....much appreciated.

I'm leaning towards the "Git'r running" and go from there. The body has definitely had some "shoddy" work...no doubt. But I think its a pretty good tub to start with. Time will tell.

I've loved the long hoods since buying my 1st in Los Angeles in the 80's, and while I do love my current 80's cars, they just don't have the same feel as the early cars. That said, my only previous Targa was a very light weight 78 with no air, 964 cams, SSI's and a sport muffler and it felt very close to an early car. Light and full of spirit.

You guys still gotta realize that these cars were not expensive cars not too long ago - actually, they were inexpensive cars. And to this they invite shoddy and bottom-feeder maintenance and fix-ups. That front fender gap could be just some fender bender and the dude decided to keep the old fender and fix it as-is. It could be just a bad fender.

The dude painted it red, so obviously it was one of those 1980s moments when red was all the rage. And in the 1980s this car was neither desirable or really that rare.

It might be a great car after all - it's probably just had myriad owners who just treated it as an old Porsche.

Nostalgia is all good.

But your 80's cars live comfortably in the fast lane even to this day and age. Will the 72T do the same ?

Touché

Considering the car cost $2500, I think you are pretty far ahead.

The purpose of this thread is to gain insight from the many knowledgeable folks contributing to the Marketplace discussion as to a go forward plan on a 72T Targa considering its current condition...It's not about speculation as to what I may or may not have paid for the vehicle. I'm trying to make an objective decision and greatly value the feedback.

$2500 purchase price- I would take that gamble all day long. Chris911s- did you see this car for sale? Or just messing with us on what the original poster paid for it?

Just ignore the peanut gallery. You don't need to defend what you paid.

The car is rough enough that if it were me, I would be taking the left door and front fender off and taking a good look at chassis condition. Either you find out there's big trouble under there or maybe you get lucky and can rehang them much better than before and get a better idea of where to go from here.

Thx again for the feedback, Matt. Ya, it seems some of these guys like to sabotage the threads for their own entertainment. I guess it goes with the territory.

I hope you end up fixing it and enjoying it:) just my opinion. These cars are a lot of fun to drive.

Not trying to sabotage anything. I had come to an agreement with the seller of this car and it seems he went with a local guy. Frustrating but not entirely surprising.

I think the purchase price is relevant in a discussion like this, obviously, you have more room to work on a car that was 25k underpriced than if you have to pay full freight.

If this is an attempt to gin up interest, also an interesting data point.

Chris, do you have any specific relevant advice that might help me decide on a direction to go with this car? I'm not a dealer or flipper but rather a life long passionate Porsche guy that stumbled onto an interesting car in my backyard.There are a thousand different directions, but I'm most inclined to restore the car for my own use unless I find something along the way that would suggest its too big of a project for me.

BTW, I believe it's my prerogative, not yours, as to whether or not share the details of the purchase. You appear to have an axe to grind. This wasn't a competition.....I didn't even know you existed until you did indeed sabotage my thread. Please get over it and move on. WOW!

Prices are most relevant here. This is the marketplace discussion, not the technical or rebuilding forum.
Feel free to share.

You said it's the Sepia paint code which sealed the deal for you so I surmise you paid a bit more than $2500.

Sour grapes clearly can make some whine...

Unless the buyer knew about Chris' deal and deliberately moved in to snatch the car I just don't see where there is any fault except with the seller. Seller was clueless of market, got flooded with buyers but had already accepted an offer. He decided to get closer to real market value so broke the deal. Not the current owner's problem and not fair grounds for territorial pissings all over his thread.

How much was paid does weigh into whether it is worth restoring for the now owner. But Chris, you aren't trying to introduce value to the discussion. You are just acting like a bia..., and all it does is reflect poorly on you, not the current owner. Go get some cheese and cry in your glass at the bar.

I'm not sure I see the harm in discussing the purchase price if your going to restore the car. It's not terribly relevant if your not planning on selling.

This is the "marketplace discussion forum", it seems eminently reasonable to discuss price in such a venue. Obviously, I'm annoyed the seller chose not to honor his word, the circumstances of that breach can only be speculated.

Ok, back to the intended spirit of this thread.

I must say that I am quite surprised by the potential values discussed. While I'm an avid enthusiast and have certainly seen a rise in the price of most 911's, I had no idea that a really rough old 72T Targa might be worth this kind of money. I paid what I thought it was worth and wouldn't have paid a dollar more. I've gained a lot from the discussion. I certainly feel better about any investment I end up making in its renewal. Parting it out is off the table for sure.

So I'll insure the car for the high end discussed at $30k.

I'll continue my efforts to get it running and I'll get it on a lift and do a more comprehensive inspection of the tub and body and go from there.

Thanks to all contributors.

Dont forget to post progress pictures and keep us updated on what you find along the way;) now I'm curious as to what ends up happening to the car.

Do a build thread in 911 Tech when you dig into it. This rubbish will drop away at that point.