Help! Stop me from buying a 911!

[jmatta]

I've always been a 911 guy and the eighties Carreras are great cars. A properly adjusted 915 trans will shift smoothly, but not like the cable shifter; there's also the classic air cooled sound. Like others have mentioned, this is not a modern car, but will hold it's value far greater than a Boxster. Only you can drive each and weigh their merits against what you are looking for. I enjoy each for what they are; truly apples to oranges.

Have a PPI done on the 911, as many replacement parts can be quite expensive; also check for worn valve guides. Good news is the 3.2 engines are pretty bullet proof and don't have issues like leaking RMS and an IMS bearing. Also check to see if the tail is factory, as I can see the front spoiler is missing and should always be there as a pair.

[j.fro]

I caught a rerun of TopGear last night and they were comparing a 60's Jag XKE, an Aston DB 5 and a 200? 4 door Honda Accord. Except for style, the Honda beat both of the other cars in all performance categories.
Comparing the 986 and the 911 SC, I think you will find similar results... don't even think about throwing a new Honda accord into the mix!

[Perfectlap]

My mechanic called, he said he loves the idea of people buying old Porsches.

Porsches 2000-2011 are not as driver oriented as older Porsches but they are also in another stratoshphere of maintenance and reliablity repair costs.
If your Boxster throws a bad IMS you can get a crate motor and be back on the road . If your air-cooled Porsche needs some engine major work....

Also, post 2000 Carreras and Boxsters (maybe a little earlier too) are numb and somewhat disconnected but they also don't rattle and leak under constant use.

I guess it depends if this car is just a Sunday driver or if you actually plan to rack up some mileage.

[ekam]

Originally Posted by j.fro

I caught a rerun of TopGear last night and they were comparing a 60's Jag XKE, an Aston DB 5 and a 200? 4 door Honda Accord. Except for style, the Honda beat both of the other cars in all performance categories.
Comparing the 986 and the 911 SC, I think you will find similar results... don't even think about throwing a new Honda accord into the mix!

That's the trouble, people just read numbers nowadays.

Perhaps it's nostalgia, but some of us prefer to feel the rawness of an old car with the lack of computers, 10 airbags, and a fancy screen telling you it's time to do oil change.

I still want my 356 Speedster, wearing my 1960s JLC handwind mechanical watch packing a 1911 commander in .45.

[IMG]http://pics.kuvaton.com/kuvei/****************_the_future.jpg[/IMG]

[brp987]

Nice looking car. The downside is tending to the paint properly could cost half the price of the car. Also, and this is just my opinion, while the 80's 911s are good cars, they're not modern enough to be modern, and not old enough to be classics like the early longhoods. Also, I believe the performance of the early 3.2 would be comparable to a 986 base.

I have a '70s 911 for which I'm building a 3.4. It should be similar performance-wise to my 986S, but even those aren't considered fast anymore. I really don't care though as long as it's not blown off by minivans.

If you were going to keep it for a few years as a weekend car maybe that would work, but if you're going to put this car into daily service be prepared to get your hands dirty.

[Topless]

I love 80s Carreras but... the motor will always be in the wrong place and I like a real A/C unit. An 80s Carrera A/C always works best when it is below 60F outside. It does give you a bit of defog capability on rainy days though.

[Norminhouston]

You are correct, Sir. I had a 1981 and 1982 SC and neither a/c ever worked worth a damn.

[Lil bastard]

It's all about sensory input!

Drive a '66 Lotus Elan at 9/10ths, and you'll be doing all of 92MPH, but starting to see the bright light, hoping your children can cope as orphans, wishing you hadn't peeked under Lovie Broadbottom's dress back in the 5th Grade.

Drive a Boxster at 9/10ths, you'll be doing 135MPH, have time to text your friends, swap CD's, and wonder what you're gonna have for dinner.

As mentioned, it has unfortunately become all about the numbers.

Decades of Video games, slasher movies, bungie jumping and Hustler have dulled our senses. Can you even imagine that the original Frankenstein movie scared people for days back in the '30's?

Classic sports cars had lots of sensory input, but little actual speed.

Modern cars have lots of actual speed... but little sensory input - you have to settle for the number reached by the needle on the Speedo, then go brag to your friends at the Bar that you reached XXX MPH (albeit that you are actually safer than driving half that speed in your father's old Buick).

The classic 911's are simply more visceral, produce waaay more endorphins, even if the Speedo doesn't match a current Boxster.

Drive both, and see which is the more satisfying ride. I sold my wonderful Boxster for a Classic, fearful that I was trading something away. Not so... it was an awakening.

They're older, so may require more maintenance in the beginning to sort it all out. But once done, these are robust cars - the cars Porsche built it's reputation on. They're hand produced, unlike the current assembly-line products ruled over by accountants - the folks who brought you RMS and IMS.

Cheers!

[thstone]

80's 911
Pros - Classic styling. Fun to drive at less than the limit. Super cool.
Cons - 25 yr old car with 25 yr old features. Expensive engine repairs. Hard to find parts. Difficult (dangerous?) to drive at the limit unless you know what you're doing.


2000's Boxster
Pros: Nice styling. Excellent handling. Easy to drive at the limit. Affordable repairs.
Cons: Not a 911. Not a 911. Not a 911. Not a 911.

[jmatta]

First of all, a 1984 911 is not an SC, but a Carrera debuting Motronic DME, which is a modern engine management system. Prior 911s utilized CIS injection, which was fine when working properly, but a bit of a pain otherwise. I've owned many examples of the eighties Carreras and never experienced any major repairs. Cost of parts is certainly not overly expensive due to the massive aftermarket following of these great autos. As I mentioned previously, check for worn valve guides, as this is one area of trouble that could show on these engines. I have many friends that have rebuilt their own engines, as they are not overly complicated nor terribly expensive to repair, compared to the M96 (bang and done). These cars are rock-solid and great fun to drive, but not really a daily driver. AC doesn't work great from the factory, but there are numerous aftermarket solutions that don't alter the physical appearance of the car. If you want a modern ride with your latte and iPod, maybe a Carrera isn't for you; however, if you are longing for a true air cooled experience, this is the ticket. Don't bother with the 996 models, Boxsters are more fun to drive.

[ekam]

Originally Posted by Lil bastard

It's all about sensory input!

Drive a '66 Lotus Elan at 9/10ths, and you'll be doing all of 92MPH, but starting to see the bright light, hoping your children can cope as orphans, wishing you hadn't peeked under Lovie Broadbottom's dress back in the 5th Grade.

Drive a Boxster at 9/10ths, you'll be doing 135MPH, have time to text your friends, swap CD's, and wonder what you're gonna have for dinner.

As mentioned, it has unfortunately become all about the numbers.

Decades of Video games, slasher movies, bungie jumping and Hustler have dulled our senses. Can you even imagine that the original Frankenstein movie scared people for days back in the '30's?

Classic sports cars had lots of sensory input, but little actual speed.

Modern cars have lots of actual speed... but little sensory input - you have to settle for the number reached by the needle on the Speedo, then go brag to your friends at the Bar that you reached XXX MPH (albeit that you are actually safer than driving half that speed in your father's old Buick).

The classic 911's are simply more visceral, produce waaay more endorphins, even if the Speedo doesn't match a current Boxster.

Drive both, and see which is the more satisfying ride. I sold my wonderful Boxster for a Classic, fearful that I was trading something away. Not so... it was an awakening.

They're older, so may require more maintenance in the beginning to sort it all out. But once done, these are robust cars - the cars Porsche built it's reputation on. They're hand produced, unlike the current assembly-line products ruled over by accountants - the folks who brought you RMS and IMS.

Cheers!

Same thing can be said for women isn't it? Nothing gets more attention from me than well maintained 40 year-olds... most 20-something puts me to sleep.

[surf40]

Thanks for all the input. I think the Boxster will better meet my needs/desire to own and drive a Porsche. I’m still a while from actually making the purchase, but have been looking at all the adds every week to get a good take on what is out there and what is available. I’m looking at spending $15-20K on a 2001-2004 S model.