Newbie Evaluation of 911 SC
03-16-2003, 07:50 PM
#1
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Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Honeoye Falls NY
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Newbie Evaluation of 911 SC
I'm looking for an 80-83 SC. A co-worker has a 911 SC, 1980 with 84k miles. It's a nice light metallic blue. He is asking $11k. The test drive felt fine, although the 2nd gear synchro felt balky. Last weekend I came over armed with my jacks, stands, coveralls and tasklighting. Results of the inspection revealed the following:
1. In general, Ziebart undercoating makes a mess of things, and I think can cause problems. It made it hard to judge the condition of hoses for rot. I think it can be removed with kerosene.
2. Spare tire area was wet at some point, judging by some (no perforation or bubbling) minor rust.
3. Brake calipers and rotors looked good, most likely not original.
4. Mileage is low. IF this was achieved with short trips, not good. The original owner lived in Naples NY; he died and his daughter had it for two years. My friend has had it for about 2 years and done nothing except put 4k miles on it.
5. Lower mount of antenna winder mech was fastened with (ugh!) pipe strap. Missing grommet for antenna lead; duct seal crap used in place.
6. Left front fender was replaced. The tip off was the fasteners along the inside on the trunk area. There was also some wrinkled sheet metal around the battery box. This was the result of a deer strike. From the outside I could not tell it was replaced.
7. Cruise control and alarm added. Shoddy practices observed. I would elect to remove all the stuff.
8. Pan damage (a dent) on left side by improper lifting pad placement. I think it could be straightened from the inside left rear foot well.
9. Crushed oil line on right side behind right front wheel, again by improper lifting pad placement. It is either the return or supply line going to the trombone oil cooler. 100” long, $317 plus truck freight.
10. There are no seatbelts in the back.
11. Minor damage to left door, apparently a half-hearted attempt to pry the door open. Worst case would be a door skin replacement. Other than that, the doors were very clean and rust free.
12. The paint, outside of some small chips on leading edge of hood was very nice; no fading or clear coat failure. Small dent on engine deck lid which I think could be tapped out from the inside.
13. Left lower rear quarter (below seam) had minor scrape that goes partially onto the flair.
14. Some oil and fuel line straps were missing. The ones left were quite corroded. They would all have to be replaced.
15. Battery hold down missing. Wrong type battery also in place.
16. Lower front spoiler loose on left side; probably some missing fasteners. Rubber air dam has minor gash showing rust. Is not cheap (few hundred $). Might be able to patch.
17. Suspicious amount of oil on bottom of transmission.
18. One exhaust flange nut missing. A broken four flute tap is in another hole, with a nut on it.
19. Carrera tensioners added by a local reputable shop when my friend bought it.
20. No air box pop off valve.
21. Interior messy, but the leather, headliner and dash actually in nice shape.
22. Fuchs are in very good condition; no scrapes, paint faded. Rear tires worn, fronts are OK.
23. On the left side there is like a black cover over the rocker; it’s got a big dent. I could not identify this at Performance Parts. It probably is not cheap.
24. Engine compartment looks OK. Deck lid struts sagging.
25. AC assumed to not be working; at the very least in need of R12 recharge.
After the inspection I was discouraged by what I saw, and felt that it was not worth $11k. I have have not tried to negotiate him down. A car like this needs work, which I could handle with a lot of patience. The question is, is this thing worth 11k or 10k? Could I find something much cleaner for $15k?
1. In general, Ziebart undercoating makes a mess of things, and I think can cause problems. It made it hard to judge the condition of hoses for rot. I think it can be removed with kerosene.
2. Spare tire area was wet at some point, judging by some (no perforation or bubbling) minor rust.
3. Brake calipers and rotors looked good, most likely not original.
4. Mileage is low. IF this was achieved with short trips, not good. The original owner lived in Naples NY; he died and his daughter had it for two years. My friend has had it for about 2 years and done nothing except put 4k miles on it.
5. Lower mount of antenna winder mech was fastened with (ugh!) pipe strap. Missing grommet for antenna lead; duct seal crap used in place.
6. Left front fender was replaced. The tip off was the fasteners along the inside on the trunk area. There was also some wrinkled sheet metal around the battery box. This was the result of a deer strike. From the outside I could not tell it was replaced.
7. Cruise control and alarm added. Shoddy practices observed. I would elect to remove all the stuff.
8. Pan damage (a dent) on left side by improper lifting pad placement. I think it could be straightened from the inside left rear foot well.
9. Crushed oil line on right side behind right front wheel, again by improper lifting pad placement. It is either the return or supply line going to the trombone oil cooler. 100” long, $317 plus truck freight.
10. There are no seatbelts in the back.
11. Minor damage to left door, apparently a half-hearted attempt to pry the door open. Worst case would be a door skin replacement. Other than that, the doors were very clean and rust free.
12. The paint, outside of some small chips on leading edge of hood was very nice; no fading or clear coat failure. Small dent on engine deck lid which I think could be tapped out from the inside.
13. Left lower rear quarter (below seam) had minor scrape that goes partially onto the flair.
14. Some oil and fuel line straps were missing. The ones left were quite corroded. They would all have to be replaced.
15. Battery hold down missing. Wrong type battery also in place.
16. Lower front spoiler loose on left side; probably some missing fasteners. Rubber air dam has minor gash showing rust. Is not cheap (few hundred $). Might be able to patch.
17. Suspicious amount of oil on bottom of transmission.
18. One exhaust flange nut missing. A broken four flute tap is in another hole, with a nut on it.
19. Carrera tensioners added by a local reputable shop when my friend bought it.
20. No air box pop off valve.
21. Interior messy, but the leather, headliner and dash actually in nice shape.
22. Fuchs are in very good condition; no scrapes, paint faded. Rear tires worn, fronts are OK.
23. On the left side there is like a black cover over the rocker; it’s got a big dent. I could not identify this at Performance Parts. It probably is not cheap.
24. Engine compartment looks OK. Deck lid struts sagging.
25. AC assumed to not be working; at the very least in need of R12 recharge.
After the inspection I was discouraged by what I saw, and felt that it was not worth $11k. I have have not tried to negotiate him down. A car like this needs work, which I could handle with a lot of patience. The question is, is this thing worth 11k or 10k? Could I find something much cleaner for $15k?
03-16-2003, 09:48 PM
#2
Technical Specialist
Rennlist
Lifetime Member
Rennlist
Lifetime Member
Looks like you did a pretty thorough inspection. In addition, I'd want to know compression, and if indicated, leakdown values to gauge the health of the engine. On price, the asking price sounds overpriced. You need to consider a number of different sources to hone in on a target price. I just looked up one source - Kelly blue book (www.kbb.com) private party values for a 1983 (as far back as they go) 911SC, 84K miles in good condition using my CT zipcode = $8,300. And you're looking at a 1980 model with some known fix needs. If you do get one without the pop off, get that puppy on there quick, or sometime in the future you'll be reading the article on replacing the airbox at tech.rennlist.com.
