Hello all -

I'm seriously considering a 1988 911 to replace several 996s that I have owned over the years. I have found one that looks to be exactly what I'm interested in - now I need a bit of info to push me over the edge.

First, the car - 1988 coupe, G50 tranny, 110k miles, same owner from 1995-2011, every single maintenance/repair receipt since new in a binder, $7k spent in 2011 alone on maintenance. Cosmetically I'd say the car is a 9.5 - every single bulb, seal, ****, etc has been fixed or replaced, all dings have been removed, paint is excellent, interior is excellent. Guards red on black with a sunroof. Aftermarket stereo with Bluetooth and amp/sub. Brand new tires, no scuffs on the Fuchs at all, car has whale tail currently but decklid sans the tail is also included. New clutch less than 2k miles ago. Car is 2 miles from my house.

This would be my first air cooled, and I will have RUF do a PPI and leakdown before I pull the trigger. Assuming all looks good, where should I be on pricing? At what mileage is a rebuild common? Car needs an alignment (acknowledged by the seller), but other than that it seems to drive perfect - tight shifting, no sloppiness, no creaks or rattles at all.

This car was on a poster on my wall in high school, right next to Farrah Fawcett and Heather Thomas. Same color, right year, everything. Someone channel Nike and tell me to just do it - and give me the right price too.

TIA -

Todd

 

Car sounds well documented although it's strange that the seller would spend 7K in maintenance and get new tires and not spend the 100.00 or so dollars for an alignment ...

Do get a PPI and take it from there,that is a nice car if it passes the PPi test !
If the car is as good as it seems you could be looking anywhere from 16 to 22 K for pricing all depending on the PPI results !

Cheers !
Phil

 

I'd concur. Based on what we've seen lately, my guess is this would be 20ish. Nice cars seem to command a few $. Unless one of the "3 D's" comes into play. Don't worry about 110K, it could pass 200k easily, if all is well now.

 

Todd...

this is a one way trip from the world of 996's...hurry and find what you have been missing....my car is north of 175k on the original motor....you have a few years of service left in the ole' girl...drive it everyday...I do!

 

awe man, i just read its a red coupe...YUKK!!! RUN AWAY !!

 

Why is the owner selling the car? Especially after all the recent "investments."

 

Do it if it checks out. I got a 1987 in June that sounds very similar and love it. If it is in fact as nice as described, they are becoming pretty difficult to find. especially with that documentation. There are a lot of G50 911's around that are behind in maint and a little beat up for the 15-18 range. If it checks out, around 20k seems about right. I bought mine with 133k on it and the top end was rebuilt around 128k. Bottom ends last quite long if car is taken care of like others on the forum have said.

 

Thanks for the comments - the current owner bought it from the previous owner (from 1995-2011) earlier this year and cosmetically rehabbed it extensively - my feeling is that he got a great deal and then put some money into it, and now he's moving on to another project. I wouldn't do anything without the proper PPI, and it looks like the pricing is right in line with the recommendations so far. I know sometimes cars that look brand new can mask a lot of issues that ring up the register in a hurry, so I'm hoping the internals are as good as the externals.

 

I couldn't remember who Heather Thomas was so I googled her. If the car looks as good as her current pics do, 20+ years after her poster was shot, I'd say at least make one of your dream posters a reality! Good luck!

 

20ish sounds about right. This one sounds a little nicer than mine so I paid quite a bit less. My mileage was the same although it did not have any receipts. The shop that did the PPI knew the car so I knew it had been serviced. The PPI will tell the tale.

 

With the documentation you have, is the paint included? A good/decent paint job starts at $10K. Your PPI should include a body specialist with a paint meter, not just a magnet. It sounds as though the mechanicals will pass easily. Is red the original color? "Resale red" is a scary color.

 

Well you are certainly going about it the right way. You are getting a PPI and you are looking at a car that looks great as-is (rather than trying to buy a cheaper fixer-upper, which never ends up cheaper).

Low 20’s sounds about right if the PPI confirms that it is as nice as it seems.

Ask the owner about oil consumption, and read Peter Zimmerman’s PPI sticky at the top of this forum, he describes a good test driving procedure for evaluating the valve-guides. That is the one thing you will routinely hear about these cars: Top end rebuild needed due to valve guide wear. Some cars get it early (well before 100K), others will get it much later, it is a bit of a crap shoot. If your leakdown is good, and there are no signs of excessive oil consumption, then there is a very good chance that you will have some decent mileage before you need a top-end. A decent top-end is an expensive proposition, however, and that is why you must evaluate things carefully. I too wonder why one would spend $7K on a car and then sell. It may be totally just that the owner wants to move on, or it could be that he knows there will be an expen$ive bill not too far in the future and wants to get out ahead of that.

Also, take a close look at the floor of the trunk around the battery. Be extremely attentive for any signs of corrosion. An otherwise perfectly rust-free car can have a problem here if a battery ever leaked in the past. I think this is not a very uncommon issue with a lot of these cars. Repairable, but costly.

 

just do it! offer $18k cold hard cash..... the mileage is your bargaining chip, pending PPI of course.

 

Thanks everyone - I may have dawdled too long as there is another potential buyer moving faster than me. No worries - I like to take my time.

Seller acknowledged paintwork on side right away due to being keyed, and the paint match is great. The original color is GR and the paint pops.

Seller has 5 cars and is looking to simplify and make a little $$. Could be a major engine service is about to be needed, who knows - but I think he's an honest guy. He's been giving me right of first refusal but I told him to sell it if he has someone ready to go right now.

If it happens, I'll post some pics. If not, I'll just keep looking. Honestly, I have more fun searching than I do buying.