Needing Assistance with a 1972 911E Purchase

[mmoe]

Hello,

I am looking at purchasing a 1972 911E with "non matching numbers". The engine is a 73 911T. The vehicle has some rust below the headlight lens and is in need of a paint job. The car has been painted in the past and it appears it was only painted on the passenger side which could possibly mean it was hit at some point? Please help on evaluating what the purchase price would be with the minimal information provided.

[lsf911]

What condition is the engine in? Does it run? Rust/rot on the underside?

From the pictures, the car looks decent. So, if not very rusty and engine runs, I'm...thinking 30ish?? But I am no expert.

[thamlin000]

The really important areas to search for rust are under the car in structural areas. How much rust is there on the front pan where the suspension attaches to the body in front of the wheels, at the floor pans, rear seat buckets and rear torsion bar unibody? If these areas have rust, they will likely need immediate repair.

Judging by the landscape and walls, this car is in a western state. Hopefully that will translate to less rust.

Assuming no rust under it, runs and drives well enough to pass safety and register and all it needs is paint and minor stuff.....I'd say upper $30s.
If non-running and rust under it....I'd say $20ish.

[gearby]

Looks like the Southwest. Those red stone walls are not built in the northwest.
The shifter has also been swapped out for a later shifter and the gauges look like they were swapped out for the 73 gauges. Definitely a T tach.
The value really comes down to the rust situation. A rust free chassis for a 72E with the other parts on there is probably worth 40. Heavy rust though could bring the value of that car down to 20.

[G450X]

IMO a '72 is a somewhat special LWB due to the passenger side oil tank - I don't see it on this one, double check that it is a '72.

The interior looks pretty good in the photos (for the age), and the body looks decent as well. Rust is the great unknown of course, and that could be expensive.

IMO an incorrect engine takes it out of the "big money" LWB realm.

I would have it checked by someone knowledgeable about vintage 911 rust areas and check for all the hard to find LWB bits to make sure they are intact inside (gauges, trim, etc.) and out (hood badge exterior trim, mirrors, etc.). Add up the rust repair costs, new paint, mechanical refurbishment, trim restoration or replacement, etc., and search recent sales of non-matching same year 911E's for guidance.

Other than saying "I would buy it for $20k based just on this picture" it's hard to look at a few rough photos and come up with a fair price...

[frank edwards]

hi make sure your vin# is for the car that you are buying,there are a mass of phonies out there right now,i think the vin# for a 72E is 10 numbers long.digits 456,in the serial# should be 220.and last four digits under 1124.imho.doesnt look like a 72E.lot of work to cut oil door and reroute oil lines.these early cars are very desireble .so even if it isnt an E,just try pin down year of production,also if price leaves you room to move,floor rust not good.try lifting car with tool jack,see if it has tool kit,nice plus.good luck hope you had a merry christmas,and happy new year.

[gearby]

I didn't even see the fact the car was missing its oil flap. You could check the seat belt receivers. If they're smooth plastic they're from a 72 if they're a pebbled finish their from a 73. If they're a pebbled finish then it's most likely you're looking at a 1973 T Coupe. Double check that VIN. If it were a 72E the vin will start with 911220××××. If it's a 73T then it will start with 911310××××. A car with altered vins is trouble. Protect yourself.

[G450X]

I keep catching little bits that point to it being a '73, I just noticed the black horn grilles - I will throw out that it's probably a '73 T based on the tach redline, lack of an oil tank on the passenger side, and the black horn grilles...

Just confirm the VIN and double check for any discrepancies in the sheet metal or title work.

If it's a T, it's still a desirable LWB car, but subtract a fair amount for a T vs an E...

[mmoe]

Thank you very much.

[mmoe]

Thank you very much, your input is appreciated very much.

[mmoe]

Good catch, it is a 73T. I was mistaken. I sincerely appreciate your help and comments.

[mmoe]

Thank you for your response, The I will certainly keep your comments in mind and have helped tremendously in making an offer on the car. Happy New Years to you as well.

[BK911]

If it's a T, it's still a desirable LWB car, but subtract a fair amount for a T vs an E...

Except if its a numbers matching T vrs a non numbers matching E.

[G450X]

Originally Posted by BK911

Except if its a numbers matching T vrs a non numbers matching E.

Agreed - I had to re-read the initial description, and (being described as a '73 T engine) it may have the original engine which would be very nice. The 2.4 T's were the best of the T's, they received many upgrades that had previously been reserved for the E and S versions (FI, CW crank, etc).

It could be a nice find if the rust is minimal and the body is as straight on the left side as it appears to be on the right side.

[wayner]

If it's a T and it is injected MFI it's a T/E

[SalParadise]

This was almost my dream car - a '73 T in silver. It's amazing where the values all went. I got into midyears before the rise and realized they drove much better than one of these old 911 Ts - they really do. Wish I could buy one still, but I'd still want a '73.5 CIS. Either way, the OP should buy this and start tending to all the rust spots before they worsen and then sell the tail.

[techweenie]

Everything hinges on the extent of rust. The rust showing under the headlight ring is not encouraging.

I've written a whole lot about valuation and assessing rust on our cars here:

Blog

Do a page search on rust. do a page search on value...

[NYNick]

Educate me on why the 73.5T is more desirable than a 72T please. Ignorance is my excuse.

[G450X]

Originally Posted by NYNick

Educate me on why the 73.5T is more desirable than a 72T please. Ignorance is my excuse.

IMO a '72 is slightly more desirable than a '73 due to the oil tank position and smaller bumpers. If I recall correctly, the later '73's had a big black rubber like over rider on the bumpers (removable I suppose) and CIS.

I think some people prefer the throttle response of MFI, but it is a bit more complicated (and expensive) to rebuild (compared to CIS) with some parts NLA. The MFI injection is a mechanical unit like many old diesel injection pumps (and AR Spica), and it must be rebuilt with great care & precision for good results.

I think the skill set to rebuild those units is dwindling today, but I guess the same could be said of CIS units. I think the CIS will probably give less trouble over more miles than a comparable MFI unit which will probably need a rebuild based more on lower mileage than a comparable CIS system. Some SC's with CIS seem to run many hundreds of thousands of miles without a major CIS rebuild.

Somebody more versed in MFI vs CIS please chime in and correct me if I'm wrong here, I am just recalling some past discussions on the forums.

[wayner]

But MFI is pure automotive sex!