A Trio of Targas: 1977, 1980, 1985 Porsche 911

The asking prices for aircooled Porsche 911s have been through the roof in recent years, but the late 70s examples are (still) the cheapest way to get into a Stuttgart stallion.  In California that might change if the smog test exempt cutoff year changes from 1975 to 1980, and those 1976-1980s cars might look more tempting than the early 80s examples, so now might be a good time to pick one up. Here are a few cars from the same seller -- find this 1977 Porsche 911S Targa for $29,000, this 1980 Porsche 911 SC Targa for $28,500 or this 1985 Porsche 911 Carrera Targa offered for $45,000 in SF Bay Area, CA via craigslist.  Tip from Kaibeezy.

First up is this 1977 911S Targa, a black beauty that is free from whale tails or other superfluous appendages.  With 111k miles on the odometer, the engine allegedly runs well, the exterior looks okay, but the interior does have some driver's seat wear. According to the excellent collection of specs over at Excellence-mag.com, this 2.7 liter flat-6 should be good for 165 horsepower and 176 ft-lbs of torque.

Next up is this bumblebee yellow 1980 Porsche 911 SC (Super Carrera) Targa offered for $28,500. The paint on this one shows some visible blemishes/chips/dings, but with 95k miles on the clock everything works, including the clock!  Expect the 3.0 liter flat-6 to put out 180 horsepower and 175 ft-lbs of torque -- a small bump up from the previous generation.

Finally, we have this "arrest me" red 1985 Porsche 911 Carrera offered for $45,000 -- which begs the question, why the big bump in price?  Sure, this is the newest and has only 77k miles on the odometer, and has a very well kept chocolate blown headgasket brown interior and the 3.2 liter flat-6 puts out 207 horsepower and 192 ft-lbs of torque.  But is that small bump in power worth the premium? Or are there other small improvements to the breed that make the newer car better?  That may be the case; however, if the other two cars become free from smog testing requirements, the price premium for this one will certainly make less sense.

See a few cars that need a brief comparison? tips@dailyturismo.com