So my mom is trying to dump her 911. She is in dire financial straights and is a very motivated seller. She own's the car outright and is located in Northern California. East Bay Area to be exact. Here is the rundown on the car.

It is a 1985 grey market vehicle with 160K on the clock. She paid about 24K 6 years ago. At that time it had just over 90K. It was purchased from the second owner who had the car since 10K. Not sure of the exact color's name but it's a light brown exterior on tan interior. It is a factory widebody with whale tail. It has everything a turbo would have just no turbo. 15" or 16" fucsh wheels polished lip with black centers. I think they may be two piece wheels but I will find out for sure.

Car had the clutch and major service completed just prior to my mom aquiring the car. Since her ownership she has let the car go a bit. It has had regular maintenance done. Brakes/oil changes and the like. Incomplete service records. One accident which involved replacing the pass. side front fender. All other body panels are original.

The car is in need of minor cosmetics. Arm rests/map pockets are a bit funky, carpet shows spots in some areas, driver seat is showing wear but no rips are present. Some door speakers are missing on driver/pass. side, stereo is inoperative. Dash, door panels, steering wheel, are all in very good condition.

Exterior has seen better days. A couple dings here and there nothing major though, roof is faded and could use a good buff and polish. Wheels have curb rash on a couple but no bends. Front lip is scraped up and fog lights are cracked.

Mechanically the car is superb. Passes smog and gets good gas mileage. Clutch is good and brakes are good. This car was her daily driver until about seven months ago when she purchased her Tahoe. It has been driven about twice a week since then just to take it around the block or on the freeway for a few miles. I think the car has a wiring gremlin as well. The stereo never really worked correctly and it keeps blowing reverse lights. The alarm was draining the battery as well but it was removed and this problem ceased to happen.

So there's is her story. I advised her not to purchase this car in the first place because I knew it would get away from her but she did not listen. This car needs an enthusiast to bring it back to its former glory. I would like a fair estimate as to what she may be able to get for this car. As I said before she is a very motivated seller. I would want to see this car go to the right person. Someone who will do it the justice it deserves. I can negotiate a VERY good deal for any interested parties. With about 3K to 4K at the very most depending if you do the work yourself or have it done this car would be a stunner as it was the day she purchased it. I will post a link to my flickr page in a little bit. It will have about 15-20 pics. If any other pics are wanted I will be down in the Bay Area this weekend to snap a few more. Thanks to all for the help. Any input is greatly appreciated. If there are any specifics you would like to know post in this thread and I will try to answer them if I can.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bmw2/

Abe

 

Unfortunatly grey market cars are not that desirable. With 160k on the clock and the things you say it needs...id be inclined to say 8k or so and that being nice.

 

Why are the GM cars not wanted as much?

 

A gray market (or ROW, rest of world) car is not as desirable because of the inconsistency of the shops that did the modifications to get a DOT/EPA certificate.

One of the known problems with ROW cars is electrical problems due to modifications on the FI system. There are several more.

Another very important thing on any Porsche is the receipts. She did herself a great disservice by not keeping a good file. I'd be very worried about the valve train.

She said it needed a paint job (paint faded on roof). This means that the car was parked outdoors. That would mean a full inspection for rust.

>$10K.

 

It's hard to tell from the pictures, but if it is a real Turbo-look car, it would be worth a lot more than 8k. You'd need the VIN number or the option codes from under the front hood to know for sure.
I would think $20k would be a reasonable price for the car in nice shape, so if you subtract $4k for the issues 15 or 16 could be a good price.
I don't think grey market Carreras are that undesirable. The engines were more powerful than the US engines, and the cars had the desirable transmission cooler.
The market really sucks for this kind of car though.
Best of luck to you & your mom,
Graham

 

Another issue with Grey Market cars is the pre-import history. Many brought over in the 80's were 'totaled' in accidents in Europe, where the standards are more strict for repairing cars. Unfortunately, a lot of those 'rebuilders' got turbo-look bodies when they arrived on US shores. That being said, there is a market for GM cars, because there are some benefits, as mentioned. I owned a GM 1976 Carrera 3.0, and it was a great car. If your car is registered in CA, then you are the lucky owner of a grandfather'ed GM car, which is getting more rare.

I agree that if it is a real factory Turbo-Look car, that could double its current value (~$8K to ~$16K). Some close-up photos of the wheels and brakes will answer the question right away. If the rear wheels are OEM 9" Fuchs, the car may be worth more parted out.

 

$12-$14k.