eBay again, nice 6 Options

[Howard]

Curious to see where this goes $$wise.
ebay 914/6

[smdubovsky]

Beat you guys too it again;) I went to see this car last weekend. He is a really nice car guy, but I couldn't see how it was worth even close to $18.

Disclaimer: These are my OPINIONs. I would still like to buy this car, but NOT @ $18k (I made him an offer). Plus, I like the color and its local.

My list of BIG nitpicks:
1) ~120kmiles on orig 2.0 that has no records of ever being apart (exhaust guides are SURE to be toasted - Im betting a full rebuild will be necessary (Its at B Andersons limit and 2x past due for a top end rebuild)) - also leaks around the front main seal area and some other places.
2) ALL weather seals are pretty well shot
3) paint - while "decent" its hardly a concourse paint job since its 20years old. Lots of small touchups on the hood, and my friend thought something didn't match on the passenger side door. A few sanding scratches can be seen through the paint so someone wasn't carefull when they resprayed it.

My guesstimates for fixing:
1) $5000
2) $1500 for pass compartment (+400 for others)
3) $4k+++

So, to get this car to "excellect" condition would take ~$11k + 18k asking = $29k for an "excellect" car (NOT concourse).

More OPINIONS:
1) Dash is "new" but wrinkled in the corners - looks like an overlay job
2) small dent in pass door top
3) pass door is too "high" and gets pulled down a little by the latch when it closes. I didn't do the big butt test (never put the roof on). It might not be orig and thus not mounted right (kind of supported by something being "off" on the paint on that side).
4) small tears on both door panels
5) Why repair the trunk? I saw the 2 pcs he cut out. Not rusted, only slightly dented. I would have spent the time straightening them out vs welding a patch in - to keep the car orig. BTW, why were they dented in the first place? It didn't look like the car had been hit, but I didn't get underneath to tell. His weld patch looks ok.
6) His paint job in the trunk/battery was good enough that I couldn't see easily where they stopped. Why do I always get nervous around people who can paint their own cars? Im sorry, but it makes me wonder if other stuff was repainted. BTW, He restores cars on the side (so he has the talent to hide stuff - not that he would, just that he has the ability.)
7) Hood has two small creases on the backside that were probably filled for the orig respray.
8) He has PRO-15'ed stuff under the car. Dunno if anything was bad, but overall the car LOOKED pretty darn rust free. I didn't take off the rockers or look in lightboxes or anything like that though. Didn't jack the car up either - just a good look in the wheel wells & trunks.
9) Didn't test lights, wipers, or heat system.
10) A quick "knock" on all the fender/door bottoms sounds good. I should have checked the pass rear area better since the trunk was repaired...
11) Front bumper has lots of little nicks. Looked "ok" and no rust yet, but its only been on the east coast <6 months;) The horn grills looked terrible.
12) 914-6 logo on trunk is silver not gold. Needs to be replaced/plated.
13) He has not confirmed its a #s matching car (never checked). Has COA, but I didn't look at the block either.
14) Has some of orig receipts, but last ~10yrs are missing. He also showed me only ~10 pages or so of receipts in a binder. I can generate more than that a year w/ my 911;) I would have expected a 30yr old car to have a 1" thick folder.
15) Cigarette lighter and some other knobs missing from dash (I remember at least 2 holes). Don't know if he has or not.

Propricer mentioned the rear bumper isn't orig. I did not detect that (not enough of a 914 expert yet;). It looked much shiner/newer than the front. That + the trunk repair job + the paint on the pass side make me really THINK that it has been hit in that corner. No proof, but if I have the chance to look at it again I will do a better inspection.

So, what do you guys think its worth now?

I like the car, but my conscience woudn't let me drive it w/o rebuilding the motor. It it fails and busts the orig case, then its value is ruined. I also don't want to be $5-10k over its "excellent" value when its all fixed. I could just buy Eric Sheas yellow car which Im sure has a damn near councours body.

SMD