fl4tsc

http://w1w024.financeexpress.com/cli...ory_ID=2998526

So I've been looking pretty seriously into buying the 1987 carrera 3.2 linked above, but am having a hard time figuring out what a fair price for it is based on the history of the car.

Firstly, the dealer has no paperwork or records on the car. The Carfax doesn't show any accidents, but it does show a NAM (not actual mileage title). The dealer has told me the title they have shows nothing about the mileage not being accurate. Not really sure what to think about that.

Next, after talking to a company that did some work on the car a few years ago it turns out the car actually used to be a targa and was converted to a cab. It looks like it was well done but is that going to ruin the feel/handling/chassis of the car?

I was also told by the shop that it is not a true turbo wide-body car but an aftermarket conversion. Again not sure how negatively that effects its value.

Right now the dealer is asking $36,000 but I don't think they're even aware of the targa to cab conversion or that it's not a legit wide-body. Honestly, I'm not sure they've noticed, or care, that it's wide-body.


Cliff notes: 1987 Carrera 3.2 that was originally a targa but converted to cab. Has fake wide-body conversion, no maintenance history or paperwork, possibly a NAM title from Carfax. Is a car with this much 'history' even worth buying and if so for how much?


Some positives: Wevo shifter, appear to be speedline wheels, big red front brakes (993 maybe?), fabspeed exhaust, MAF conversion, and a really nice looking color/paint job.

Edit: PPI coming tomorrow from Franz Blam which should reveal quite a bit more information.

Amber Gramps

Show the dealer all the things that have been "changed" on the car and offer him $20,000. Mod's don't always = increase in value. The big brake calipers in the front without larger matching rears is actually a bad thing that will have to be fixed before the car is road worthy.

fl4tsc

I'm not sure if the rear brakes are still the original small ones but I do know they're not red haha

grgallo

you are likely to be able to find cars with full history, documented service, true mileage and not chopped for $36K-$40K. buyer beware as they say, $20K seems fair but you may still end up with issues. a recent listing https://www.excellence-mag.com/class...6#.VgnNGP2FOP8, came in at $39K or OBO.
best of luck in your pursuit

fl4tsc

Thanks! There is a really well sorted red 87 cab in charlotte near me that's about $36k as well which I'm certain is a much smarter value.

I'm not buying the car as an investment, I'm going to drive it, but I also don't want to get killed when I eventually try to sell it.

cairo94507

Personally, I would not consider a car that had been converted to a cab from a targa, then had the body converted to a turbo-look on top of that. The mileage issue is a real issue too and will ding the price. There is a reason cars like this have no history included with them.

Keith Guidus

I'd keep looking............

ron mcatee

Keep looking.................

EdwardB

Next.....

fl4tsc

So I had a pretty long conversation with the dealer today after the ppi.
Given everything going on with the car they've said they'll do $30k which seems pretty fair. Surprisingly the dealer has actually put nearly $40k into the car (paid $36.6 at auction) so I'm not really sure how to take that. The owner of the dealership seems to have bought it as a personal thing/hopefully profitable sale, but once the auction lost the maintenance history that went out the window and he has started putting more money into a 930 project instead of the 3.2.

So if I'm to believe their receipts are legit (I have no reason not to) should I be worried they're telling me they're taking a $10k hit to get rid of the car or just chalk it up to bad luck/bad business decision on their part?

As for the ppi, Franz was surprisingly positive about the car given the frankensteiness of it all. Didn't find a whole lot wrong with it except for a leaky right timing chain housing (otherwise the motor was dry underneath) and some other odds and ends. He thought it drove well, pulled strong and the motor sounded good. He did a leakdown test which gave a 9%, 10%, 8%, 12%, 11%, 9%. These numbers seem high, but Franz was actually really pleased with them and seemed to think the motor was in good shape (maybe his gauge consistently reads high??).
Finally, we did NOT pull the lower valve cover as he didn't seem to believe the head studs are an issue on the 3.2 as he had never seen one with a broken one before (in 30+ years) I also doubt he would have had the time and I didn't want to drop the money while still under the impression the car was $36k. He also pointed to the fact the motor was completely dry underneath as a good indicator the headstuds were intact.

Having driven it myself for about 2 hours today it seems like a surprisingly solid car given the questionable past, my biggest worry is still the ability to sell it down the road and does it have enough power. I have been cross-shopping this with a Cayman S and still can't decide if I'll miss the extra grunt.

Amber Gramps

I wouldn't believe the dealer's story for a second. No way a dealer paid well above retail at an auction.

On the other hand....It would cost you far more than $30,000 to build that turbo look car today from a stock narrow bodied car.

A convertible shop can get rid of the wrinkles in the back window with some heat.

Jherriott

Walk away... lots to choose from for that money I would think.

fl4tsc

Yeah if he hadn't printed me a copy of the invoice from the auction and all the little stuff they had fixed when they bought it I wouldn't have believed they paid so much for it. I still question how they could blow it so badly at the auction, or why they wouldn't just take it back to an auction (there was obviously someone bidding against them that wanted it almost as much)...

fl4tsc

Most everything for $30k is just as unsorted as this one, but minus the cool factor of the widebody look (and likely a leakier motor). Some decent SCs get close to $30k, but that's starting to get reaaaaally old. The 87 is already 5 years older than I am.

TerrySmith

I would walk away.