kenpac

Excuse my ignorance on the subject, but does Excellence have recent price guide figures for a 79SC Targa and 79SC Coupe. The car has 130k+ miles. Two owner (current owner purchased it in 89).

I'm just looking for a range, my thinking is somewhere in the $9-11K range. The car has a fairly complete service history back to the mid 1980s, with all the normal updates (SSI, pop-off, oil fed tensioners) and a few suspension mods (lowered with 84 Turbo suspension components). Interior is only 5 out of 10, exterior 6-7 out of 10. Rebuilt trans at 95k miles. Also, the car has been tracked, but not used much in the last couple years.

I'm having a local mech (his shop specializes in Porsches) do a PPI next week with leak down <- his suggestion. I plan to do some autox and DE with the car, and maybe use it 1-2 days a week to drive to work.

Thanks in advance,

Ken

96conv

Hey Ken,

Here's what Excellence says about the car you're looking for:

911 Coupe -
1979 Poor = $12105 / Good = $13763 / Excellent = $18425

911 Targa -
1979 Poor = $11760 / Good = $13371 / Excellent = $17900

I bought my '79 SC Targa in May and paid $13000 for it. It had 125K miles but it's in very good to excellent shape. All it needed were new rear tires and front brake pads. However, I'm going to have the seats re-stuffed and elevated because I'm kinda short. Good luck with your search!

Chris

kenpac

Thanks Chris.

Wow those numbers are higher than I expected. I've seen people on a few of the boards complaining there was little/no interest in their 911sc even when the price was less than 10k.

I know pricing on these cars is a combination of things. Location seems to be a factor - the more rare the car is in that area the higher the price (not as many here on the east coast it seems). Obviously condition is a key point. The other biggie (at least for me) is a well-documented service history, coupled with the seller’s term of ownership - I've seen plenty of 911s where the seller has owned the car less than a year and has no/limited knowledge of the cars history.

Of course all this is well and good, but a good PPI is still a must. One of the cars I'm considering has a very detailed service history and only 2 owners, but aesthetically it's a bit rough - since my intentions are not to show the car, but use it for autox/DE I can live with it (besides I'd be clearing out the interior a bit anyway).

Good luck with your car, how do you like it? Any problems after you purchased it? Thanks again.

Ken

Stuttgart951

Ken, Ive found the Excellence values to be on the high side for 911's and on the low side for every other model.

Without pics it would be hard to tell, but if your describing the interior as 5/10 Im envisioning rips, tears, stains and burns. Likewise, your discription of the exterior has me envisioning a dent or two, fading paint, and scratches.

Given this, I would probably walk away and find a different car, but since this one seems to be well sorted mechanically it may not be that bad of a buy if you arent into cosmetics and plan to track the car. I bet you could get it for a hair under $10K if you play your cards right - its a buyers market right now.

96conv

The car's been very reliable so far. One time it almost left me stranded but started again after I left it alone for 45 minutes. It was a very hot day (100 degF) and I was taking people on short, fast drives in it. On my last drive, it failed to start. I think the engine oil was just too hot. I pushed it under a shade and left the hood open for a while and it was good to go again.

kenpac

Yep that's about it. The exterior, in all fairness, is not too bad - a few minor issues. However, the interior shows it's age (dash cracked - damaged by water from busted windshield (since replaced), carpets are every bit of 24 years old, and seats could be better). Again I'll be replacing a few interior stock components anyway regardless of the car, so I'm not to bent out about those thing

I'll know more on the mech side next week, but the owner has done a ton of work to the car over the years and has a large file full of receipts to back it up.

Price is on the high side $11ish. So for now I'm still keeping my options open.

Ken

kenpac

Sounds like the "hotstart" problem. There's been quite a bit of discussion on this topic in the past.

Ken

96conv

I guess I better do a search on the problem. Thanks for the heads-up.

kenpac

I just spoke with someone selling there 80sc with the same problem. not all that uncommon from what I've been told.

Ken

davs911

Ken,
I have a 79SC and paid $9000 for it with 135,000 miles. The previous owner had receipts back many years. I did a PPI and found the car to be true. Many can't believe the paint is original it is so clean. The dash is not cracked and original. The seats have no rips but could be re-bolstered. 1st and 2nd gear could use new sync's. The only real problem is the air conditioner which won't hold a charge.

The previous owner had it listed for $12000 and was very tired of people "test driving" the car. I was a serious buyer and made an offer he took.

My advise is to wait and watch cars that have been for sale for a while then make an offer. You risk losing a deal but, I think people get sick of trying to sell a car and are more willing to sell for your asking price. The market for any extra "fun" items is very soft right now so timing is perfect for a deal.

I might suggest a 84 and up if you can afford it. I really, really want more horsepower.

kenpac

Your price sounds about right, from what I've seen. Did the car have any mods or was it stock? Where are you located, seems certain areas have more supply and it's reflected in the price?

As far as the 84 and up suggestion . . . I'm pretty much capped at around $10k with some reserve left over for a few need/desired updates, so I'd be priced out with the 84+ year cars.

Thanks,
Ken

Trust me

Paid $7,000 for my 81' SC Targa. It has 144,000 miles on it. Good condition but needs seats re-covered. I live in Monterey county, CA. Ton of Porsche's around here. Drives the value down on a car that everyone has. Kind of like a Honda. I AM NOT IN ANY WAY COMPARING A HONDA TO A PORSCHE!

96conv

OK, now I feel like I got taken. I looked at sooo many 911s before selecting this one. Most of those going for less than $12K had cosmetic problems, some didn't have the important mods done yet. I wonder, is there anyone in the SF Bay Area who paid way less than I did for their SC Targa?

geo.aigel

I think 8-11 k is about the range here in the bay area. Unfortunately there are many sellers that haven't sobered up and realized that the market is soft these days. As with anything overpriced, they may find someone at some point that will pay more. What you have to keep in mind is the fact that there is folks out there selling 993s around 100k miles for 30 grand! That makes all the other prices tumbling. I have seen carreras (84-88) for 14k and Carrera 2 and 4 (88 and up) for around 20. Needless to say, who'd buy an SC for 15k if you can get a ten year younger car for 5k more?

I found a cosmetically and suspension wise handicapped 81 (150k miles) that was kept up well for a very good price. As soon as cosmetics aren't perfect, expect to be under 10k for a car with higher mileage. I have few upgrades (pop off valve) but am missing chain tensioners. However there is extensive service history, showing chain tensioner work recently, so there is no real worries for the near future...

Cheers, George

davs911

KenPac-the only mods were the pop-off and chain tensioners. There seems to be more concern with tensioner upgrades than needs to be. The local Porsche Mechanic Guru says he has just about the same number of failures with the upgrade than without it. Other than that the car is bone stock.

Sorry 96Conv I live in the Sacramento area and looked in the Bay area or cars as well. My $9000 deal is a very clean car.