mmporsche

I have been out of the earlier 911s for a while and hoping to get some feedback here on the forum. I found a 1989 911 that is cosmetically rough and has around 118K miles. 2nd owner since 27K miles.

Sport seats but the driver one is in bad shape - tears, etc. Also, single crack on the dash. The interior is a 7/10. There are a few dents in the passenger door - fairly small that may be PDRd.

Appears to be 100% stock minus the radio and has 7 and 8 x 16" fuchs.

What do you think a fair price for the car would be if it checks out mechanically?

mmporsche

Bueler? Bueler?

MrBonus

Assuming a smooth shifting G50 and solid compression/leakdown, maybe $16,000? I think it depends on how bad the paint is too. Do you think some deep polishing could bring the paint back?

wasaracer68

I just bought a very similar '88. 102k miles, 1 repaint, interior 7/10, new clutch. Runs very well, body very straight. Some suspension upgrades. Seller asked $20k, I paid $18k. I feel it's worth every penny. I'm typically not one to beat a guy up too bad when buying. I've seen many of these listed for a lot more and imagine $16k to be a very good price. I had a '71 T for a long time and love that the '88 carries the same body lines. 964's seem to be iffy, 993's are out of range and everyone has a 996.

irobertson

The fronts are 6" Fuchs, not 7s, so I'm thinking it actually has 6s & 7s, which would be stock sizes.
Based on the cosmetic issues, I'd assume that it was not a well cared for car, and I'd be looking carefully at the mechanical side to make sure any issues get revealed.
I haven't been following the market much, but when thinking about what you would have to do to bring it back up to snuff.
I agree with wasaracer and say $18K is a good ceiling. In great condition it's probably a $26K car, so work backwards from there. It easy to dump $10K into one of these once you get into it.
4 years ago I paid $19K for my '88, that needed some little things, which turned out to be $5K worth of "little" things.

Opo

I think $16-$18k , with a PPI done
Good luck bro.

mmporsche

Thank you all for the advice. I thought I read somewhere that '89s had 7 and 8 inch fuchs standard? Anyway, as long as this blizzard doesn't get too large she will be at the local air-cooled specialists in Denver getting checked out. The owner is a retired captain in the Air Force. He live abroad now and gave the car to his son who drove it a few years and parked it at mom's house. I suspect there may be some mechanical issues, otherwise, why would you ever just park an '89 911. More to come tomorrow.

Thank you all and keep the comments coming please.

mmporsche

Based on my spreadsheet with the cost of repairs of what I can see just cosmetically I am starting to think $12 to $14K is reasonable......

Ruf964

lets look at it from a $ standpoint. core value of a 3.2 is around 2500.00, core value of a g5001 is around 2000.00, the roller shell is worth around 4500.00 to 6500.00. wheels worth likely in the 800.00 ish range if no curbing or marks on them. so on a low end, likely worth say 10ish, and if the ppi checks out then middle ground being 15ish, and upper end needing paint and interior and tires from sitting is around 17-18. i personally wouldnt pay more than 14-15 or so if the ppi works out. knowing a proper paint is 6-10 depending on how in depth you go, interior work likely around 1500.00 or more. tires around 800.00 to 1500.00 depending on brand. so you could quickly go above the 26grand ceiling the car could be worth if in excellent shape. just watch out, likely you could find an excellent car that needs nothing and pay less than you will have in this one. just my .02

mmporsche

I appreciate and agree with your comments. Part of the reason the car is attractive is that it does require work and I know I have the resources to have it done to my standards. Plus I like projects. Lastly, this car is appealing because it is local and sitting in my enclosed trailer waiting to go to the shop tomorrow. Buying a car out of state adds significant complexity and everything always looks better in pictures. That and the fact that I don't have my trusted shop to do the PPI.

Thank you all for your comments and suggestions. I will report the outcome early next week.

theiceman

I dont think you will be owning a 89 911 for that .. if he even comes close grab it ..

Ruf964

i bought a 89 911 driver a while back for 6500.00, high miles, paint a 4 out of a 10, but motor and trans were strong. needed tires. interior was 4-5 out of 10. just 2 months ago i was given a 88 911 with blown motor. otherwise a decent car and complete with g50. so it is possible.

theiceman

wow that was a good grab for that car .. an 89 911 is about the best of the breed. and high miles for any other car isnt that much for a 911 ... well , a real 911 anyway ..

mmporsche

I had the car checked-out today and found a number of issues including many cracked hoses (oil and fuel), CV boots, on and on. The seller has owned the car since 27K miles but has not retained any records. Based on the condition I am guessing he changed the oil occasionally and that is about it. My questions are these; 1. Since the clutch has not been replaced at 118K miles is it safe to assume it is nearly toast or will fail very soon? 2. More importantly, if the motor has not had any top-end work done to address valve guides, is it also safe to assume it will need this very soon? I have read that the 3.2 motors almost always require the top-end rebuilt before 100K. If the seller is willing to really drop his asking price and I don't have a $7K engine bill on the near horizon I may turn this into a track car. I don't see it ever being a nice driver based on the fact it wouldn't be worth investing the money to make it a real stunner, at least with current values. Again, any and all comments are welcome and appreciated.

tchanson

For 1989 only, US market 3.2's came with 6" front and 8"rear Fuchs as standard, which it appears this car has.


Tim