What do you think about this 1981 SC?

[Guest]

Hello all. Here is a car in the paper. http://marketplace.nwsource.com/auto/detail.cfm?id=8469581 I called last week. The seller is a fisherman who is selling this for his girlfriend. The previous owner is deceased. I haven't seen the car yet; the seller returns from the sea on March 1. But he told me he got a full inspection from the Gerber Motorsports in Seattle, who I know to be the best Porsche specialist in Seattle. He has the inspection paperwork for me to review. The car has a whale tail. The engine compression tests showed 165-170 psi in all cylinders. There was no rust found. I think he said there was 130k miles on the vehicle. The car was in Wisconsin where it is cold in the winter, and so salt is a potential problem. This would be my second porsche. I guess I am becoming interested in the older cars as a hobby. I like reading about all of the restoration projects on SC's. I have heard about the carrera tensioner upgrade, and I do not know yet if this car has had that done.

Is this a good deal so far? I plan on talkling to the mechanics with the inspection report in hand. I know I might have to spend some money to restore it, but I don't want to spend more than the car is worth. My budget is 10-12k.

Thanks. I know you all are in Great Britain, but I like your forum very much.

 

[tripe]

Well I don't know anything about the values of these cars Stateside, but one thing to be aware of is that on cars of this vintage the head studs are prone to shearing off. The problem is caused by the type of material they were made from, it heats up with the engine and then when the car goes through an icy puddle and water gets splashed up onto them they can snap. The bottom ones are more prone to this and if 'your' car has been used in harsh winters the problem may exist. The only way to fix broken studs is to strip off the heads and replace them - preferably with the later ones from the 993 which don't break.

Having started off on such a negative though, a healthy compression test suggests all is well down there. To see if it's got hydraulic tensioners lift the rear lid and have a look at the flexible oil lines running to each side of the engine from the base of the alternator area. If there's a thin metal pipe running from each rubber flexi hose down through the rear tinware pice then yes, you've got them.

Hope it all works out for you

 

[Guest]

Thank you tripe for your advice. I will get my own PPI on the vehicle if I decide to buy it. I will definitely make sure the head studs are ok.

Sincerely,
James

 

[jerry911sc]

Hi There,

The link to the car ad has expired so I can't help there. Have you got a copy of the Porsche 911 Buyers Guide by Randy Leffingwell ISBN 0 7603 0947 7? It is very helpful in your situation. Amazon probably have it at a good price. It is a US book (therefore deals with US model variations).

Sounds like a really sound approach as far as I understand it- get the history, check it with the specialist (you could even call them right away and ask them about the car), speak to the mechanics. Don't know about $ costs.

Don't know what you mean by PPI, it must mean something different in the US. Guess you mean and independent inspection and a finance check?

There is obviously no point buying a badly rusted car or one with other expensive problems. My advice would be to check it over very thoroughly (especially for: rust, crash damage, engine, gearbox, clutch, heat exchangers/ exhaust, brake discs and everything else). It is important to know as accurately as possible what you are taking on in terms of work and cost. They are great cars and a lot of fun etc but it's important to go for the right one and not necessarily the 1st, 2nd or 3rd one!

GL 8

 

[Guest]

Sorry about the expired link. It is a small classified ad that offers a "european wine" colored 1981 SC, black leather, sunroof, whale tail, "good condition", and costs 4878 pounds. Is that a good price for GB? (I converted the price from the $8500 US dollars.)

Jerry, thanks for the tip on the book.

Tripe, I looked at your link on impactbumpers.com. Is that your site? I loved the 2 year commentary on history of ownership. Made for great reading last night.

Sincerely,
James

 

[jerry911sc]

£4878! Yes that would be a good price in the UK. You could add £4000 and it would still be a reasonable price for a good car.

 

[tripe]

James,
Thanks for your kind words. No, Impactbumpers.com is not my site, rather the brainchild of my good mate John Glynn. I'm merely supporting him in this new venture as best I can!