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Do I sell or do full restoration?

henhb

Member
Joined
10 Nov 2012
Messages
11
Hi everyone,

Haven't posted much on here but I really want some opinions because I really don't no what to do... All opinions welcome!

I have a 1984 3.2 cabriolet. I have been driving the car almost every day for the past year, and she has never let me down. On the way to the MOT garage yesterday, white smoke started pouring out the back and I pulled over straight away. It's at the garage now, I think its a piston ring - there's oil in the exhaust.

The car has rust as well. Both front wings need replacing, kidney bowls need doing, theres small bubbles on the doors, it needs a new hood because it leaks, 2 front seats, full respray, the list goes on......

Here's my issue - I don't know whether to sell now, or keep the car for life and do a full restoration over a period of a year or two. I personally cant do any of the work myself, I would have to pay someone to do everything.

I know its an impossible question, but how much do you think it would cost for a full blown restoration from the ground up? Where's the best place in the south of the country for something like a full blown restoration?

SO.... I am wondering, do I sell now and call it a day. Maybe save up some money and buy a better example later on in life, or do I stay with the car for life, and restore... I'd probably never sell it if I did restore. I bought the car very cheap in the first place, so I would like the think the money I would spend on a full restoration I could make back if needed.

Sorry for the train of thought... I love this car so much, and I'm just not sure what to do! I don't want to sell and then find iI can't afford one down the line because prices have risen...

Any opinions and advice is welcome, thank you.
 
I would personally sell it. You'll never get your money back if that's your intention. I actually think you'll spend double what the car will eventually be worth.

Doing similar with my daughter's car this week as the gearbox is on its way out. Off to the auction it goes.
 
That car's going to clear all your bank accounts and it's not even a 'collectors' car. get shut quick. The bodywork is the killer - where will you stop once you start on it?
 
I'm half-considering a 1988 Carrera 3.2 from a dealer who has spent £16K (at trade) on restoration. From your description of the work required on your car it looks more extensive than the work that this dealer has carried out on his car - so you could be looking at £20K. Even spread over a couple of years this is big money.

It's either a restore and keep, if you can afford to commit and tie up this amount of money, or cut your losses and sell now. As others have pointed out - you are unlikely to get your money back if you then sell after restoration.
 
flying_scotsman said:
I'm half-considering a 1988 Carrera 3.2 from a dealer who has spent £16K (at trade) on restoration. From your description of the work required on your car it looks more extensive than the work that this dealer has carried out on his car - so you could be looking at £20K. Even spread over a couple of years this is big money.

It's either a restore and keep, if you can afford to commit and tie up this amount of money, or cut your losses and sell now. As others have pointed out - you are unlikely to get your money back if you then sell after restoration.

If you cannot afford the restoration then sell it?
 
henhb said:
I have a 1984 3.2 cabriolet

It's at the garage now, I think its a piston ring - there's oil in the exhaust.
The car has rust as well. Both front wings need replacing, kidney bowls need doing, theres small bubbles on the doors, it needs a new hood because it leaks, 2 front seats, full respray, the list goes on......

I've costed up half that work on a 3.2 and it was more than the car was worth so I sold it.

Harsh, but I'll be 100% honest here:

If you offered me the car for FREE, but I had to pay to get all the above work done and done properly, I would turn you down. I am sorry but that's the truth.
:nooo:
 
If the car has got some seriously good sentimental reasons, then sell your granny and restore it (unless it was your dead granny who left it you, in that case, sell something else.)

Otherwise, it's going to cost you A BOMB, and then double that.

CC's post is very interesting and true about the Free car.
 
If you have to pay someone to work on your car it will never be worth what you put into it.Restorations work on cars like dinos and rs carreras because the resto cost is small compared to the value of the finished article.
The trouble is,once the bodywork is done,and that will cost min £10k,you then have to screw back on all the old bits which will look tatty compared to the shiny body.Then theres all the mechanical!!
Look at all the ads which say 'subject of £60k restoration,£39995 ono.
Your car isnt even a popular model once its finished so let it go,invest the money for 2 years and when the car bubble bursts you'll have cash sitting ready to buy what you want.
 
I feel for you for you have a conflict...namely


henhb said:
I personally cant do any of the work myself, I would have to pay someone to do everything.

VS

henhb said:
... I love this car so much.

No easy answers here I'm afraid.

I would suggest that you get some estimates, say four, exclude the most and least expensive, work out the average of the two that are left and then multiply this result by 3. Then take this figure and add say 2% for a year's inflation (as it may take this long).

If this is a number that you can live with financially, then go for it (and get the Doctor to prescribe you some brave pills).

Good luck
 
Big Jock said:
If you have to pay someone to work on your car it will never be worth what you put into it.Restorations work on cars like dinos and rs carreras because the resto cost is small compared to the value of the finished article.
The trouble is,once the bodywork is done,and that will cost min £10k,you then have to screw back on all the old bits which will look tatty compared to the shiny body.Then theres all the mechanical!!
Look at all the ads which say 'subject of £60k restoration,£39995 ono.
Your car isnt even a popular model once its finished so let it go,invest the money for 2 years and when the car bubble bursts you'll have cash sitting ready to buy what you want.

There is only one problem with this approach. The car bubble, wrt classic Porsches, will not burst.
 
Goose said:
Big Jock said:
If you have to pay someone to work on your car it will never be worth what you put into it.Restorations work on cars like dinos and rs carreras because the resto cost is small compared to the value of the finished article.
The trouble is,once the bodywork is done,and that will cost min £10k,you then have to screw back on all the old bits which will look tatty compared to the shiny body.Then theres all the mechanical!!
Look at all the ads which say 'subject of £60k restoration,£39995 ono.
Your car isnt even a popular model once its finished so let it go,invest the money for 2 years and when the car bubble bursts you'll have cash sitting ready to buy what you want.

There is only one problem with this approach. The car bubble, wrt classic Porsches, will not burst.


Im only going by history and personal experience.I hope youre right.
 
I would agree with the comments about having to pay someone else's labour to do this.Without a doubt it will makes absolutely no sense...and that's before you consider the mechanical aspects that would need to be dealt with.

Its such a pity its not a coupe as I am looking for a project.
I am in a position to do all fabrication work myself which "just" leaves the material content to consider.

The labour charge will always massively outweigh any parts prices.
Also I would be surprised if anybody would commit to a fixed figure unless it included a large contingency as there can be many hidden nasty's in what is a complex structure with many hidden mud traps. :nooo:
 
Thank you to everyone for their honesty and opinions! All very interesting....

Made me chuckle about the free car comment, I can understand that!

Also fair point on doing a resto then putting old tatty bits of trim back on the car. I guess everything would have to be new. What sort of prices has it cost people in the past? Some people are telling me £30k. I was thinking £10k so I'm waaaay out the ballpark.

I think I may repair whatever has happened the other day, spend money on putting it through an MOT, drive it for another month or so and then sell.

Thanks again for the responses.
 
henhb said:
Thank you to everyone for their honesty and opinions! All very interesting....

Made me chuckle about the free car comment, I can understand that!

Also fair point on doing a resto then putting old tatty bits of trim back on the car. I guess everything would have to be new. What sort of prices has it cost people in the past? Some people are telling me £30k. I was thinking £10k so I'm waaaay out the ballpark.

I think I may repair whatever has happened the other day, spend money on putting it through an MOT, drive it for another month or so and then sell.

Thanks again for the responses.

That probably sounds like the best approach given all the circumstances. However, provided you can stretch to it, I would suggest that you try to get into another 911 - a more forgiving one. You obviously are attached to the marque - and there is no known cure for this. :)
 
It took me four years to find a good one. Good luck :thumb:
 

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