floete

Hi, all: I don't want to wear out my welcome with another 'what do you think of this car' thread but, well, what do you think of this car? I'd have to get a long-distance PPI and travel a good seven hundred miles to get it. But it seems to me (and to a very kind Rennlister who, behind the scenes, has been helping me keep my head screwed on straight) that it could be pretty sweet. What do the rest of you all think? Asking price: $12.5

Here's what the owner says: It's got 152,000 miles but runs nice and drives well. It's had the right mech. upgrades, hydraulic tensioners, the pop off, a fairly recent clutch, a newish alternator and battery. It's stock otherwise. Dash is intact. No rust.
The drivers side seat bolster is worn as indicated in the pictures. The headliner has a minor rip near the sunroof but otherwise is intact. The picture also shows yellowing of the headliner - typical of a car this age.
Other things that don't work: Cruise control and A/C is still R-12 and needs a charge. I have cans of R-12 Freon that go with the car.

Pix are below. The owner is a PCA member and seems like the kind of Porsche owner you'd want to buy a Porsche from. So, what do you think? And how much do you think it'd cost to repair the headliner and seat? And if you were going to make an offer, where would you start it? Thanks!

GothingNC

I would check for dry rotted window seals and a leaking sunroof.

Maske sure the sunroof still works, repair parts for it have gone up over the years.

John

Norske

Wont comment on price, but it looks like a clean car. Engine dept esp.

cal44

In order to do a proper headliner the glass needs to come out. By the way, you are not bothering us with the search. Its what most of us live for in this hobby.........the search

whalebird

Pretty coupe. Sport seats, even with wear, are awesome and worth a lot to me. Standard horse-trading techniques apply; throw a low ball out there and see what comes back. Look for records and get a good PPI. You seem to be finding pretty good cars and, if as represented, would be a fun drive home. Headliner has a lot connected to it (all windows removed) so plan well in advance and don't skimp. I do like the seats.

floete

Thanks, guys, good stuff. Any clues as to a ballpark price for the headliner repair?

Meanwhile, I found my notes. He's the 4rth owner and has all his records, as well as records for owners 1 and 2. Will have to find out what happened with #3. I guess one of the doors and a rear quarter panel was repainted for reasons he knows not; he has been all over the car with a magnet and has found no Bondo. Also, the battery leaked at some point, so that area needs to be cleaned up, but there's no rust in the area. Has spare and jack.

I'm going to talk to him later today, I think. Any more questions I should be burning to ask him?

g-50cab

You can redye the sport seats as long as there are no tears.

Make sure the acid spill did not make it's way to the front suspension pan pick ups. New pan would have to be welded in if it did - sometimes not evident until something breaks.

With SC's - the biggest $$ pitfall is headstuds. They get old, they get brittle, they break. the best way to spot a head stud issue is to do a valve adjustment.

If I was buying an SC - I'd negotiate the price down $500 but plan on including the valve adjustment in the PPI [and of course getting the valve covers off]. I may be out $500 (or whatever) but I wouldn't have an engine tear down in the immediate future.

g-50cab

well - with the headliner stained looks like the drain holes for the sunroof were clogged at some point - so check for rust around the holes the drain tubes - I believe there are four - two forward two rears - the rears I am pretty sure exit at the lower rear window (in the rear engine compartment) the fronts in the front wheel wells.

floete

Thanks, g-50cab. My list of questions is growing nicely ...

rusnak

Wow, it's got the original York AC compressor. Those things are awful, but original equip.

It looks like the paint is good, but I'm wondering why the toolkit looks like it has surface rust,and are those water stains on the headliner? I wonder if the sunroof drain channels are plugged or maybe dislodged/leaking? Something to look into with some compressed air and thumb pressure.

The sport seats are very valuable, but the foam in NLA. I'd look into taking the drivers seat into an upholstery shop to have the bad section removed and re-stitched from new leather and then both front seats re-dyed to match. The center section of the seat looks good. Hopefully the foam can be rebuilt with sections of new foam. Looks like a Nardi shift **** and boot. Is that a Porsche Design steering wheel?

salukijac

I was quoted $600 to do the headliner. The headliner itself only cost about $125 (I think). It's the labor cost to remove the windows in order to replace the headliner that drives the price up.

Or you can save a lot by removing and reinstalling the widows yourself and letting the shop do the headliner.

500

Take a very critical look at the battery area. People here are probably getting tired of me always bringing this up!

However, the problem with leaks is that even if all the exposed acid is neutralized and cleaned, it is quite possible that acid lingered in the void between the suspension pan and the fuel tank support. There are three drain holes blocked off by soft rubber plugs on the underside of this void, which theoretically should allow one to flush and neutralize that area. I suspect that this is often overlooked and the acid residue will sit in there and do a number on the sheet metal, from the inside out.

My car looked OK from inside the trunk area, but the damage in that void was very suprising once I finally opened it up. Bottom line is this can be repaired (few hundred dollars of sheet metal, but a fair amount of labor) and you should work it in to whatever you may offer (should the car be thus afflicted).

As mentioned, the headliner will be a glass-out job. As such, if you think you are going to do the headliner, then you likely should budget for new window seals - stick with factory parts for those. You will pay several hundred dollars for new seals.

The tear in the seat can likely be remedied by a good automotive upholstery shop and then you can redye the seats with Leatherique, SEM, or other similar products - it can work very well.

Get very detailed when searching for rust. These cars are well-protected, but they are old and the inner fenders do not have liners, so crap can build up in areas (such as the kidney bowls and the tops of the bumper shock supports) which have been known to be problem areas.

Overall the car looks nice in the photos, and if you have a good feeling about the current owner, that is a positive.

Good Luck!

(And I would also add my vote to the list of those who like these threads - it is enjoyable to look at cars and read and learn about the nuances of what to watch for - definitely these threads are very appropriate and interesting.)

BRB-83-911SC

Be sure to check the door sills under the rubber sill trim - you know what I mean

A squeaky clean, salt free car *can* have rust here from water getting trapped.

floete

i hear you, brian. damn those doorsills!

amjf...: i'll make doubly sure to check that area. thanks for reiterating.

one local upholstery shop gave me a ballpark of $600, labor only, for the headliner. to do the seats -- new bolster and a dye job -- would be around $700. another guy said for both jobs it'd be close to $2k.

whalebird: given what you know now, what do you think a good low-ball figure to throw out might be?

thanks!

Brett San Diego

What happened to the black one? Pass or sold?

Brett