LanceS4803

Looked at a 1978 911SC:
Euro spec car imported in 1986
Owner has not kept up with maint, so no records or history.
No oil tensioners
No pop-off valve
Still has rubber centered clutch
90,000 miles. No winter or rain driving.
Body has been spot painted at some point prior to 1986, with small bursh touch ups. No evidence of collosion, maybe just repaired body dings. Slight rust spots at corners of windows.
After market whale tail, with fiberglass repair.
Has warm start problem, idles rough when cold, but then smoothes out. New fuel pump and accumulator.
Tight gear box.
Brakes mushy, pedal can hit floor when depressed hard.
White cookie cutter wheels with new Pirelli tires.
Pretty good cloth interior, some tears in fabric.
Going to Porsche dealer for PPI.
I can completely new to Porsche, just coveting for last 18 years. I don't mind tinkering and doing upgrades myself.
Asking $8,000.
Good deal?

rfuerst

I don't want to burst your bubble but unless the PPI comes back great I think I would walk away from this one,with no service history or upgrades you are looking at installing at your expense-air box pop off valve,chain tensioners at a minimum,clutch and related items,brakes,etc. and that is a minimum just to get it close to running decent.It also depends on what you want out of the car,if you are looking for a project you could do worse than this one,how much money are you budgeting for repairs?I would say you are looking at aprox. $5000.00 as a starting point.Good luck

Bill Gregory

Good deal? No. Maybe at $4-5K. Does it have the DOT/EPA sign offs from when it was brought in the country? If the owner didn't keep records, how do you know that even basic maintenance was done? Porsche's can be expensive to put right. I'd pass on it.

mada

I myself am in the same position as you...hot and heavy into the search for the right car.

I am a newbie, but have been looking at many cars at all price ranges. This car you have described exists in todays market for less.

Even better, superior cars exist for the same, maybe a little more than the car you have described. Also, to my new understanding, you are not looking at an 8 grand car, it's just an illusion...You are looking at a 13-14 thousand dollar car (after you pay for all the upgrades it needs). For 13-14 grand, you are in the drivers seat within the current market. Guys who have put in the time, major care and consideration to preserving the 911 body and engine and most important they spent the big, big cash. This is money that they can't get back, so you are only paying for 50% or less on every dollar that went into the car. Anyhow, I'm just a newbie who has been scouring the market and doing major research for my SC. Good luck.

Jay H

Lance:

I have to agree with rfuerst, Bill and Mada above. Too much wrong with this car.

[quote]Owner has not kept up with maint, so no records or history.<hr></blockquote>

That statement alone should make you want to move on unless the price is, as mentioned above, around $4000 to $5000. Even that's pushing it unless you can do a lot of work yourself. Nice cars take decent amounts of cash to keep looking and performing good, so a beat, older 911 takes a lot cash to make right.

Good luck in your search,
Jay
90 964

Stuttgart951

Definately walk. A car with no records is a time bomb. Dont be fooled by cheap 911's - they can quickly turn from dream purchase into nightmare ownership. I would also stay away from a car with rust.

RBC

I agree with just about everything said, but I'll go on record as stating that those who think the galvanized cars can't/don't rust are mistaken. This may be endemic to the '78, as I have a Euro '78 SC with some small rust spots.

I looked at a one owner, untouched '78 SC that was 100% original with 62K miles. That car was a garage kept car kept in immaculate condition. It had small rust spots in the same exact locations as my car. I'm sure there are '78 SC's with zero rust, but some small rust spots on a 25 year old car doesn't mean there's something horribly wrong with it. Where that rust is can make a difference however. Rust in the window frames can be costly to repair, while other rust spots are an easy fix.

Schuey

The quote "Run Away" from The Holy Grail comes to mind...

John Shingleton

I can only add to the very sound advice given to you by others ---don't even think about it . I bought a very sound 1977 911 14 months ago with full history and service records yet at the end of the day it is still a 25 year old car and things do go wrong and it isn't cheap to fix . A car with no records and no service history is an unacceptable risk. Porsche's can be truly wonderful cars --just make sure the one you buy is one of the wonderful ones.

tryan

runforrestrun.

964man

Take the advice and save yourself a bomb plus $8 from buying one of our guides - this car is a stinker and it should be pretty obvious to all - ignore the fact that its a Porker (and repairs costs more than other cars anyway) - would you buy a used GM car of this period for this money ? I don't think so, so tend to adopt the same attitude looking at Porsches. If you do want to buy a guide, which will be useful for weeding out the more marginal cars, check us out at <a href="http://www.sportscarguides.com" target="_blank">www.sportscarguides.com</a>