Pick A Porsche 912

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It wasn’t so long ago if you’d seen a rusty 912 for $16,500 you’d wonder if the price was in Pesos! But here’s a pair that almost seem reasonable these days. The one on the left is in Los Angeles and listed here on craigslist, the one on the right, a 1966, also listed on craigslist but in College Park in the Washington for $16,500. Neither car runs. The DC car is said to have only 32,000 miles. Thanks to Joel S for finding this one!

The red interior of the of the DC cars looks nicer than the black interior of the LA car in the pictures, but how much of that is dirt? The DC engine has a lot less surface rust showing, but it seems to be missing its carbs.

So, comparing the prices, which do you think is the most overpriced? Overall, the DC 912 looks a lot better, don’t you think? The trunk of the LA car and the underside of the DC car look pretty rust free.

Porsche

Comments

20 responses to “Pick A Porsche 912”

Dec 19, 2015 7:27pm
randy
Tony Dorsett had a 912 he’d bring in to our shop for service. He though he was The King, and expected everyone to jump through hoops for him right now. I believe his car had the slant nose treatment, but that was a long time ago. The thing I remember most about his car, was one of the belts was just a little bigger than a rubber band, and nothing else would work. I was the parts Mgr and was in charge of finding the parts for old turds like this. He had a beautifully polished turd.
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1. Dec 21, 2015 1:41pm
  Philip Johnson
  Tony would come into a business I worked at in Frisco (many moons ago). He would wear his hiesman sweatshirt and a Dallas hat, then get upset that people would say hi or ask for a signature. If you’re going to flaunt it and wear it, don’t be a jerk when people notice.
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2. Dec 21, 2015 2:33pm
  Rick Becker
  #4 Porsche 912s are going for $80,000 plus; 1999 Boxsters $8,500. Read the memo
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Dec 19, 2015 7:43pm
Mark S
Looks to me like they might have a little more motor and an extra carb but, after that they are nothing more then a glorified VW Beetle. $5K for the DC car $4K for the LA car. They’re both going to need at least $30K worth of resto work to make them nice drivers again. As Randy said nothing but a couple of turds.
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1. Dec 21, 2015 2:34pm
  Rick Becker
  Do the math
  https://www.hagerty.com/apps/valuationtools/search
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Dec 19, 2015 7:44pm
A Chin
I’d like the DC car with the LA Fuchs wheels.
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Dec 19, 2015 8:42pm
Charles
Too Complete. Not enough rust.
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Dec 19, 2015 10:26pm
Duncan
Well the DC one is a 3 gauge and a 5 speed; pretty early car…solid front end attach points. This one will appreciate… Think of it as the last 356. I wonder if legit ad- a month old and pretty unmolested seems like it would be gone id the P bubble we are in.
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Dec 20, 2015 2:02am
jumpinjimmy
I’ve owned a lot of porsches over the years, but in the time when they were affordable and hence, more fun to enjoy. The price bubble on these cars has killed it for me and I’m out of the porsche game completely. No big loss. They are fun, beautiful cars but more mythic and object of desire than a really fantastic ride and unless you’re really handy with tools, a money pit. There are loads of other fun toys out there and I’m not into being one the fools that’s going to buy some hulk for 16K.
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1. Dec 20, 2015 7:49am
  Duncan
  I mostly agree with your assessment. I have had a number of 356’s, a 912 and a couple of old 911’s over the years; when they were basically “go carts” -the snobs called glorified VWs. (I just bought a very original 64 Beetle from BF blog to scratch my itch!) The last 356B I restored myself- a 60 cab went up enough that I was no longer comfortable just driving it, so I sold it for what seemed like stupid money. It has DOUBLED since then (2013)! Insane. On the other hand, zero percent interest, a stock market that only makes money for traders etc. and rusted, crashed, no-motor 356s going for the same money makes that early numbers match DC 912 (I’d go 10.5K on it this moment) a viable consideration.
  PS I had a 69 911S Targa that I got T-boned in 2001. Insurance payout $14.5K car is worth 120K now. So yes it’s all ridiculous, unless you kept that rusty speedster till now!!
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  1. Dec 20, 2015 10:41am
    jumpinjimmy
    You’re right, Duncan, and I confess I have made money on all of the porsches I’ve owned and re-sold except one!– my first porsche…a 1966 911 with original 2.0 litre and completely restored. Sold it in 1989 and almost had to give it away as it was considered underpowered and the whaletail model was in voguel!!
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2. Dec 21, 2015 4:48am
  rancho bella
  Spot on jimmy………my thoughts and actions exactly. Now it’s a suckers game.
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3. Dec 21, 2015 3:54pm
  Charles
  Same thing happened to me with Shelby cars in the 70’s. I owned two nice GT350’s and the prices just kept climbing. Finally the prices were so high that it just was not practical to drive them on the street and take a chance that someone might hit one of them. The cars were worth more then our home. So I sold them and bought a Trans AM when those were still cheap.
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Dec 20, 2015 2:17am
Keith
I’d comment on these Porsches but my posts just get removed so I’ll hold judgment on this one.
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Dec 20, 2015 5:41pm
bcavileer
Please speak your mind, i am sure as long as it not posted profanity we are all big boys here.
As for these “porsches” let them rust some more! The rust seems to increase their value.
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Dec 20, 2015 5:48pm
Chris
Are there so few barn finds at this point that Porsches have to be in every daily finds list e-mailed to me? Maybe it’s not every day but lately it seems that Barn Finds has been focusing on these an awful lot. I like Porsches just as much as the next guy and find them pretty straight forward to work on but after seeing so many ads for them it just seems like overload. I always like the range of different automobiles (and other vehicles) that Barn Finds comes up with. Just because the market has lost its mind over Porsches doesn’t mean that Barn Finds has to follow suite.
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Dec 20, 2015 8:06pm
Ross W. Lovell
Greetings All,
Had a German phase before my Brit Affliction took over. Owned a 356 Cabrio. While I always knew the value of the original engine, I didn’t rebuild it as the cost made no sense to me, though it was went with the car when sold.
I did the sacrilegious thing and stuffed a VW transporter motor that had been heavily built and fitted with a Schwitzer? turbo. Had in excess of 230 HP. Also had stainless heater boxes, and the price was still half of rebuilding that original engine.
Having an air-cooled car in their line up for at least twenty years too long was Porsche’s biggest mistake. They spent millions trying to shed heat and the associated problems.
Never felt bad when they called my car “powered by Briggs and Stratton” as the turbo tended to make them rethink their comments but……..that’s what I call them myself now. Would love to have a 912 and do the same to one.
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Dec 21, 2015 12:18pm
Rick Becker
Save the 912s !!!
http://912register.pca.org
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Apr 23, 2017 2:48pm
Jack Quantrill
I bought a ’66 912 3 yrs ago for $1000, less motor. Everything was still on it including Fuchs! Arizona car 95% rustfree. Tore it down to body shell in hopes of a restoration. Got too old, and couldn’t bent over. Sold off the parts for over $10,000! These are gold!
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Jan 12, 2018 7:36am
Rolling
10 year old MR2: 1/40-1/140th of the price, 140% of the fun to drive, minus the acoustical glory, the bubble and the “character” of course.
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