VinnyC

Hey Fellas -
I have the opportunity to buy a 1975 911s "Barn find" in good condition with approx. 100K miles. The car has been sitting under a cover for more than 8 years. When I removed the cover, the paint looked good and the interior looked original and moldy. The car has the Sportmatic transmission and cookie cutter style wheels. Right now, it does not run - according to the owner, it ran great before being put into barn storage.
I'm not very familiar with the sportmatic transmission and how much they are worth etc. Are they hard to sell??
Could some of you please give me your opinion on what something like this might be worth if I bought it and cleaned / tuned it up?? and Try to resell it??
Thank you for your opinions!!

JackOlsen

2-5K

VinnyC

Wow, Jack. You think it's only worth max 5K??

ron mcatee

It has sat for 8 years. Probably needs all engine seals, tires, brakes, and other work. You could easily get 5-10K into it plus acquisition costs. The car may not have the galvanized protection. 1976 was the first year all Porsches had it. If it doesn't, you may be in for a lot of rust repair. I think Jack is very close on his estimate.

randomhick35

it all depends on how you value your time. it is hard enough to make a profit out of this that it should probably only be done as entertainment. based on my experiences, any car that has been sitting for 8 years [in this part of the country anyway] will need much more than a tune-up or clean up. oh, your from florida. scratch that. well my origonal point stands, you should only do this for the joy, [which with a porsche comes in spades ] not [only] for the money.

r911

No, the car will have most its shell galvanized. IT started in the early 1970's and covered all the car, incl. the roof by 1977.

But I agree with Jack on the value of the car in the barn. You asked a different question tho - what it would be worth after you fixed it up. The answer, as Spider911 notes, is about half the amt. the you will have to put into it.

A '75 - esp. a Calif. car - will need a whole lot of engine work. Maybe $5k right there. And that is if the engine already runs.

There is always the chance that you will get lucky. Do you play the lottery? Your chances are worse there.

Now, if you have verified documentation that the engine has had the normal 2.7L strengthening program by a good mechanic, that might help.

It would be nice to save the car, but a '75 will never be worth much. I used to have one. Probably the nicest '75 in the US. The PO put over $50,000 into it (he got cheated on labor, but still...) I paid him $16,500 for it. After about 5-6 years I sold it having put maybe another $1-2k into it. I got $18k for it after working to sell it for 2 years. And that is for an exceptional car with numerous mods on it - German leather, Webers, SSIs, Nakamichi sound...yada yada.

So if you meet randomhicks joy critereon then do it. Otherwise... nooooo

VinnyC

But what about the Spotmatic Transmission? Is this much less desirable?

JackOlsen

1974-1977 models are generally considered the least desirable of the air-cooled 911s. As a result of this, a well-maintained car from this era with the appropriate updates is a real bargain -- but that makes your barn find less valuable as a car to fix up and flip, not more.

1975 was the first year of thermal reactors on the already-stressed magnesium cases. It was a quick fix for new California emissions laws, and it tended to exacerbate the problems of the soft engine cases. If your car was delivered to California, it probably has them. If not, you've only got the normal (but still prone to leaks and pulled head studs) magnesium case.

The Sportomatic transmission may become interesting to collectors, one day -- but it hasn't happened yet. An automatic transmission on a vintage sports car is never a plus.

Cookie cutters are less desirable than Fuchs.

Mold on the interior means moisture throughout. This means there's probably rust.

The owner says it isn't running. If anyone's turned the key on the motor in the past few years, then more damage has been done. The right way to do it involves removing the plugs, lubricating everything, changing the oil, draining the tank, replacing fuel lines and the filter, turning the engine by hand, etc. More often, somebody decides to clip on a fresh battery and crank the engine to see what happens.

1974-77 911s are great cars. But of all the versions of the 911 to try and fix up and flip for a profit, they're probably the worst model to start with.