shattergard

Please excuse my questions as I am new to owning a PORSCHE. I am considering the purchase of a 1988 911 cab that was converted to a steel widebody and fully repainted. In addition, the engine was replaced with a turbo cab engine and has a documented 11000 miles on it.

First off, am I making a mastake buying a conversion, even if the upgrade was done properly. How much should I pay for such a car? Does a conversion kill the resale? The paint job is great and the interior is beautiful.

PLEASE SEE LIMITED INFO FROM THE ONLINE
AD ON THE CAR BELOW

1988 PORSCHE 911 TURBO, 10,600 mi, lthr, p/seats, p/windows, 1994 Turbo conversion on Cabriolet 3.6 liter turbo, speedlines & much more,
Alloy Wheels; Compact Disc Player; Power Seats; Leather Seats; Power Windows;

I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE EVERYONES HELP.

Thanks so much

Jordan

YYC930

Buy a "real" car instead of someone else's "hack" job.

And as I do not know this exact car you are talking about in terms of it's quality, etc, "hack" job may or may not be an appropriate description in this case........but it usually is............I've sold 500 Porsches in 18 years.....and I've seen it all man.....

I'll only offer my general advice.........FWIW.......

1-People "generally" do not take perfectly good cars and cut them up into something they are not, unless what they are making was not available from the factory. You can buy factory turbo looks and turbo cabs. I have 3 in stock right now for example......and Canada got 1/10 the cars the US did at this time.

2-People usually redo accident cars however, or cars with title and insurance issues as they bought them cheap enough in order to do so which explains my point #1.......(it doesn't make $$$ sense).........therefore I'd bet an educated guess that there will be an accident in this cars history....and probably a serious one at that.

3-The 3.6 turbo engine was never offered in the car you are looking at. This is unoriginal and begs the question.......why is it there ? You can mod a 3.2 or buy a 3.3 and make it fit much easier.

4-Turbo cabs have special reinforcements built into the body at the factory to handle the extra power.....was this regular cab done to such a standard ? It is a commonly accepted standard that modding even a regular turbo cab much beyond an additional 100HP is asking for trouble.

5-You don't state the asking price for this car........but whatever it is........you can probably buy a 'real" turbo cab for not too much more....and at the end of the day have a much better car.....and one that will be more resaleable at that.

6-As a dealer.....I WOULD NOT TOUCH THIS CAR WITH A 10 FOOT POLE...........too many legal liability issues.

If you want a turbo cab buy the best one your budget can afford......there will come a day when you need to resell it..........original and tastefully modified cars bring the quickest and best resale dollar.

UDPride

I wouldnt pay any more for a turbo conversion than I would a factory NA. With the NA there are no unknowns. With the conversion -- no matter the records, there are unknowns. And if you have to sell it, youll have to explain all those unknowns you cannot explain.

The difference between a nice NA and a nice Turbo is about $10-13K. I would not try to cut corners in this endeavor.

HkPlinker

DANGER DANGER ! ! ! ! !

SEW QUIK

If you are new to Porsche, then I would not recommend a turbo cab (factory) and I would absolutely not recommend that car for the reasons stated above. Cabs are nice, and I would go drive a Carrera 3.2 cab and see if you like it. At 217 hp (for the 87-89 cars) it is quick, and all cabs feel faster than coupes. I had a 3.2 coupe as my first Porsche, and I loved that car. Fast enough, totally reliable and cheap to buy and keep. There are good 3.2 cabs out there for $19-24K, and I am sure that there are plenty in Atlanta. A great first Porsche, and a good time to buy now.

If you are fixated on a turbo, as we all are (I now own a modded 930), then drive one and make sure you like the feel of it. They are lousy city cars and a hassle in traffic. My 3.2 was quicker off the line than my turbo. If you like the turbo, then look into either stock cars, or correctly modified cars from knowledgable owners. There are lots of 930's for sale, and this is a buyer's market. They are not cheap to modify or maintain, and have a rougher feel than a Carrera. If you really want a turbo cab, and have the $$$ to get one, then get a real one as there are plenty of those out there as well. I would recommend the 3.2 Carrera cab as I believe it is a better introduction to the 911 series. In fact, you could get BOTH (a 3.2 cab and a 930) for what a pristine turbo cab goes for these days. Avoid low mileage garage queens, because Porsches that sit tend to develop more problems than cars that are driven regularly, and any premier paid for low mileage vanishes if you drive the car regularly.

just my 2 cents. good luck and keep us posted...