Going to see a 1974 911 - have some questions

[Charles Lee]

got the p car bug, can't walk away?
JUST RUN

[umfan866]

Yeah ... I have the P-car bug, and I don't have $$$$-hey 5k would be a real stretch. But I want a 911, bad. Hey maybe someone will give me some rides instead? Hey this thing felt good at 90MPH it just looks like crap. Hey its a lot better than this and this guy wants 3.5k for a shell
with no engine--http://forums.pelicanparts.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=238816

If I got this one I would have no intention of fixing it up -- maybe just getting a detailer to clean up that clear coat as best he could, and drive the thing to work and back for a while. Then I could look for a nice roller to put this motor into--are the heat exchangers part of the motor or part of the car? Also...I like the fact that the 74 is pre-smog--but unfortunately you have to go to 76-76 to get a galvanized car--and I think the VIN must stay with the shell you are putting it into, not the car you are coming from, no?

So what would you pay at the absolute bottom end for this? 1,000?
1,500? 2000? 2500? Assuming you would drive it into the ground and
part it out..btw what is it worth in parts/parted out?

Ok well thanks. I know I am more sane than to get this, but going through this process will help me value the next cars I look at...

[jkarolyi]

Check out that salvage title SC and report back. While rare, decent 911s around 5K are possible if you are patient enough. Keep the dream alive.

[htbetz]

offer him $3000.00. You can always part it out if it don't work out.

[jluetjen]

I'd ONLY considier buying that car as a parts car -- for example if I had a nice shell lying around and needed some rebuildable mechanicals to put in it. Even in that case as a buyer I wouldn't consider the value of the car to be the value of the rebuild engine since it is wrapped in a lot of junk. Have you ever tried getting rid of a rusty body lately??? You have to pay to have a scrap yard take it -- especially if it is stripped. So as a bidder I'd start from a position of: "I'll help you get rid of it for $1000. If you don't take that from me you'll most likely have to pay someone to take the car or go into business stripping and selling the parts yourself on ebay. Do you really want the hassle???" If he doesn't take you up on it, walk away and let him stew in it for a while. I really don't think that it's worth much more then that. Rebuildable 2.7CIS engines are fairly common -- specially the non-S's. Putting it on ebay involves a lot of shipping hassles like palletizing the engine and arranging shipment with a lift-gate truck (ask me how I know!). Not to mention most buyers balk when they discover the cost of shipping an engine via common carrier.

If you can close a deal with this guy for ~$1000 you both will be coming out ahead. He'll have cash in his pocket and you'll have a "driver" engine and a fixable transaxle. Then you can use the balance of your cash to find a nice clean, rust-free chassis -- possibly with a dog engine in it. Bargain the seller of the chassis down in the same fashion and you've successfully completed a "bottom-fishing" deal and you'll own a driver with lots of spare parts!

PS: Don't let all of the people who are down on the idea of "bottom fishing" get you down. The reality is that the Porsche world is full of people who are able or willing to throw a lot of money at their cars. That's OK. But that doesn't mean that it's the only way to do it. I didn't spend much more then what your range is (and well less then $10,000) and I've been happily driving my 911 for years now!

[techweenie]

Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't see anything terribly troubling about this car beyond the bad paint.

Having said that, the ideal buyer would be someone with the patience to part it out or the skills to wheel and deal and R&R major components.

Sounds like that's not you. So you would need to have your best offer for that car reflect the cost of making it into the daily driver you want. A good working alternator can be had for $125-175. A decent 7:31 trans can be had for $900-1100 or so. The shop bill for changing these two components would be around $800. Add $250 for 'incidentals' (needed repairs and parts discovered in the course of R&R), and you have an idea of the immediate costs. DO NOT try to find a "cheap mechanic" for any Porsche.

The existing transmission has a pretty decent market value because of the ring and pinion and because the case has the more-desirable outer mainshaft seal.

The car appears to be Peru Red. Fixing the paint is not a job for a 'detailer.' It's a major undertaking. But you might not mind driving it looking that way while you save up for a repaint.

Whenever I see someone posting 'I don't have a lot of money, but I want a 911 bad.' I know they are going to go ahead and get a bad 911. This one qualifies -- mainly because it's at least $5K away from being decent. So if you can't afford a $10K car that will have a market value of $7500-8000, pass on this one.

Bought right, every extra dollar you spend to get a better 911 will save you $2 in total ownership cost.

[Craig 930 RS]

Check the salvage SC. Frankly a much better car to begin with.

[jluetjen]

Originally posted by techweenie
Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't see anything terribly troubling about this car beyond the bad paint.

Rust???

[AvonGil]

That's a $20,000 after you fix it. Just get a nice SC and spare yourself. Please.

[umfan866]

Ok I have come to my senses. It helped that my own 86 Bimmer broke down at the side of the road and I had to wait for AAA for 2 hours, it got me thinking about how useless old junky cars are..
I'd rather bike to work and save up for an SC than drive a piece of junk that will fall apart any second.

The guy had emailed me saying he had "reduced" his price from 5,500 to 5,000 and relisted it on Craigslist. Well he had already reduced that before I went to see the car. I sent him an email back (if I had wanted the car I would have called) explaining all the flaws including the rusted heat exchangers and exhaust and told that the car is not a good fit for me but I'd happy to pass on the info to people who do rust repair or engine swaps for a living. If anybody is interested in taking on this "project", send me email at mhecht (at sign) sonic.net or PM me here (but I check that less often). Better yet if you see deals better than this, please send me the info. Looking for a nice SC.
CASE CLOSED. thanks guys.

BTW I did go see the 81 Salvage SC for 6k and it was much, much nicer--glossy Guards Red paint, looked like a stainless steel kitchen from underneath. However right now I don't have 6k and someone else may buy it soon and so I will wait once again for the right car to come my way. Thks again.

[Porsche_monkey]

Originally posted by umfan866
Yeah ... I have the P-car bug, and I don't have $$$$...

That pretty much sums up why you should not buy this car. There are $15,000 Porsches of that vintage, and $5,000 Porsches that need $10,000 spent on the.

[bigchillcar]

um,
you should be looking for condition, not necessarily an 'sc'..even the newest sc is 23 years old. the mid-year car, properly sorted, is arguably the best bang for your buck..just don't jump on the first car that comes along no matter what model. you can find trashed-out sc's, middies, even carreras if their owners didn't take care of them. so you want a 911..buy condition..and be open to whatever you find whether it be an early, mid-year or yes..even an sc. like pbh just said..you'll find a complete spectrum of condition for this vintage of car. i paid $6500 for mine 5 years ago, but i stole it..the deals are out there..today i wouldn't take twice what i paid for it. good luck!
ryan

[umfan866]

This is a really old thread I started. I thought I'd
update it. The guy sold that car to someone shortly
after I dealt with him, and he got $5,000 for it as is.
Must have been someone NOT from this board who
saw all sorts of potential not realizing what they were
getting themselves into.

Me, I am still in the hunt for a 911, now focusing on
SCs & Carrreras in the 8-15k range, and the
occasional 74-77 if it has a complete rebuild and other upgrades.

Missed out on this 74 car today,

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/car/220619034.html

it got sold for about 8k with recent paint & rebuild, although it apparently smoked a little on startup due to sitting. Never got to see it in time. Thats OK re-reading this thread I am more convinced than ever that SC's and Carreras are the way to go.

Marv

[Loquat15]

what about

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/car/219760655.html ?

I've been looking at 911s on there for the past several months... cant WAIT for next month

[Loquat15]

opps, my apologies, i just now read that you JUST brought up a dead thread... haha oh well..

[DohertyCM]

Just my 2 cents, But i love my 74 911....It runs great and has never left me stranded. It does great at the track and I really enjoy driving it.

If you by one, make sure it doesnt have rust in the suspension pan area. This is a real pain to fix.

There are a bunch out there.... finding the right one depends on how much work you are willing to put into it.

I put alot into mine, but I havent NEEDED to spend any money on it for the last 2 years...

Good hunting...