Shannon123

OK...the PICs first.
Secondly, the formalities....this car would have solid PPI done before I make any decision to exchange cash.

Now, I've posted this car before, some of you loved it ...many purist rightfully slammed it.

Its an '82 SC....they did not make CABS in '82, therefore, this is a Targa which was transformed by David C. Treichel at Zero to 60 into a CAB. I have those transformation PICS as well. Its got 75k miles..ZERO rust...I mean this thing is so clean its silly.

Now...I've been in touch with this guy off and on for months....he knows I like the car, but not his price. He made me an offer I'm not sure I can refuse....on the other hand, I've learned everything I know about Porsches from this community and trust you guys alot more than him.

I realize this is NOT anything a purist would do much more than laugh at.....on the other hand, I see Porsche cars as a work of ART and have an appreciation for what this car offers with respect to that as opposed to just stock. Trust me, I like stock as well....but I do appreciate beauty/art.

I guess I have 2 questions.....
1. What value would you put on this ?
2. It has no A/C....does it look like thats something that can be squeezed into the engine compartment as it stands?

I guess I'm kinda leaving this in you guys hands....if you think the value is there, I may do this...otherwise I will not as I have a couple other cars I'm interested in.

UberXY

Let me say that I do not like Porsche convertibles, factory or otherwise, but I have to admit this is a very attractive car.

You might be shocked by the cost of putting AC in a non AC car. Browse Giffiths site and get an idea of what new, high quality components cost -compressors, condensers, evaporators, and various odds and ends. If you are not doing the work yourself, add many hours of labor.

As to what the car is worth, well first I would figure out what an unmodified 82 in similar shape would be worth. From my my vantage, the top chop would take away from the value of the car, but I think most people would see it as adding value. How much? $3k? $5k?

Best of luck with your purchase.

MUSSBERGER

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...e&rdpage=thumb

You're back to this one?

Shannon123

Maybe....maybe not. Like I said, he's making me an offer....not me making him an offer. I'm patient though and if you guys tell me not to do it, I won't. I told him I liked the car but could not get close to his price and now hes coming back to me.

race911

That's because cars like this are illiquid. No home equity ATM to tap anymore. And certainly no loan to get on cars like these. If it's an OK car, I wouldn't want to have any more than $13-15K tied up in it, tax/transportation/fiddling with little stuff. Harsh? Maybe. But certainly where the market stands.

User 4221

No A/C in Houston? Man, that would be a deal breaker for me.

joseph mitro

illiquid? never heard that one before.

it's a beautiful car. looks like a nice transformation.

i don't know what's involved in transforming a targa to a cab, but if it's structurally sound, well cared for, and you like it, then go for it.

the car may not be as "valuable" to purists, but since beauty is in the eye of the beholder, there might just be one person who sees the car as highly valuable; maybe that person is you?

Shannon123

Well, I spent 20 years in the hedge fund business and this is not as much about the dollars spent as it is about 'how do get out of it if I need to'......and I don't want to start in the hole (ie something that has exceedingly small audience) from the initial purchase day. I also realize that nearly all these cars are pretty illliquid but I don't want to get in a situation that is even more so.

I would buy it in a heart beat for 14k though...lol

race911

Yeah, illiquid. An '07 Boxster or 997, like it or not, pretty much has a market value. Can be freely traded on the retail or wholesale level. Even more so would be an '07 Suburban, Accord or F-150. Commodity transportation. Dial it back to 25+ year old 911s, and the market shrinks. But it's still there if the car is stock/stock-ish. We made a LOT of money on wholesale butchering of 911s in the '80s. In 2010, the decent remnants have a limited audience.

joseph mitro

ah, i see. I don't have a finance background.

if you're seeing this as purely a financial decision, i can't offer much help. sure, the car has a smaller market than a suburban, but I don't buy a (toy) vehicle based on market value, resale value, practicality, or anything else like that. if that was the case, I would never have a german sports car(s) to begin with. and my racecar would be a financial drain (well, it IS, but I chose to do so)

i buy/build/race my cars based on the emotional and psychological enjoyment I get from them. there's plenty of other decisions in life where being rational is necessary

AND I'd argue that the older 911 is still a very desirable car, with enough market value to keep it from being "illiquid"

aualexa2

Newbie question...there aren't any of the factory stickers (tire pressure/firing order, etc.) on the bottom under the rear engine lid. Do they need to replace/revise that area to convert it from a targa to a cab or could that suggest there was some rear damage that preceded the conversion?

Shannon123

It (the purchase) IS as much about my ego or psychy as anything, BUT, I can't shake my traders mentality in the sense that I may not want to own it (anything IT is) for ever and I don't view my purchase as a disposable asset. That said, I would at least like to keep it on the asset side of the ledge even if its not an appreciating asset.

Shannon123

I saw the pre-tranformation Targa car PICS and there did not appear to be any damage what-so-ever....but I do wonder why they did not opt to put some stickers back on it.

I like your car....can you share your purchase price with me via PM ? Also, did it come with the RUF wheels...if not how much were you able to pick those up for ?

Thanks

Brett San Diego

With regard to AC, there is a duct or beautification plate in the way of where the compressor mounts. See inside the blue circle:



The black triangular plate (or whatever it is) is in the way of the compressor mount. It would have to come off. I can't tell if it is just a sheetmetal thing that is easily removable or if it is a duct integral to the engine shroud. If I recall correctly, there are engine shrouds with this kind of additional ducting on either side of the fan, but I'm not sure of whether it would ever appear on an SC engine. Maybe this is something factory on non-AC 911SC's. I have no idea. The duct in the pic also needs to be smaller for AC cars in order to squeeze between the fan shroud and the compressor. That part is easy: couple of reducers and new duct, but I don't know about the other thingy. It will be a few thousand dollars to get AC into the car, and it probably won't be that great. The vents on SC's are very small and don't provide very good air flow.

My 2 cents on value. There is nothing to compare it to. Something so highly modified is way outside the SC market. The only way to think about it, in my opinion, is to ask the question, "What would it cost me to build this car myself?" and go from there. I find it hard to imagine it appreciating in value because, if I ask myself the same question above as time goes by, I don't see the cost to build it going up all that much. The donor car needed to start with is probably going to be a beater SC that will be cheaper than one now, and I don't think the cost of parts and labor are going to go up all that much. If you've got value and appreciation on the brain, this isn't the car to consider in my humble opinion. If you want a car that looks like it would be a blast to drive and absolutely has a wow factor to it on the street, this is it.

Brett

500

IIRC the cabrios had extra sheet metal welded onto the inner rockers from the factory - this would be one item of the transformation I would be particularly keen to check into.

If you have seen all the tranformation pics, then you will have a good idea of what you really have.

It does look to be a nice, clean Porsche in very good condition. You will likely have a nice ownership experience but you will always have a hard time to sell it. I would not go past mid- to high-teens at the most.

PPI is a must.