There are two problems with affordable projects: one, you can more easily justify bringing it home because the price difference between it and a finished car is so great, it seems like a sound deal. And second, a project requires no immediate action from you; it can simply sit around, versus a running, driving car that does require you to get out and use it. In a strange way, a running car can seem like more of an obligation, because we all know older vehicles don’t like to sit. This 1965 Porsche 356 will be sitting for a while, as it looks to be a major project with some repairable accident damage. Find it here on Facebook Marketplace for $15,000.
Is the Porsche 356 cooling down? I don’t think so. We’ve certainly moved past the point where inexperienced enthusiasts were paying far too much money for a wreck like this, but the value of finished/restored cars is still quite high. If you poke around various pricing guides and websites, a finished 356 or one in highly original condition is still going to cost you nearly $100,000 or more, depending on specs. Someone who relies solely on the best restoration shops will be quick to tell you that it will quickly cost more than $100,000 to properly restore this 356, and they’re not wrong. But if you work with a smaller shop or do the work yourself, it may be possible to stay on the right side of the equation with this shell.
If I had to guess, this 356 was in a wrecking yard at some point, based on the damage to the roof and this photo that appears to show some level of rudimentary disassembly. It also looks like the gas tank is missing and easy to remove parts like the steering wheel and gauges are long gone. It just strikes me as a car that was picked at for a bit. There’s also a chance this is a car from the famous Rudi Klein collection, as the car is located in the Los Angeles area and it has all the markings of something he would have collected from an insurance auction and stacked on one of his many iconic racks.
Here you can see the damage that likely took this 356 off the road many years ago. The sun-bleached paint is another clue that it’s been sitting somewhere exposed for an extended period. The seller is correct that the factory white paint is a desirable color, and it doesn’t appear to be particularly rusty. The interior is a mess but still surprisingly complete with door panels, seats, and a headliner that looks saveable. The asking price is not egregious, but it may still be too much for the current market when you consider the nuisance factor of having a hulk on your property. Still, if you can do the work yourself and get this 356 for $10K or less, there may be sufficient cushion to justify bringing it back to life.
Worth fixing? No.
Why bother? Life is too short as it is.
🤣🤣🤣🤣 this is a joke??
….but it’s air cooled…😀
🤦🤦😂😂😂
Why?🤣🤣🤣
🤦🤦😂😂😂
It should be fixed, yep, it’ll take time, money cause when it’s gone it’s gone for good. 15k is too much for me.
“Worth Affixing?” (the number plate that is)
Yes Lavery. Dial 1-800-the-hook 🛻🪝
That looks like it was pulled out of a lake. Hard pass!
If a farmer from Turkmenistan was offered an unlimited shopping spree in the west, would he choose to buy a Porsche 356 for 150K or a Jaguar XK 120 FHC for 100K? Would he choose a Van Gogh painting or a Leroy Neiman? Value in the world of art and classic cars is largely determined by people being “educated” by prices rather than by intrinsic values.
It’s worth $15.00, not $15,000.00. Looks like someone’s ‘0’ key got stuck.
slip a different fullframe chassis from a short vehicle under it ,a little body pulling and pounding out and ah ah oh well forget it. Hello it this the salvage yard
$15,000 is fishing, but I guarantee it will be sold and probably restored. If you’ve ever driven a nice 356, you’ll understand why.
I have driven a nice 356, and I get it, so, ostensibly, you’re right. The problems, however, are many. There’s the 3 pedal thing. No cruise, No A/C, No cup holders, no lane-change, or parking assist. The majority of people today wouldn’t give it more than passing glance- if it was restored. Fix it? Fat chance. All that being said, evidently the faithful are still out there in sufficient numbers to keep the prices elevated on these, and similar rigs. Hopefully someone rescues this poor thing.
This is one of those restorations where you can’t stop. You’re either all-in or if you stop to take a breath you’ll look at the thing and ask yourself ‘what the hell was I thinking?’
Hard pass. I can’t tell if it’s all there. Seller should disassemble everything, lay it out against a white background, and thereby display what a buyer is getting. A complete engine that you can turnover (plugs out) would be worth …something!
Did a quick peak on Hemmings. One is this color was going for 500k but next to it was one in black for 98k, and a red convertible for 150k. Like one guy said here life is too short. You’re going to either spend 100k + getting it restored or work on it for every free minute for the next 10 years. The above cars looked showroom turnkey.
Having owned and driven one years ago, I can say that they are pleasant to drive, unique looking and have real soul. I’m glad I owned a nice driver for under $20k then. However, since that time, the 356 has become one of the most over-hyped and over-priced collectibles for what it is.
For what it would take in time and money to make this car “right”, you could buy a nice one that is well sorted and not a restored junk-wagon.
He who laffs first, cries when this is fully restored . It can be done. Even seemingly no good parts, are worth a fortune if you part it out.
Low mileage very little wear on the pedal rubbers.
“It’s a desirable color”?
Har de har har!
As with what is quite often said with cars in this shape, that should buff right out.
To be honest, I don’t think the junkyard will even pay for this. And they usually give $200 for scrap metal.
I refer to my last post on the 58 Seville.
WOW the original radio is still there!
Obviously been sitting out in the weather for many years. Its a shame they let this car sit to just get more damage from the weather and probably looks like vandalism or just kids goofing off. I don’t know enough about the value of them to really judge but I wouldn’t pay that for what I see here
It’s gutted so you could make a race car ? I’d spend 15k on a decent 928
It’s gutted so you could make a race car ? I’d spend 15k on a decent 928!
It’s already gutted so you can race it ! It’s probably was an I’m gonna fix it up ione of these days cars? I’d rather spend the 15k on a decent 928!
Sigh I wish I was Bezos rich, I’d have this restored to concourse condition just for fun. Do it myself? God no. Other guy was right, life is too short lol.
Looks like it was caught in a flash flood and mother nature sure didn’t hold back.
What frosts me is that this car has clearly been picked over and parted out and now the seller expects us to pay $15k to buy back all those parts?
No CJ, he expects you to pay 15k for this…thing… that is the automotive equivalent of a day after Thanksgiving turkey carcass. He expects you to pay upwards of 50k or so to buy back those parts.
Even Doctor Porsche wouldn’t attempt this resto!
If it was really hard to find a 356 in good condition then it would be worth restoring this one, but that’s not the case. You can easily find a nice 356 so you may as well buy a nice 356 for as much money or less money than it would cost to restore this one. My next door neighbor had a ‘72 Triumph Bonneville 650 that was a basket case. He was going to have it restored, but in the end he just bought a’73 Bonnie that was already restored for a fraction of what it would have cost him to restore the other bike