911 SC - Talk me down

IF I had the money, I would get an 80's 911 SC or Carrera Targa top. It is one of my dream cars not the Turbo or the turbo look with whale tail. GRM did an article several issues back as well as a feature on a souped up SC.

find a rat 911 and plug a late model subi boxer engine under the lid...id think one could be done for sub 10k with a bit of searching around...

924guy wrote: find a rat 911 and plug a late model subi boxer engine under the lid...id think one could be done for sub 10k with a bit of searching around...

I am of two schools of thought at the moment. Because I know it will eventually become my track car, part of me says buy something cheap because a lot of the car will be replaced. The other part of me says I want to daily drive it first, therefore I would want something in a decent condition. Cake + Eat = ?

I showed my wife the '86 and the 996 911's last night. She definitely liked the '86 more. Which kind of seals the deal on this because this idea would be permanently grounded without her approval.

I've owned quite a few P-cars over the years(currently have a 78 SC with a 3.2 conversion, a '67 911 vintage racer and a mint 82 SC) and think I can comment with some degree of competence regarding this thread. First-butchering a nice SC/Carrera with a V-8, wide body,etc conversion is just foolish. The SC/Carrera line are extremely reliable cars that will routinely go well over 200k with simple maintenance. For years I'd drive my early 911 to the vintage races on its R compound tires, run the race and drive home. Catastrophic failures(although rare) are expensive, but service parts are not. They handle very well with a proper alignment and tires and the steering feel is unmatched. Braking is wonderful and build quality is very high. The 911 is an icon and its clean design has aged well. Values are steady, most are easy to work on yourself, mods are plentiful and there is huge club support.

924guy wrote: find a rat 911 and plug a late model subi boxer engine under the lid...id think one could be done for sub 10k with a bit of searching around...

10K is harder to do than I thought. That is if you want it nice in the end. I am working hard to stay under 10K but it will never happen after I go through the suspension$$. I think it could be done with a nice car with a bad motor. With out the paint, interior or suspension it would be easier and the car would not cost that much more. I just think it would be hard to find. Just my thoughts.

Dashpot wrote:

My brother has owned a middling mileage 964 and a low miles 993 cabs. He does very few miles annually, lives in the city and mostly uses them for weekend travels. Both cars were pre-purchase inspected by Porsche "experts", and the 964 had it's valves adjusted as a result of the inspection, all the homework was done. I have never in my life seen anything close to the moneypits these things have been. The "adjusted" exhaust valves by the "Porsche expert" recommended garage burned due to improper lash, requiring a top end job. The convertible tops on both cars leaked and required multiple visits to "Expert Porsche Convertible Top People". The super clean low miles (well under 50K) 993 burns oil like mad and also needs a top end job - after the tranny rebuild. I can't be sure, but think he's paid for his (Porsche Specialist) mechanics boat, vacation, and kids college education since he purchased his first Tuetonic Wonder. There is no such thing as a free horse or a cheap Porsche.

Owned and autocrossed / tracked for 10 years... Never a single issue. The car was an anvil. Continually bounced off the rev limiter. B&B headers, No Cats, Giac... and it's RS America # 0001 06 997S.Headers, catless, giac, ectectectOwned for 3 Mos.... needed new motor Club members car. BEATEN LIKE A RENTED MULE for 15+ Years. needed some Syncros. I have never seen a person this hard on a car (he is fast) When I met him he was driving it in the winter. No motor rebuilds, just maintenance... Again...an Anvil get one, you won't regret it. Ya it costs a little more, but it gives so much more back!

forzav12 wrote: I've owned quite a few P-cars over the years(currently have a 78 SC with a 3.2 conversion, a '67 911 vintage racer and a mint 82 SC) and think I can comment with some degree of competence regarding this thread. First-butchering a nice SC/Carrera with a V-8, wide body,etc conversion is just foolish. The SC/Carrera line are extremely reliable cars that will routinely go well over 200k with simple maintenance. For years I'd drive my early 911 to the vintage races on its R compound tires, run the race and drive home. Catastrophic failures(although rare) are expensive, but service parts are not. They handle very well with a proper alignment and tires and the steering feel is unmatched. Braking is wonderful and build quality is very high. The 911 is an icon and its clean design has aged well. Values are steady, most are easy to work on yourself, mods are plentiful and there is huge club support.

Agreed to everything. Also, when you pull that aircooled six out you're losing one of the absolute best parts of the car. The sound alone is worth keeping it.

How hard is it to get the hp up on the '88's?

AutoXR wrote: ... and it's RS America # 0001

You own(ed) RS America #0001?!? That is a special car within a special edition. Not that it shouldn't be, but I'm surprised to see that car auto-x'ed/tracked!

I didn't , Old man did. It was a fluke that we even found out it was #1. He joined the RS america club and within a few min of joining (entered his VIN) got a call asking if it was correct.

Oh this is tempting

That is very tempting.......

Check out these guys. A good friend in town bought an '87 911 from them and had incredible success with that car.

Warning: It is a dangerous website for folks with car-addled minds such as ours!

Oklahoma Foreign

Thanks for the link. There is a guy I met at Roebling who has Porsche shop in Gainesville. For the life of me I can't remember his name or shop name. Seemed like he would have had a very down-to-earth/grassroots type of a shop.

I want this car - but with black leather. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Porsche-930-Turbo-1987-Porsche-930-Turbo-Coupe-SUPER-CLEAN-LOW-MILES_W0QQitemZ130306080766QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Cars_Trucks?hash=item1e56d8fffe&_trksid=p3911.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1308

I had a 1986 turbo look that I got when it was only a year old. I think that they are the best looking of all the P cars.

Rangeball wrote: Thanks for the link. There is a guy I met at Roebling who has Porsche shop in Gainesville. For the life of me I can't remember his name or shop name. Seemed like he would have had a very down-to-earth/grassroots type of a shop.

The only shop that comes to mind is Continental Imports. Was his name Carl? I know he maintains a lot of the non-new P cars in town.

Might not be the same...but Carmax has 4 Boxter S's for under $16k. So stretch a bit on your 10k price point up 6k and you're there. The car in Cali has 60k miles. Plenty of life left in that one.

dyintorace wrote: The only shop that comes to mind is Continental Imports. Was his name Carl? I know he maintains a lot of the non-new P cars in town.

Don't remember but it could be. This was two years ago. My buddy has his card but is out of town at the moment.

I had thought about boxsters, especially the S. They are very capable track cars indeed. I imagine too that in a few years there will be a tremendous amount of aftermarket support too.

^ I love the Boxsters, but fear the engine: I haven't heard many positive things. Is it mostly internet lore?
Also, why are the 996's so "cheap"? A few posts up someone mentioned needing a motor shortly after purchasing his: do the 996's suffer significantly less reliability than the SC's. My wife and I looked at an SC early this week, and she agreed that it was a car that we "must own someday".

Nathan

Rangeball wrote: I had thought about boxsters, especially the S. They are very capable track cars indeed. I imagine too that in a few years there will be a tremendous amount of aftermarket support too.

The price would start to add up, but the trick would be to find a Boxster with a blown motor and then drop in the motor from a 996. Those engines are not terribly expensive (at least in Prosche terms) and the swap is evidently fairly straightforward. You then end up with the incredible Boxster chassis but with the thrust of a 911.

njansenv wrote: Also, why are the 996's so "cheap"? A few posts up someone mentioned needing a motor shortly after purchasing his: do the 996's suffer significantly less reliability than the SC's.

The post above with the blown motor after 3 months was a 997, not 996. As for 996's being cheap(er) than other Carreras, my personal opinion is that it's the bastard child of the Carrera line. The 993's are beloved due to their looks and the fact that they are the last air cooled motor. The 997's are beloved due to their looks and performance. The 996 was the first water cooled motor and the front end was indistinguishable from a Boxster's. Performance was not bad, not great. Just my thoughts.

Pelican Parts - 3.2 v. Boxster Interesting thread I found on a comparison of the 3.2 and Boxster. I am starting to believe the Boxster might allow a little more room for growth.

Starting point???

njansenv wrote: ^ I love the Boxsters, but fear the engine: I haven't heard many positive things. Is it mostly internet lore?

Are you just talking about the accessibility issues? I haven't heard of many (if at all) reliability problems. However, I can't claim to be in-the-loop with all things Porsche. Maybe someone can clue me in.

I lookedinto boxsters. from the sounds of it Replacing the engine on 97 to 2000 cars is quite common if not expected.

Dyintorace,

I sent you a message about the shop in Gainesville.

I read up on the engine problems with the Boxster's too. I think everyone does accept that it will be an eventual 'upgrade'. Just makes me wonder about spending that much money on the car and praying it survives long enough to save up for the $$$$ a new engine costs.

Edit: Way off topic but, has anyone seen the prices on E46 BMW 330's recently?

Edit Part Deux: OMG, found 6 Boxsters all around $10k. Some with as little miles as 50k. AND a Boxster S for $13.7 w/ 63k miles. Oh I will need to talk to the wife tonight!

Edit Trois: I need to go and just drive these different cars. This has been a fun exercise and I want to thank everyone for their participation. With that said, anyone know of someone with a 911 SC or 86-89 911 that will let me ride with them?

OMG, chomping at the bit

Oh man, another one!

Rangeball wrote: OMG, chomping at the bit Oh man, another one!

That Guards Red targa looks perfect!