When buying a vintage or collector car, it’s important to get a few fundamentals right: first, if you’re interested in selling it down the road, buying a car with a strong following should be a priority. Second, history – maintenance and ownership – of any classic vehicle is important to seek out when finding a suitable classic. Finally, colors matter, so pick a desirable combo (if you can.) This 1988 Porsche 911 Carrera Targa listed here on eBay has already gone through the auction circuit once and didn’t mean reserve, but it’s a tasty combination of white over burgundy, and appears to be in great shape.

The interior is a major selling point, in my book, as this cockpit is quite tidy and a somewhat rare color. It’s funny – how many Chrysler products had an interior like this, and we don’t bat an eye when they come up for grabs, but you see it in a Porsche and it’s considered “special”? Well, that’s just the way it goes, since Porsche didn’t exactly churn out cars by the thousands with this color scheme. These are the standard seats and not the optional sport buckets, so bolstering is good but not great; and, based on the creases on the driver’s seat, it has seen some use.

Mileage is listed as 129,161, which isn’t uncommon on this era of 911. The 3.2L, air-cooled flat-six delivered 217 horsepower and 195 lb-ft of torque, and is generally considered reliable with an aptitude for going into six-digit territory on the odometer without issue. Now, here’s my one gripe about the Porsche crowd: there are legions of people who will cry foul if there’s no record of an engine-out reseal, for fear of seeing a drop or two of engine oil on the ground. Don’t be one of those people. These cars leak, and they leak less if you drive the doors off of them. Unless it’s losing buckets of oil, you’ll be fine.

The Targa was once the unloved member of the Porsche family tree, but no longer. When you spend some time studying the different configurations of models that come up for sale, you start to realize Targas appear far less frequently than other models. Plus, they’re surprisingly attractive, and I would argue far prettier than a convertible. Old-school Targas likely give up some points for noise/vibration/harshness concerns, but you won’t mind when the wind is blowing and the engine is at full-song. Bidding currently sits at $26,300 with the reserve unmet, and this 911 likely needs $50K or better for the reserve to be dropped.