First off, I know next to nothing about 911's. I apologize in advance for my ignorance. I was driving the other day and happened upon a late-60's 911 beside a secluded country road. No engine, body and interior in decent shape for the age of the car. No one was home at the farm it was sitting at. I am, however, seriously considering making the guy an offer. I've actually noticed the car before. I believe it has been sitting there for a couple of years so I'm pretty certain no one has been working on it. How much is this worth with no engine and unrestored body/interior? It seemed to have a transmission and as far as I could tell, only the engine was missing. I see a lot of 2.0 liter engines from this era floating around and it seems like it might be a good project. How much is this car worth as is? What would be a good offer to make the guy, if indeed he's looking to get rid of it? Thanks a lot, guys.

 

Pete, you have to be careful with the older cars w/o galvanized bodies. Without seeing the car and doing an evaluation, it would be fruitless to give a meaningful appraisal. Assuming the paint was still in average to good condition and interior is still good and no rust is found(highly unlikely), maybe $2000. A rebuilt 2.0 liter motor will cost you about $6000+. You have to weigh condition and potential additional costs when going this route. It could be a potential money pit of upward to $15,000. If you have mechanical skills, this can be reduced significantly.

 

Another thing to conside - while early cars are highly desireable and $15k for a good condition early car is not too high, this will not be a numbers matching car and that will undoubtedly reduce its value come sale time.

 

Watch out for rust, do some research first before buying. I would first get the vin and find out is it a T,L,E or S?

Head over to Pelicanparts.com, lots of good information on early 911s there.

Michael

 

I have a well-equiped garage and some know-how. All work would be done by me. My father has restored several older cars, including a late-50's Triumph and a '67 Bronco. We're equiped for body work, painting, etc. This 911 is not in incredible shape or anything. Body seems to be in good order, little if any rust. If I were to make an offer on this car, what would be a reasonable starting point. I realize a lot of work and money need to go into a restoration, but its a long-term project that I'll work on over the course of several years. Interior is a little ripped up and paint is dull and probably needs to be redone. So you think $2000 sounds reasonable? That's about what I expected.

 

That's all i would offer. Besides the engine, there may be more stuff missing that you will have to come up with.

 

And how do you know, Sex Pistol Pete, that there is little rust? Those cars were not galvanized. On top of that left alone in a farm, I would say it is a rust bucket...

anyway, if someone can do it is someone like you and yor father who have the mechanical means to..good luck!

 

Well, my estimate of the rust is based on a quick glance over the car. Doesn't appear to be surface rust on the body or any substantial amount in the wheel wells. I'm sure there is rust somewhere. In my experience with older cars, there is always rust even when there does not appear to be.

 

With the engine out you should be able to see around the transmission. Aside from the obvious places to look for rust, mine had rust under the rear seats... The rear window seal leaked allowing water to seep down behind the rear seats. Look closely at the front pan near the nose. Look at the suspension pick up points (front). Look at the door skins. Rust is common at the bottom of the door panels.

As mentioned before, lookup what model it is. $2,000 would be the most I would pay, and it would need to have something interesting going for it. If you are not big into originality and matching numbers, and you have the ability to do engine and body work, you could have a great time building a hot rod by adding more power and suspension. Wouldn't cost that much more than restoring to stock.

Sounds like you are up to the task. Have fun.

 

There can be a huge difference in value ($25K +) between a finished product that's, say, a '67 S with sunroof vs. a '68 L that might still have a Sporto. Those who have suggested a rust inspection (a professional pair of eyes can tell you how solid the car is in about 10 minutes) and running the VIN are right on the money, find out what it is, and then ask its owner how much he might want for it. If it's a legit '67S I would be tempted to pay more than for any other 2.0L car, except maybe a 911R... hmmmm... At any rate, I would not make an offer, I would ask the owner how much he might want for the car, and maybe find out a bit of its history at the same time. Hope he's not one of those grouchy types who answers the door carrying a shotgun!
Pete