Gents (and non-gents),

I'm considering the purchase of a 1980 911SC, dark brown with brown interior (not sure of the actual names, something like Hellrot Brown?). I'm based in Shanghai nowadays but would be back the end of August to pull the trigger, thus I'm front-loading my due diligence to the extent I'm able to.

- 94k+ miles
- original everything minus the duckbill spoiler
- 3 owners (I'd be the fourth)

Car is local to me and I'm very tempted. As such, I have a few questions for the Porsche aficionados in here.

- best way to verify mileage, maintenance records, ownership history? (eg., Marti report for Ford; STAR for Mercedes)
- reliability of these engines? Would the 95K original miles scare you away?
- other problem areas I should be aware of, or ensure have been addressed?
- how expensive are the engine / trans rebuilds on these?
- market price? I know the gap here could be an easy $10-$15K depending on condition - this one seems like an extremely clean driver, but not quite a garage queen / show car.


Thanks!

Charles

 

Reliability of that 95k car will be up to how it was driven. My '85 911 Targa has 195k miles and still can rip the tires from a standing start. It does need new valve guides and burns a quart or more every 1000 miles but considering my mileage, it still runs great!

All of your questions seem to be relative to how the previous owner(s) treated and maintained that car.

Here in Atlanta, GA., I've gotten quotes of up to $10k to totally rebuild the engine (including clutch, cam replacement and new seals). Mine is currently for sale on Ebay ;-)