BIG-BRO

Just an FYI, no affiliation, no more info, etc.
I was just reading today's new weekly WantAdvertiser and saw this listing. Not sure where else this person is advertising that Rennlist folks might see.

1996 993 Targa, Blk on Blk, full leather, both seats have power, 6-disc CD, new tires, 47K miles. Gd shape.
Asking $ 27,500
Marblehead, MA
(781) 631-3487

(I am close enough and may be down to Marblehead soon, so can take alook if you need local Rennlister input)

Paul

Texas993

Holy crap. That is a steal! I wonder about it...

swmic

I just talked to the owner, Jay. Sounds like a nice car. His wife drives it. They have owned it for 4 years. He claims it has no paint work and is real nice. The only BIG problem is that it's a tip!

Texas993

Jeez, seems like all the Targas for sale are Tips. That explains the price in my mind.
Still a good deal for someone.

clangjr

Any more info? Link to a website or something? Looking to possibly upgrade from the 951.
Chuck

solsrch

Even with a tip sounds like a deal to me.

renn911

I went and drove\inspected the car this morning. According to Jay he is the second owner. The previous owner lived done the street from him in Marblehead and moved to England leaving the car behind with 40k miles on it. Jay contacted him and made a deal four years ago and since has put 7k miles on the car.

Mechanically:
Targa top is not working – Jay claims he got a quote of 3 hours plus parts to fix

Brakes are very soft – perhaps from sitting so much and not being driven recently? Jay has a receipt for “brake work” from the previous owner right before he purchased the car.

The suspension seems very soft to me. My car has PSS9’s but in looking for my car I drove several 993s and have owned several 911s and don’t remember them feeling this mushy. When hitting a small pot hole the car seemed to skip or shimmy a little bit.

I’ve never driven a Tip 993 before but it felt good to me. It downshifts well, by that I mean fast and smooth. Up shifting seemed a little sluggish maybe that is how they all are?

Engine cover was on, but according to Jay no leaks.


Interior:
Looked nice and relatively clean; seats, dash, carpet etc. Needs detailing.

Exterior:
Needs detailing!
Several scratches one big (8-10 inch) and deep over the drives side rear fender. A few small dents nothing Dent Wizard couldn’t fix.

Wheels are original 17” which are all chewed up. Curb rash on each wheel. The driver’s side rear is really bad.

Mismatched tires Bridgestone G-Force in the front and looked like cheap Toyo’s in the rear.


I’m contacting the shop who recently did the valve cover gaskets for a PPI, because I have a sickness!!
I think all of the above is fixable. I’m interested in the car for the right price so honest answer please guys….what is a black on black, Tip, Targa in the above condition worth? What would you be willing to pay?

vjd3

Careful on the rims, I don't think they can be refinished easily if they are the ones with all the bolts. And the top ... look out, my understanding is under warranty Porsche never "fixed" tops, but would replace the entire assembly instead. Sounds like a neglected car and may be priced appropriately ...

Vic
95 C4

jimwood

The car is easily worth what he is asking even in that condition. Runs well and the paint will likely work itself out with waxing each weekend. However, the only real consideration is the Targa top not working.

vjd3

Jim's right, the top is the big thing ... it's like a cabriolet top, someone can say, "it's a couple hours of labor to align it" and then you find out you need cables, transmissions, the frame is cracked, and you're out thousands instead of hundreds. I think a Targa top is even scarier as they are so rare. I would write some sort of contigency into the deal if the car passes the PPI; the top gets fixed (and warranted) before you pay and take possession (or the money goes into escrow), something along those lines. If you want a good North Shore detailer, guy in Lynn just did a real nice job on my C4 and he was (somewhat) reasonably priced. Call Rim and Wheel Works in Newton MA to find out about those Targa rims, they'll be able to tell you if they can be cleaned up or not; to me, a Targa doesn't look "right" without those rims and they are hard to find. And absolutely have a leakdown test done with the PPI, and don't forget to have the codes read and SAI passages checked out.

Vic
95 C4

Texas993

Probably priced right. The Targa wheels are not that hard to deal with. Mine need refinishing and that will cost about $1200. Although mine are not chewed up. New the wheels are $2800 at Wheel Enhancement and they had them last year.

The top is concerning. But from what I understand about my own top, the mechanism is not as complex as some describe. Does any part of the roof open? Does the front section pop up? Do the lights dim when you push the button (showing that the motors are drawing power)? The biggest issue you face with the top is that no mechanics seem to have ever worked on them. There is a lot of experience on this board. You might want to post a separate topic on the top issue. But give it a try first. PM me and I can give you my phone number and we can chat if you like.

Oh on the brakes. It is likely the "old brake fluid turned to vaseline" issue. My car had it and was resolved $1500 later. But on the PCA tech site, Joel Reiser had someone find that if you drained the brake fluid and put in Dot 3 for a week, and flushed it again, the DOT 3 fluid broke down the bad vaseline. Read some of his Q&A's. That seems very encouraging.

Might be a good deal when you are done. I say the tip is the biggest negative, as most of the Targa's for sale are tips. And they stay on the market for a while.

renn911

Update:
BTW - Jay (the seller) is a nice guy. I just learned that one of my good friends is Jay’s wife’s uncle. So my friend knows the car and of course Jay

I did speak with the shop that did the work on the car and it was 3 hours plus parts to "place the top in a closed position and disconnect it" not to fix it. The roof is shifted and needs straightening and set back up correctly to open and close properly. The cost to fix the top is at least $1200 maybe more?

So I'm thinking; top ~$1500, wheels and tires ~$2500, detail and misc. ~$1500, possible suspension ~$2500. After all of that is should be darn near perfect and low miles but we are talking $35K. Is a Tip, Targa worth that much more than a manual C2 for around the same money?

vjd3

In my book, the value (rarity) of the Targa just about offsets the fact that it's a Tip ... so I'd say cars in equal condition and mileage, Tip Targa = 6-speed coupe. That is to say, priced to sell without waiting for that specific buyer who really wants a Tip. If you wait it out, you can probably get more for the car.

I'd still be scared of that roof, though ... someone really needs to know what they're doing when they're messing with that thing. There was a horror story recently on this list about a dealership who fixed some leaks and really butchered the roof putting it back together. If it took three hours just to get it closed ...

Vic
95 C4

Texas993

I agree with Vjd3. I would pass. I bet there is $2-3k more than you expect that needs to be done. In that case, I would say it would be hard to sell for more than $35k.

Just my $.02.

monabaker

Why didn't anyone PM me about this? I LIVE IN MARBLEHEAD and I have been looking for a 993!