danwink

Ok... hopefully you don't get hundreds of these messages each week but...


I have been considering a 911 for close to 5 years now, and I have found a car that I think may be a great candidate. It is a 1979 SC with 77K miles on the car. The current owner bought it from a multiple Porsche household (terminal illness forced sale) ten years ago with 65K miles. The current owner replaced the struts and brakes then, and also had the valves done. He swapped the exhaust for a stainless heat exchanger system. The interior is quite nice, although the drivers seat has a tear in it- otherwise nearly perfect.

As for issues, the car was painted a factory custom color (according to the owner) and it appears that some touch up happened after the fact. It would need a paint job to be perfect. (Current owner had it checked at a porsche bodyshop and no accident damage detected)

The afformentioned torn seat

The Targa top lived in the bonnet and has a split seam.

The Fuchs are chrome and have some pitting.

Overall the car seems to be in good driving condition. I believe it could be mine for $9000. How does that seem for a price?

I know that people have mentioned that I should drive some different vintages of 911 to see what I like, but I can't seem to find people that are interested in letting me drive their cars. If anyone in Maine wants to let me take a spin, let me know


I am looking for a car that my wife and I can take on weekend trips and an occasional late night blast. I might also do an occasional auto-x or drivers school. I am willing to spend a bit more for the right car (or newer) but this one seems right somehow.


BTW... how do you think the SC's will do for value in the future? Do you think the market has bottomed for these?

Bill Gregory

If you haven't already, you may want to read the 911SC FAQ on tech.rennlist.com

Having seen chromed Fuchs with peeling chrome before, the chroming basically ruins the aluminum wheels, due to the pitting. While you'll get opinions on this, I'd plan on buying new/used non-chromed wheels. 6x16 Fuchs are comparatively inexpensive, as there's basically no demand for them, and 7's will run a bit more.

If you're serious on autocross and drivers education, then you might consider a coupe, which is a stiffer body style than the Targa. Otherwise Targa's are a fine choice. Tops can be rebuilt.

I don't have Excellence magazine nearby, however, perhaps someone can post from the recent issue with the used values. If someone doesn't provide that, email/pm me and I'll get it for you. $9K sounds in the ballpark. There's still some downside, generally, left in 911SC prices, so you wouldn't buy one as an investment.

danwink

I did quite a bit of reading last night, it seems like it would be worth the trouble to wait for a 84-on car due to the better FI and power.

Any ideas of how much I should budget for a nice driver w/ less than 100K?

earlyapex

From your description, this car is in good condition. Assuming the engine and drive train are in good condition, 9K is a very good price. I live in CA and most 79 SC's worth buying are starting out at 15K. A coupe will be better suited for DE's and autocross's (stiffer chasis). A 79 should weigh less than an 84. The 84 will have more power but still has the 915 transmission. I think that that it's a wash between the two and depends on your personnal preferences. Neither car has any investment value. Your budget will depend on the Porsche market in your area. I'd budget at least 2K to get the car right for DE's and autocross's.

2002M3Drew

Thought the 84 and later Carreras have more power, the SCs are lighter, and you can feel it. I had driven a couple of SCs and many Carreras, and I thought the SCs were actually a slightly more engaging driving experience. The SCs are very torquey...it's usable power on US roads. (My other car is an E46 M3, so I'm used to a lot of power as well...the SC is plenty quick.) Bottom line, use what you read as a guideline, but let your own judgement be your guide. Drive as many of these cars as you can. I even drove a couple of G50 cars, out of the range I was planning to spend, and found I didn;t really like them (too heavy). If it wasn't an 82 or 83 SC, it would have been an 84 Carrera for me.

That car with such low miles and the major upgrades done (studs, chain tensioners) for $9K sounds like a pretty good deal, though it depends on how "perfect" you want the car to be. Frefreshening the targa top is something like $1,000, the seat rip is probably $500, paint could be $3,000-$5,000. As is, for $9K, it doesn't sound like a bad deal.

87turbo911

I have a 1986 911 Targa that I'm selling...It's currently in the shop getting maintenance stuff done as well as getting some cosmetic stuff evaluated (and estimated). It's in NJ, though.

Your interest depends on what's important to you, I think. Aside from "what you like" and "what feels right" to you, what are your priorities? eg: Price? Cosmetic condition? Mechanical condition?

Bill Gregory

The benefit of the 84-on is, one, as you mentioned, Motronic FI. If you're in an area that uses ethanol as a fuel oxygenator, then CIS isn't the best FI, as so much of the fuel system touches the gas, and as ethanol holds water in suspension, well it's just not a good combination.

The August 2004 Excellence magazine 'Porsche Market Update' for 74-89 911's shows the 84 Coupe with the 915 transmission, for example, poor/good/excellent as $13,797/$15,874/$21,000. For an 87 Coupe with the G50 transmission, the values would be $14,177/$17,256/$23,100. Those are average asking prices from a number of sources. (The referenced article has a good, succinct, summary of that series of 911's - might be good reading for you). Average mileage is 6K-9K/year. 87-89's tend to carry a small premium as some consider them the last of the original 911 body style, in addition to the G50 transmission, and a few more hp. And, just to complicate things, if you start to look at $20K as within your range, early 964's have come down there in price.

You can also look at the various PCA regions around you (www.porschenet.com is NE region in Boston, for example). Go to www.pca.org and click on regions, then click on '1'.

webini

Good point! Maine is in fact one of the states that does have oxygenated fuel in some areas. This is one of the reasons I bought my 87.