[berettafan]

if you are going into this trying to maximize resale i suggest you consider just selling as is now and finding a replacement.

having said that...can you get webers for the 3.2? you mentioned looking for sound and i will say that IMO stock 3.2's and 3.0's sound positively mundane compared to my little 2.4 w/ webers.

[The Donkey]

I am not trying to maximize resale at all. I am just trying to minimize flippage. You never know what life will throw at you with kids, etc.

This is for me, not for sale but I have a tendency (at least I am aware of it) to not hold onto cars for very long.

Kaefer makes a good point on the swap vs. rebuild. If the rebuild costs 4 grand more then the swap may actually a better value in terms of cost basis.

I have spoken with DC Auto and they have a few engines but they are a bit on the high side and the one that I was looking at didn't have any leakdown figures. I figured that was a gamble.

[berettafan]

i think the market tends to undervalue rebuilds as the work is hard to verify. for some reason though, swaps to newer low miles motors seem to appeal to the general population.

No way would i buy anything that didn't have reliable (ie written by somebody other than the owner) leakdown and compression #'s.

the more time i spend in and under my 36yr old car the more i am converting to the 'original everything with careful maintenance is preferred' attitude. i know it varies by the quality of the wrench but really every time a car is handed off to a wrench it is a chance for something to get f'd up in some fashion.

i'm probably the last one here to figure this out (i can be a bit slow) but patina is not such a bad thing after all.

[Dr K]

I agree with all of those (non-fans of Berettas) who say rebuild would be better than engine swap. Unless the swapped engine has recently been rebuilt, 25K miles on a 25 yr. old engine might need a rebuild soon. The valve springs are weaker (might get you into trouble even a little below red line), seals are old, rings are old. Yes, P-car engines hold up really well, but 25 years is 25 years, and you don't know how it was driven and maintained.

That said, <100K miles on a 911 is not that high mileage. Well-done top-end rebuild gives you a fresh engine, for the most part. If you decide to do it yourself, good luck but other Dorkis will help you pull the engine and probably help with lots of other stuff, too. If you want Rick V to do it (and I'll vouch for him having helped him help OldTee), you can still save a lot by having an "engine drop party" and doing much of the busy work yourself, then delivering a ready-for-repair engine to Rick. If you serve the right things at the "engine drop party", perhaps the same people will help you put it back it, too!

[The Donkey]

I really don't think that I am up for the rebuild myself. I think Rick will probably vouch for that as well. I do have Wayne's book and have read it and it is a bit intimidating when you factor in my lack of automotive skills.

I can smoke some mean ribs and barbq so a drop party may be a possibility. Plenty of cold beer to go around as well.

[berettafan]

Pete:

my comment was from the resale point of view. not ownership enjoyment point of view. i believe that Joe Public is willing to pay much more for a low mileage replacement engine than a top end rebuild by a top name. WE know otherwise but our buddy Joe is not aware that the bottom ends of these motors are commonly accepted as being 200k mile item and is certainly not going to be familiar with the top names in the bsns when it comes to who did the top end. He just wants a porsh and low miles is good miles. Joe Public has been trained since birth that lower miles = better and does not have the time to learn about seals drying out, etc. I say to get the best possible resale from the biggest possible market you are best served by the low mileage motor.

Certainly a low mileage old engine is potentially FAR more trouble than the top end on a higher mileage (but still low for age) engine. No doubt once seals go you're tearing the whole thing down anyways, worn bearings or not. so the option MOST likely to give you a better motor for ownership enjoyment (and lower repair bills) is likely the top end rebuild.

Regarding my attitude on patina (and thereby originality) i think your absolute BEST resale value is by rebuilding engine that matches that vin.

Subtlety is lost on the internet

[}{arlequin]

there's a nicely rebuilt 3.0/webbers/s-cams on pelican for $8k-ish...

[The Donkey]

Thanks H. I think that puts me in the range of rebuild for my current motor though. My mechanic is steering me towards a 3.2 swap, given the usage I am going to be doing with the car and his rebuild quote of 9,500 without P&C's, and it needs 1 P&C.

I have an offer into a 3.2 right now. We will see how it goes.

[The Donkey]

I have a 3.2 with about 30k miles that I am getting PPI'd tomorrow. I will let you know how it turns out. If well, then I have a new engine coming home with all install items for the SC.

Anything in particular I should ask them to look for given the miles, etc? granted the shop knows what they are doing but everyone has an opinion, either way.

this guy at the independent shop almost talked me out of even going forward with the PPI since he said that the 3.2's all suffer from valve guide issues, without exception. my local mechanic, that is doing the install, says that the 3.2 is probably the best motor all around when you factor in the motronic, lack of stud problems, etc.

my old Carrera had 150k miles on it and it was never opened up and ran like a champ. So, i tend to think that not every 3.2 has valve guide issues. maybe just the ones that they see since the other ones are out driving.

[Rick V]

Hey William, 3.2's also have head stud problems. Since the engines arn't as old as the 3.0's you just don't hear about it as much. Old Tee is doing the headstuds from Michelles 3.2 as we speek.