As we begin our coupe week here at GCFSB we’ll start on the Porsche side with one of the examples that still falls into a spot on the market that is accessible to a wide range of buyers. The 3.2 Carrera isn’t the exceptional value it once was, but typically an earlier model, i.e. pre-G50 transmission, like this Indischrot 1985 Porsche 911 Carrera, located in Arizona, will still provide good bang for your buck and can serve as an excellent introduction to the 911 in general. With more than 163K miles this 911 certainly appears to have lead a full life, but if the mechanicals have been shown proper care during that time then it should still be capable of providing many more miles of excellent motoring.
Click for details: 1985 Porsche 911 Carrera on eBay
Year: 1985
Model: 911 Carrera Coupe
Engine: 3.2 liter flat-6
Transmission: 5-speed manual
Mileage: 163,125 mi
Price: Reserve auction
1985 porsche 911 coupe
Red/cashmere
Brown leather dash, full leather interior
Full leather
Power sport seats
Turbo wheels
New BF Goodrich Comp TA S2
Limited slip
Recent clutch
All books and manuals
Service records
California Arizona car. No rust
Runs and drives perfect, drive anywhere
Clean car fax with no accidents
Call me with any question at 480-299-2996
The car is as nice as it looks in the pics,
Bought new at porsche in Engelwood, CA, been in Cali the whole time except the last 3 years in Scottsdale, Arizona
Given the mileage this Carrera presents quite well, especially from the outside. Judging by the seats this was not an owner that had many passengers come along for a ride as the passenger seat looks in excellent shape, while the driver’s seat could use a bit of care. That’s definitely not uncommon and the rest of the interior looks clean and well-cared for. I’m assuming the dash recently was redone and it looks good, though something seems slightly off. I can’t quite put my finger on it and perhaps this is just the result of the pictures, but it is something I’d like a closer look at. Still with bidding at $25,100 the price isn’t too bad on the current market, though I probably wouldn’t expect a non-G50 Carrera to rise too much above this with this mileage.
-Rob
I didn’t give the photos a very thorough study yet but here are a few observations:
The wheels are not stock, whether they’re real Fuch’s or not is impossible to tell from pictures these days. There are some very inexpensive and good knock offs. They do appear to be 16’s but the widths of the ones on the car now were not offered even as an option. 15’s would have been standard, and 16 by 6&7 would have been the optional ones. If they’re genuine Fuch’s then they’re fairly expensive these days.
Sports seats are always a good option. I am surprised the dash is brown and the rest of the interior a different color. The driver’s seat looks a little tired but that’s to be expected especially with the sports seats. That leading edge bolster takes a beating getting in and out.
The headlights have been upgraded. This car would have has the sugar scoops which were the only lights offered until 1987. They have been replaced with either H5’s or H4’s. The H4’s are far superior but even the H5’s are decent and they look a whole lot better in my opinion.
The front lip spoiler is an add one. Porsche didn’t sell the car without both front and back spoilers. You could either get them both or none. In fact issued a TSB suggesting you not run with only one or the other because it disrupts the handling of the car at speed. That’s all well and good but I have run several 911’s I have owned with just the front lip, it’s no big deal unless you’re doing flat out track time. I am not a fan of any of the rear spoilers.
Not much mention on the mechanicals other than to show a stack of receipts. Overall the car looks to be in pretty good nick. I’d be interested in the 915 synchros, as we all know they’re prone to wear and will make it difficult to downshift especially into 1st gear unless you’re at a dead stop. These motors can run well for 10’s of thousands more miles than this one has on the clock, it all depends on how well it’s been cared for.
It will be interesting to see where this one ends up. Unfortunately so many of these eBay auctions are shill bidded or worse. I have noted a bad trend where others who list something similar bid the competitions cars to the moon thinking it makes their car look more attractive. If you can buy it under $30 grand its probably a decent deal.
The car shows well in the pictures.
Buyer be aware, but the wheels appear to be real Fuchs 16×7 fronts and 16×8 rears that have had the rims polished. Original forged Fuchs polish up nicely while aftermarket replicas are usually cast and as such do not polish up very well. Polishing and painting of Fuchs is a fairly standard way to make some older wheels looks very nice without having to re-anodize the rims (fairly expensive). Thin body Carreras will fit 16×7’s up front but may require rolling the inner lip of the fender well. WRT the rear they will easily swallow 16×8’s and 16×9’s without any problem.
European ride height coupled with 16×7’s and 16×9’s look exceptionally purposeful and well proportioned.
There are all kinds of ways to get 16 by 8’s in the front. In particular the 16 by 8’s from a 951 with different offsets. I run 17 by 8 and 9’s Lindsey Fuchs in the rear. It is possible to polish up the cast aftermarket wheels but as you note its a LOT of work. Regardless…. the 7’s and 8’s or 9’s this car is running do give it a nice aggressive stance. I had the Lindsey’s made about 18 months ago. I soruced 4 16 by 6’s and sent them to Mike Lindsey and he build the spectacular wheels for me. I paid about $500 for all four of the original 16 by 6’s for the cores. Good luck find a pair for $500 these days… amazing what prices have done on these cars and parts.