911 SC...can i afford to buy and run one!

[Scho]

I'm looking for a second car for use at weekends and in good weather.

one of the cars i'm looking into is the SC.

I've got 8K total budget for a car and ideally i'd like to spend less and keep a bit of money in the pot for running costs, this brings me to the bottom of the 911 pile really so i'm just looking for advice on what to expect when buying such a car.

has anyone bought a 911 on this kind of budget...what were your experiences?

what problems am i likely to run into buying a higher milage car?

thanks for your time :-)

rick.

[pikey]

We had an 1983 911 SC for about that value at 98,000 miles and I think £8k is doable.

• Buy on condition rather than mileage.
• Find a good indie that knows the cars well
• Get to know it and it's little gripes!

Ours wasn't the tidiest model, but mechanically absolutely superb - and the most fun car I've ever driven round the Nurburgring! Trip pictures which prompted this



More here http://www.pikeynet.com/stuff/911/911sctarga.htm

Edited by pikey on Thursday 17th January 11:22

[thegoose]

Being as you're looking at a car that's at least 25 years old the advice would be fairly simple:

1) Mileage is almost entirely irrelevant, condition is FAR more important
2) Get any car you're interested in inspected by someone who knows the old air cooled cars well

They are not that dear to run if you find a good one. Most important to get it checked, see what needs doing now/short term/medium term along with associated estimated costs then decide from there.

Better to stretch to £9k for the right car than convince yourself a £7k car is a bargain when really it needs work.

Depreciation will be zero (or better), insurance will be cheap.

[domster]

Use some of that money for proper 'on the lift' inspections by decent technicians. 911s of that age and budget can often come with nasty surprises in terms of running costs. I know an owner with an 8k SC who ended up spending 6k just sorting the bodywork!

They aren't cheap performance cars to run. If someone says they have run an older 911 for pence in a 12 month period, the next 12 month period will often have a sting in the tail, whether it's a clutch, heat exchanger or oil leaks.

Get inspections. Get the best car you can. Budget 1-2k a year minimum to keep it in good condition. Look after it.

What you're asking is theoretically possible, but you have set yourself a real challenge. Buyer beware and good luck to you. If you find a good one you'll have a lot of fun

[Scho]

thanks for the replies,

this car looks tidy but has sketchy history and dubious miles http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/341134.htm

what do we think?

rick.

[pikey]

domster said:

They aren't cheap performance cars to run. If someone says they have run an older 911 for pence in a 12 month period, the next 12 month period will often have a sting in the tail, whether it's a clutch, heat exchanger or oil leaks.

Not necessarily. The car I bought was from a "mechanically sympathetic" friend (so would have had anything done needed) but hadn't used the car for 18 months. I bought it with quite a budget for fixing the unexpected (the price reflected this), but a major service and MOT later and it didn't have anything wrong. I understand that the next owner didn't have any big problems either (well, apart from electrical after he installed the biggest stereo in the world himself

My point is, I knew the chap who owned it well and knew that he wouldn't have scrimped on anything. He knew, and is still friends with, the previous owner who was the same. If you can trace the history back > 10 years to people who didn't run it on a budget, then it should be a reasonable bet.

PS. Makes a great noise too

[thegoose]

Scho said:

thanks for the replies,

this car looks tidy but has sketchy history and dubious miles http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/341134.htm

what do we think?

rick.

Looks fine, ignore the history/mileage issue, get it ramp-inspected properly (ideally with a cylinder leak-down test too). Well worth the money if nothing/very little needs doing.

[scotty_917]

thegoose said:

Scho said:

thanks for the replies,

this car looks tidy but has sketchy history and dubious miles http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/341134.htm

what do we think?

rick.

Looks fine, ignore the history/mileage issue, get it ramp-inspected properly (ideally with a cylinder leak-down test too). Well worth the money if nothing/very little needs doing.

^^^wot he said.

[domster]

pikey said:

domster said:

They aren't cheap performance cars to run. If someone says they have run an older 911 for pence in a 12 month period, the next 12 month period will often have a sting in the tail, whether it's a clutch, heat exchanger or oil leaks.

Not necessarily. The car I bought was from a "mechanically sympathetic" friend (so would have had anything done needed) but hadn't used the car for 18 months. I bought it with quite a budget for fixing the unexpected (the price reflected this), but a major service and MOT later and it didn't have anything wrong. I understand that the next owner didn't have any big problems either (well, apart from electrical after he installed the biggest stereo in the world himself

My point is, I knew the chap who owned it well and knew that he wouldn't have scrimped on anything. He knew, and is still friends with, the previous owner who was the same. If you can trace the history back > 10 years to people who didn't run it on a budget, then it should be a reasonable bet.

PS. Makes a great noise too

I think you're the exception to the rule, Ben You obviously got a good one, but there are many, many more that aren't. If feeding back some general info, mine would be eyes open and wallet on red alert A nice SC that needs no money spending on it this year or next is like a loft conversion done on budget and on time. Theoretically possible but fecking rare

[pikey]

Can't believe you dropped the loft into a 911 SC thread

[domster]

I think we are both scarred for life

[Scho]

cheers for the help guys,

how much can i expect to pay for an inspection and pressure test?

thanks,

rick

[SEE YA]

Hello a PPI around £300 pressure test will be extra tell you all about the car warts and all .

Buy on condition not miles must have all the stamps in the right places took me four years until I found a good one.I looked at over 12 of them .Also what colour's are you after go to a few shows ask at the owners club stand etc.

Goodluck

SEE YA

[burriana]

Assume it has done 165k miles instead of 65k ... but it looks nice and as long as the history is good over the last 7 years since it was imported then you may have a good one.

I'd quite like that as a daily potterer

[iguana]

I'm pretty sure I recognise that car, (Dom if you ask Fearnsy I think he will too from our days working at Acorn Antiques) if you are buying get it on a ramp, as if its the car I think it is it had a light donk n/s/r chassis rail I seem to recall, not too awful as I remember tho & drove ok.

If it is the same car its been a TV star for 10 secs, featured on Top Gear with some waffleing old codger who runs a porker specialists.....

Edited by iguana on Thursday 17th January 22:41

[GreatGranny]

You've probably got your heart set on a 911 but what about a 944S2, this one is well under budget and looks great in white

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/320739.htm

Or a Turbo?

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/245429.htm

[Scho]

GreatGranny said:

You've probably got your heart set on a 911 but what about a 944S2, this one is well under budget and looks great in white

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/320739.htm

Or a Turbo?

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/245429.htm

Both look in fantastic condition esp the turbo!

BUT you're right...911 or bust i think.

[thegoose]

If you're looking at a local car Johnny at Unit Eleven in Warrington will inspect it for you for his standard labour rate of about £40/hour. Could take over two hours if he does the leakdown test too, but still very good value. He often checks cars for free if he's going to be getting the work if the car's bought (though will still give an honest appraisal, with his reputation in mind).

He knows all Porsches (won't do 928s or Cayennes though ) but his main expertise is air-cooled 911s (Danny who works there does the GT3s etc). My SC race car is run by him and ran perfectly for over 50 races. www.unitleleven.co.uk

If you're looking at cars further afield then do a search on here or ask for recommendations for who to use.

[bryn_p]

thegoose said:

If you're looking at a local car Johnny at Unit Eleven in Warrington will inspect it for you for his standard labour rate of about £40/hour. Could take over two hours if he does the leakdown test too, but still very good value. He often checks cars for free if he's going to be getting the work if the car's bought (though will still give an honest appraisal, with his reputation in mind).

He knows all Porsches (won't do 928s or Cayennes though ) but his main expertise is air-cooled 911s (Danny who works there does the GT3s etc). My SC race car is run by him and ran perfectly for over 50 races. www.unitleleven.co.uk

If you're looking at cars further afield then do a search on here or ask for recommendations for who to use.

I'll second that. Johhny inspects all the Porsches that I bring in from Japan and does an extremely thorough job. Wouldn't hesitate to recommend him to anyone, especially for air cooled cars as Marcus says.

By the way, I sold a very good SC last year well within your budget but it went back to Germany as it was LHD.

Cheers,
Bryn.

[hartech]

The simple answer to your question is not what you want to hear - it is NO you cannot afford to risk it.

At any time you could suffer a head stud break or a gearbox synchromesh break and the internal bodywork is starting to be a big problem on cars of this age. They are rusting from the inside out and often only show them selves when it is too late to prevent. No inspections can determine when any of these may emerge in the next couple of years.

Any of the above are very expensive to repair and way beyond the likely resources of anyone with such a limited initial budget.

The bodywork - would need to be fixed to maintain an MOT and the engine/gearbox potential problems would prevent a sale without fixing.

We always say to potential buyers that they need a reserve of about £5K minimum that they can access and use - if these typical problems energe - or best not to risk it.

Sorry to bring bad news - please don't shoot the messenger!!!!!!

Baz