4Driver4

Realizing that asking the value of a car that no one (myself included) has seen is probably not going to result in a useful discussion, I'm going to give it a shot anyway.
Here's the situation: High school friend (not a car person) has a 1984 targa, silver/black, 95k miles sitting in a garage about 1000 miles from me. The car is a sunbelt car, so rust is unlikely, and the car has only been driven once or twice in the past few years. I'm interested in the car, but not super hot to get it, and fine with waiting for the seller to motivated...which is fine, since the seller doesn't really need to sell the car, but kind of wants it sold, so no huge motivation. I have a 997 (well 2 997's, but one is for sale) and would like to have an air-cooled Porsche as well, but I'm not actively searching; I'm only interested in this car since I know the owner and it seems like this might be a decent deal and painless. So questions:

I love a good roadster, and I currently have a PRHT Miata as a sometimes daily driver, but I'm not a fan of the 911 cabriolet in any generation...I just prefer the coupe loook. I'm also burnt out on canvas tops (I have a Z3 M Roadster also for sale). Is the targa loud, leaky, or require any maintenance?
Value-wise, is the coupe that much more desirable than the targa?
Any reason to avoid the 1984 model year or anything to be aware of? First year injection teething issues?
Assuming average condition (weekend driving but not maintained by an enthusiast) what is the ballpark value for something like this? I want to be fair to my friend, but since this is any easy sale for her I want to be on the low side of fair.

Loaded questions for sure. Anyone want to weigh in?

Auto_Werks 3.6

I just bought my first targa this Summer, and it’s a lot more fun than I expected. I originally expected to resell the car, as I bought it not running and I enjoy working on projects and then moving them along..... but I’ve put a few hundred miles on it, and I’m keeping it lol. My targa handles better than my friend’s supercharged M Roadster, but despite feeling sharp like a 911, I think the cowl shake is a little worse on my targa than the m roadster. My targa top probably needs restored, and 90% of the time I have it off, but I haven’t noticed creaking noises, but mine very much does come unsealed above 80 mph. I would imagine with most things Porsche if it’s completely up to snuff it would be good. As for values, they’re all over the place. I would think even the most average driver condition of 3.2 would be worth at least mid 20s. Maybe less if it is way behind on maintenance. Values going up from mid 20s if it starts to be low miles, original paint, outstanding condition etc. check out bring a trailer and see what the cars are selling for

4Driver4

Funny, same thing happened to me with the 997 C4. Bought with a compression issue in #6.

I hadn't even thought of that. Did not realize cowl shake was an issue with the targa. My M Roadster has almost zero shake, but it also has only 26k miles on it, so it's still pretty solid.

Thanks. That's somewhere to start.

old man neri

I have a 3.2 targa. Some days I love having a targa some days I wish I had a coupe. I think it has to do with the targa looking beautiful without the top and and looking no so beautiful with the top on.

-Do they leak? Eventually, yes. However, I do no have any shake or buffeting.
-Is it noisier than a coupe? Probably, I wouldn't know because I don't own a coupe. I imagine these cars are going to be a lot noisier than a 997 anyways.
-Early 3.2 vs later 3.2 and teething issues? I would say it is not applicable. Almost all the parts are completely interchangeable for all 3.2s. In 87 they changed transmissions, that's the real big difference. I think the latch on the targa top may have changed at one point too, perhaps that's why I don't have buffeting. I am not sure on the last point though.

As for price, well, it's hard to say. Most people get fairly comprehensive pre-purchase inspections. If there car has just been sitting there for a few years there are probably some issues. Take a look at the classifieds over on Pelican. See what targas betwenn 84-86 are going for. Keep in mind that condition more than mileage seems to determine price.

Bloose993TT

It would have to be a real dog to be worth under $30k. Silver/Black is a generally desired color. If it's all original and doesn't need any major engine or transmission work it will be mid $30s all day.

GTgears

If your friend finds out about BaT auctions and lists it there he will likely see $35kish for his car. $30k for relatively easy sales in the Rennlist or Pelican classifieds.

dinnyin

They improved the targa seals in 1988. (https://www.motortrend.com/news/c12-...rsche-carrera/)

I love the targa. Best of both worlds. My top (88) has been redone once. No leaks, not much noisier than a similar coupe.
As others have said though, mostly the top just hangs in the garage...

4Driver4

Interesting. Thanks, all.
Sounds like I should jump on it if I can buy it in the 20's. Time will tell...

hrennry

I found a family friend that is letting me take it off his hands for $20k in mediocre condition and under 100k miles. If you can get the car for mid $20s it should still be a fantastic deal based on all the advice I've gotten from folks on here.

At the end of the day, the Targa does lose a little bit of that classic 911 shape, but its very attractive at most angles in its own right - more so in person than in pictures.

I was on the fence as well and in the end, the color was the determining factor for me and I took the leap. The darker colors look pretty fantastic in my opinion - what could be more german than black/silver?

It does seem like you can afford to pay a little more. Why don't you set aside $35k and get a really nice coupe if you're hesitant about the Targa, or a better example in your dream color?