A 1984 Porsche 911 Carrera Targa spent nearly 30 years sitting in a garage before someone finally decided it deserved another shot at the road. Getting it running again would take far more than a fresh battery and some gas.
The man who bought it had never owned a Porsche. In fact, he had never even driven one. Still, when the aging sports car came up for sale at a price he couldn’t pass up, he took the chance.
What followed was 10 and a half months of work, including a complete engine rebuild in his own garage. Rather than handing the job to a Porsche shop, the new owner wanted to bring the car back himself.
On November 4, he shared the finished project with Reddit’s r/projectcar community. The car that once sat forgotten is now back on the road, and its owner has already put thousands of miles on it.
A Deal Worth Taking
My project car: 1984 Porsche 911 Targa resurrection
by
u/MokiBoy in
projectcar
For Reddit user u/MokiBoy, buying an old Porsche wasn’t part of some grand plan. The opportunity simply came along, and the price was too tempting to ignore.
His Reddit post explains that the 1984 Carrera had around 69,000 miles when he bought it. Despite its low mileage for a 42-year-old car, nearly three decades of storage meant there was plenty of work ahead.
He could have bought a newer Porsche, but the neglected Targa offered something different. It was a chance to get his hands dirty and learn what made one of the brand’s most famous sports cars tick.
Once the engine came out, the project became a major undertaking. He spent months taking parts apart, fixing problems, checking measurements, and putting everything back together.
Even his garage had to change. In a reply to another Reddit user, he explained how old bedsheets became clean work surfaces after he finished taking the engine apart. Once the parts were cleaned, the garage turned into his engine assembly room.
Under the Hood
Although the owner handled the engine’s final assembly, he wasn’t completely alone. In an earlier update, he explained that friends in the automotive business helped him get parts and machine work done.
One friend who owns a Porsche shop gave him access to wholesale parts prices. Another, a machinist, helped prepare the engine’s internal parts.
Those connections mattered. The owner admitted that buying everything at retail prices would have pushed the rebuild well beyond his budget.
After the outside work was finished, he assembled the engine himself. He also watched plenty of YouTube videos, tackling one job at a time rather than letting the whole project overwhelm him.
Back Where It Belongs
The biggest reward came after the Porsche returned to the road. By his November post, the odometer had reached approximately 73,000 miles, putting several thousand miles between the owner and those long days in the garage.
In his October update, he reported that the rebuilt engine had already covered 3,000 miles without any surprises.
Driving the old Targa also gave him a new appreciation for the car. It may not feel as smooth or refined as newer vehicles, but its steering and handling have a character he enjoys.
More importantly, he knows exactly what’s happening beneath the bodywork. Every gear change, clutch push, and throttle press reminds him of the parts he personally handled.
“Sometimes I think I enjoy that feeling as much as driving it,” he wrote.
One Last Job
The restoration photos drew plenty of praise from Reddit users, especially those who appreciated seeing the engine apart and then fully assembled.
One remaining challenge is the Targa’s removable roof. When another user warned that getting an old Targa top to seal properly could be frustrating, the owner admitted he might leave that job to a professional.
He said a local upholstery specialist had experience working on about a dozen Porsche Targa roofs, making that an option if he decides not to finish the top himself.