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So it would have to be a vintage racer and you'd have to be pretty serious about racing to get into this.
You can buy decent 912s for $6,500 and you'll have at least that in your project when you're done, even with free labor.
You know if it were an Alfa from the 60s or a Jag or even an MGA, I'd say go for it as a street car, but a 912 is very iffy. Besides, you can't hardly make a 912 motor go very fast...well you can scare yourself but you can't build real power into them.
Buy a 911 and be happy is my advice. Or a 914 where you can do really well in autocross or SCCA and send a 912 into the locker room. :P
The problem with the vintage racing is that I would have to buy a trailer and probably a better tow vehicle than the family minivan (even though Barber Motorsports Track is only seven miles straight down the road from my house).
I'll pose this question instead. Assuming some free labor and cheap parts, what can I do for a relatively inexpensive Porsche project where I can stay in the black if I decide to sell it? Or does it pretty much always just make sense to buy something pretty nice and problem free to start with?
By the way, my FIL won't say how much money he has in his 912. He bought a decent driver off of ebay for around $6,000. Without doing any additional paintwork and doing a lot of the labor himself, I would be surprised if he isn't north of $30,000. He thinks it is worth at least $20,000. It is a well-prepared car, but I am not so sure. How much is a decent '66 911 vintage racer?
I don't wish to be discouraging, but really you can't come out on a "porsche project", not never not no-how.
You're right---just buy the best car you can afford when it comes to Porsches--it's always the cheapest way to go with them.
If you want to tinker with something, buy a 2.0 liter 914, but with a good engine. Parts are plentiful and many are accessed right out of the VW parts bin...not the transmission or front end though----those are 911 pieces so pricey-pricey.
I will stop beating this dead horse now, and move on.
OK, here is an MG race car project
MG street car, driver/light project
MBG GT -- a bit heavy for the track but they are sturdy and well built little cars.
MGB GT DRIVER -- not a bad car for the money. Not sure what he means by wire wheels needing "truing". If that means broken spokes then we are talking some money to get them re-laced. Too bad about the Weber carbs---they suck gas and you gain maybe 2 HP for all the fuss and 1/2 the fuel mileage. No thanks. Mallory is a good idea. Too bad no overdrive, these cars REALLY need it. I can't imagine what is sounds like in there at 104 mph-----B-17 over Germany probably.
"Project" = "future home for cats and other yard rodents
I can't imagine that car is good for much other than parts.
At that price, pull it out into the pasture and put hay into it for the cows.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
some background to help with your hold or fold decision
I like these Birds too
That 73 Firebird looks fixable.
Maserati Bi-Turbo: seller is certifiably crazy. Notice the "0" bids, so the entire world agrees with me on this one. Yep, about $400 parts car, so he and we are only $6,600 apart on price. Let's talk!! :P You can't keep head gaskets on that motor, no matter what you do. An unfixable engine basically. Time for a 4300 Vortec in there.
Is this really so unusual or desireable?
Looks like a nice survivor, but is it a Skylark or a Wildcat?
The Buick looks like a nice clean car. That one could make a nice resto rod. Something different than what you usually see.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Could you buy this 944, put in a used engine, and come out ahead?
I see 944 engines (of questionable origins) on ebay for less than $500.
Anyway, at the current bid ($750), maybe, but that assumes you can do work yourself, and you can find a good engine. I might be more worried about the sheer volume of electrical/body issues (door locks, window motors, etc.). Might eat up your budget just fixing them!
If you have the mechanical ability to tackle it, might be worth a shot, but I think it really needs someone with tools and a mechanically excellent 944 that was rearended, so you can just combine parts.
Ah, who am I kidding. You would be so far underwater you would need a periscope to see daylight.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Maybe I should just buy a $500 XJ6 and put a $500 Chevy small block in it.
And....this model of 944 is still depreciating anyway. You won't even keep up with inflation if you bought a mint one. If it were an '89 S2 model I might have said "maybe".
The Porsche game is not for newbies; you need to do your homework on models, costs, etc. first or you'll really screw up.
Wrecking yard for this car.
Yeah, you could run an XJ6 with a Chevy small block, but then you are throwing out the best part of the XJ, which is the engine. I don't get the point of it personally. It's the cooling system, electrics and steering and suspension that causes all the problems, and those will still be in there to haunt you. Besides that, a Jagolet is sale-proof.
Now a 944 S2, clean with a bad clutch and non-working A/C ---there you could come out right and have a fab car to drive as well.
Junk for the insane
(1) 1958 EDSEL CORSAIR (horrible aqua/white), some rust, but basically OK
(2) 1958 EDSEL 4 dr, orange/white, rusty bumpers, otherwise OK
(3) 1961 STUDEBAKER lark sedan-faded red, surface rust
My guess is that these cars are owned by some old curmudgeon, who thinks he is sitting on a gold mine. Are any of these cars even remotely worth restoring?
Or should the old geezer just call the local junkyard and have them hauled away? i hear scrap steel is worth a lot these days 9it is going to china to build the next wave of cheap cars to be exported to us0.
Land Cruiser wagon. I kind of like it. It isn't the most efficient thing in the world. 155 hp to move 4,600 lbs and mpg ratings of 12/14.
Old Volvos only run forever with large cash infusions or the owner's ability to ignore lots of small problems. I know from experience.
-Jason
What a rat. That dude must have finally figured out how buried he is (and how much further he would be if he continued) and decided to cut/run. That car needs a huge amount of $$$ to complete correctly, and will never be worth the amount dumped in.
I love the listed reasons for selling these half-completed projects. Too many toys, wife wants garage, job change, etc. I bet most of them are closer to "spend the entire college fund, no more money left to throw into the black hole.."
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
And the Adobe thing is hilarious. Maybe it's their sport model. I wonder if it has custom contour seats and a beverage gripping dash.
james
No, I could really only see these as parts cars for those precious little trim pieces you can't find anymore for your 2 door hardtop or ragtop Edsels or for your Lark convertible. They're probably worth a couple hundred bucks apiece, though...a little better than scrap metal.
69 Chevelle -- the car has been bastardized so you can't expect original value pricing....however, as a modified street car it's probably worth $8,500 as it sits. The only 60s Chevelles worth serious money are the SS models.
It's a 4-door not a 2 door hardtop. Big difference.
Still, if you bargained hard on the price and went for a more cheapo paint job (maybe $2,000) and did some of the prep work yourself, you'd come out okay on it.
I don't see how this Alfa kit car is worth much of anything.
Turbo Convertible Corvair in rough shape.
1934 Pontiac, does stuck valve mean big $?