1984 Porsche 911 3.2 CARRERA

This is, we think, a smart and presentable 911 3.2 Carrera Cabriolet that’s had a good deal of money spent on it recently and is ready to sign up for years more service in the company of a proud new owner.

Aside from a very small number of issues, this white with blue leather, black carpets and a black hood example is a good looking car – albeit with some quirks you won’t find on any other (more of that later).

The vendor, who knows a thing or two about collecting classics, has driven it sparingly in the last few years and the car’s only major annual outings since 2015 have been to the MOT testing centre, where it has consistently cleared every hurdle in its path, without advisories.

It comes with a good bundle of bills, invoices and MOTs, plus an extensive, if incomplete, history.

Broadly speaking, the paintwork and finish are in very good condition, as they should be given that the car had any bodywork corrosion attended to last year, prior to being fully resprayed.

You will have noted the usual Carrera decals above the sills on the car’s flanks. You will also have spotted something rather less conventional, namely, the matt black stripes that sit on the bonnet and engine cover. These may or may not be to your liking. Either way, we would add that given the difficulty of successfully applying matt black paint (yes, it’s paint, not a decal), then whoever did the work has made a good job of it.

The paintwork elsewhere is generally unblemished, although on the valances below the bumpers it’s a bit lumpy and orange-peely in places. There is a bit of loose cabling under the rear valance which would ideally need tucking back up out of sight, and the rubber is split on the sill where it meets the bottom of the o/s door. Small fry.

The original alloys are in fine fettle, as is the hood, which shows no major sign of wear or tear that we can see. The matching tyres have a decent amount of tread left on them but the rears will need looking at in the not too distant future.

There is a tiny bit of surface rust at the bottom of the o/s window where it meets the A pillar and there is some missing paint at the top inside edge of the windscreen where the metal engages with the hood mechanism – again minor details. The included tonneau cover is intact and more than usable but it’s a bit dusty and would benefit from being shown a chamois leather and some soapy water.

All the panels are straight and even and the shut lines are everything you would expect of a 911 from this era. The doors slam home with the hard, metallic clunk that will be familiar to Porsche owners everywhere.

Currently, the petrol cap cover is sitting on the passenger seat. This is because it decided to detach itself during the trip up to us (the owner drove it to us from London). Obviously, it won’t be a big job to re-fix it. Also, the gas struts on the bonnet aren’t currently up to the job of holding it open, so will need looking at.

The inside really does appear to be in very good nick. The carpets are new, as are the mats. The door cards are in good condition and the inside of the hood is largely unmarked and in good order. The boot is tidy, with the carpets intact and in good order.

The seats are in particularly impressive condition, as they should be given that they were reupholstered to the highest specification recently, including what the vendor described as ‘arm and a leg expensive’ Porsche embossing on the headrests. The door card on o/s rear is coming loose.

The dashboard is solid and shows no cracks. The fascia, centre console and gear lever are also all good. The dials work, except for the speedo, which the vendor thinks may be down to a loose cable somewhere.

If we were being very picky, we’d point out that there’s a bit of creasing to the leather around the seat lever on the driver’s side, and that the carpet on the parcel shelf has faded a bit in the sunlight. But that’s if we’re being very picky. And we’re not, really.

The modern Pioneer stereo requires the new owner to download an app to operate it, the immobiliser has been disconnected adn teh odometer is not working at the momoent.

All in all, it’s a pretty strong interior and a good place to spend some time.

The undersides are straight and even, with only superficial rust to a few pipes and suspension components.

A decent coating of bitumen is still present.

The engine bay has everything in its right and proper place. The only visible rust is a surface dusting to the rear of the bay.

The car drives and handles well, our test drive was very positive and the hood sealed very well too with wind noise low. We noticed the engine occasionally hunts a little, and that first gear takes bit fo getting used to, a good hand is needed. We wonder if it just needs to be driven up and down a motorway for a few miles to blow the cobwebs away. 

As you’ll see from the photographs, the car comes with an extensive but incomplete service history. What is does have, however, is solid evidence of a great deal of expenditure on big ticket items in the relatively recent past.

So, it was resprayed last year and had bodywork corrosion issues addressed.

In 2015, £600 was spent on addressing corrosion to both B pillars. The same year (and bear in mind that this car had done virtually no mileage since then), RSR Engineering billed the owner £7K for completely rebuilding the top end of the engine and fitting a replacement lightweight clutch.

In 2000, at about 75,000 miles, it had the engine and gearbox out. The engine was stripped to crankcases, the valves and seats were re-faced, new valve guides were fitted and the clutch was replaced. All at a cost of around £4K.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained to a very good standard.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please contact us to arrange an appointment.

We think this is an honest, strong example of both the model and the marque. It feels solid and sorted and is good to drive.

The mileage appears credible, it has an HPI certificate, it has an MOT until 27/05/21. Most importantly, previous owners have spent big money rebuilding, refurbishing, respraying, fettling and sorting it so you shouldn’t have to.

It needs a basic service and one or two small things looking at. Last but by no means least, it needs you to drive and enjoy it – safe in the knowledge that these cars are unlikely to start losing value any time soon.

The estimate range is £26,000 – £33,000.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’. 

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Footman James for classic car insurance Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car and an array of regional providers for transporting it.

BORING, but IMPORTANT: Please note that whilst we at The Market always aim to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings available, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles for sale. We offer far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange inspections for each vehicle thoroughly prior to bidding than traditional auctions, and we never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this. We do take a good look at the vehicles delivered to our premises for sale, but this only results in our unbiased personal observations, not those of a qualified inspector or other professional, or the result of a long test drive.

Also, localised paint repairs are common with collectable and classic cars and if they have been professionally carried out then they may be impossible to detect, even if we see the car in person. So, unless we state otherwise, please assume that any vehicle could have had remedial bodywork at some point in its life.

Additionally, please note that most of the videos on our site have been recorded using simple cameras which often result in 'average' sound quality; in particular, engines and exhausts notes can sound a little different to how they are in reality.

Please note that this is sold as seen and that, as is normal for used goods bought at auction, the Sale of Goods Act 1979 does not apply. See our FAQs for more info, and feel free to inspect any vehicle as much as you wish.