Well Maintained: 1986 Porsche 911 Targa

Disclosure: This site may receive compensation from some link clicks and purchases.

The allure of a sports car is only made even more irresistible when it has been fastidiously looked after by its caretaker. The 1986 Porsche 911 Targa shown here hasn’t necessarily been over restored; in fact, it’s a total driver, but thanks to a healthy maintenance list, it looks way better than that. Mileage is said to be original at approximately 130,000 and the seller reports buying it from the independent repair facility that serviced it for the previous owner. Find it here on eBay with bids to $36,300 and the reserve unmet.

I almost exclusively buy cars these days with a healthy stack of maintenance records if there’s real money changing hands. I’ve steadily increased this requirement as the price tag has gone up on these so-called hobby vehicles, as it’s hard to justify buying a car that demands a fair bit of annual servicing without a history of the previous owner maintaining it. Oftentimes, all of the hand-wringing over how “unreliable” European cars are is largely dependent on how over- or under-serviced it was by the previous owner; in the case of this Targa, it clearly benefits from the former approach.

The condition is also excellent for a car with some real miles on it. The seller notes it retains all of its original glass and most of its original paint, which is another tell-tale sign of long-term care and attention. Those leather buckets are in shockingly nice shape and it wouldn’t surprise me if they have been previously re-covered. The dash shows no cracks and the gauges are clear. Overall, there’s not much to complain about inside the car.

The engine has seen extensive servicing, and based on the details provided in the listing, it seems like the previous owner was the sort who couldn’t stand to see an oil droplet on his driveway. The highlights include a full engine removal and reseal job to chase down a leaking O-ring around the front nose bearing, which is the sort of OCD level of maintenance that leads to the perception these are expensive cars to maintain (only if you can’t live with an occasional oil stain on the ground!) Regardless, this 911 Targa looks like a honey of a car, but it will likely require a minimum of $50K to buy.

Auctions Ending Soon

Comments

  1. Donald

    I have over 300K on my 1981 911 targa. These cars are incredible. But knowing a good vintage porsche mechanic is critical. Dealers charge a mint to work on thiese.

    Like 1
  2. Dave Schonhoffer

    RNM at $41,500 Looks like a good one, should have brought more than that.

    Like 1
  3. Rex Kahrs Rex KahrsMember

    Here’s a rhetorical question that I asked on BaT this week, and the comment was deleted by management: What is wrong with the Porsche 911?

    Every time I scroll through the listings on Bring A Trailer, there are always 50 or sixty of them for sale on the site at any given time. Last I looked there were 67 up for sale (auction). So, why is everyone trying to unload their 911s??

    Like 0
    • Paul Root

      I don’t really know, but could hazard a guess. They were very popular in the 70s and 80s, so there were a lot of them. And now they are very popular and prices are rising.

      Like 0
    • Jim

      And why do they have so many previous owners? I’d keep it and drive it.

      Like 0

Leave A Comment

RULES: No profanity, politics, or personal attacks.

Become a member to add images to your comments.

*

Get new comment updates via email. Or subscribe without commenting.

Barn Finds