JMGaston

Hello,

First time poster, been lurking for a while. I love your message board.
I have been looking for the right 911 for a long time, and I always return to my all time favorite, the 930. I want a car that will be a good weekend driver, occasional track day, no museum piece.

I have found two very interesting 79's that meet my criteria, both have close to 50k original miles, similar price, and are gorgeous. One has had a slant nose modification made, done in the early 80's according to the consignee, 2 owner car, part of a large car collection but looks very well restored and maintained. The second car retains the original body,and has had some upgrades made to interior and looks very well kept as well.

My trusted mechanic swears by the 930, and tells me the 78 and 79s are the best anyone can find. In your opinion, what should I be looking for that could be signs of potential future problems with either car?

nesposito

There's a beautiful 79 on Ebay in Mass. silver/black for i believe $35k. take alook

JMGaston

Thanks Nesposito. That is a beautiful car. I have a feeling it's going to sell for much higher than 35.

Mang

Pay up and grab that silver eBay car NOW, it looks to be a GREAT example. Shared this before, but rumblings are that the 1979 930 is going to be valued similar to the 1973 Carrera RS, both top performers of their era.

JMGaston

I've been reviewing countless photos of the Slant Nose that I am considering, and was pretty happy with most, until I saw the square headlights. The conversion was made well, it is all steel, and it was made when the car was new at Wes Lasher motors in Sacramento. See attached.
I assume I should steer clear of this car, from what I read about these... should I be concerned about the value of this car?

shlobeck

I believe this car is in Nor Cal? I would stay away from non-M505 optioned slantnose cars if you're considering it as an investment. Plus you need to see the car in person if you're serious. Ironically, my car was sold originally from Lasher as well...Agreed, I like that silver '79 on ebay, very nice original car...

Mang

steer clear of ANY mods....original is the way to go with any iconic collectible,

there are some amazing over the top Porsche builds out there, unfortunately they are worth a fraction$ of what is put into them when time to sell and will doubtfully rise in value ever

'period' builds by specialists like Kremer, ruf, etc. now those are a whole different story

just my .02 hope it helps

JMGaston

Thanks. Yes, this car is in No Cal. I'm not necessarily looking for an investment, I want one to drive, not to keep in a museum, but I also don't want to buy something that is un-sellable in the future.
I've never made any profit on a car, but also don't want any buyer regret when jumping into something like this.

I would never buy sight unseen, which is why I normally steer clear of ebay. I use it as a research tool, maybe an opportunity to learn more about the cars, but I am dead affraid of buying on ebay.

The second car I mention in my first post above is mostly unmolested, but need to make contact with the owner first (he's out of the country at the moment). Looks like a better option.

a local option came up on an 86, but it has many more miles than the ones above.

jwasbury

I agree with this statement if you are looking to "collect" a 930. If you are looking to drive a 930, in my opinion a properly modded car is a great way to go. I have a '79. The '78 and '79 cars are unique. They have the upgraded engine with intercooler, are factory non catalyst cars, and are the only years with the full floating front rotors. They have a lot less electrical crap than the later cars...footwell blowers is just one example of electrical crap that I am glad I don't have on my 930.

pu911rsr

I've owned two 79's, one with all the bolt on go fast mods and a g50 and one that was bone stock except for a euro exhaust and a K27. I think you really need one of each, one to sit in garage to appreciate and one to go run the **** out of.
Phil

sfbanchs

you should buy the latest 930 you can afford just my .02

JMGaston

So, in today's world, how much less money should a modified 79 930 should cost compared to a fairly un-molested car, all other things being equal?

six gun

As always IT DEPENDS------------- Just my 2 cents

un molested (origional paint, maintiance records, history since new,45-65K,no ancidents, good PPI with leak down) car is a candidate for preservation class ect. up graded wheels, exaust ok ----$45-$65K

Modified $25-$45------consider all the above, plus quality of mods, history of who did them and when.

As far as the Cape Cod car is concerned, I would be careful of the engine re-build (no records) but it looks like a nice car. Good luck!!

UDPride

I thought I would buy a stock 930 and leave it exactly how I bought it. I said the same thing about my Cayman. At some point the drive becomes more important than the prospect of watching it sit in a garage 9 months a year playing the futures market on automotive resale value.

My philosophy has been keep the car looking mostly stock, but build upon the foundation Porsche gave me and build the car they should have, and could have built -- had they had an R or RS option.

As long as you dont frankenstein the car and keep it looking pretty period correct, I dont see a downside either way. Sure youll never get your money back on any modification, but youll never get that seat time back either when you could have enjoyed an even more rewarding vehicle. So its all about what you want. I cant see myself selling my current stable -- they are so close to what I consider the perfect car after all these years of tweaking and tinkering (and shelling out bucks), I dont look fondly on the prospect of starting that long journey all over again. Took a long time to get here.

I appreciate both extremes.

JMGaston

Thank you all for your responses. You all have been very helpful.

I have a tough decision to make, and the choices are not easy. Since my first post, I have stumbled across a couple of additional cars that all fit the bill, and the first ones I've been reviewing are not perfect matches either, even the Cape Cod car. I will keep checking this post often to see if any one else chimes in.

cheers!!!!