Maryland man finds a 1999 Porsche 911 on Craigslist for $6K and attempts to restore it for under $4K
- Maryland-based car enthusiast found a Porsche 911 on Craigslist
- He paid $6,000 for the car
- He attempted to restore it for $4,000
Published on Dec 04, 2024 at 5:27 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Dec 05, 2024 at 4:48 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
This Maryland-based salvage-yard enthusiast did the impossible and found a 1999 Porsche 911 on Craigslist – and attempted to restore it.
He paid $6,000 for the car and his aim was to spend less than $4,000 on the restoration.
All in all, this would mean a total spend of $10,000.
With that budget, he admitted it was ambitious.
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The 1999 Porsche 911
While he’d always been told that ‘there’s no such thing as a cheap Porsche’, Maryland-based Lee of ScrapLife Garage wanted to prove everyone wrong.
Sitting several states away, he was able to find a 1999 Porsche 911 in black over tan with a manual transmission for an equally sleep $6,000.
Bar the normal wear and tear of a 25-year-old vehicle, the car was clean inside and out.
Everything was seemingly intact, but the Porsche 911 seemed to have some potential engine issues due to coolant mixing with oil possibly caused by a cracked cylinder head – a common issue for the engine model.
Lee’s plan was to get the car up and running again for $10,000 – meaning he had $4,000 to play with to restore it.
Speaking of doing things as cheaply as possible, this millionaire revealed the reason he bought the cheapest Tesla he could find – and it makes sense.
However, some cheap cars can pack some expensive surprises.
The journey to restore it
As for this Porsche 911, the interior was in good condition but needed a new steering wheel and head unit.
Under the hood, the engine drop was easier than expected, due to the car being a rear-wheel-drive model without a front diff or driveshaft.
Thankfully, Lee found the engine had a non-serviceable IMS (Intermediate Shaft) bearing, which is typically considered more reliable.
This meant a replacement engine may not have been necessary after all.
So, after reinstalling the engine and transmission, the car finally started without any warning lights flashing up at all.
When he tested it, it exceeded all expectations without the need for realignment.
Finally, a $700 replacement steering wheel brought Lee’s total investment to $4,650.
While Lee admitted that the car looked ‘amazing’, he urged people not to overspend while restoring vehicles.
“It needs a few other things to make it absolutely perfect and the way I want it,” he admitted.
“But, spending way more than you originally thought is kind of how the whole car game works.”
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All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”
