Looking at a 83 400 at European Collectibles in California....Orange County Porsche Speedster Dealers Orange County Used Porsche Dealer Has 11K miles! Asking $48K.... I emailed them noting they have had the car for over a year; I get an email back today after I offered in the low $30k's . the guy tells me that they spent $8803 for a major, and $2357 for some TRX tires from Coker..........I got him down to $38,500.....$10K drop! MY thought is why do car dealers and many business's always think they can recover the cost of "doing business" from the buyer; am I the only one that thinks like this? I understand them trying to recoupe the investment BUT its usually not dollar for dollar in my opinion. You could have tried to sell it for say $28-$30k with no service; its a cost of doing business as I see it. That tells me they paid too much on the front end in my opinion which "aint" my problem, that might sit on it for another year....chime in folks, good or bad! Doc
I was at European Collectibles about ~2 months ago. The guys over there are great, talked to them about 400s for a bit and they all seemed knowledgeable. Unfortunately I wasn't able to see the 400 that they currently have as it was at their alternate facility. Although 48k seems high, these are guys that know cars in and out and know how to work on them. You are also paying a premium due to the physical location of the dealer. It can't be cheap to have a dealership right on PCH, a block from Ferrari Newport Beach. Factoring in all of that, I think 38,500 is more than fair for the kind of care and expertise you are getting from these guys.
Check the exhaust, it looks like the resonators are rusting. Not unusual, they all do but it is big dollars to replace. Something isn't lined up right on the left exhaust. See how it is crooked? It could be just the photo, so humor me...run your hand over the lower front spoiler. It should be rough or textured, that one looks smooth. Oh and get rid of the cheesy grill badge it doesn't belong there. Front bumper has some dings in it, take a closer look. Coin trays are missing. The speedo has been changed, that isn't the factory speedo. Find out when it was changed. That is indeed the correct factory tool kit. It is tools in a plastic holder on one side and first aid stuff on the other. Check to see if it is all there. The emergency triangle kit is missing. Why is there rust inside the trunk? Those aren't the factory keys.
You know how to look at a picture; just to be clear the car only has about 11K miles not 48K. It would need a PPI for sure! Doc
Hi Doc, You're all over the place, Doc My Coonie, Red Fred Countach, chirped this when he saw your post: "he's outta control. Let me know when he buys something (chirp) - - - - now, can we play?". Just kidding Be well, dear animal lover, Hankie Image Unavailable, Please Login
This is my '83's sister. I would say the cut pile carpet is not original. Mine has loop pile wool carpet in a variegated yarn. I call it oatmeal. My headliner is also a rough weave wool fabric. The seats on this car I think also are not original. My seats lack the pleating in the seating surfaces. Put another way, the leather is smooth. My car has exactly the same side guard beams in the doors, and the same two idiot lights in the dash, low and to the left of the steering wheel. Mine aren't connected, but both the door beams and the idiot lights were part of the DOT gray market federalization. The heater temp and air mixer controls are misplaced and cracked. The cracking is par for the course. If I recall correctly they're about $30-$50 apiece for used units, and many hours work to replace them. The mixers go to the front and the heater temp to the rear. Check all the microswitches to see that they work. Is there a switch in the mysterious passenger, rearmost position on the console? Mine has a dummy switch in this location, which was given a red car alarm pilot light at some point. Check the windows and antenna. Very important: check the "three-way" switch: the steering wheel stalks. All three are part of the same switch assembly, and replacements are $1500 and up. With the large stalk on the left in the middle position, rotate it and the lights should pop up on low beam. One click up is highs, and one click down is parking lights. To check the windshield wiper switch I would pop the blades up so dirty blades don't scratch the glass. Checking the washer will make a mess I suppose but that's life. Just be gentle with these stalks. They feel very delicate (breakable) to me. Also check the AC for operation. This car has rear AC too, so check these controls as well. The front blower is very strong, but only blows through the middle three vents. If it doesn't blow cold in about two minutes check to see if the compressor clutch is spinning or just sitting there. Why no photos of the engine or undercarriage? Or did I miss these? My car has an oil leak in the front, I hope from the oil cooler plumbing and not the front cover seal. It's something I've managed to put off for nearly two years. Naughty boy. But you should check underneath for such a leak. It's not unusual. Also check the bushings. Low miles or high miles, 30 year old bushings will be dry rotted and cracked and need replacement. At this price you should be getting newish bushings everywhere. Even at $38.5K this is the high end of the '83 auto market. $48K? Wow! It should have *zero* needs.
Ask them to double check that serial number. The photo is not too clear but it sure looks to me like ZFFEB07B000046149 with the bold seven indicating that the car should be a 5 speed. An auto should have a 6 in that position. The photo quality isn't sharp enough for me to be sure what this one is but it sure looks like a 7 to me. Leather pattern looks correct to me. The 46149 is 4 numbers (2 cars) ahead of the serial number on my old 400i.
It probably was a mistake by the federalizer or by CARB in California and, if it was, that brings into question as to whether the car truly is "legal" in California. If it actually does pass the emissions test, it may only be a technicality but anyone who has ever tried to fix a "technicality" with their DMV knows that facts and reason have no role in the DMV's willingness to fix that technicality. Seeing as how difficult it is to get a 400i California legal, that is probably a big part of the seller's pricing rationale for this car. It is not as if a California resident with a burning desire for a 400i can buy just any car from outside of the state and expect an easy certification process when he goes to register it in California. Such a buyer may very well be willing to pay a hefty premium for a California legal car. For buyers from outside of California or if this certification is taken away, this is a mid 20's car at best. Also, 11K miles in 30 years is not a selling point unless this car has a long and current service history. Otherwise it has the potential for a lot of problems caused by sitting around for the vast majority of its life. Judging by the rust on the inside of the trunk, a lot of that time must have been next to the ocean.
Yep, a 400 that isn't driven on a regular basis has the unique ability of knowing exactly what your net worth is and ensuring that the repairs it'll need from lack of attention will reduce that net worth substantially. And yet as you well know John a 400 that is driven often can be a very reliable car with fairly low operating costs. Ya' gotta drive 'em folks.
