1977 930 Price?

[CT944]

I have located a 1977 930 "Turbo Carerra". I was not for sale but I contacted the owner and they said they would be interested in selling the car.

The car has 51K miles and is all original. Red on Black. The car appears to have been stored most of it's life in a garage, but the paint is slightly dull and the interior is a bit shabby. I think it has not been washed or detailed in quite some time (a car that the owners viewed as an extra car). Truly a nice car in the hands of owners who do not appear to be enthusiasts.

They contacted me and said they would ask $34k for the car! I was dissapointed to say the least as I thought this was a $20ish car given it's shape and the fact that there does not appear to be any preventitive maintenance done to it.

What do you think it is worth, and is it better to search for at least a 1978 which apparently has the updated motor/intercooler.

Thanks!

[onlycafe]

not worth anywhere near their asking price, and yes, look for a '78 or '79.

[CT944]

thanks!

[techweenie]

From a driveability standpoint, the 3.3 has it all over the 3.0.

[scylla6]

I would not discount the original 76-77 turbos as they are the most pure of the breed and are quite sought after. That said the 78-9 are also good. The price you quoted though based on condition does seem high.

[p930t]

The easiest answer is that it is worth what you want to pay.... but the again you do not want to be screwed or one week later find a better and cheaper car, so you want some good advice.
There are so few good early 930's on the market that there is not enough data to make a good statistical price comparison ( see the post here on " are there any buying going on here" )


I have been looking for a 930 for 8 months and have monitored the market daily so i have got a fairly good idea of the price range.
I have seen early 76 cars for 18.000,- and i have seen early 76 cars for 45.000,-
I have almost bought a 78 930 for 19.000 and i have seen 78 models for 65.000- so the prices vary a lot.

Among the cars around there are many modified cars. Both body and engine wise. Also there are some weakness on some models that are expensive to do and you want them to have been done before you buy the car.

My approach was to decide on a few basic requirements and stick to them. then the selection process was much easier. ( my req. was 1978, 3.3l unmodified body, (eg. no conversions) original seats and interior, red or black exterior, black , tan or cork interior or a special order interior)

There are significant differences between the series1 and series2 930's.

The series 1 (1976 - 1977 3.0 L) have some weaknesses on the brakes and engine but being the first series it has the largest potential for value increase due to its collectability. For a series 1 i would only consider a car with unmodified and rust free body. Are you looking for a collectable car as an investment and you are not going to use it as a daily driver and you have a decent place to store and pamper it the series 1 is for you.
Be prepared to pay 22.000 to 28.000 for a decent car 26.000 to 30.000 for a very good car. You may find cars that are worth more but these are rare. Cars that are offered for less are worth checking out but be careful.

The early series2 (1978 - 1980 3.3l) are more modern with decent brakes, a very strong 3.3L, intercooler, etc. and my choice. There are alot of 1979 and 1980 models for sale but not so many 1978's (i do not know why)

If you are looking for a car that you want to use more frequently and are not looking for a museum car the series 2 are worth considering. The collectability are also here rising.

I find the prices to be all over the place. These cars are also very sought after and prices are rising fast and very fast in Europe. With the weak dollar the European buyers are a significant player in the market driving the prices up.
I find the prices Series 2 cars to be 2-4.000,- higher than the series 1.

For 30.000,- you will get a very good 78 - 80 car also you will get up to 89 cars ( i have not monitored that market closely). Any car below 22.000 will probably have issues. Professional sellers have very often crazy ideas of the value.

I would believe that 26.000,- to 30.000,- would get you a trouble free, unmodified and well maintained car.

I would think that there is no market for normal early series 2 cars above 34.000,- but i have seen cars at 35.000 45.000 and even at 60.000,- but these cars stay for sale a long time.

I found that for my specification and requirements 30.000 was a magic number. I would get a car that was very well maintained, fairly low mileage and pampered by a private enthusiast. I might get this car for 28.000 and also i might have to go above.
One advice is obvious:
Let the earlier owner(s) take the bill for expensive upgrades.

Another advice is:
Very many cars have or will have broken head studs. If the seller cannot document that the studs have been changed then take care and get the PPI to check for loss of compression.

I have just bought a untouched 78 930 Black with silly low mileage it has original head studs but that is a chance i am willing to take. I might find a cheaper and better car in a week or a month, and i lost a better car for the same money 2 months ago. So there you are.
These are rare cars, icons that in 10 years will be very valuable if they are original.

This is my 5c of advice, some will think that my gestimates are to high and some to low.

But to answer your answer on the Series 1 for 34.000. .... Nahhhh.. it is to much.

Happy hunting.

[CT944]

p930t - thank you for taking the time to reply. it is certainly helpful information. i too would like a 78+, but there do not seem to be many around for sale.

the nice part about this 77 930 i am considering is that it is local to me, therefore easy to get from a transportation perspective. that is about it.

price and lack of maintenance is an issue.

i actually spoke to the mechanic who works on the car and he said that last season he had to replace the clutch on the car because the clutch disk was frozen to the flywheel. he confirmed that the owner drives it about once a year.

the car is not running now. he said 'rodents' got at the ignition (because they actually store it in their barn) and he has been looking for some part of the ignition for 2 weeks now. he said the cheapest he can find is about $2k for the module(?). this is what the owner told me as well.

maybe I can snap some pics tonight and upload them for your opinion.

thanks.

[p930t]

Transport is a smal drop in the sea compared to the expenses you are facing selecting the wrong car.

Feel free to send me some pics and some more details and i will take a look.

p930t@online.no

[scylla6]

P930, I'd like to congratulate you on a very informative reply. Well said and right on the money I believe. I too am in CT and have been looking off and on for nice low mile driver 930. Saw one I should have bought a few years ago , but passed. Still have not found one.
Tom

[CT944]

p930t - pics sent. thanks.