bradleyt09

Hi all, I have been a long time Porsche owner, but have not owned an air cooled Porsche since I sold mine twenty plus years ago. I have been looking for a nice daily driver and have found a locally advertised 1976 911T that has been restored and updated with a new interior - looks nice but not correct for the period. The motor and suspension have also been updated. The car has a 3.2L engine with approximately 90,000 miles and an M030 suspension. These "upgrades" seem to make a very user-friendly car, but far from original. My question is this: Are these modifications desirable or does this create a FrankenPorsche with limited resale potential down the road? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. If you prefer to discuss this privately, please feel free to email me or pm me. Thanks.

union

I'm not aware of a 76T? Usually the T is from 69-73 so I assume the 76 is just a regular 911 2.7. These weren't as desirable as the early cars or the later Carrera cars but they seem to be picking up. Since the car is modified, it will never be a collector car so the 3.2 upgrade is actually good. As long as there's no rust and doesn't have a crazy Miami Vice body kit, should make a nice driver and a car to own

911Dave

No such thing as a 911T after 1973. Do you mean Targa? I don't think M030 suspension existed until the 964 so I don't know what your car actually has. No matter what, it's a Frankenporsche, which means it will be valued lower. But that's fine, as long as you don't overpay to acquire it. A 3.2 in a 1976 chassis with upgraded suspension sounds like a fun car to drive. Just don't expect to impress any collectors.

bradleyt09

Sorry for the confusion, you are correct. This car is a 911 Targa. I appreciate the feedback.

no.radar

Not a direct answer, but these two recently concluded BaT auctions may give you some useful valuation data points.

This one's an essentially unmodified '76 Targa...

http://bringatrailer.com/listing/1976-porsche-911s-5/

And this one's a '67 911S (an obviously more desirable model and year) but re-engined and modified.

http://bringatrailer.com/listing/196...he-911s-coupe/

Drisump

Well in my mind you are probably getting the car for a comparitively good price, intend on using it as a DD, and from the sounds of it it has an unknown amount of miles on the chassis (and an estimated amount of mileage on the motor). In my mind, to look at it as a store of value or investment isn't realistic. Buy it, enjoy it and if well maintained, it will be worth a lot more than many other vehicles. Cheers

Pep!RRRR

The car will be a driver and sounds like it has some nice upgrades, although non-original. Get a PPI to find out about any unexpected major maintenance items. Make very sure that it runs well, because one of the worries about cars that are far from original is what kind of quirky things have been done by the previous owners. You don't want a screwed up car that is going to be expensive to troubleshoot.

bradleyt09

I appreciate all the advice. This is a nice looking car, but it is priced comparable to a nice unmodified 964. I prefer the appearance of the more vintage car, but am concerned about future resale. Based on the comments, it seems a well sorted 964 may be a better option, or for a bit more money, a 993 may be the best option. I know the 964 vs 993 debate has been discussed quite a bit previously so I'm not trying to drag that up again, but further thoughts would be appreciated.

TerrySmith

A well sorted 3.2 Carrera (mid to late '80s) would also be a good option - one that I would (did) pick over a 964. But if you have the budget, a 993 would be really nice.

For a daily, a coupe may be more practical than a Targa or Cabriolet.

Auto_Werks 3.6

Post some pictures... The interior work could be a deal breaker for resale, if its more modern or poorly executed.

First point of contention, a 76 911 isn't incredibly collectible in the first place. The 911SC had a much better engine right out of the box, and the exact same look for not substantially more money, so the 76 is always going to lose to the better G body cars: the SC and a true 3.2 carrera.

That said, the mechanical upgrades you mentioned, if well executed, are desirable. A 3.2 engine upgrade is a great start in this platform, and I would say at a minimum it doesn't detract from the value. To reiterate, the early impact bumper cars not being incredibly collectible to begin with. Those changes to an early long hood "S" would be detrimental to the value... but that's not what we're talking about. Again, if you could get this car for the cost of a comparable stock 76 911, I think you would be ahead of the game. Once the price creeps up to par with a stock unmolested 84-89 carrera, then it's silly to not get the actual carrera. The car you are looking at is essentially mimicing an 84 carrera, so it will certainly never exceed the value of "the real thing" if that makes sense.

You mentioned 964 prices... they have been all over the map lately, and it seemed like they were hanging out in the 30s for a long time while others rose. I have recently seen them closer to 50k.... I would NOT pay 50k for a 76 911 with a 3.2. You can get a nice carrera for that money, while I'm not sure you can actually get a nice 3.2 carrera for 30k anymore, certainly not a low mile car, or one with a documented fresh engine.

post some pics!

union

Without seeing pics, I would not buy a 76 targa hotrod for the price of a 964.

Drisump

I have never owned a 964 but I am fortunate to have a 3.2 and 993. They have both proven themselves to be reliable on many long trips over the years and great fun. The 993 is faster and more refined but I think personally, they are a little too refined in stock form. My 993 has had a few RS mods that really bring out the 911ish character of the car. You can't go wrong with either of those choices. Cheers

theiceman

Bottom line is it would not be a good " investment" if it's priced anywhere near a stock 964.
A targa is not as desirable as s coup in stock form to brgin with. It sounds like a fun car and a 3.2 in a sc or middy is one of the more accepted mods, but from an investment resale standpoint it's shaky ground if you over pay.

bradleyt09

Thanks to all who replied. The jury is out and seems pretty clear. I appreciate the education.

Trader220

This car is a lot like the targa you're describing.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1976-Porsche...ZYfUhk&vxp=mtr

Its been on the market from this dealer for nearly 2 years. They first started it in the 60's and had it listed all wrong. They ran it for a 10 months or so like that. Then they took the car off the market and let it sit. After that they put it back on the market with a description closer to what it is. (a middie with a 3.2 and some resto work). The started the pricing in the 50's and over the last 8 months they've been slowly dropping the price.

From the photos it looks like a nicely done car.... My guess is its not as nice in person given how long its been on the market.

None of these cars are good "investments" at this point. They may be reasonable holders of value but you're not going to pay retail for a nice clean straight driver and expect a healthy return for it in a couple years. That being the case, buy what you really want.