1986 Porsche 911 Carrera

Today’s model is a 911 Carrera. Powered by a sensational, naturally aspirated 3.2L flat-six motor capable of creating 228hp, and weighing just shy of 2,500lbs, the car could go from 0 to 62mph in a blisteringly fast (for its time) 6 seconds. The vehicle has been maintained at regular intervals, and the upcoming sections will cover in depth how well this car has been preserved.

The exterior of this 911 is exquisite for a driver with 126,000 miles on it. Painted in Guards Red, the car was the recipient of a full repainting 16 years ago in 2006. Clearly, the paint was smoothly applied and has little in the way of faults. However, we do see that the paint has received some touch-up work on the passenger side of the rear bumper. The Fuchs wheels look great and help keep a red and black theme going around the car, although the Porsche logos at the center of each wheel would benefit greatly from some touching up. Take note, the driver’s side rear wheel has a minor amount of curb rash but the other three are clean. Yokohama tires appear to have a decent amount of tread left, but we always recommend a new set. There are some chips in the panel gaps between the doors and the body, but we are also happy to notice that all the panel gaps appear to be even. Glass around the car is clean and free of both chips and cracks. The bottom of the front bumper on the driver’s side appears to be damaged, but the extent of it looks minor at best. Overall, with an odometer in the 6-figure range this 911 has been excellently preserved, well done Seller.

Swing this Porsche’s red doors wide open and you will find a lovely tan interior hiding inside. The exterior might have been clean, but the age of the car is definitely apparent when examining the interior. The tan bucket seats up front show plenty of signs of creasing, and some of those creases have become legitimate cracks in the leather along the seat backs. All this being said, there are no holes or tears in the seats that need addressing. Tan carpets cover the floorboards, and they would benefit greatly from a deep clean. The driver’s floormat is mostly out of the way, but it does have some wrinkles to it. The frunk carpeting is extremely unruly, everything is in its proper place, but the carpets should be straightened out. The tan half-leather, half-carpet door panels have survived nicely. The leather is especially clean while the carpet again could look better. The black leather dashboard is tidy, all of the gauges mounted within are clean and easily readable. The black leather-wrapped steering wheel is also in nice shape, and just to the right of the wheel, an aftermarket Alpine stereo was fitted for some modern convenience. The black shifter is clean and the leather surrounding it is also in particularly good shape. Mounted just to the right of the shifter is an ANTEL mobile telephone. We like to say that unlike the Alpine stereo, the mounted mobile phone adds a nice touch of nostalgia these days. Overall, the interior isn’t perfect, but it has solid bones. Replacing just the seats and carpets would likely make the inside feel like a whole new interior.

We are happy to report that the underside of this 911 is clean. The frame and floorboards are solid, the suspension components are all tidy, the exhaust shows minimal discoloration at best, and since this is a 911, we can also observe that the bottom of the engine is clean as well. It’s a similar situation under the hood as well. The engine is tidy, there is no obvious major damage, and there are even minimal chips in the paint around the edges as well.

This Carrera’s Carfax begins in August of 1990, when the car had 48,000 miles. From that point on, the car was serviced every thousand miles, which it seemed to gather up every two years. The car spent most of its time in Northern California prior to 2011, and afterwards the car pops up primarily in Cathedral City, California.

The 911 is far and away the greatest driving car of all time. 993 generation aside, today’s offering is one of the final iterations of the 911 to be naturally aspirated. Today’s example has a decent number of miles on the clock, but when you look at the car you certainly wouldn’t guess it. It is abundantly apparent that the seller has maintained this 911 to the best of their ability and they have done an excellent job. A couple components on the inside should be replaced, and once new, they will breathe new life into the vehicle. This 911’s days are far from over, and we are highly confident this Carrera will hit its $45,000 - $55,000 estimate.