JCP911S

Unless you can do the work yourself, I'd say you will never get your money of of that car. If you really like the car, and plan to keep it as a hobby car, it might not be a bad deal as long as you don't have to deal with much rust.... unless it is very superficial, any rust would worry me on any 911

r911

well you have a diversity of opinion here

I'll reiterate mine -- IF AND ONLY IF it is in decent mechanical shape and good cosmetic shape is it a good buy. Take a copy of Bruce Anderson's price survey to the seller and have a very thorough PPI done. If you can get it for $900 you'll be in great shape. If $2,500 is the min. the seller will take, you need to be real careful.

But who knows - did you run the engine #? maybe it already has an SC motor in it...

also rust can be in places you will not expect - a good experienced person has to spend hours checking the car over on a lift and pulling out the lights, tail lights, etc.

TPink

My car's depreciation in value is about $10,000 after 15 years and almost 100,000 miles. Compare that to later models for an investment.

I think when buying a used Porsche the real issue is not the year but the condition, mileage, intended use, and how long you want to keep it.

If you plan to never change a thing on your Porsche once purchased, then look for another year (78-83 are cheap and reliable as is). If you are going to keep and drive it for a while you will most likely replace/upgrade things over time anyway as your usage changes (most likely from street only to some track events), then start with a 1977.

I have owned mine since 1990 and put almost 100k miles on it. Regular service on any Porsche for that long would be expensive anyway. Instead of completely rebuilding my 2.7 ($6k) I replaced it with a 3.2 ($5k). Brakes are about the same up to 1986, so I rebuilt mine and have upgraded rotors/pads but not calipers.
Most people prefer the earlier tranny in the 1977s over later. They are light - except for the bumpers! It will never be as luxurious as later ones, but there is lots of value in the 1977s as their performance ulitily is much like the later more expensive Porsches (up to when their interiors became like BMWs!) and much less expensive.

pjc

Going back on the thread a bit but - 911s were fully galvanised from August '75, the very first first batch in August did not have a galvanised roof panel. All 911s rot out - the '74 to '77 are no better or no worse than others. I along with many others have had rot in my 993 for example and I've seen late 3.2's that make my car look concours with rot starting around the headlights and kidney bowls.

The engines are the weakness but once fixed properly are bomb proof and will drive around the world. Don't think they had Delivar studs? If they did they were the old type which were not good news - my '76 didn't but I replaced them anyway.

r911

not fully galvanized in '75 - search Pelican for a thread where I dug out the real info on this

the '74-'77's will be a bit worse than a '78- re rusting, but vastly better than a '71 say

Cajun

I have a '76 911s. The car is light as h*ll and the driving feedback is raw as h*ll. It does not feel as isolated as the later model 911s. Drive it and you will see what I mean.

I say buy the car at that price...I don't care what people here are saying, you cannot lose for such a small amount of $$$.

I bought my '76 on a whim and the deal was just like yours...I bought the car with the intention of driving it until the 2.7 let go, and last December it did, so now I am on the hunt for a 3.2. I thought about selling it, but then I realized that the price for a good 3.2 is between 6 or 7k. That is when I realized that for LESS than 10k (including the purchase price of my car) I could have a car that is lighter than the later models, just as reliable, and simply hauls a*s.

Think about it. This is your chance to build a 911 anyway you want and not worry about it. All of these cars are getting up there in age and as a result will have cosmetic issues, so don't let that stop you. Do some research and see if you can't build a car that is a little better than an SC for less $$. Who gives a sh*t about resale. NONE of these cars are going to appreciate in any amount worth noting in our lifetime, so buy it to enjoy not to re-sale.

sbmackie

I bought a '77 911S with a slightly modified 3.2 installed (electromotive HPV-1 ignition and "crank windage" whatever that is), plus some suspension goodies and 16 inch Fuchs. It runs like the proverbial ape. Yes, it is a 28 year old car, so I accept some things (little bit tired carpet, 28 years of dust that I am slowly taking care of), but I really enjoy driving it, and it didn't break my budget, which was under 13K for purchase and immediate fixes. So, I would advise you either: Buy the beater and have fun with it until it pukes and then part it out, or 2) assume you are buying a restore project. It'

sbmackie

I bought a '77 911S with a slightly modified 3.2 installed (electromotive HPV-1 ignition and "crank windage" whatever that is), plus some suspension goodies and 16 inch Fuchs. It runs like the proverbial ape. Yes, it is a 28 year old car, so I accept some things (little bit tired carpet, 28 years of dust that I am slowly taking care of), but I really enjoy driving it, and it didn't break my budget, which was under 13K for purchase and immediate fixes. I haven't owned one of these things long enough to know, but there are some nice sounding 77 S models in Panorama at the 11K mark, that you can probably get for 9K or so, and have had the work necessary to make them last done.

Rod.

If the car has a well-documented history, has the right fixes & upgrades, and passes the PPI, go for it if the price is right for you! More than likely, any major issues have long been resolved and its as good or bad as any other model year. I've got a '77 911S (my 1st Porsche) and its a great ride!

Peter Zimmerman in "The Used 911 Story" says: "Engine life in properly maintained 1977 should go well past 100,000 miles...".

YMMV,
Rod.

pjc

Randyweb,

Seems we are both right -

See page 675 of "Excellence Was Expected" by Karl Ludvigsen who states that on 1976 models (August 75 to July '76), this gaurantee (6 year anti-corrosion on the back of galvanised chassis and body) did NOT include North America because of limited availabilty of the 'new' steel.

Mine being a RHD UK 911 manufactured in August '75 is therefore fully galvanised (apart from the roof panel which did rust on the rear lip!).

PJC

r911

Good point - I didn't note your address and just assumed you were one of the 90%+ folks in the US on the bbs...

But does the gaurantee mean it was fully galvanized? Or just that P AG thought the top panels would last 6 years...?

pjc

My handbook states that because the body and chassis is fully gavanised Porsche can offer a 6 year body gaurantee - so I must assume...........

PJC

r911

yup - they come right out and say it. Would that apply to all Euro models you think?

pjc

I can't see them offering something in the UK and not the rest of Europe - but then why not, Porsche always seem keen to provide UK with 'specials' so maybe we were lucky. The only thing we don't get is RHD for all versions; 914, Carrera GT etc. - also I found out recently that when the Targa model was first put into production it was not intended to build any RHD!

PJC

r911

Yes - what I find interesting is that the US got better rust-proofing later (apparently, based on thewritten accounts, I haven't torn apart a statistically valid sample of cars & ain't gonna). It's interesting, b/c I always think of the US as having worse rust problems...