Tempting Porsche #1
The first Tempting Porsche for today is a 1965 Porsche 912. It’s red with black interior and appears to be far from a perfect car, but could be a decent kick around car and something to just enjoy and tinker with (or learn to tinker on!). Here are some details from the ad:
This is a very cool car, and it runs, and can be driven. The car has some rust on it, and the front suspension pan needs to be fixed, and I have a new pan. I have extra parts for it. These cars will out corner alot of newer cars like honda, toyota, nissan, vw, subaru, and many more, and it’s so much fun to drive. These cars are very nice to drive, and they get about 30 mpg. Again, this car is not perfect, but is priced to sell.
Asking Price: $4500
What can I say, I’m a glutton for punishment. Someone please talk me out of even going to look at this car. Could the rust really be THAT bad? For $3500 to $4000, couldn’t you just enjoy it and have some fun?
Give me some feedback on this one.
Tempting Porsche #2
The second Tempting Porsche for today is not one that I’m really looking for, but the price is so dang CHEAP, that it’s hard to not go and look at. This is a 1999 Porsche 911 Carrera. It’s silver with black interior. Here’s what the Craigslist ad has to say:
1999 PORSCHE 911 CARREA 4 996 BODY STYLE WITH 101,701 MILES BABIED MILES 6SPD MANUAL 6CLY 3.4 MOTOR VIN#WP0AA2992XS624041 THIS PORSCHE IS FULLY LOADED WITH POWER WINDOWS DOOR LOCKS CD CHANGER DUAL CLIMATE CONTROL SUNROOF KEYLESS ENTRY ALL KEYS BOOKS MANUALS RECORDS THIS PORSCHE IS VERY FUN TO DRIVE AND BEST OF ALL THESE CARS ARE VERY RELIABLE AND TRUELY ARE EVERY DAY CARS BRAND NEW PARRELI P-ZERO TIRES AND SPORT 18″ WHEELS
Asking Price: $15,995
My first thought is what’s wrong with it? Sure it’s got just over 100k on the odo, but still that’s not enough to drive the price down THAT low in my opinion. This car has steadily been declining in price every time it’s re-listed as well. It started at $19,995 a few weeks ago.
If it was in decent mechanical shape with a clear title, this would be a heck of a bargain and a great longer term study in driving a Porsche for free. Something has to be up with this car.
Tempting Porsche #3
I usually don’t do more than 2 Tempting Porsches, but I couldn’t pass this one up. This is a 1993 Porsche 911 Cabriolet. It’s polar silver with blue interior. Here’s what little was listed in the ad:
1993 911 Cabriolet, 5-speed. Clean Carfax. Local Portland owner with good service history. Polar Silver with Blue Leather and Blue soft top. Everything is good working condition. A great summer driver!
Asking Price: $19,990
Hmmm, sold by a dealer with VERY little information. Couldn’t they at least spice up the ad a little bit with some details and include the mileage? I suck at selling cars, but even I know that much.
The car detailed out pretty nicely and looks clean from the pics, so it’s too bad they aren’t trying to sell it a bit more. Price is in line with what I’m seeing the 993 series going for. Wrong time to sell a Cabriolet, but a great time to buy one! Be a fun series to own.
I think you should go look at #1 Ryan. For only about 4k you could have a little toy to play with and just fix things as they come up. And #2 is definitely cheap for what you get. That would be a great one to buy and drive a while. The #3 would be a fun one, but if I had to choose one I would say #2 is the screaming deal.
Ryan, Thees cars can rust badly. you can live with it depending on the location. if the front pan section is bad then you have to watch out for the pedals to be weak. sure would suck to hit the brakes and have the pedals fall through the floor. also the rockers and floors rust and the seat could rip loose. next is the rear suspension mounts. Heard enough? or do you want more.
James, I think you convinced me to steer clear. Just so tempting, but I also know many have gone before me, been tempted by the same things and learned hard lessons. I’d much rather learn from the mistakes of others. Thanks for talking some sense into me.
#1 – About what I paid for my ’68 912. Yes the rust could be that bad. Check inside the window seals (where the glass meets the rubber), under the carpets, inside the front boot and inside the smuggler’s box inside there. Enough rust can break any other deal. The car can be a total write-off if it’s too rusty. That aside, it doesn’t look that rusty. I’d have to see more pics, but this looks like a good starting point if it’s not covered in rust.
#2 – Slightly cheap, but I’ve seen many with lower mileage in the 17k range. The biggest worry on those cars is IMS failures. If it’s dent and scratch-free, it’s a fairly good price for a gen-1 996.
#3 – I’m not an expert on 964/993s, but from what I’ve seen on my local CL, this is about an average price. If it’s fairly high mileage, it’s probably in need some of some motor maintenance, may leak oil etc. It’s really expensive to service 964/993s, so watch out. 🙂
Ryan not to mess with your head but 65 is the first year of the 912. I think that maybe if you could get and check the vin# you might want to. if it were one of the first cars that might make the car worth holding on to.
@ Jeff and James, how much is too much when it comes to mileage?
Im looking to get a 911, or even a cayman (in a few years)
any ideas?
Russ, as always the lower the mileage the better. That question is actually harder to answer than you might think, an older car with low miles isn’t always a good thing. If the car hasn’t been started rust may form in areas that haven’t been lubed the way they should. rubber starts to break down. the car suffers from neglect. Modern cars are designed to last much longer but they will wear out. If I were buying a newer used Porsche I would look for something under 50,000 mi. with dealer service records. and a clean Car fax. but since car fax only reports on claimed accidents and many owners pay the bill themselves, it is important to have the car inspected by a professional. mechanical and structural.