As much as I am a fan of the Porsche 911, it still boggles my mind a bit to see both the prices and condition of cars that come up for sale. The market has softened a bit for projects, so you’re not going to get $50,000 for a 356 with a tree growing through the middle of it, but that doesn’t mean you can now buy one for peanuts. The 1978 Porsche 911SC Targa shown here on craigslist began as a running, driving car that was looked after over the years before the seller decided to embark on an ambitious restoration. Now, it’s being sold in the disassembled state you see here for $30,000.

Thanks to Barn Finds reader Scott for the find. This is how the Porsche looked before it was taken down to the tub, and before we raise our pitchforks at the seller for not completing the project, let’s understand how it got here. First, the 911 belonged to his uncle before he and his father took it on a driver that was treated to ongoing professional upkeep. With a desire to keep the 911 as authentic as possible, it was discovered that the paint job was fairly low quality and someone had painted interior surfaces and chrome fixtures, most of it poorly. The seller and his dad decided they wanted to bring the 911 back to original condition, and also considered a safari build; regardless of the eventual path, $20,000 in parts were secured, and the strip-down began.

This photo showing the 911 in what is clearly a professional’s garage is indicative of the type of upkeep the seller and his father provided for the targa-roofed coupe, even with the rough cosmetics in mind. The seller notes that shops including Heckmann & Thiemann Motors looked after the 911, and with the mechanics sorted out, they decided to focus on an interior refresh. Looking at the 911 in this photo, it looks fairly tidy – but certainly, as you get closer to cars that have had bad Maaco paint jobs can begin to unravel quickly. This is not to say you can’t get a decent paint job at Maaco, but the prep work has to be spot-on to make the budget-minded approach work.

So, here we are. The engine/chassis has 206K miles, which means this 911 won’t ever be valued for its low mileage. However, these days, you can’t get into a decent air-cooled 911 for under $40K (not without extensive searching and/or luck), and projects that aren’t horribly rusty don’t sell for much less. If the included parts stash will help the next owner set this 911 right, the asking price could be downright reasonable – assuming you’re handy with re-assembly and can get a fair price on a paint job. The Targas have been on the upswing as well, so all in all, this is likely going to continue be the going-rate for a solid project in pieces.