bcgreen

I am the early stages of researching 911s and I would like to know what is the upper limit for a restored 1973 911s coupe with a/c? How about one with just a rebuilt engine?
I hope this is not a stupid question, but I am researching this vehicle and hope to get more info at some local shows as well.
Thanks

Steve Weiner-Rennsport Systems

A really nice, fully optioned '73 S runs anywhere from $80K to around $125K.

bcgreen

Thanks, now I have a starting point. $80K for a restored one, wouldn't that be considered a steal and highly unlikely I would find one? Just asking.

Brian 96C2

It all depends on the quality of the restoration. At $80K for a bad or even average restoration may not be much of a steal and worse case a very costly mistake. Take your time and learn as much as possible about these cars and make sure to examine as many as possible. Happy hunting.

masterdave

+1 for doing a lot of research first.

The long hoods are beautiful cars and have a very rich history. Due to how many were made people have come to know and document the common issues very well. There are lots of things to look out for when buying these cars especial restored ones. Many people say that every Porsche has a price, what you dont pay for the initial car you will pay in work after you buy it. If you have 80k to spend you may want to consider buying a car in rough shape and going through the restoration yourself. This has many advantages over buying an already restored car. Most importantly you can chose who does what and make sure the shop is reputable. It also gives you control over the car you will get in the end, you can pick color, seat type, interior color, fabrics, etc. etc.. The issue here is this route takes far longer than just buying a nice car. If it were up to me and I had 80K I would take 20K buy a nice 89 Carrera in good order as my DD then spend the remaining 60K on a slow restoration of a nice Pre 73 Long hood to use as a show car but that's just me.

Regards
Dave

ivangene

want a great car from a great place - call Kevin @ Road Scholars - he will find you a car and you wont be disappointed

http://road-scholars.com/

Kevin is in Washington right now, I saw him yesterday - he travels a LOT though - he just found a nice 67 targa soft window locally for a client and always has leads on cars

Amber Gramps

Over the years we've seen lots of very rusty long hoods snatched up for about $30,000 and shipped back to Germany for restoration. Some get lucky and need only minor repair, other are in for at least another $30,000 in repairs, let alone VAT tax.

I'd take a serious look at California Porsche Restoration.

bcgreen

I've been to their webpage and their prices are more than I can justify. I just feel there are probably others out there that are comparible for less. I might be wrong, but I just haven't traveled around to look.
Right now I don't even know where to look at when I am judging how good the vehicle is. Is it possible for it to look excellent, but it really isn't? How do I know?

bcgreen

Thanks for the info. I would rather have one that doesn't need restoration, I've done that in my younger days, and besides nowadays its better to buy a restored vehicle than to spend the time and money to get it restored.
I understand your point, but I think the wife would frown on the project.
My whole point is to enjoy the car, for car shows and occasion Sunday drives and lastly as an investment. To me there nothing like driving a car that is worth more than you paid for it.
Do you agree that the '73 911S is the best investment for around $100K or another vehicle? Just asking.

bcgreen

will send him an email. Thanks

Peter Zimmermann

bc, I humbly suggest that you ring up Amazon.com and buy a copy of the 8th Edition of my book, The Used 911 Story.

Also, you have a priceless resource right in WLA, Marc Bixen has just relocated Red Line and will be open on the 1st of October. His new number is 310-280-0700.

bcgreen

Wow, thanks, that is really helpful.

masterdave

If you are looking for one that is fully restored than you are in a different ball game than many people here. First off 100K is a LOT of money, you should not have any issue finding a very nice car for that kind of money. If you are willing to wait for what you want you can have just about any 911 your heart desires (although maybe not a 73-74 Carrera RS).

Now as for your question on if it is a good investment or not. That is a tough thing to answer the value of a car like this is very subjective. While many enthusiasts would pay a good deal for a nice car there are 1003485839 times as many people out there who would never spend the money. In general I would say that the price of older sports cars has been consistently going up. I have how ever noticed a trend, the price of cars will go up and up until the generation of people that remember them from there childhood die. At this point the market will level out and sales will soften. I say this as a result of a 1931 Ford Model A I own. Older people used to come up and offer me all sorts of prices for the car when i was younger. As time has gone on many of the people form this generation have passed away and I rarely even meet any one on the road that knows what the car is anymore.

I would be inclined to think that if you buy a nice 911 and care for it as you should it will hold if not increase its value over time. To answer your other question, yes there are other cars out there that will also do this but that is a personal thing. You must ask yourself what kind of car YOU want. For example I am 21 years old, I can put up with no AC, a rough ride, a car that is almost impossible to get in and out of, no power steering, a heavy clutch, and a general lack of creature comforts. My dream cars are basically a Lamborghini Countach, Ford GT40 (the original not the new one), Ferrari Testorossa, and one of the 2 road legal 917's. I would DD any of these cars but that's just me. On that note I would also pay a good deal for them, many people would not pay more than $100 for the sillyness that is a Countach.


Regards
Dave

bcgreen

My other cars I wouldn't mind owning are: 275 GTB, 330 GTC, split window and the Ford GT(not the original too hot) One thing I hate is putting out a bunch of money, just to loose a bunch of it when it comes time to trade or sell, so staying power at my age is more important than at any other time in my life.

masterdave

The Ferrari's are well Ferrari's, now I have never owned one but I have heard that the stories are true. When compared to the 911 they are going to be much harder to fix and harder to source parts for, but hey its a Ferrari that's the nature of the beast. As for the new GT I have seen them in person and they are awesome, flat out awesome but a whole different beast than the long hoods. All of the cars you listed will hold there value with in my opinion the exception of the GT. Although it will hold its value I think it is in a different league than the Ferrari's and Porsche's of days past. I say if you can, drive them all and see which one you like best.

Regards
Dave