1985 911 Carrera Targa. Black/Black 90,000 Miles. Mint. Best way to increase value & Horsepower?

Question

My mechanic says there is no room for supercharger.

Thoughts?

Obviously new leather and sound system will increase worth. Paint due in next few years. Mechanically, car is A+.

I want to get 25K for this car. OR keep it, but I want more horse!

Any ideas on how to do either??

thanks lots!

Answer 1

no idea but cool wheels dude

Answer 2

There are ways to add a supercharger if you are determined, but it is not generally something I would recommend. The 3.2L Carrera is a strong car, and a fun one to drive (albeit, like all older 911s can be a challenge and a handfull to drive at or near the limit).

The first step when looking for power would be to ask yourself just what is the actual goal in having more power. If you are looking to make the car faster, going after some driver experience to extract more from the car and suspension improvements would provide much more bang for the buck than going after power ($3k in suspension upgrades yeilded close to 3 seconds a lap improvement at Laguna Seca in an '85 911... to get that same improvement on just power I probably would have needed to spend well more than $10k - probably much more).

But if you are set on increasing power: There is not too much "low hanging fruit" with the 3.2L engine. The simplest spot would be to get a better exhaust. This can trim 5-10 pounds off the very back of the car, as well as add 8-10hp (I'd look at Monty or Fabspeed). Add a custom DME chip, and the combined increase could be around 20hp, and will also imrprove the power curve. Depending on your local emissions laws you may also be able to replace the cat with a test pipe which will yeild a small gain.

A more extreme version of the above would be to go with heat exchangers/headers from an early car, direct into one of the old factory sport exhausts. I've seen this alone produce more than 25hp on a dyno. With a custom chip there would be further improvements. However, this will effectively remove the heater from the car, and will also face questions in terms of emissions compliance.

Going with a 964 Style Cup Airbox can yield some small gains as well (or the less expensive route here would be to drill a couple 1-2" holes in the existing airbox lid).

After this the upgrades become dramatically more expensive. Change to higher displacement and/or compression piston and cylinder sets. This along with swapping in the 964 twin plug system to cover higher compression can produce larger gains, and still work well with the previously mentioned upgrades (though major costs involved).

For more accelleration, another easy thing to do is switch from the 16" wheels most US Carreras came with for 15" wheels - often a little lighter, thus reducing some unsprung rotating mass, and slightly small diameter creates a little lower overall gearing.

If you are already planning to redo the interior, you may want to look at after market sports seats as this could easily save 20 pounds or more each over the factory seats (thus improving the interior and also the power to weight ratio).

Ultimately though, if you are looking for $25 on an '85 Targa, it would probably need to be very original, great condition, with full documentation. Considering some prices I've seen on these lately, it may need to be close to Concours condition to justify this kind of premium. If you are planning to sell in the near future, be very careful about the upgrades you make - many of these can improve performance but they will not increase the value (and in some cases will devalue the car).

Answer 3

Paul S answered everything you need to know about increasing power. As for increasing value, your best bet is to make it all original -- as concourse as possible. However, the market has dropped for 3.2 Carreras recently, and you will not get $25K for an '85 Targa with 90K miles. I recently tested the waters with my near-concourse '87 Cabriolet (88K miles) at $26K and didn't get so much as a nibble. Keep in mind the '87 has upgrades over the '85, and that cabs bring more than targas.

With that in mind, you can pour money into power upgrades for the fun of it; but you will not likely get anywhere near a dollar-for-dollar return on your additional investment. The safest way to maximize sale price of a classic sports car is to get it as close to original as possible.

Now, as far as pumping upgrades into it just for the fun of driving, heed the words of Pat Williams (of PW Racing, the Mid-South's best 911 shop), spoken to me when I asked a similar question about performance upgrades a couple of weeks ago: "If you aren't happy with it the way it is now, you aren't going to be happy with it, period. If you want a faster car, buy something newer, or get a turbo."

So, there you have it, my Nerd friend. The Carrera 3.2 is an awesome 911 and a fun first Porsche; but it is what it is: an old (albeit very good) car. When you start to feel that itch to upgrade it, that means it's time to feed the monkey and get a newer Porsche.

Why do you think I'm selling mine? :)

Answer 4

for increasing value, a sound system is a bad investment. Youd be lucky to get 1/4 value for what you put into it. The best way is to have the car be extremely clean when people come to look at it.

also, you wont get 25 for it. 25 will get you a turbo of that year.

if you want more power, there are numerous ways. One is to do a motor swap, but thats expensive. Another is to sell the car and buy a 930 turbo or 996 carrera.

if you want to keep the car, then theres a million and one things you can do, from lightening it to putting new exaust to new pistons to new heads, etc etc.

and a supercharger could fit.

Answer 5

Maybe try to customize it or replace the old engine with new ones