79 911 SC? Do or Don't?

[Snafu]

I have the opportunity to purchase a 79 SC. Was wondering what I should look for or be prepared for should I decide to own it.

???

[Cal44]

First, go and buy Peter Zimmermans book, The Used 911 Story. Read it first before you do anything.
I don't know what the book costs, doesn't matter. Do what he writes or you'll be sorry.

[Snafu]

I'll look in to it today! Thanks!

[LWJ]

SC's are IMHO the best value going for a 911. Naturally, I own one!

Pricing in this economy is about

$7500 for a dog. Or at least a car with a few "stories" that keep it from being right.
$10,000 for a nice, clean driver.
$16,000 for a really really nice car.

Understand that this is my off the cuff pricing. There are exceptions.

What to look for?

1) Give it a good drive and inspection.

The most expensive things are engine, rust, transmission. So pay attention when you are checking it out. I passed on a lovely SC that pinged on me when the seller told me he was running 100 octain race gas. I didn't know how to properly isolate this as a variable so I passed. Also, most of these cars shift like crap as the previous owners don't maintain the bushings very well.

2) Take it to a Porsche experienced mechanic for a good pre-purchase inspection. They will still miss a bunch of stuff, but it should give you a nice general feel for the shape of the car. You will need to do a compression test at a minimum, not all PPI's have this. Leak down test is better.

If you are new to Porsches, drive a bunch before you buy as well as read up here. You will make a much better decision. I may be the extreme, but I took two years before I bought my car. At first, I didn't want an SC. Then I came to realize that the SC is really a perfect car for me. Then I had to find the right car. It took a long time. In the end, I have a GREAT car. It was cheap. I do need to perform some neglected maintenance items but these are mostly insignificant. End result, I am happy. I got exactly what I wanted with no surprises. It is a stylish daily driver that gets comments where ever I go.

Have fun. Looking is half the fun!
Larry

[Snafu]

I stopped by Barnes and Noble only to find the book was out of print so I ordered it from Amazon.

Thanks for the input.

Larry.. any pics of it?

[bxtech]

The Used 911 Story, by Peter Zimmermann

[Sunroof]

Hey Snafu..

I had a 1979SC which was my favorite of the three 911's owned thus far. I do not know what your experience is with Porsches, but if this is your first please be advised that 911's need maintenance and that could be costly. With any older 911it pays to spend more for a well maintained vehicle then buy a rag and think it will be cheap and easy to get it back to excellent condition. In other words, DO NOT LET EMOTIONS RULE THE PURCHASE! The SC series (1978-1983) came with one of Porsches best engines, the 3.0. The first question to ask the owner is, "does it have oil-fed tensioners" and a "pop-off valve"? These were essential add-ons and critical for better engine and injection survival. The 3.0 engines suffer from valve guide wear, but many have been reported to go over 250K and still kicking...........they were often referred to as "bullet proof".

The 1979 is an excellent year for the SC's and a wonderful handling car. My suggestion is to DO YOUR HOMEWORK and research the series, view Craigslist, Auto trader, Rennslist, Porsche Club of America and Pelican for used SCs in your area.

A Pre-purchase inspection is a REQUIREMENT and no brainer! So if you decide to go with the SC, have it looked at by a reputable Porsche shop to see what is needed and a check of the systems...............

Good luck

Bob
73.5T

[LWJ]

What? Someone wants to see my car? Of course I will post. It is Casablanca Beige which puts some people off (my wife for instance) but this is what $10.5K will buy you. It runs great. Looks great. Excellent interior. Not perfect mechanically, but very close and I daily drive it.

[D85James]

The following 911SC site also has gobs of info on the sc models.
Simon's Porsche 911 SC Site

I too just recently purchased my first Porsche which is a 1983 911SC, but I researched and looked every day for hours and about 11 months later I found the perfect one. So my advice is to be PATIENT and not jump into a lemon that will cost you more in the long run. As many have said a PPI is a must and possibly take it to two or more different Porsche reputable shops to get different opinions and insight.

The search is a lot of the fun part so enjoy it! Good luck.

James

[scotyp]

My two cents: I bought my first Porsche 2 weeks ago, a 1982 light blue metallic SC. Has 60k miles,has all the major work already done and was purchased for 12.5 K
I LOVE this car! I looked at countless on the web, saw and drove a dozen or so and read books for months(get Peters).
The more work you put into it, the happier you will be! Of course the PPI is a must. I had two done on cars that I rejected but that 500 bucks was well worth it.
Have fun in your search for the perfect gem!
Cheers,

Scot

[Snafu]

Larry, I like that color! My borther-in-law has a Targa in that same color.

All advice being sotred guys I really appreciate the help.

I'll get a pic of the one I'm thinking about.

Scotyp...post a pic!

[Cal44]

LWJ, that is a nice, rich color. Nice break from red, black, silver.

[scotyp]

Here you go Snafu.....


Scot

[LWJ]

Hey thanks for the love!

I specifically would not buy a red or black car. No tails either. I work in sales so I needed to manage the image I project.

My personal preference would have been a metallic grey/brown, white, rosewood metallic, or grey. Interior I am crazy about lobster (very over the top red) and love the plaids!

Regardless, I got what I got and am happy with it.

Thanks,
Larry

[Snafu]

The Blue looks good too! I have to admit that I like them all Personal preference is without the tail. I have something in mind but the object is to find it

[Head416]

I was looking for a $10-12k SC... I ended up buying a 17k SC. Many will say that was too much for an SC.

I chose to pay for a car with a recent rebuild rather than spend 12k and have to pay for my own rebuild if I broke some headstuds. Also, this was going to be my only car at the time I a needed dependability. The test drive was great, and that sealed the deal.

I love my SC. My brother has a 3.6 in his SC, but still grins every time he drives mine!

[Head416]

Oh, and I think the Casablanca Beige rocks!

[car-reras]

Here is a pic or two of my Casablanca Beige 1979.
Since the interior is the very period Chocolate brown, I had some custom side decals made up in the same color.
The SC cars are really were it's at, but like all good things, getting harder to find good examples of. One thing to consider that I don't think has been mentioned is resale. Anything under 81 has extra value to Euro buyers as they have the 30 years old exemption from import tax. You may not sell it soon or ever, but if you did or needed to, even if it didn't sell to an overseas buyer, you can bet they drove up the bidding....how much remains to be seen, but I have noticed buyers / sellers like myself have started hording them up!

[Snafu]

Are those BBS?

[car-reras]

Epsilon.