Low Miles, Long Ownership: 1983 Porsche 911SC Coupe
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In the late 1970s, Porsche was planning to sunset the venerable 911 in favor of its front-engined 928. But one last iteration would grace the streets before the 911’s discontinuation: the 911 SC. Arriving in 1978, the new car presented significant upgrades over earlier renditions, with an upsized 3.0-liter flat-six starting at 180 bhp, rising year-by-year to 204 bhp in 1981. That was the tip of the iceberg: for a car on the way out, the new 911SC displayed a dizzying array of improvements – from a beefier crankshaft to improved suspension, from vented discs all around to improved cooling. The body took after the turbo, with mildly flared fenders. While the SC perpetuated a few faults – chain tensioners among those – the reception was enthusiastic. The SC saved the 911 for future generations – and for that and its myriad other virtues, we are grateful. Today’s example is one of the lowest mileage examples on the planet, recording only 16,402 miles from new, along with a single owner until early 2023. This superb Porsche is located in Candia, New Hampshire, and Mitchell G found the listing for us – thanks once again, Mitchell!
The heart of the 911 is its superb engineering, and that’s focused here, in the engine bay. The flat-six enjoyed long development, including pushing it to the bleeding edge of performance. In this way, Porsche was able to hover its street motor between performance and reliability with ever greater accuracy. This engine is derived from the alloy-cased Turbo 3.0; a slight alteration to camshaft timing compensated for pollution control features, allowing for improved standing-start acceleration. That said, the SC was still equipped with the aging 915 gearbox; not until 1987 was the transmission upgraded to the G50 to handle more horsepower. The anachronistic gearbox was not enough to dampen enthusiasm – the 911SC sold better than the prior year’s S and much better than the 928, assuring the 911’s longevity in garages for decades to come. This car has had a valve adjustment and its fluids changed. It wears new Pirelli P7 tires.
The black-on-black, sunroof delete configuration is desirable among Porschephiles, though it’s worth noting that formerly less appealing factory colors have lately become “in vogue” if original to the individual car. The seller notes that the optional leather seating remains soft and smells great. This car’s cabin is above reproach, with a tidy rear seat area and a near-perfect trunk. Though no documents or manuals are mentioned in the listing, the car does retain its tool kit.
The tea tray tail is a matter of taste – I prefer 911s with a duck tail (if period correct) or nothing. Other than this nit, there’s the matter of the seller’s asking price. For a while, the advent of the later 3.2 Carrera depressed SC values, but that is no longer the case. In keeping with “the rising tide lifts all boats”, the SC has enjoyed surging prices over the last few years, along with many other vintage Porsches. This is a perfect example of the “substitution” concept in economics, ie, I can’t afford the convertible so I will buy the coupe; I can’t afford the Carrera so I will buy an SC. That’s not to detract from the attributes of this model, which are legion. Still, it is advertised here on craigslist for $134,900 – a righteous premium over every other 911SC I have seen. I’d probably wait for a car like this to come along, at around $52k. I wouldn’t feel like I was degrading the car’s value every time I went to Costco. But what do you think? Settle for the best and forget the rest?
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Comments
And to think some BF readers don’t care for luggage racks on Corvettes, but having a giant hibachi on the back of a Porsche is the bomb. Great car for tailgating. I can almost smell the bratwurst.
my brother is the same, every time I share a 911 if it doesn’t have the rear whale/tea tray he says meh.
I prefer my 911’s sans tail, or a small duckbill will be ok, lol
One of the best models of the 911. All the quirks worked out and build quality the finest out there. Nice example here.
Can someone (knowledgeable) please explain the differences between the SC and the CS. That was always a grey area in my understanding.
Nice specimen. Thanks for sharing. I am surprised at the lack of comments.
Like you, Michelle, I wouldn’t pay a premium for low miles.
The skinny body SC is the 911 sweet spot for value vs performance for me. 911 is a boat which has always sailed just out of reach, but if I could only have one car…..
I don’t know what you’re expecting to buy for $52k but if you find something running driving but if you do and decide you don’t want it let me know and I’ll pay hefty finders fee. These cars are in the league with gold and diamonds. I own 2 Porsches and must admit I have an addiction to them. They are my therapist and viagra all wrapped up in one. Every time I go to town the radios and scanners are on and the cruisers are posted hidden from immediate view waiting on my foot to get happy. It’s hard to stay obedient since they know where I live but tempting. Maybe I should let the PD Captain or Sheriff drive it. You know the saying, if you are throwing a party make sure the city officials are invited. What do think?
See here, also linked in the article.
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1983-porsche-911sc-129/
Yep. 94k miles vs 16k. I think I would want higher miles so I could drive without feeling guilty.
The only reason this one sold for that price is because it was missing the George Forman Spoiler.
Uh oh
Did I stick my foot in my mouth Michelle? I forgot we are so close to the holidays.
Oh boy! Am I gonna wake up to a white SC with a red interior and a big red bow? That would be marvelous!
This car is identical to the car that almost ended my sister’s marriage barely a year in.
Her hubby always dreamed of one of these, and a tip led him to a low-mileage SC in the greater Detroit area in 1996. It had sat for several years with a weak clutch. He got a raging deal on the car, with the only visible flaw being a water spot on the hood from a garage-roof leak. He was able to drive it home, but the clutch was spent. He asked my advice, and I said there were probably several Porsche-certified mechanics who’d opened their own shops in that area. Find one. I lived in Atlanta at the time; there were about half a dozen such Ferrari shops.
Nope, he took it to the dealer. Working on the car, they noticed the rotors looked nasty and told him it needed four wheels of brakes, calipers and all. “Yep, go ahead!” He never once asked for an estimate.
All this happened while The Mrs. was visiting my other sister in Texas. When he went to pick up the car, he was handed a bill for an eye-watering $3,800–again, in 1996 money. He went home and grabbed my sister’s “emergency” credit card and used it to pay for the Porsche. He drove the wheels off the thing for the next couple of weeks. He even had an appointment to have the hood fixed. He was so happy, he forgot to mention using the CC to pay for it.
The bill came and my sister absolutely lost her mind. It wasn’t a matter of affording it, it was a trust thing… not HIS card, and he didn’t ask. They, she in her ’94 Saturn SL1 and he in the 911SC, drove straight to a dealership and traded both cars and the credit-card bill straight across for a full-option Pontiac Trans Sport. I never heard a word about it.
At my brother’s wedding reception in ’00, my BIL and I were leaning on a retaining wall chatting, facing away from an open window between my sis and us, a good 20′ away. I asked him what became of the car. I’d never heard a peep after his advice call. She couldn’t have heard me, but she suddenly bellowed “YOU’D BETTER NOT BE TALKING ABOUT THAT G_D-DAMNED PORSCHE!” In 30 years, I’d never seen her freak like that. He simply said, quietly, “We must never speak of that car, the model, or the brand in her presence again. Got it?” I agreed, still not aware of what had happened.
She finally told me the whole story ten-plus years after the events, starting with “Do you know what that son of a b_tch did?!” He later admitted to me that in the 21 years they spent married, that was the only time she ever put her foot down, much less made any kind of demand… but he never spoke this, nor Porsches, again.
If someone buys this beauty, can I borrow it for half an hour? I want to see the look on my sister’s face when I pull in her driveway, and send her ex a photo of it in my garage.
Considering today’s value, selling it was the dumbest move ever. Don’t show her current prices.