I am looking to get into the air cooled Porsche and have an opportunity to pick up a 86 Targa picture included.
I took a look at it this weekend and drove around the neighborhood.
Seems to drive fine. I'm currently in a 996 TT so things are a bit different (pedal box, clutch), but this is wall poster type of car for me and something I can take out on the weekend maybe a couple of times per month.

It's got 67K miles, paint looks like what I would expect of a car that has been driven on the freeway (front bonnet and bumper rock chips, some scratches) no obvious rust.
Interior looks like it could use a good detail and be brought up to snuff.
Options wise, it got a '80's style cell phone installed. I didn't check to see if it works.

The current owner is the second owner. The car was seized in a drug raid in the early 90's and auctioned off from the police.
Its a lifetime SoCal car.
Currently only driven on rare occasion. I think the seller has put about 500 miles on it in the last 1 year.

Also, the current owner is an ex GM engineer. He's done all the work on it himself during his ownership.
About 6 years ago he dropped the engine and replaced the clutch as well as rubber hoses/belts.
He just replaced the transmission coupler a few days ago in preparation for selling it.
He thinks that the roll bar has been repainted (Targa insignia is black) and he thinks that the targa top has been replaced.

The only thing the current owner knows about that need to be addressed is an air conditioner recharge and the tachometer recently stopped working.
He is going to address both prior to selling.



He's asking $42K for it.

Questions for the group:
-does this price sound about right? looking on different forums (BaT, rennlist, PCA) prices seem to be a bit all over the place.
-what kind of maintenance am I getting into? Is this a get it sorted up front and it good for 10 years type of car or is it more of a $5K per year type of maintenance car.

Thank you for everyone's time!

 

there are so many variabilities in cars and regions it is almost impossible to say what is really worth. I would have said yes if it was a coupe. Maybe it is anyway as 67k is so low, but lets face it its easy to disconnect to odo on these.

 

People say you are buying the previous owner(s) as much as the car. Sounds like a stand up guy, which is a good start. Good luck!

 

From the info provided and given the current market, that price is in the right range. Once the current bubble bursts or go back one year ago, then I would say it's a little high.

 

jaycray, I switched from a 996TT to an 87 coupe about 4 years ago. I much prefer the older car personally. Happy to talk if you are interested. PM me.

 

Like others say there are many unknowns in play, but if there are no other stories with the car (accidents, rust, repairs, deferred maintenance), even with the presumably branded title (theft recovery), $42k ask (meaning maybe you can negotiate it down a little bit) seems pretty good to me. In this market it's hard to find a good 911 for less than that, even targa or cab (which trade at a discount to coupes). If this car was local to me I'd be taking a look myself.

 

That price seems right. I just paid that exact amount for an ‘80 targa in the same color combination with 91K miles. You should have a PPI done. I would suggest using Dutch Treat on Inglewood near the 405 freeway. The owner’s name is Robert and he’s fantastic. My car is there right now if you want to take a look. I’d run a paint meter over the entire car, review all the books and records, and run a Carfax report. I would also drive it by Pacific Porsche and ask Carl to take a look at it. He knows these cars and will check the body panel attachment points to see if any have been replaced. He’s done that for me on two cars. Good luck.

 

If it has good compression, head studs are good, shifts well and no significant corrosion issues, that seems like an excellent deal to me.

 

Will take more than a recharge for most 30+ year old Porsches, be aware they had lousily cooling when new !! Many are changing to a electric compressor system that cost about 2x your estimated yearly maintenance. Hope you live in Southern California and can live without a lot of AC !! Any motor issues will kill that also !! Get a good PPI before going any further !!