Help looking for a 911?

My son is looking for a 911. At least he thinks he is.

Probably something in the $10K range, though that may be stretching his budget.

Anyone have any leads on any possibles for sale?

Thanks!

I'll just say that stretching your budget for a "cheap" 911 is a recipe for disillusionment.

That said, if I see anything I'll send it your way.

^^^ +1

Any particular years - I'm thinking best shot on sub 10k is probably 74-83 targa.

Does he have the money for maintaining one? Buying a cheap 911 is akin to getting a free Lotus. Even though they are quite DIY-able, the parts prices can be eye watering. And in that price range you're probably looking at least at some deferred maintenance.

That said, I'm with oldtin - the best chance at getting a reasonable car for the budget is going for a Targa. Keep in mind that the Targa has a couple of specific potential issues, for example the roof itself. Make sure you buy one with a good roof, the seals aren't cheap and having to recover the roof is really expensive.

You might be able to find a SC with high miles for that price.

Actually, come to think of it - an early IB with the 2.7L might also be within reach, but it's not exactly their best engine and the car might not have the galvanised shell. That isn't necessarily such a good idea, but these tend to be cheap (for a reason).

Also, what about a 912?

Have you seen the prices for the "real" 912s (ie, not the mid-70s ones) lately?

Actually the mid-70s one with the VW engine might well be in reach, they're still fairly cheap. The earlier ones with the 356 engine seem to have been increasing in price considerably. With those, engine work also tends to be as expensive, if not more expensive, as on the six pot.

I'm not saying that sub-$10k 912s are falling off trees, but they're out there:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-cars-sale/681954-1966-porsche-912-5-speed-coupe-3-gauge-7k.html

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-cars-sale/680841-fs-1969-912-daily-driver-great-restoration-candidate.html

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-cars-sale/675270-fs-1969-porsche-912-rare-color.html

And although it's more than his budget, for $16k this could be tempting: http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-cars-sale/679831-pics-fs-1967-912-coupe-irish-green-black.html

David S. Wallens wrote: Also, what about a 912?

Every time I see that number, I think of this.

A friend of mine buys and flips 911's. He done about a half dozen so far and turned a profit on every one. But, but .........there are 911's to be had for 10 K for sure. Just realize there are a lot of clunkers out there that may have pretty exteriors but are very much in need of mechanical work. An engine rebuild alone will take up a good chunk of your sons budget.

Personally, there are lots of other cars I'd buy for 10 K before chancing on a 911 on that budget. If he insists on getting the 911 there are a few good books on the subject of buying used 911's that would make a good read beforehand.

Pelican parts forum classifieds are hands down the best place to look. From my looking, SCs and Carerras in around $15,000 are probably the best bet.

I (my wife) has one that is rarely driven and the topic of selling it has come up more than once. It is not currently advertised for sale, but could probably be had in in the sub $10k price range, maybe even with a spare set of BBS rims and too-old-and-hard-to-be-useful Hoosiers.

'79 911SC Targa, 3.0, metalic poo brown. (Do not be fooled by the 911S badge on the decklid, that was put on there kinda as a joke) Tony Bitz Megasquirt kit installed, MSD box, otherwise pretty much stock. Chinese Corbeau knock-off seats. Fuchs are not authentic. Targa top only leaks a little.

126k miles, my wife and I have put about the last 22k on it since '06.

Paint: Dupont color matched brown over original brown factory paint. 10-footer paint job- looks pretty good. Small dent in driver side door, not usually noticable Interior is an unfinished project. Started reupholstering, got as far as covering the dash and door panels, then saw something shiny. Would need some time and a $400 carpet kit to make the interior really nice.

I have family in North Atlanta area, if we make a deal I could drive the car that far, we'd have to figure something out for the spares.

David S. Wallens wrote: I'm not saying that sub-$10k 912s are falling off trees, but they're out there: http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-cars-sale/681954-1966-porsche-912-5-speed-coupe-3-gauge-7k.html http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-cars-sale/680841-fs-1969-912-daily-driver-great-restoration-candidate.html http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-cars-sale/675270-fs-1969-porsche-912-rare-color.html And although it's more than his budget, for $16k this could be tempting: http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-cars-sale/679831-pics-fs-1967-912-coupe-irish-green-black.html

Out of that list, I'd probably only consider the blue or the green ones if I wanted to drive them anytime soon. But the thought of a longhood 912 for SC money is tempting, especially if one would squirrel away the original engine and gearbox and replace with something like a SC engine on downdraft Webers.

Mind you, that'll cost a little more than the OP's budget.

In reply to sporqster:

That sounds like a good car for a good price. How much oil does it leak?

In reply to Otto Maddox:

Only a drop or two while cooling down. That's how you know there's oil in it ;-). I think it's coming from the idiot light sending unit - the factory o-ring isn't spec'ed right from what I've read, and that part is pretty oily. Proper sized o-ring and it might not leak hardly at all. I actually drove the car to work today. I'll go snap a couple pix for you.

Oh, and AC is removed. Never worked anyway.

How much do the later 912E cars sell for?

They're probably the cheapest of the lot- one with a few miles on it should be well within a $10k budget. They didn't make many though and finding an unmolested one with working fuel injection and all that might be a struggle for that money.

Keep in mind that these are noticeably heavier than the earlier cars, so the 90bhp-ish these are supposed to produce doesn't go as far as with the earlier 912s. OTOH the engines should be much cheaper to rebuild.

In reply to BoxheadTim:

Are they just Bug motors?

IIRC they're fuel injected Type 4 motors, very similar to the ones used in the 914.

In reply to BoxheadTim:

they are 914 motors but different fi and a few 912e bits ie exhaust etc that are unobatinable. make sure any you look at are complete or verify the availibility of replacement parts. they are pleasant drivers, but not fast by any means

sporqster wrote: I (my wife) has one that is rarely driven and the topic of selling it has come up more than once. It is not currently advertised for sale, but could probably be had in in the sub $10k price range, maybe even with a spare set of BBS rims and too-old-and-hard-to-be-useful Hoosiers. '79 911SC Targa, 3.0, metalic poo brown. (Do not be fooled by the 911S badge on the decklid, that was put on there kinda as a joke) Tony Bitz Megasquirt kit installed, MSD box, otherwise pretty much stock. Chinese Corbeau knock-off seats. Fuchs are not authentic. Targa top only leaks a little. 126k miles, my wife and I have put about the last 22k on it since '06. Paint: Dupont color matched brown over original brown factory paint. 10-footer paint job- looks pretty good. Small dent in driver side door, not usually noticable Interior is an unfinished project. Started reupholstering, got as far as covering the dash and door panels, then saw something shiny. Would need some time and a $400 carpet kit to make the interior really nice. I have family in North Atlanta area, if we make a deal I could drive the car that far, we'd have to figure something out for the spares.

How come things like this weren't around before I bought the Z06?

This is how much it leaks per heat cycle (been sitting in the work parking lot all day):

Bird poo, dirt, and grass clippings are no extra cost. A couple candid parking lot shots.

There were only just over 2000 912E built, and they were US market only. Very rare, not at all desirable. People have not started reproducing parts for them, and likely won't anytime soon.

Luckily all of the body parts are 911 and most of the engine parts are 914. The 912E specific stuff is difficult to find, at best.

A good driver 912 (65-69) CAN be found sub 10K, but they are getting more rare. I saw a Soft Window Targa sell for 50 the other day. Sad...

One day, I will have my 912...

$12,000 is where you start to find halfway decent 911 Targas.

Have him buy (and read) this book first: