A4

I spoke to Don at this shop and he seemed very upfront about the condition of the vehicle claiming it needed a valve job but had not done a comp. or LD test.

He said it drives well now and the PO had driven it as is (white smoked on start up, normal I thought). I am in MA and was wondering if anyone has looked at this car or could drop in to view it if they are near his location in Northport, NY before I drove down there.

So even at $10K with a top end rebuild ($3-5$K) after, this still may not be worth the trouble.

As you can see from my user number I have been lurking here and searching for a nice 911 for a while. Lately I’m glad I put off the purchase since prices are dropping across the model years in NE. I will be looking at a few '84-'86 3.2s listing at under $15K with reasonable mileage, records and running strong.

People have actually been calling me back trying to cut deals! Tough economy!

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

<a href="http://www.autotrader.com/dealers/ida/bluewhite3_vdetail.jtmpl?result_car_id=114906142&car_id=114906142&dealer _id=18816215" target="_blank">86 targa</a>

Rouxzy

A4,
I was in the same situation as you two years ago. I looked at and checked out a few 911's around the Northeast. I spoke to one guy in Medford and his advice to me was, "Don't buy from around here.". What he was saying is salt, even when the car is a summer car still gets into the car in some way. His reccomendation was a CA car or Arizona. I purchased from CA and I'm glad I did. When the car was taken apart for a proper paint job each and every bolt came off like it had just come off the show room floor. The car was 25 years old. Working on it is easy because every bolt comes off easily.

Roamer

Rouxy, I don't know what your buddy is smoking but if you wait until April to bring a car out, its a pretty good bet you won't see any salt, and as you can see by my signature, I would know.

I would not hesitate, and did purchase a NE car, out of NJ. This car is so clean underneath it was like it never saw dirt. However, A4, you will pay a premium for such a car, and I had to, but it was worth the extra money. You can get a nice 3.2 Carrera for around $15k, but for an EXCELLENT example you will be paying closer to $20k. If you just want a daily driver (summer of course) go for the $12-15K car, don't worry about the milage and check for overall mechanical condition and don't sweat the cosmetic issues. If you are looking for something a little more special, spend the extra money for a well-cared for car.

Compared to many other 911s I have seen there is a noticeable difference in how my car runs, drives and looks, even with 90k on the odometer.

Now is a GREAT time to purchase, once spring hits the same cars will be getting 3-4k more, so by all means if you find one you like within your price range, chances are in the spring it will cost you more, I know mine probably did, but it was the RIGHT car.

Also, you may want to consider a nice later SC, fun, relatively quick, plenty of aftermarket, well built, and not many gremlins. The only concern I would have on those is chain tensioners (most have probably been updated to Carrera pieces), air box and the condition of the tranny. I have an 86 Carrera with the 915, but it was treated very well. I added a short-shift kit, sein system gated shifter and new polyurethane coupler bushings and it drives very crisply even when shifting quickly. The 915 is a fine tranny when not in the hands of the ham-fisted, with a deft touch I can almost get through the gears as quickly as I did with my hondas.

If I can be of any more help, don't be afraid to ask, that's why we are all here.

Good Luck!

A4

Thanks for the input. Having lived in and around Beantown all my life, I never worried too much about the salt driving only in summer, even on my old British cars.

I agree with you Roamer the SC's are the best bargain out there. I think I'll be zeroing in on a targa with the usual upgrades for a heavily used summer car and not a garage queen. I've seen a few for around $10K with records and people are will to cut deals. I also don't mind the 915, especially for a weekend car.

Thanks again!!!