kennygoodboy

Hey guys and gals - I bought a new 997 this past June and the Porsche bug has officially afflicted me. For no logical reason, I want to purchase a 911 SC or a 3.2 Carrera as well. I found a 86 Carrera cab with 14k miles on it for $28k. My first obvious question is - is this a market price? Per Excellence mag, a 96 cab in good condition sells for $21k and in excellent condition sells for $28k. This car it seems to be in the ballpark but i could be wrong. Facts I know so far (I havent seen it in person yet)

- 2nd owner
- no body work
- only back window has been replaced

My concern is the lack of miles. Since this car has literally been sitting around for 20 years, what specific questions do i need to be asking the owner? I am clueless mechanical wise so I am at a huge disadvantage when looking the car over ("great, it starts....looks good to me!"). Anyway, if you guys on this board can help me out all on what to look out for, I would appreciate it. thanks.

Ken

GothingNC

A lot of issues can pop up from lack of use/maintenance.
Brake caliper seals, engine seals, motor mounts, old tires, brakes lines,batteray corrosion, etc..

Price seems about average since the car has under 20,000 miles but the premium will be lost once you start racking up the miles.

Take the car for a drive and have an independent shop perform a PPI.

Good luck.

John

Luus

Some people fear the low-mileage cars but I love them. When I bought my '88 Targa it had 12K miles. I have never had a problem with it. Just have a good mechanic go over it and he will let you know if you should worry or not.

BTW, if you want a pristine Targa mine is for sale

Paul K

...or if you want an '89 Silver Anniversary coupe with 68k miles, I know of one for sale...

Cheers,

Paul.

kennygoodboy

You guys are capitalist swines! I love it! PM me details.

Thanks for the tips...I guess a PPI will do the trick. Of course, going forward I will probably get hosed because I will need to take it to a mechanic for every little thing. Or maybe I need to learn about fixing little things myself...seems that's half the "fun" with the older cars.

Rick K

A good question would be - what do you want to use it for? If you just bought a 997 (congrats by the way, and please post pics!), what purpose would the SC or Carrera serve?

If you're looking for a garage queen and don't mind spending some cash, buy the low mileage car that may potentially need a lot of little (although pricey) things per the posts above.

If you want to do a few DE's w/ the car and just want a solid/reliable weekend driver that looks really nice but isn't 100% perfect cosmetically, get a higher mileage car w/ all of the fixes done to it (new suspension rubber/components (shocks, bushings, etc.), clutch, tranny rebuild, top-end engine rebuild, brakes/calipers, pads, etc.).

Just my 2cents...

imcarthur

Agree with John's assessment above.

That's a premium price. Spend $250 & get a full PPI. Check the head studs for breakage since it's been sitting so much.

And then subtract any 'finds' from the asking price.

Ian

old man neri

Just make sure you don't fall into the trap "I don't want to drive it, that would put miles on it"

kennygoodboy

Excellent questions. My 997 IS my weekend car but the 80's 911 is the car I grew up with (at a distance...drooling at every Detroit Auto Show when I was 10 or so). I take my 997 to the track but this car would be strictly for roads, maybe some long weekend trips to Wisconsin or Michigan. Does it make sense to have two weekend sports cars, especially living in one of the most dense cities in the US? Absolutely not, in fact it is insane. However, buying a 911 is rarely a rational decision. I really do love these models and I dont think they are getting cheaper...though I doubt we will see a spike anytime soon. Oh, and attached is a pic of my current beauty. I want to keep her for many years...I think i have some attachment disorder with this thing.

kennygoodboy

Absolutely not! The goal for Otto (my current car) is 200k miles. I am doing 1k per month so I will be there in roughly 16 years!!

WitchDoctor

Ambivalent attachment, perhaps, Ken.

Rick K

If you really want a cool weekend driver and to feel the roads (and are willing to spend close to 20K or above) - go with an early year. 70-73.5 911s are fantastic road cars - not much kick in the pants in the power department (which is what your 997 is for), but some of the most beautiful cars around.

Here are a few pics of my old 73.5T (Sepia Brown):