Museum Quality 1989 911 Carrera Targa with only 7,463 Original Miles!!!

This is the no stories, no excuses 3.2 Carrera you have been looking for. Here are the particulars:

The car was originally sold at Rusnak Westlake Porsche in Thousand Oaks, an official Porsche dealer in June of 1990. The original owners traded the car back in to Rusnak September of 1996 when the odometer read 6,242 miles. The second owner purchased the car as a certified Pre-Owned Porsche. He was extremely compulsive and wanted to preserve the originality of the car, only driving the car 1,200 miles over the next 14 years. The car has lived its entire life in the ideal climate of Southern California. The car has been preserved in climate controlled storage. Just wait until you read the description, this car is the holy grail 3.2 Carrera!

For those of you that are very familiar with these cars this may be a review, but for anyone who is shopping for an air-cooled Porsche this might be useful. The air-cooled 911’s were produced from 1965-1998 and they are exceptional cars. With that being said there are generally certain models and years which are considered to be the most desirable. Many people feel that the 1984-1989 3.2 Carrera’s represent the best of the breed. They still maintain the simplicity of the early cars, have enough power to satisfy modern drivers, are mechanically robust and maintain a classic 911 aesthetic. The next generation of cars the 964 is much more complex featuring for the first time power steering, air bags, ABS, etc. Of the 84-89 Carrera’s the 87-89’s are the most desirable, featuring the updated G-50 transmission, which shifts much more precisely that the previous 915 did. The 1989 is considered the best of those since it is the last year of production and featured updated valve guides much less prone to wear of the earlier 85-88 cars. Long term the 89 Carrera’s should be a solid, appreciating investment and will maintain their icon status for years to come.

Exterior: Overall 9.9/10

Paint- Diamond Blue. The paint on this car is simply amazing, for those of you who have not experienced the quality of paint that Porsche applied to these cars, be prepared to be amazed. Of course 21 years later, the owner’s level of care is VERY important. This car has never been outside of climate controlled storage in the last 14 years. The car was stored in a totally dark environment and was covered under its fitted factory flannel cover. As a result there are literally no flaws to note. You could NEVER recreate this.

Body- The body on this car has to be seen to be believed, I could not even find a single door ding! I don’t know what else to say? Of course no accidents or damage of any kind.

Body Parts- The glass is in perfect shape, still bearing all the original stickers! The windshield is original with no damage. All of the body rubber is soft and beautiful. The trim is perfect on every surface.

Wheels- The car is sitting on its genuine original set of 16×6 and 16×8 Fuchs Wheels. When the car was new the dealer had the wheel lips chromed and the centers painted gloss black. Shame, shame… I have sent them off to Weidman’s Wheels to have them refinished to the factory machined polished lip and satin black centers. Most people would not have noticed, but I didn’t like that they were not correct. The car also was still wearing its original tires. New Bridgestone Potenza’s will be installed when the wheels are returned.

Interior

Overall the interior I would categorize as a 9.8/10. This car has never been smoked in, had kids or pets in it, nor even been ate in! I would challenge the pickiest person to scrutinize the interior and prove me wrong!

Seats: The leather is very well preserved. There is not a single rip, tear, burn, fade, stain, etc to be found on any leather surface.

Carpet: The carpet is also darn close to perfect, you will find no stains, wear marks, fading, etc. on any carpet in the car. The car has always had mats, over the carpet. I do have the period correct OEM mats that have been protecting the carpets since new.

Dash: The dash pad is PERFECT. No fades, cracks etc.

Door panels: They are all in excellent shape, no wear or sagging.

Targa Top: The top is as new; the headliner has started to droop ever so slightly on the passenger side. I am sending the top to the upholstery shop to have this repaired.

Electronics and gauges: EVERYTHING on this car works. Including all gauges, windows, sunroof, climate control, door locks, reading lights, dash lights, etc. It has a period correct Porsche in-dash CD that was installed when the car was new although the window sticker shows it came with a Blaupunkt Reno.

Trunk and accessories: The trunk carpet is in like new condition, the spare and all tools are present even in the original Porsche plastic bag! I provided in-depth photos in the trunk, no damage, rust, previous collision repair, etc. Just exactly the way it was when it left Germany!

Documentation: I have the all the original books and manuals, original keys, the original window sticker, all the original tools, etc. NOTHING is missing!

Mechanical:

This car is mechanically original, engine and transmission numbers match. It has never been rebuilt or apart. There are no modifications from factory. The car starts up perfectly from cold, does not smoke, pulls strongly to redline in each gear, does not make any untoward sounds, etc. The G-50 transmission shifts perfectly it tracks straight and true, no vibrations, strange noises, etc. It truly is an unbelievable example.

When we picked the car up we didn’t start it, we simply loaded it in our enclosed trailer. We took it right to the shop for inspection. We drained all of the fuel out of the car even though it looked clean, smelled good and the owner had used fuel stabilizer. We then drained all the fluids: Engine oil, transaxle, brake fluid and clutch slave cylinder. We installed all new fluids and turned the motor over by hand after squirting each cylinder with mystery oil. We then cranked it over with no plugs to build oil pressure. We then turned the key and it started within a second with no hiccups whatsoever. We then got the car up to temperature for 15 minutes and then changed the oil again. After a quick test drive and determining the car was mechanically almost new we arranged to do the following items:

• Changed Every Fluid in the car
• Installed new front and rear hood shocks
• Installed a new OEM Porsche Battery
• The tachometer was not working so that has been sent to North Hollywood Speedometer for repair.
• The wheels have been sent to Weidman’s wheels for restoration to original finish.
• New Bridgestone Potenza’s will be installed on the newly refinished wheels.
• Targa top headliner will be secured.
• Car will be exhaustively detailed inside and out to National Porsche Parade standards.

One final rant and rave about some people’s idea of “Mint condition”. To me mint condition means as absolutely close to how the car was the day it rolled off the showroom floor. I can’t tell you how many times I have seen or looked at “perfect” cars that simply weren’t, they are what I might describe as very nice or in great shape. In my mind what separates out the good from the great? It’s all in the details. As an example, take the interior of this car. If you look at all the switchgear and buttons, you won’t find a single one where the labels are worn off from use. You won’t find a single threshold cover that is scratched, stained, etc. The leather on the steering wheel cover is soft, in its correct color of marine blue, with no scratches from rings and a nervous driver. All the pieces fit perfectly with no missing screws, or plastic covers. The cracks and crevices are as clean and everywhere else, the headliner hangs proudly and crisply with no signs of sag whatsoever, the leather is a consistent color, no faded on the tops of the seatbacks. I could go on and on, but the true car purists know what I am talking about and understand you can NEVER make an edgy car a pure and perfect example.

I have tried to describe this car as completely as I possible can. It has to be one of the finest 3.2 Carrera’s in existence. Yes you could certainly find a cheaper one, but you could NEVER recreate this car for the difference in money. To properly paint one of these cars would cost over $20k, so even if you repainted a $20k example it would still never be this nice in all aspects. Remember a car is only new once and the collector cars that always bring the top $$ are pristine original example not the over-restored examples.