Porsche’s paint-to-sample option provides a wide of array of choices to suit just about any customer’s color preferences. One common choice chosen by buyers is simply to use a color Porsche has made available in previous years or on other models, but that is not available on the model the buyer has chosen. Still, it can be difficult to know with certainty what color a paint-to-sample car actually is as the L999 and L998 paint codes, for metallic and non-metallic respectively, themselves tell us little about the color. It appears that the 911 we see here falls into just such a category. The seller suggests the color could be Kalahari Beige, an option available at that time for the 924 and 944, or it could be White Gold Metallic. Since White Gold Metallic was an available color on the 911 itself in 1986 that would lead me to believe that is not the case. In many cases the actual color code can be found on a separate sticker on the driver’s side fender, but the seller hasn’t made clear that is the case with this car. Regardless, any paint-to-sample Porsche is somewhat of a rarity and in the world of air-cooled 911s that always makes them just that little bit more desirable. The particular example we see here, a 1986 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe, located in Los Angeles, also has a really nicely contrasting Champagne and Brown leather interior, quite reasonable mileage for its age, and is on auction with no reserve.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1986 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe on eBay
Year: 1986
Model: 911 Carrera
Engine: 3.2 liter flat-6
Transmission: 5-speed manual
Mileage: 77,800 mi
Price: Auction
I’m THRILLED to offer for a sale this BEAUTIFUL color combination 1986 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe. It has been VERY well cared for, has LOW miles, drives like a DREAM and looks absolutely stunning in Kalahari Beige/White Gold Metallic* over Champagne Leather! Let’s dive right in!
Background:
Let me begin with a little background. First, let’s address that asterisk above. This Porsche is an L999 “Paint to Sample” paint code car! That means when originally ordered the customer chose a non-standard 911 color for the car, which makes this color EXCEEDINGLY RARE. It appears to be a Porsche 944 color called Kalahari Beige or perhaps a different model year 911 color called White Gold Metallic, though the nature of “Paint to Sample” doesn’t even allow Porsche to confirm the color. Paint to Sample cars are a wonderful car to stumble upon not just because of their color rarity, but also because we get to experience this gorgeous 911 draped in a non-standard color! Paired with the Kalahari Beige/White Gold is the deep tan leather interior Porsche dubbed Champagne which is offset with a chocolate brown dash, headliner and Porsche floormats and boy does it look good! Made to be the ultimate sports car, the 911 delivers comfortable, effortless highway miles and is an absolute dream for around-town cruising. It’s so simple to slip yourself into the buttery leather drivers seat and be transported to the Autobahn as you watch the Black Forest whiz by you!This car was first sold in California and has spent its entire life in this sunny, dry state! A car and Porsche-lovers dream! No rust, no rot, no weather grime, NO ISSUES! And while being driven very little, it was kept in dry storage, started often and serviced with dedication and care. It keeps getting better!
Let’s continue!
The Condition and Service:
Let’s start on the engine and drivetrain:
-ENGINE
This engine has VERY low miles (~ 2,500 a year), with only 77,800 miles appearing on the odometer though the car shows as one with half of that. It was driven and enjoyed as it should be, but being owned by someone who wanted to enjoy it for decades, it was showed more than generous preemptive care. The engine is VERY healthy and has loads of smooth power! It starts right up, cold or warm, goes through its warm up cycle flawlessly and settles into idle perfectly. With even a crack of the throttle it, the Carrera feels torquey and powerful, and effortlessly pulls away! More then a leisurely drive? Keep your foot in it until over 4k rpm and the real design of the engine comes to life! The OEM cams really come on, the engine note changes and the car pulls like crazy! The engine is lively and has no dead spots. No fueling issues, no DME issues, this 911 engine feels like its brand new. There is very minor moisture at the engine case seal – not a leak, just the standard 911 case moisture. The heat exchangers are in very nice, not beat up or rotted out! The oil line from the tank to the case has a little moisture on it, very little at best.-TRANSAXLE
The 915 transaxle is in FANTASTIC shape. None of the wild ambiguity you find in some 915 trans, good gear placement with confident shifts. If you are new to Porsches, the 915 transaxle never had a Ferrari gated box feel even from the showroom, so a “tight for a 915” is the best way to relay the thought. And this one really is in great shape. NO grinds, NO syncro issues. Slips into 1st from a roll. This is the last year for the cable clutch as well which gave a much better clutch feel in my humble opinion.-SUSPENSION
No bangs, no rough ride, no clunks! The shocks dampen wonderfully! The car is tight in corners, and comfortable on the straights! Rubber bushings are in great shape, no degradation or rubber coming apart.-BRAKES
Confident pedal, great pressure with a firm positive stop. Pads have 75% life in both front and rear, rotors were replaced in the front a couple years ago and have virtually no wear lip – 80%++ wear life left. Rear rotors were replaced a couple years prior to the rears and have 50/60%+ life left.-STEERING
Steering is tight, aligned nicely, doesn’t pull and weights up nicely at speed. No dead spots or play. Tie rod ends are in great shape, with no cracking of the rubber or play.Let’s continue to the exterior:
-PAINT and BODY
The paint is VERY nice! It is a 9- out of 10 easily. Shiny, beautiful Kalahari Beige/White Gold Metallic Paint paint was recently polished, finished and waxed by a highly acclaimed detailer here in LA. It looks FANTASTIC. CLEAN and CLEAR CarFax. NO ACCIDENTS. NO RUST. Clean floors, clean door jambs, clean sunroof channels, clean drains (check the pictures!!!), even the the low and susceptible condenser grill is free of dents! The flaws are so minor they are essentially unnoticeable unless someone points them out. There is a VERY VERY small ding on the drivers side quarter near the engine cover. I can only see it from certain angles and I can’t capture it in pictures that’s how small it is. There are a couple very small scrapes in the car. A small one on the trunk cover (pictured), and a couple small ones on the passenger side rear valance and a few VERY small chips, nicks etc. They are WELL below any expectation level for a Porsche of this year or miles. Even against more modern cars the paint will compete head to head – it VERY nice. This is a dry SoCal car! That means no rust lurking under the surface ready to pop up and ruin your paint! If there was a place to buy ANY Porsche, it is dry, warm SoCal. No rain and no road salt! Check out the underside pics too, no dents in the floors, no rust, a P-car lovers dream. There are some scratches on the AC condenser whammy bar (the little bar just under the bumper that helps protect the condenser) and some light oxidation where they appear – the only I can find on the whole car. It is common for this bar to scrape a driveway or speed bump, but simply unbolts if the new owner would like to powdercoat it. (Though, I would not not expect it to last long!).-TIRES
The Dunlop Direzza DZ101 have loads of tread life left on the tires! 75%+ even on a bad day! No leaks, flat spots or odd tread issues.-WHEELS
The Fuchs wheels look stunning on the Carrera in black and silver ! They were just recently polished and look great. There is some minor flaws/paint chips/old wheel weight sticker residue, but because of the overall shine and shape, not very noticeable.-BUMPERS, VALANCES and PLASTICS
The bumpers are in nice shape and free of the typical sun fade and hardening on the plastic bits that is so common in them. They, along with the other plastic or rubberized plastic trim, shines beautifully! The accordion ends on the bumpers are in great shape, the bumperettes are shiny, soft and in great shape! No dents, cracks or issues-GLASS
Not to let a pebble defeat this car, the windshield is great shape, with no chips or sandblasting. It is beautifully clear glass that makes a world of difference. It makes the car feel brand new! The door and rear glass is wonderful shape! Clear and clean!Onto the cabin:
-SEATS
The Champagne leather seats are fantastic!!! They are incredibly supportive with what feels like zero foam wear. The leather and foam is SO soft and comfortable. I truly love driving this car. You sit in perfect steering wheel/pedal distance in these buttery soft seats! The leather has been very well cared for and shows only VERY minor flaws at worst. All power seat functions work perfectly! The underside of the seats are even clean! The springs look like they just got a brand new coat of black paint. The sliders are smooth and work great. The leather has been recently cleaned and conditioned as well! Wow, I’m missing sitting there while riding the ad even! It is a great place to spend time.-HEADLINER
The chocolate brown headliner is in fantastic shape and offsets the Champagne leather and carpet wonderfully. The sunroof headliner is in great shape too! The sunvisors have zero wear, the leather is near perfect, they don’t sag and the mirrors are clear as new.-CARPET
Beautiful carpet in the car! It has been shampooed and cleaned as part of the overall detail. It is near flawless and has been kept under PORSCHE stamped floor mats – check out the pics! Carpet in the trunk is in very nice shape!-POWER SEATS
All power seat functions work perfect!-POWER WINDOWS
Both windows work!-SUNROOF
Sunroof works perfectly! The roof slides back and forth very quickly and seals perfectly, no leaks or air coming in!-RADIO
Radio was replaced with a very nice sounding Pioneer headunit and upgraded speakers and sounds great. Not a crazy stereo install, just a nice stock upgrade (should you get bored with-AC/HEAT
AC powers up and blows nice and cool, could maybe use a charge to be arctic cold, but was cool enough for a warm LA day in traffic! Blowers work great, heater fans work great! One fan selector plastic knob is missing,-STEERING WHEEL
The leather very soft and feels great! The stitching was just totally redone and the leather is very tight! The center horn cover is in great shape! There is some minor fading/wear on the wheel rim, though nothing to take away from the overall shape.-CARGO AREA
The cargo area is fantastic shape. Check out the pics! Clean battery – no corrosion. Clean brake master area – no spills! Clean gas tank – no rust or seeping! Clean fuse panel – no corrosion! Clean body and paint!! Totally ideal!!!The Experience
Driving this 911 is a dream. It is tight, very comfortable, very quick, nimble and smooth. THIS is the Porsche to understand what makes Porsche’s so great. There are few cars from the 80’s that can feel pure and modern – this 911 is it! It has all the power it had from the factory an then some, and from even a little gas is torquey and responsive. I hope you can tell by my long ad that this car is an amazing pre-owned and beautiful Porsche. There are other 911, but clean, rust free, well cared for, low mileage examples like this, especially in a very rare color, are getting harder and harder to find!. This really is a special car to drive and with the care mechanically and cosmetically it has received, it is a worry free Carrera, ready to be enjoyed just in time for summer!Feel free to ask me any questions at all. Residents around the country I am happy to be flexible for your arranged shipper so that you can get your new car as soon as possible.
My standard disclaimer/mantra for any car regardless of service or price: The car is sold with no warranty. You are buying a used car. Eventually every car will break, if you find one that doesn’t please let me know. I do my ABSOLUTE BEST to offer only cars that are of TOP NOTCH service. I am not a dealer, just a guy who loves Porsches (among other cars) and hope to pass along my passion and fervor for these cars. That said if ever you encounter an issue I do my best to provide advice, direction or even parts if I have them. Please understand that it is a used car and will have minor signs of use. That means please do not expect a showroom brand new car. Please adjust your expectation level to that of a 77,000 mile car, but however is well above average for it’s year/miles. This is solid miles for a Porsche of this year, but please just remember that no 77,000 mile car is perfect. It is though a clean, nice 911! Please only bid if you intend to buy. If you would like to have an Ebay 3rd party mechanic service check out the car I MORE than welcome it. Please have the car checked out BEFORE bidding and not after, if you intend to use that service. And please, if you would like to utilize this service, contact me with more than a couple days left in the auction so we can arrange schedules. Please check your local laws and registration procedures before buying. Buying over the internet can be scary sometimes! I get it, because I am an enthusiast too!! For that very reason, I am more than happy to answer every and any question you may so you know 100% what you are buying. But, please ask any and all questions ahead of purchase! All sales are final, you are buying as-is, the sky is blue, etc, etc. Sorry to have to give the boring speech.
Please feel free to ask any and all questions!!
“Porsche: Honestly now, did you spend your youth dreaming about someday owning a Nissan or a Mitsubishi?”
This seller has not been particularly shy about providing information on this Carrera and it’s clear that he has a fondness for this car and 911s in general. The overall impression we get here is good, though it’s also clear that we are looking at a driver-quality example. There’s certainly nothing wrong with that and any clean, mechanically sound, 911 from this era makes for a wonderful machine. That it happens to be paint-to-sample provides an additional level of interest and uniqueness that should garner this car plenty of appreciation from 911 fans. Furthermore, there doesn’t seem to be much here to suggest there’s a significant degree of extra work needed to bring this Carrera into even better shape. Bidding remains slightly lower than I’d expect at $32,000, but there has been significant interest and with a few more days left until auction’s end we’ll probably see it rise a few ticks more.
-Rob
