74 911 Value

[LCIslander]

Guys I’m looking to buy my first air cooled Porsche. I’ve come across a low mileage 1974 911 in Denver. (link posted below). I’m waiting for a few pictures of the underside and a few start up and driving videos before I start looking for a shop to do a PPI.

I’m not looking for a forever car but something that I can enjoy driving and will give me a good idea of vintage Porsche ownership. I’m not new to older vehicles and enjoy the maintenance side as much as driving it. This will be my first fuel injected car so a bit a learning curve but looking forward to something new. After some time with what ever I end up with I figure it will give me an idea if I want to go older or newer.

Ideally looking for something that will hold its value (or increase) while I have it for a year or two.

What are your thoughts on this one? What would you value it at? Anything in particular I should be leery about with this one?

Appreciate the feedback
- Ian

https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/dealer/porsche/911/2048655.html

[Matt Monson]

Driver's side appears to be a respray. It's missing the doorjam sticker.

[matt930s]

Damn....I sold my similar condition 74 for $9k....and don’t get me started on the other cars I gave away...

That car looks pretty original....if matching #’s, low rust...should hold and increase in value....

MattR

[juanbenae]

looks like a nice car. smog exempt which is a big plus, if still has the thermal reactors you should look for a set of SSI or other heat exchanges. if you get an underside photo post it.

[juanbenae]

Originally Posted by matt930s

Damn....I sold my similar condition 74 for $9k....an don’t get me started on the other cars I gave away...

MattR

I took a real cream puff 78 SC that a local shop owner said it was one of the nicest he'd seen when I bought it in 2000 and proceeded to turn it into a spec racer over the next 7-8 years. I often wonder what that would have been worth today has I not cut it the fuch up... vin 8200049 meaning the 49th SC coupe produced and the motor serial number indicated the 82nd 3.oL motor produced....

[Matt Monson]

Originally Posted by juanbenae

looks like a nice car. smog exempt which is a big plus, if still has the thermal reactors you should look for a set of SSI or other heat exchanges. if you get an underside photo post it.

No TR 74. Had same HE as 69-73.

[manbridge 74]

This has been for sale for awhile I think. I’d call the previous owner who looks to be a professor at the University of Denver.

[75 911s]

Price seems high imho. Friend just sold a very nice 83 for 5k less than this. Bad pics, but car seems pretty nice. 74 is most desirable year of the midyears imho.

[Kansas]

I checked into this car over a month ago. It's a 2 owner. The owner for the last 30years has had it serviced by the same shop. It has crazy extensive service documentation which is always a plus. The dealer told me he'd do $39K for it. I'm just not big into dark green, but it got my attention. If you want more pix, I've got some outdoor stuff that they sent me a few weeks ago.

[David Borden]

If this is your first air cooled 911, I would recommend an SC or Carerra. I have a beautiful 74S and love the car, but an SC or early Carerra will most likely be more reliable, and will have a bit more robust engine. You should be able find a really nice one for the same price or less than the 74 you linked to.

David

[GothingNC]

I passed on a 77 Coupe in the same color combo with 44,000 miles, original paint and a recent rebuild due to pulled head studs back in 2006.

Thought $14K was too high at the time and picked up an SC instead.

Looks nice but $40K seems steep for me with a re-paint and a real nice SC can be found for a little bit less and less worries about rust.

[LCIslander]

Thanks for the feedback

Here is what I know as of now:

The car has had a respray @Matt Monson;

I was told the car is going up on the lift today and get some underside pictures and will post once received @juanbenae. I did get a quick video clip of an outside walk around and start up. ( https://youtu.be/0ZsBBb5aT7M );

@Kansas big thanks for the price info on the car if you could post or DM the pictures that would be great. I did put the VIN in google and looks like the car has been on E-bay a few times with the 42.5K buy it now price I thinks it’s been for sale for at least 2 months.

@David Borden thanks for the feedback. If price was not a factor I think I would jump into an early Long Hood car. When I started looking I looked at the range from 1974-1990. What brought me back to the early cars was the simplicity I like the fact that this is an analog car, no power anything. I fell into a 74’ BMW 2002 this spring, nothing special a solid driver with a bit of a built engine, bigger carb, nice exhaust. It can’t have more than 110 hp but it pulls through all the gears well, and feels like a go kart in the turns. In short a fun car to put some miles on. I drove the car about 250 miles when the day I bought it and felt a slight stumble, it got worse over the next week. I ordered a basic tune up kit (wires, plugs, points, cap and rotor) and started at the distributor to the carb getting everything dialed in. I like that I can do that myself and feel the difference when I get it back on the road. I assumed the later car’s had too much electronics that I would be a bit out of my wheel house when something started to go south. I would definitely like to understand what makes the later cars are more reliable than earlier ones. The fuel injection system is going to be a bit of a learning curve. I guess the other plus for this one is that it appears fairly stock, if I want to upgrade the suspension I can based on some but time in the seat, I could remove the fuel injection and put some carbs on. Not saying I would but I could after getting to know the car and driving experience a bit. Anything I put on the car I would box up and put back on if I decide to move on to the next.

Depending on what the pictures show will let me know if it’s worth putting in for a PPI. Searching through the forums Storz Garage came pretty well recommended.

Again thanks for the feedback I’ll post the underside pictures when I get them

[1979-930]

You can always get a later 911 SC for less.
But there were very few 74's. Only Middies with Brightwork, small bumperetts, and a few other things. Some positive and some negative. But the car is worth more because of these things. If it were a 76 or 77 then I would agree it's too high. But it's not too high for a 74.
Especially a Slicktop with headlight washers and cookie cutters. That's different. I'd want to see the COA on this first. I'd make a deal based on it checking out.

[Kansas]

Originally Posted by 1979-930

You can always get a later 911 SC for less.
But there were very few 74's. Only Middies with Brightwork, small bumperetts, and a few other things. Some positive and some negative. But the car is worth more because of these things. If it were a 76 or 77 then I would agree it's too high. But it's not too high for a 74.
Especially a Slicktop with headlight washers and cookie cutters. That's different. I'd want to see the COA on this first. I'd make a deal based on it checking out.

There's a pic of the COA in the ad. It's legit. Like I said, it has more documentation than I have ever seen on one of these. Dealer will do $39K. I'd offer $38K. They've had it for awhile.

[1979-930]

^^^ Ahh. I didn't look deep enough. Thanks.

[thamlin000]

Actual mileage is 148k. The first service record from 1984 shows the car had 98k miles, per the you tube clip on the ad. In 1989 it had 12k miles which likely means 112k due to 5 digit odometer. now it shows 48k=148k.

Yet the dealer lies even with this information in his hands.

Those are 944 cookie cutters, 15x7. I think the mid-years came standard with 15x6 Cookies and no black painted centers.

[SalParadise]

Ah, I'll say it again because boy have times changed. Six years ago people would have been rolling around in the streets with laughter if someone posted a price like this on a '74. Hilarious to me. Now they are priced at or higher than a SC...go figure...

[75 911s]

Originally Posted by thamlin000

Actual mileage is 148k. The first service record from 1984 shows the car had 98k miles, per the you tube clip on the ad. In 1989 it had 12k miles which likely means 112k due to 5 digit odometer. now it shows 48k=148k.

Yet the dealer lies even with this information in his hands.

Those are 944 cookie cutters, 15x7. I think the mid-years came standard with 15x6 Cookies and no black painted centers.

Good eye on the 944 cookies and great negotiation point. That's at least a 1k deduction imho. 6X15 cookies are getting harder to find.

[dwelle]

Originally Posted by SalParadise

Ah, I'll say it again because boy have times changed. Six years ago people would have been rolling around in the streets with laughter if someone posted a price like this on a '74. Hilarious to me. Now they are priced at or higher than a SC...go figure...

supply and demand. how many original (ish) '74's out there vs. SC's?

there is a pretty big delta. the lower the production number (not to mention a lot of '74's are either rusted out our chopped up), the more they sell for...

[SalParadise]

Originally Posted by dwelle

supply and demand. how many original (ish) '74's out there vs. SC's?

there is a pretty big delta. the lower the production number (not to mention a lot of '74's are either rusted out our chopped up), the more they sell for...

There was always much less '74s and '75s out there.

Problem was no one cared until 2012. That's 38 years of no one caring, no one demanding, and certainly no one buying one over any SC or Carrera because of what Bruce Anderson said. He hated the 2.7 cars with a passion. And people believed him - and dismissed midyears for almost four entire decades.

Yes, 40 years of being the bottom-of-the-barrel 911s. I guess now that is not the case. But still, no one cared until six years ago that the '74 and early '75 cars were the rookie card G-body - and still very much handmade as any longhood...