toddc

Hi,
I'm considering a 1978 euro 5 spd and am wondering what in particular to look during inspection. Are they much different than the later cars?
Anyone know a broad range of value for '78's?

Thanks,

Todd

karl ruiter

The very early 78s had some unique features, other than that they are similar to cars up to about '81 when they went with the Ljet instead of the CIS. Value depends totally on condition. There is one near me for $100. Pretty rough, of course. The best one on the planet, Kermit, was sold for 20K or 30K or something recently.

James Bailey

The later cars have much more power, better brakes much better transmissions. Most early 5 speeds have worn syncros and do NOT shift well into 2nd gear.....rebuilds run $2,500 PLUS. The early car with the 4.5 puts maybe 200 hp to the rear wheels about the same as a new Golf/rabbit GTI..... The early manual vacuum heater/AC controls seldom work anymore and many replacement parts are NLA... The vacuum door locks 78-79 are problematic. General repair costs etc. are much the same no matter if it is a 78 or an 89 except that the 85> 4 valve engines are valve benders should you have a timing belt "event". Value wise it is a rare nice early car that sells for $5,000 most are much less and only need $10,000 "invested" to make them into a $5,000 car....

docmirror

We're far more interested in you.

What's it like to live in metro Detroit? Do you have running water all the time? Are you fully armed? Would the Porsche be garaged? Is anything on your street currently on fire?

The early cars have CIS which can be problematic if it's been sitting for a long time without moving. They have a double disk clutch which also can have issues, and be costly to fix. As for value, Karl is spot on. A fairly well preserved car, with 100k or more miles can be $2-8k depending on the condition of the body, chassis, engine, int. A thrashed car can be had for nothing. A show car can easily reach $20k or more.

Robert B

Make sure that the Euro was properly brought into the states. In South Florida I know of issues with the 92882, 92881 difference you might want to check the dmv (If you can get through all the red tape) As for price it really all depends. I would say 78/79 cars are going up in price to give you an idea a good one, original (good) paint, 60K miles, good interior, 6K to 9K. Low Vin add to the price, color is also a price issue, there are a bunch of red 78/79 that are not selling but a brown, beige, blue, etc sell well. There are some rare colors out there, yellow, apple green that you will have to fight with Roger to get them...hehehehe. So far the best example (apart from Kermit) has been Silver (well that is my name for her) 78 Vin # 539 original perfect silver paint only 14K miles (serviced, which is a good thing) and its going for 18K. There was this Euro 78 in Dallas that I looked at, good shape, nice color (a few chips and issues but nothing bad) interior was the German weave which needed to be redone (it was fragile so eventually would fall apart) Dash had small cracks original radio was missing, big tear in the leather in the hatch. He wanted 9500, but with the odometer broken one could only guess what the true milage was (they claimed 60K I figured more like 75K to 80K) with paper and working odometer I would have paid 7500 (cause of the color) but without it your taking a risk. Very important to have paper work on the old cars this way you can make sure things where taken care off.
At the end of the day it really is what you want and what you are willing to pay, I always reserve 3K on the side when I buy a car for those surprises than will appear 20 miles after you hand over the cash.

toddc

Great replies guys,
in short, metro detroit is not totally engulfed in flames. I'm only armed when I'm driving, going to or from my car or when working in my garage. Well, when I sleeping too
Funny thing about the state of the economy locally. Seems lot's of bargains to be had since many of owners of relics like 928's can't seem to afford to repair or maintain them anymore. It's truly a buyers market for cars, parts cars, parts, etc.
The one in inparticular I've mentioned needs more investigation to be sure but heck, the price of admission is a trade for a pair of 930s steel qtr's that I haven't been able to unload anyway. Same seller has more than 1 928 and more than 2 944's, all being fire-saled before he moves back to the old country.

I'll find out some more info over the weekend and post up my findings.

todd

Erik N

As I see it, there is no reason to by a '78/'79 Euro. They have the same power as the US cars, plus the chances are someone was screwing around and botching the car during federalization.
What you probably want is a '80/'83 Euro S. They have the high HP fix we all love.

Hey, speaking about early cars... What's the deal, Robert? There were a couple of solid possibilities recently.

Robert B

Erik Looks like the deal is done, just have to wait till he gets back 1st week of June...excited! Only hurdle left is transport from Cali to Miami (its expensive). I'll keep you posted...
R

linderpat

OK, you can't do this to those of us who have been following your quest .... What did you get? Did I miss a thread soemwhere? Inquiring minds want to know

pcar928fan

If that were the case I would have found the money to buy it... more like $50k, may have been even more...

cali4sun

I'd recommend if you have money to buy a 928. The money problem will be a thing of the past once the purchase is made

'89 S4 GP White/Black
'76 912E Silver/Black

Robert B

I don't want to Jinx it....hehehe

rixter

as many others have pointed out, there are some inherent issues unique to the early cars that can be very hard/expensive to resolve...
on the other hand, the early cars (especially the euros) are unique in themselves
it's hard to give a real value without knowing more specifics..
(I'd like the vin for my records please)
it wouldn't happen to be this one is it?
http://detroit.craigslist.org/mcb/cto/1726813810.html

djurek

Todd,
I found a non-federalized 78 euro in Auburn Hills a couple years ago. They are a great choice. Light, no computers, no valve interference, and not all the trim - molding - spoilers - bumperettes and other clutter of the later models. Their interiors are nice a simple also. The CIS fuel system is not all that complicated. Yes there are some problems with them but there are problems with all 1978 cars. So do some homework. With a good tuned motor, headers and a 5 speed they are fun to drive. Good Luck. There is usually a good selection of them at 13 and Woodward at our monthly beer night. Here's a pic of mine.

danglerb

There are good reasons and bad reasons for buying an early car.

If you like the clean style of the first years, or a first year made appeals to you, those are good reasons.

Prices is almost never a good reason to pick a specific Porsche. Cheap cars are often cheap for good reason. The saying here is that it takes a rich man to own a cheap Porsche.