porsche928guy

My uncle has a 1969 911 S that he's owned since the early 80s. He bought it in 81 or 82, drove it for a year and then parked it and it hasn't been on the road since. It's always been garaged so it has managed, for the most part, to avoid the rust that so many early 911s suffer from. Anyway, he's contemplating retirement in the next couple of years and I think I have him convinced that now is the time to sell the 911.

Here is where you come in. The car was involved in a "fender bender" prior to him owning the car. The repair wasn't done 100% correctly so it does need some attention. He's considering having the repairs done, throwing a paint job on it, getting it running and driving then selling it. I'm of the opinion that the money he'll invest in doing so won't be returned. I'm thinking whomever buys this car will do a ground up restoration so they might even prefer it not being touched. I guess a lot of it depends on what this thing is worth as it sits so I'd value opinions on that as well. He's a car nut so it wouldn't surprise me at all if he ends up making an interesting trade rather than selling it so I'm not sure how that would play into the selling as is vs quick low level restoration argument.

I've attached a few pictures of the car. The brown you're seeing in the pictures isn't rust. The car was originally burgundy and the white paint is failing. We spent some time this past weekend cleaning it up and making sure the motor is free (which it is).

tcsracing1

The car would be best to sell "as is". it will bring strong money.

The money spent to give it a "mop and glow" paint job and get the motor running will not be returned in the sale price. It is money wasted on what is to be considered a "restoration candidate".
Anything thing done by your uncle will be undone by the next owner regardless.

The buyer who takes this car will do a full restoration and rather have the car 'as is'. They will do a windows out concours restoration given the value of the car.

Very nice find!

GTgears

Only way the money spent on paint and bodywork comes back is if he goes bare metal back to original color. Otherwise it is a fool's errand.

Definitely spend the money to get it running. A running and driving S will bring more than it costs to get it on its feet unless it needs the engine rebuilt.

Then, instead of driving it, he should sell it. If he wants to drive an early 911, the proceeds from this S will get him a really nice condition 911T driver that will also be an appreciating asset if he doesn't want to keep it for more than a year or two.

KevinGross

I agree that it's a restoration candidate and that money spent on minor clean up will be wasted - this car needs a lot, judging from the photos. From what I've seen of the market, you can either sell it as is for a lot of money, or push it through a top-quality restoration for even more, if you have the appetite. Early S models are commanding crazy money these days, especially where they are correct. Good luck!

JCP911S

I agree.

Top money will come from an individual buyer looking to do a concours restoration on the car... critical is that the engine and trans are original, with correct numbers and in good or rebuildable condition... if you can, get the engine type and serial number, and post it... somebody can confirm that they are ok.

IMHO any "fixes" you do to the car are not only a waste of money, but may in fact reduce the value of the car... recent body-work is a red flag to potential buyers... they'd rather see legitimate old rust/damage.

Also, I wouldn't even try to get it started... you could do more harm than good... any buyer is going to do a complete rebuild on the engine anyway... all I would do is put it in 1st gear, and see if the engine turns over...

Try to find as many of the original parts as possible (I notice the turn diagonals are missing... find them if you can).

Although the '69S is the least desirable model, it is still worth big money... top quality small bumper 911S routinely sell for over $200-250K in today's market... a concours level restoration of a solid, complete car will easily exceed $100K, but I would not sell the car for less than $100K.

Don't sell to a dealer, If you are not comfortable selling it yourself, you can get a reputable broker who is a Porsche expert to sell it for you... a broker will quote you a commission up front and help you qualify the car... they also will know the pool of buyers... though not cheap, with a car if this value, the commission will be worth the money.

Good luck.

porsche928guy

I'm not sure I understand this...I thought the "S" models were the more desirable of the model designations? Are you saying that as it sits you wouldn't sell it for less than $100k?

From the limited research I've done the numbers are correct for a 69s. The engine model is 901/10 serial number 24857 and the transmission is stamped 7197472. Seems that I might have missed some other markings though.

GTgears

This car is worth $1/4M or so restored. It will cost $100k+ to restore. It is worth around $100k as it sits. That's what he was saying.

And that was the premise of my comment. Have dad sell it for $100k and buy a nice $50-60k 911T AND put something in the bank.

w00tPORSCHE

JCP I'm not quite sure why you say that the MY '69S is the least desirable?

I can give at least half a dozen reasons why that MY is special.

To the OP. Try to order a COA and that'll be a good starting point.

GTgears

I'd be interested in hearing why a '69 would be more special than the SWB S cars, or the later 2.2 and 2.4 variants.

pu911rsr

I've owned 2 69's a 71, 72 and 2 73's. They are subtly different but all great cars- prefer the 2.2 myself but to each his own. The 69's I owned were sold in the low 20's - so market has changed a lot in the last 10 years.
GLWS,
Phil

Charles Freeborn

Cool car. Sell it to someone who will do it justice.
-C

w00tPORSCHE

Several reasons why 69S is special (and I did not say it is more desirable than later models) ...

The MFI on the 69S was the first one ever put on a 911. Only year of the deadly combo of 2.0 liter engine/LWB/MFI. Its also the first production use of front oil cooler and a one year only wiring harness. More importantly 69 S lightest of all the 911s and has the highest compression ratio, highest HP/displacement for a popular build 911 until the water cooled motors.MY '69 has the start-up solenoid in addition to the cold-start which also is a unique feature.

The greatest fun one can have is the 2.0 Liter car with a correctly set up MFI. Just pure bliss. But my favorite is the 2.2 S for ten other reasons!

GTgears

I guess special is kind of a subjective term. I would call those things unique, but they don't make '69 special to me. And that's not meant at all in a critical sense. I was just under the impression that the market considers '67, '68 and '70 S variants in particular more valuable (ie desireable) than a '69 of equal condition. Sounds like '69 ticks all your personal boxes, and that's the most important thing when shopping for one of these cars.

w00tPORSCHE

The character of a 2.0 liter engine is very different. Best for weekend fun. The 2.4 liter engine is more friendly to just drive in everyday traffic and you can lug the engine every once in a while. If given a choice I would opt for a 2.2 S for sure as its the best of both worlds. And I agree 67S is more desirable for a bunch of reasons but I don't think a 68S is any more valuable than a 69 S.

To the OP it is best to have your car inspected and value assessed by someone who knows these longhoods well enough. And the days of 100K restoration are long gone !

budge96

There are many opinions on this topic but I have just sold a matching numbers original condition '69 911 S this past summer less than twelve months ago and I would venture to say this particular car
probably won't obtain 100K as is.
yes collectors are seeking original paint , matching numbers examples but when the very chassis shows considerable decay and coorsion these facets must be considered and seriously.
For one does the car have all of it's originally specified equipment ? As mentioned earlier on this can
also be ascertained by the COA as well as the engine and trans VIN.
Is the MFI present and functioning ? This alone can be a $5000-$7500 expenditure to get dialed in.
Does the car have all five of the standard deep six fuchs rims in usable driveable condition , these are highly sought and are date coded to determine
originality.
The 1969 S being the first year for the Long Wheel base chassis ,first year for MFI and also the lightest in overall weight for the LWB cars makes it a must have for most collectors and the 2.0 with
the highest comp ratio and larger valves makes it a real rev happy machine.
I believe your uncle could quickly achieve a number between 65K and ;85K but anything beyond may
be just out of reach in the immediate moment doesn't mean a few months down the road that couldn't increase or decrease , who really knows ?
Should be interesting I'd say put it on the early registry for values and then step back .haha GLWS
Bert