Shannon123

With Whalebirds encouragement I am asking for thoughts on this clone listed on EBAY. The seller is/has been member over at Pelican for some time as well.

Whalebird gave me a pretty good laundry list of things to think about, but I wanted to get some others opinions. The seller recently sold the car on EBAY for 22k and change, but the buyer was unable to perform (nothing to do with inspection), hence, its back up for auction. Apparently he had no takers from his Pelican ad either. Being in love with Jack Olsens car, I've always kept an open mind about the RSR clones and this has the apperance of being fairly nice. Whalebird mentioned making sure the car was never damaged since it is a backdated car.....any other ideas from you sharp minded folks would be appreciated.

Thanks

strudel

I'd want a leak down & compression test. Test drive to check the trans. Also, no mention of engine or trans work. Engine & trans reseal doesn't mean much.

whalebird

Beyond the wheels, it looks like it's all there. B&B is not my first choice but not that bad either, welt chip is maybe second tier, but I don't know chips. The seats are unrecognizable to me, and unless anybody can vouch for them, maybe average.
Obviously my take is that it's a good effort at a backdate, but perhaps some compramises were made. The good(great) part of it is that it's an 89 (not a mid year beater) and many of the "upgrades" can be replaced or upgraded at will.
This car could be a great driver if A/C and radio are not an issue and no masive collisions exist in the past.
Drivers top strut mount looks shabby at a glance.
Oh, did I mention the wheels.

rusnak

It's an interesting car. I kind of don't like the Performance Products looking gingerbread stuff, but only because it snaps you back into reality too soon that you are not looking at a real RSR.

I would price it according to a similar 3.2 and value the mods themselves at zero.

Shannon123

I found his old ad at Pelican...

He did mention fresh clutch and new engine seals/valve adjustment as well.

I agree on the wheels......hate them. I know its unsafe to assume anything on these cars, BUT, is it as simple as just changing out 15" for 17" wheels/tires....or does the suspension have to be fiddled with ?

Thanks Rusnak....I guess that would explain why the price never made it much above 22k ?! BTW, wouldn't the EFI add some value ?

whalebird

I would like to see a picture of the front underside. Is there an oil cooler behind that front grill?

Busta Rib

It's a good foundation to build an RSR clone. I agree, the wheels are not attractive. I think it should just be a matter of finding 16s or 17s (no suspension mods required with the right offset), but you would have to budget another $2-3K just for the wheels. The PPI should point out mechanical issues. B&B exhausts are notoriously loud and drone, so unless you like loud, you will probably want to swap that out too. You could live with it out of the box, but I think you are $5-10K on top of purchase price from making it your own. That would probably be the case for any car you buy.

Personally, if I was going to buy it as a daily, I would want AC and a stereo. The latter is a fairly easy remedy, assuming all the wiring is there. But adding the AC would be spendy. Keep us posted. It is a looker. The fresh paint, steel flares, carpeting, RS door cards, and 89 platform are all attractive.

Shannon123

Busta Rib....thanks for the info. I had figured on the wheels.....but really did not consider the exhaust, because 'loud and drone' would make my wife miserable and when shes not happy, nobody is happy.

I should have bought that car you bought when I had the chance (lol).....that guy in Tahoe keeps begging me to buy his widebody....I would have probably already done so, but the burgundy interior is far from first choice on colors. Did you ever get to the point of driving the one in Tahoe ?

HkPlinker

Hey, whalebird, don't knock mid year cars. I have an original paint 76 Talbot Yellow 911s that is a pure joy to drive. Not to beat up the mid year cars, but my 911 has a custom built, lowered, four wheel coil over Bilsten set up, 1967 sand cast block punched to accept the 2.7 l and SSI exhaust and headers and dynos 225hp 210 torque, new interior, top, wheels, . . . but technically, it is a 1976 car, right?

whalebird

I know people who don't mind or notice the drone in B&B exhaust. B&Bs quality control has been all over the place, and there are a few exhausts out there that sound OK, whether it the exhaust being different, or the owner IDK. Their turbo system may be a bit better, but there is a turbo in the system acting as a baffle.
I can't defend B&B too much, but it may be worth a listen to decide for yourself. I wouldn't want it personnaly. Smog testing may be an issue.
Did I miss something or are the Carrera chain tensioners missing???

whalebird

HK, I am not knocking middies at all. I very much like a 2.7 and hope the market stays soft on them for a while...I'll buy one. That being said, you may remember my praise of your lovely targa, I would drop the coin on that car as quick as any at the same price. I REALLY like your targa and I know you were toying with the idea of selling a while back.
I'm a huge proponent of the middies, just not the ones that have fallen under the knife and butchered. They represent the most for the least in my book. Cheers.
Shannon, I know it's not your style, but that yellow targa is a real looker, and has all the right stuff for an exciting 911, and HK has talked about selling......worth a look for sure.

HkPlinker

Yep, I'm debating selling the car. For some reason I'm looking to get a SL

whalebird

What kind of SL? I've had tons of Mercedes experience, probably more than Porsche over the years.
In my mind, the SLs are cool cars, all of them were purpose built but there may be a few versions to avoid. The mid seventies 450 and the early eighties 380 come to mind.

HkPlinker

My wife wants a 89 560sl. I am trying to deside what czar to sell (garage room) the 88 Turbo or the targa. Both cars are a blast to drive, but are very different to describe the experience. I kind of have the best of both worlds, as far as true guts, old school P-cars go

whalebird

89 is easily my pick of that chassis style. Make no mistake, an 89 560SL is a heavy and powerful car. They only weigh a bit less than their 560 SEL, 4-door siblings. A different driving experience altogether, but a 560SL is a very capable GT.