PLEASE ADVISE - Considering 911SC that sat for 10 years!

[mca]

I received a very odd phone call from my father today. He found a 1978 911SC for sale very close to his house and asked me to get more infor from the seller. I had no idea that my father even wanted a 911! Guess he likes mine a lot!

Please help me process the info that I got from the seller and let me know your thoughts. I am 3 states away so I can not view in person ... but my father plans on getting ppi.

1978 911SC
85,500 miles
exterior is OK (red)
interior is OK (sounds like mix and match of colors - choco seats, camel dash, etc)
no pop-off / no updated chain tensioners
needs heater boxes (not sure what he meant but I am guessing that the heat exchangers are bad?)
new brakes
new pirellies

Here is the kicker. The current owner has had the car for 1 year and 1000+ miles. When he bought the car it had been sitting 10 years!!!

He had to replace fuel tank, lines, pump, and nearly all CIS components. He claims it runs great, strong, cool, and only drops a touch of oil ... and that he is in no particular hurry to sell.

He did not know where the oil came from nor did he seem to know much about 911s. For example, he didn't know what the pop-off valve and chain tensioner update was all about.

He is willing to let my father take the car for a ppi.

Now, suppose that the compression and leakdown check out ok, does this mean that the engine is healthy even though it sat for 10 years? Is it possible that the engine could have healthy numbers but is really a ticking time bomb waiting to detonate (ie. crusty seals that are holding now but could fail at any moment)?

The asking price is $6k.

Any advice for me?

[Danny_Ocean]

Take it for a PPI. $6k is OK if all checks out.

[snbush67]

Seems to be low mileage even for sitting for ten years. PPI should be your determining factor if all the numbers match up.

Ticking time-bomb? Aren't they all (even the rebuilds)? Just have to keep an ear and eye out hopefully your time bomb will just keep ticking and not detonate. I think most seals will blow oil or air before they totally give way and end up in catastrophic failure.

Sounds like a good deal as most of the work has been done. Your PPI should ID whats left for you to live with. Sounds like he has all ready done the heavy lifting by replacing the fuel and air system.

Air-boxes could be the heat exchangers or the cable driven pieces that redirect the hot air flow into the Passenger compartiment.

[WPOZZZ]

$6k? You can part it out for more than that.

[Langers]

Originally Posted by Danny_Ocean

Take it for a PPI. $6k is OK if all checks out.

Holy F!!! When did 911s get so cheap?! You'd be loolking at 6 - 7 times that in Australia for a similar car!

[beamonk]

Be sure to check the head studs

[Aurel]

Put a set of SSI heat exchangers on it, and the problem is fixed plus you get a few extra ponnies!

Aurel

[petrolblue83911]

Have PPI, -even though it's galvi car, -CHECK FLOORS, SUPPENSION POINTS etc.. for Rust from sitting-did it sit outside or in?, if he's really driven it for 1000 miles after doing all that work, then the car may be fine, but just make sure that the body is all there as well as the mechanics because there must be some reason why he is selling, and selling for cheap.

On the other side, a running SC definitly contains more than 6k worth of parts, so if you/your dad is willing to take the risk of parting it as a worst case, you don't have much to loose!

[JeremyD]

6K is a no brainer - but have a PPI to make sure you know what you are getting.

Anyway for you to go see a car (or another member of this fine forum) having an experienced set of eyes on car can be worth thousands.

[mca]

I know 6k is low. BUT if the cosmetics are 5/10, the tranny is OK and the engine needs to be rebuilt ... I think $4500 would be more in order.

I believe that the car sat inside for the 10 years - but it could also have been a carport or something. A visual inspection will likely provide evidence of one way or the other. Hopefully there won't be rust.

Father is looking at it today. Thanks for the input from all of you - I post more later today.

[trader220]

6k sounds like a very good price. A PPI will tell you exactly what you're getting into but as someone already mentioned its close to a wash parting it out. Better yet if it PPI's reasonable you could clean and flip it!

[LakeCleElum]

I sounds like the current owner paid the price for the car sitting. It's very hard on the fuel system and brakes (been down this road a few times with 911's)......If it's been all sorted out and the PPI checks out, it's a great deal....

[aigel]

Why would the guy sell only a year after buying?

6k may be a good price, but if it needs 10k worth of work, your dad would be better off buying a cherry all done SC. A decent paint job and restoring the interior alone will cost 10k. That does not include chain tensioners.

George

[si Banker]

For what it is worth,In 1978 I bought a 1974 with CIS that had been sitting for 4 years in a heated garage. In the first 6 months the fuel injection system almost broke me, warm uo reg, fuel distrub, and so on. My guess is that the current owner has experienced the same thing.

The other issue is that seals started leaking as I put miles on the car. It was a good car if you worked for an oil company. I left a oil spill everywhere I parked it.

I looked at a 1978 SC, ROW, which belonged to a newly divorced woman and it was a pile of junk and she wanted 11k. It belonged to her x. He got off easy.

[Superman]

Originally Posted by WPOZZZ

$6k? You can part it out for more than that.

You can part out any car for more than it's worth. Sad, but true.

[mca]

Originally Posted by si Banker

The other issue is that seals started leaking as I put miles on the car. It was a good car if you worked for an oil company. I left a oil spill everywhere I parked it.

This is my fear.

When you say "put miles on the car", how many are we tallking?

[si Banker]

With in 2500 miles I had to replace the tubes cause the oil was coming out as alomst as fast as I put it in. All the seals had dried out. It was not near as bad as the FI system. I remember spending $1200 in 1978 $ for CIS parts. Chances are that he has already had the pleasure of that.

In a ppi any oil leaks should be dscovered. Be sure he has not power washed the botton of the car to make things look better.

Replaciing the oil tubes things improved a bunch. I felt I could park in my friends drive way

[mca]

Apparently there was lots of surface rust and water damage (headliner, interior, etc). Seems as though the car sat outside for 10 years on the Chesapeake Bay.

Seemed to run well but was leaking oil - dad was quite alarmed by it. So, looks like he is going to pass.

When he returned the car, a guy from Richmond, VA was there to look at it as well. He showed up in a gorgeous 1988 Guards Red.

Again, thanks for the help. Much appreciated!

[aigel]

Yup, guy got tired of it and the $$$ to have it fixed scared him.

There are very nice SCs out there for 15k.

George