Tate

Hello Everyone,

This is my first time on this forum, and I came here to seek some advice/suggestions on purchasing a 1981 911 SC. This is my first attempt at purchasing a Porsche and I only drove a Porsche twice...but I think I've been bitten!
Here's the info on the 911:
10K miles on rebuilt 3.0
89K miles original
993 cams
Big Throttle body
12 new valve guides
New piston set
New fuel pump
Fuel pressure regulator
SSI heat exchangers
New Mille Miglia mufflers - dual in dual out
Bilstein Sport shocks
Turbo Tie Rods
New steering Column
New clutch PP and light flywheel
Polished 15" Fuchs

I went to see the car today and it sounds nice and the paint is not the best and there are some little rust spots...doesn't look major though. I noticed a wire cut in the engine bay and the guy couldn't explain why. It might be from some alarm system he had, as there is a ten key push button pad on the dash for that alarm, but it no longer works. There's a hole for a tweeter speaker on each door panel, but other than that it looks okay. There is also another switch (toggle) under the dash, which the owner does not know what it's for. There is also a front strut bar and the trunk area looks clean, but I did not lift the carpet.
This is the second owner and he had it for 6 yrs and put on 12K miles. The previous owner is mechanic and he does the work on the car.

I asked why the rebuild, he said because he wanted to install the cams and his mechanic said the motor is pretty much maxed out at this point. I'm sure there must be a S/C for this car out there!

He wants $16,500 for the car.

Anyway, from what I mentioned what comments, suggestions, advice do any of you have?
I'll be taking the car for a PPI hopefully tomorrow. I'm not in love with this car, so I could walk away any time as well.

Sorry I can't post a link to the car, but it is on the Hawaii - Honolulu - craigslist and was posted on 7/27, this is the title.
Porsche 911 - $16500 (Honolulu) pic

Thank you in advance for you input!
Aloha
Tate

JV911

g'day!

sounds like its had a lot of the work that usually needs doing already done and at $16k is probably on the money

having said that, if you are not "in love with it", keep looking

i looked at dozens over the course of a year before i fell in love

check out the "help us help you" and "guidelines, info & PPI" threads at the top of the 911 forum and do some searches and you'll get lots of useful info. lost of us have gone through what you are currently

good luck!

JV

Amber Gramps

my brother in law and his wife live in Kona and have a 996 and a boxter. it's a great place for a porsche. some of us here on land would say the longer the list of modifications the further you want to run away. but you know what, with that car I would probebly do the same list of mods....so what do I know? I am curious, what does a honda civic cost and how rusty are they after a fiew years around the salt water? it may turn out that is a screaming deal for a 911. you could almost part it out and get your 16 grand back. give it a good look. could be alot of fun. lets just hope someone else doesn't read your post and snag it out from under you....

Peter Zimmermann

"Big throttle body"? "Fuel pressure regulator"? "New steering column"? "Rust spots"? RUN AWAY!!!

Amber Gramps

LOL

Mike Murphy

Tate, the car might be fine that you're looking at, but I want you to know one thing: you can buy a completely stock (unmodified) car for the same price. A Porsche is a fast car, and you can make it faster, but the best thing to do is to leave it completely untouched if possible. The reason is because if you go to sell it, you'll have many more buyers interested in a completely stock car...

Now, if you plan to track the car, then that's different. If you want a faster car, I would upgrade to a 3.2 or 964.

I would also spend about 1-2 months on here and read Peter's book. There is a lot of knowledge on this board and can save you $10,000 of real money if you buy the wrong car.

Welcome to Rennlist, you'll love it here.

Mike Murphy

IMO, No SC or later 911 should have any rust on it due to the zinc plating as part of the original painting process.

flatsixnut

Thats not going to stop an old car from rusting. If this is a two owner car and you have questions then ask the "mechanic" 1st owner. Some of those parts changed out sound a bit fishy. If you are not in love with the car then I would suggest not wasting the money on the PPI. JMHO.

FWIW....I did not get a PPI done on my current car before buying it (I got lucky)....but I did spend two days looking at it and half of that was under the car.

Mike Murphy

All I know is I've seen daily drivers driven in the snow and salted roads (albeit stored in a garage) without any rust. And on a 20-year-old car as well. I think the car is going to have a much higher propensity to rust if it were stored outside.

GothingNC

I've seen quite a few SC & Carreras with rust in the sills, kidney bowls, windshield cowl and battery area.

check out www.impactbumpers.com and they have a few threads on rustoration.

John

Tate

Thank you for your replies!

I basically decided to run from the deal. There were wires that were cut, switches that did not work and he had no idea what they were for...but the clock worked as well as the A/C. I wanted to know where this guy was coming from since he couldn't answer many of my questions. So I played dumb and pointing to the A/C condenser, I asked if this was some type of oil cooler? He said he wasn't sure, then I said, oh it must be your A/C condenser, he said no no it's some type of oil cooler, but he wasn't sure if it was for the motor or the trans. At that point I laid rubber on his drive way and was out of there.

Now I'm looking at 2 '84 Carreras in Guards Red. One of them has been serviced by a reputable mechanic, but there are small rust bubble spots on both sides of the "A" pillar and the car has been repainted. Mechanically the car is sound and handles well, but that's a given. The mileage is 131k and the person is asking $15k. The car also has new headers and H4 bulbs, other than that it's stock. No A/C compressor, but the hoses are all there...I would rather have the hose removed too if the compressor isn't there.

The other one is on the neighbor island, same color, but it has a factory Whale Tail and front spoiler. Has 94k miles and the owner is asking 16k. The problem is, there aren't very many or any Porsche Technicians on that island that anyone from the PCA knows of. The person said the car has always been maintained and is running in perfect condition. The are no after market mods on this car, and the windshield seal has been changed along with the rear deck where the speakers go and the rear deck where the speakers go. Oh, and the A/C works, but they had to do a recharge, which makes me think there must be a lead somewhere.

Most of the guys here are urging me to go with the 130k mile Carrera because they know the Technician does good work and the valve guides and a few other small items on the car have been replaced.

So, on Monday I fly out to the neighbor island to do a test drive and look over receipts for work done on the car. I'm leaning towards this car, but it will cost me more...well an additional $200 to get it to the island I'm on. However, it may also cost me less in the future too!
This is one of the hardest car decisions I ever made!!

LaughaC

Wow, there are so many factors involved when buying a P car that it is hard to imagine adding the Hawaii factor.

Out of curiousity, how much would it cost to ship a car from California? Should that amount be included in any price you consider?

TroyN

You didn't mention which specific neighboring island the car is on, but there is a Rennlister kkim (Kelly Kim) who lives on Kauai, that might be able to provide some assistance or insight. Assuming of course the neighbor island is Kauai.

Amber Gramps

both the 996 and the 987 were purchased on ebay and shipped from new york. they felt like they stole them and are very happy with the cars. now they were what, just a couple years old. I think the boxter had a salvage title that vanished when it landed in Hawaii.

Tate

As a matter of fact, the car is on Kauai!
On Monday I flew to Kauai, looked over the '84 Carrera coupe, and it is a very clean specimen to say the least. It has 95k on the ODO and everything works including the clock.
The current owner uses dino Castrol oil, can't remember what SAE it was. He just had ceramic brakes installed at 94k and the stopping power is good. He mentioned he's taking the car in to fix a "hot starting sensor" problem. He said the sensor needed to be replaced, but I have no idea what that is and the car worked fine at the time. The engine is smooth and strong and the car shifts with no grinding. The clutch has never been changed, so I'll need to have that done, and I know it isn't that difficult since I did it once already. And yes, I forgot to swap the gear ring and had to drop the motor twice!! However, a lesson well learned on my first 911 clutch job.
Anyway, I did purchase the car and I should have it here on Oahu by the 22nd or 23rd. I guess one of the first things I'll do is change the oil. And I've been reading a few oil change threads and brand of oils used.
Personally I like Amsoil and use the 5W-40 in my dd BMW 318is. I have it in the tranny and diff as well. However, it seems that most here like Shell or M1.
Does anyone have Amsoil in their tranny?
I'm also creating a long & short term Mod goals for this car. Looking to do the suspension first, then maybe the exhaust/chip or clutch/flywheel. I've been on Elephant racing and Pelican Parts, but are there other mod websites for an '84 Carrera 3.2?
Thanks again everyone for you suggestions and advice.

Oh, a car shipped from Ca. will cost about $1k to get here. I've brought in a BMW M coupe from Texas and had it trailered to Long Beach, that costed me $2,200. So I thought this time around I would stay closer to home and use the money for some real performance mods.

Kelly if you're here let me know any if on a Guards Red Carrera running around on Kauai!

Aloha!
Tate