In the collector car world, there’s the well-known sentiment of vehicles being rare but not particularly valuable. Meaning, yes – there’s likely only a handful of this particular model in existence, but does that mean it’s particularly sought after? You see this sort of thing all the time on Marketplace, where someone thinks their “rare” car is worth a fortune. In the case of this 1976 Porsche 912E, it is indeed a rare car, with only 2,092 produced for the model year, making it significantly harder to find than a 911 of the same vintage. Does this justify the $44,000 asking price that the seller has listed it for here on craigslist?

Thanks to Barn Finds reader Curvette for the find. The air-cooled, long-hood Porsche is a sought-after collectible, regardless of whether it’s powered by a six- or four-cylinder engine, so I would say the seller is within his right to list it for this number. Most Porsche enthusiasts will tell you that the 912 was a better balanced car from a driving dynamics perspective, and that at the end of the day, they all look the same. If you’re into air-cooled Porsches, you’ll likely just be happy to see this silhouette in your garage at night. The color is excellent and the seller seems like the kind of guy you’d want to buy from; he notes, “Like any air cooled vehicle, I check oil level and go for a drive.” No fretting over some occasional weepage here.

The engine is numbers-matching, and the seller states the chassis is quite dry and rot-free. There’s some rust around the windshield (typical) and the documentation includes paperwork indicating a leak around cylinder number 4 that has been present since the early 2000s and hasn’t changed; clearly, the seller falls into the category of not fixing things that aren’t broken. It’s a rare sentiment in the vintage Porsche world these days, where too many people seem obsessed with having a bone-dry motor as opposed to just driving it more and helping cure phantom leaks through regular use. I swear, it’s true – the more I drive my 1990 911, the less it leaks. The 2.0 mill makes 86 horsepower and 98 lb-ft of torque.

The best part is, it still sounds like an air-cooled Porsche. The photos show the interior in various states of disassembly but I suspect it’s more to showcase that it’s been lightly refreshed. It looks good, with a crack-free dash and nicely preserved bucket seats. The 912 is highly original inside and out, which is the major selling point for a car like this. Still, I can’t help but wonder if some of the frothiness has exited even the hot air-cooled market, and enthusiasts who might have jumped at the chance to own a 912 are wondering if they really need one. Still, if you do feel the desire to own a long-hood Porsche, this one looks quite decent.