Porsche-O-Phile

OK I'm a POTENTIAL convert to the dark side from the world of watercooled P-cars. . . No promises, and no I'm not getting rid of my 944. Here's the story:

There's a used car dealership kind of close to where I live that has had this red 911 parked on its lot for several months now. I've passed it many times and wondered passively, "I wonder what that guy wants for it". Anyway, I happened to be going by today and wasn't in a hurry to get somewhere like I usually am, so I took 10 minutes and looked at it. It's red (a plus) with a targa top (also a plus) and it's turbo (a HUGE plus). I only spoke with the dealer briefly; he said he's asking roughly $15K for it.

It looks to be in pretty decent shape overall; it's got some evidence of oil "gooiness" under the bottom of the engine (I stuck my head underneath for a peek), but I guess that's sort of expected on 911s. The piping and everything that I could see looks okay. Not nice and shiny new, but no obvious problems or bad rust or anything. He claims it has a recently rebuilt engine & transmission, the wheels and tires looked reasonably new. The only problems I could see were that the rubber & plastic parts on the exterior looked a bit weathered from being out in the sun and the dash had a few cracks in it (I'm used to this - 944s are notorious for it). I'm going to go back tomorrow to get some more information on it (year, mileage, exact asking price, availability of maintenance records, etc.) Might turn into a nice opportunity, might be nothing.

Anyway, some questions for the 911-as-yet-uninitiated:

(1) What should I be looking for in terms of frequent things that break / go wrong?

(2) What year did Porsche start galvanizing the bodies of the 911s? This one has no rust at all, but I'd kind of like to know.

(3) Are they reliable for daily driver use? I imagine an air-cooled engine is pretty darned reliable, but what's the honest assessment of it?

Thanks in advance. I'll post more info. when I find it out.

imcarthur

There is no turning back . . .

But about that car. $15K for a 930? With oil leaks? A rebuild? A mediocre interior? All from a dealer who has had it on the lot for awhile?

Run, run, run.

Gather more data & post here & I'm sure you'll get lots of advice, but . . . run, run, run.

Here is one that sounds good Link

Ian

911Dave

There is no such thing as a turbo with a targa top. If it really has a turbocharger, it's an aftermarket unit and probably a hack job. Also, I find it hard to believe that a decent 911 would sit on a lot for several months. People lust after these things. Would you buy a car that's been sitting in the hot sun for several months?

Run like hell away from that car. For $15k you can find a decent Carrera or a cherry SC. There are no cheap 911's. You either pay a lot for a nice car up front, or you pay a fortune fixing up a beater.

As far as what the common problems are, it depends on the year and the engine. If it is well maintained, any 911 would make a very reliable daily driver. But it won't be as comfy as your 944. They started galvanizing the sheetmetal in 1975.

imcarthur

Sorry to pick nits, but there was. Starting in 87, I think.

Ian

creaturecat

1986 was the first year of the Turbo Targa (and Cab).

Porsche-O-Phile

Thanks for the answers guys. I'll head back over there later today and see if I can get more information. He also has a white "speedster" 911 (that's what he called it, though I haven't heard the term used to 911s - only to 356s). Anyway it's a nice white one with a convertable top. Don't know what he's asking. I'll inquire about that too. I'm in no hurry here or anything; it was just an opportunistic inquiry. That 930 in the ad above is G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S!!!

TaylorSea4

Jeff, they made a 911 Speedster in the mid '80's and a 964 version as well. Hard cover for the top, lower windshield and side windows (I think). If this guy has a genuine one, he'd probably want a fortune for it. I didn't know the turbo cab/ targa actually came to the US, though. At any rate, rotsa ruck, dude...

imcarthur

1987 930 Targa & Cab

J. Brinkley

I thought it was '87 cause didn't they make all those slant nose targas and regular targas in 1987 with production number equaling 87?

Curt911

15k for a real turbo, must be a POS!

I think you should buy my Carrera instead!

<<<< this one

911Dave

Well, sumbitch. I would have bet a paycheck they never offered a turbo in targa form.

DGaunt

I suggest you post the VIN so the pros here can identify the car. If there was a recent rebuild, why is it leaking? did the leaks look 'old'? You would need to know who built the engine, when and see a copy of the build sheet. There are top end jobs, top/botom end jobs re-using servicable parts, and the full zoot if-it-moves-replace-it rebuild. A full PPI with compression and leakdown would at least give you something to go on. I would not spend 5K on the car without that. Also I can tell you from painful experience all those tired cosmetic parts begin to aded up, exp. if you are not going to do the work yourself.

Best advice, buy as much car as you can afford while leaving $2-3,000 for 'incidentals.' If you buy a car that is pretty used up, you will spend 2-3 times the money you save up front to bring it to where you are proud to be seen in it.

Hope you decide to take the plunge into the 911 world...when you find the right one.

Porsche-O-Phile

The guy wasn't around today but I think I can get onto the lot and at least record the VIN number if someone wants to research it. I was a little leery of his claim that it had a rebuilt engine if it had evidence of oil seepage (wouldn't they replace the seals as part of a rebuild?) I dunno. Like I said, maybe it's a good deal, maybe it's nothing. When I bought my 951 it was a similar deal (saw it parked with a sign on it and ultimately the guy sold it to me through a used car dealership). It was originally a lot of problems; a lot of stuff had "gone" through lack of use / care but I resurrected it in relatively short order for not too much $$$ and a lot of elbow grease and TLC. It's pretty nice now. I could probably get $7K or so for it I'm guessing. . . Point is, I'm not beyond doing work to get something from "good" to "perfect", but for that kind of coin, I'd rather get something good.

g-50cab

Better tell this guy... Link to 1988 Targa TURBO

Norske

911 Speedsters were built in 89 through 94. Most 89s wer ewide bodys, the rest were narrow bodies, i believe.