1971 911E Questions. Should I buy, etc.?
 

My brother in law owns a 1971 911E... It has 50K on a rebuilt engine and many engine extras. It puts out close to 200 hp. There is some rust and the clear coat is pealing off so the car will need to be repainted. Also, there is a leak that lets a small amount of water in, the interior is my no means perfect (but it does have NSX racing seats in it), the body, other than the rust, is perfect. The car has new tires and wheels. He is selling it for $2000 since he needs some money. Do you think this is a good buy? I know the rust is a major problem, but I can get that fixed. The engine is strong. What does everyone thing?? Also, any idea how much for a repaint plus rust fix? Also, it's missing all the mats and the radio... But it has a duck tail. The tranny has also been rebuilt and it has a new steering column. Thanks!

RE: 1971 911E Questions. Should I buy, etc.?
 

Oh, hell, for $2000? If you don't want it, I'll take it. Any Porsche that runs and have a valid title is worth that.

RE: 1971 911E Questions. Should I buy, etc.?
 

2k is probably a fair price for it if the rust isn't too bad. If the front pans are starting to go, then i don't think i would spend the money. A coworker just picked up a 71 911E with a 73 2.4L motor (rather rare engine for those that dont know), absolutely no rust and a near perfect interior for $4k. It needs paint as well, but other than that is very strong. The little 911E's and T's have really dropped in value lately, i dont know why. For 2k, if it is in decent shape i would do an RS conversion :)

RE: 1971 911E Questions. Should I buy, etc.?
 

First, Do you have any speculation on why valuers have dropped. I noticed that, too, and that over the past several years prices for XKEs have dropped a bit, too. But its not the whole market for vintage cars: prices for 3-liter Healeys, particularly with very sound bodys, have skyrocketed to where they bring more than some XKE models.

Second, does the RS conversion make it more valuable or is it just more fun once its done? It seems to me there are so few "base' models of the older cars that I see (everyone has an RS, or a whale-tail, or, for example it its a retored Mustang, a 289-Hi-Power). It seems it might be fun to have a well restored, "plain jane" model, particularly since the early 911s were such very sweet little cars.

RE: 1971 911E Questions. Should I buy, etc.?
 

I dont know why some models are holding their values great, and others are dropping. Take a 993 for example, they are holding their value extremely. This seems to be cyclical though, in a couple years, they may be back up in value.

RS conversion wouldn't raise or lower the value of this car in particular a lot. It may go up a little, but you would never get the money you spend doing the conversion out of it, but that is the same for any car. If it was a mint condition, original everything, and you did the conversion, you would greatly hurt the value of the car. But when you start with a somewhat beat up 911 that isn't anything special, and do a good RS conversion (or really any modifications for that matter), it would probably raise the value ever so slightly, and in my opinion, looks absolutely awesome. Everyone is different, others would restore it back to it's original beauty and be happy, Me, i am always looking to make things slightly "off the beaten path" in terms of looks and performance. Those little touches sometime really make a car stand out. And i'm not talking anything "ricer" here :D

RE: 1971 911E Questions. Should I buy, etc.?
 

First of all go for it!!!!! It will be the best thing you can ever do.

From what I read, your brother-in-law did not try to keep the car's authenticity (i.e. the seats, etc.) Therefore, I think you can easily do a cheaper restoration to turn that 911E into a great every day machine. I am in Wichita, KS and around here the paint job does not cost much. Maybe you might have better competition in where you are so you might even get a better deal. As far the rust goes, if it is not extremely bad, it can be taken care of easily. (I am saying that because a friend of mine had a 1973 911 Targa with rust on the passenger side front quarter panel as well as the driver side rear quarter and they took care of it easily.)

Good Luck and keep us posted.

Alex.