Old Porsche 911 from late 70's / early 80's?

If you start with a 911SC (from 1978), they are great cars. It all depends on what you are looking for-- a 928 is more of a grand tourer, while a 911 is more of a sports car.

 

928's are money pits.............944's are, like 928's, for the most part, now becoming uneconomical to operate anymore. You can by 944's for next to nothing where I am from.

Buy the 911..........if you get a good one you'll resell it for what you paid with little operating expense. I tell prospective 928 purchasers in my place that if they want one it costs about $4-5K CAD a year to operate......which is an unfortunate reality.

 

Buy the newest 911 and always have a PPI done to it. The 911sc is pretty solid and always a good buy but take your time and look at the cars available. Don't just jump on the first one you see. Good luck.

 

James,
Many will disagree, but Porsche's big transition occured between '73 and '77.
Give me a '72 911S, or a '78SC. Very different cars, as Porsche made the transition from 'sports' to GT in those years, but they remain definitive. The stuff in between is......

 

I've said it before and I'll say it again.....I drove a 911SC and a 928 S4 both 5-speeds.....The 928 was just a better car! So pretty, powerfull and nice to drive.

 

I don't think anyone will disagree. 74-77 are universally regarded as the worst years for 911s.

I will say that I wouldn't regard a 911SC, or even my 85 911 Carrera, as a GT car. I've taken some long trips in my 911, and my hood still has the reverse dent to prove it!

 

1984 they came out with the 911 Carrera, It was even better then the 911SC,
Good luck on your search, All the 911 are cool tho.

 

928s are a very heavy GT, not even that fast by todays standards, 944s are okay but they are not as well made as 928s or 911s.

911s are a lot of fun, very nimble, light and tossable, they thrive on twisty roads, even the early pre 73s that didn't have big hp are alot of fun just because of the driving experience, the early ones pre 73 are super light the negatives with them are rust and the motors don't last as long, the 911Sc motors are bullet proof and can last 200k miles easy, they are still light handling and a fun good car to put miles on and just drive.

 

Most any 2 valve 928 annual costs (beyond gas):

8 qts oil x 4 changes/year @ $5/qt = $160
4 oil filters @ $8 = $32
1 set ignition cables @ $170 alternate years = $85
8 spark plugs @ $5/per alternate years = $40
2 misc items (heater valve, fuel press regulator) @ $100 avg = $200
T-belt change every 5th year at indy mech = $1500/5 = $300
Brake flush every year = $30
Brake pads every 4th year = $200/4 = $50
Brake rotors every 5 year = $500/4 = $125
Tires every 5th year = $800/5 = $160

I come up to $1182 US annual expense (neglect gas & insurance).
My gas runs 12 to 15 mpg x 5000 miles x $2.30 = approx $875
My insurance runs $275/year (pleasure car, 5K mile limit)

Total out the door cost per year: $2332 US.

Factor in another $500/year for long term expenses like shocks/springs & I'm still under $3k US.

Where's the big expense??

p.s.: 911 is still more a fun little toy. Either a late SC with updated tensioners or a Carrera will soldier on pretty much forever

 

78-83 'SC should be a nice car, if in good condition. Engine should be troublefree if well-maintained (usually just needs regular oil changes, tune-ups, valve adjustments). Rest of the car has some common wear/failure areas, but the car is pretty easy to work on outside the engine.

 

David S......

Your estimate of roughly $3K USD is about $3,600 CAD so I was close by your standards.......but you have to remember that these cars will all require....and if you have to do......head gaskets......water pump......thrust bearing on an automatic car......a ZF transmission replacement/rebuild.........a dual plate clutch........or any of the electronic micro switches or dual ecu's.....you are into catastrophic expense given the relative value of the car nowadays.

I refuse to buy one for inventory sight unseen and without an extensive PPI......and even then.......have grave second thoughts about doing so even if it is nice car. Don't get me wrong I love 928's.....especially the 5 speed GTS......

 

avoid the 2.7l cars (high compression and issues with head studs) and go for 77my or later as these had the full galvanised body shells. a good 928 is a fantastic car, but if anything does go wrong expect to pay big $$$ to get it fixed.

 

How hot is it there? Is A/C a necessity like it would be in FL? I had the same choice (930 vs 951) and the A/C sealed the deal - even the 911's with huge, refrigerator sized condensers didnt' blow cold enough to keep me from sitting in a sweat pool after 10 minutes in FL sun, so if it's hot there, perhaps stick with a front engine water cooler (I'm a little 944/951 biased personally), if A/C isn't a major issue, the 911 is a much neater car, but as many said, avoid the late 70's and early 80's, try to go 84+ for motor, or even better, 87+ for the trans (915 vs. G50 iirc)

 

When it comes to Porsches, the saying "newer is better" mostly holds true. The cars are constantly updated, and improved. Especially during the years your looking at. As stated before, the 2.7S had more problems than the others. Basically the motor is a 2.2 ltr that has been bored and bored again. This leaves less metal in the case and around the bores. This means a less rigid case, and flexing, and oil leaks. The SC introduced the 3.0 as a new motor. Newer better design. The Carrera takes it one more step. If you do go with a S or SC, check if it has the Carrera chain tensioner update. Not an absolute necessity, but well recomended. Even though the S is a less expensive car, I think the SC is a better value. If price isn't a factor, the Carrera would be the way to go. They are one of the most reliable Porsches ever made. Also, not very expensive to maintain.
Regards, Darrell.

 

DMOORE,

the weakness in design of the 2.7L series is not because of the thinness of the cylinder walls. The design of the aircooled 911 engines are modular cylinders mounted on long studs bolted to the engine case halves supporting the crankshaft with 8 main bearings. The oil/air cooling means lighter weight and never problems with metallic corrosion due to presence of water (like in 928 or 944 or Ferrari's). The later larger cylinder bore motors are longer wearing due to use of nikasil process lining the thinner walls with nickel-silicon alloy. The weakness of the 2.7 L motors lies in the magnesium alloy used in place of aluminum alloys in the later cases. Magnesium is lighter but much more corrosion prone and brittle than aluminum. It is also eaten away by acid and salts (winter driving). The cooling system was also underdeveloped for the amount of heat generated by the bump in power and displacement of the 2.7L versus the earlier 2.2 and 2.4L motors. Additionally in the US models the need for thermal reactors in 1974-1978 model years for emissions purposes really compromised the longevity of the bronze alloy valve guides used in those engines. Porsche has made huge improvements in addressing these shortcomings and finally sort most major issues out with the carrera series 3.2 L cars (no more chain tensioner worries which are major weakness of the SC). Mileage and efficiency also improved with the DME engine management that the carrera got over the antiquated and simpler CIS SC models. Gearbox upgrades alluded to by other posters were also incentives to consider newer 911 series. However there are additional hiccups in the 964 (1990-1992 MY 911's). But those are outside of your price range. My recommendation is to find a 1984-89 3.2 in great condition for $45K AUD.

 

If you are thinking old 911, this books tells it all: "The Used 911 Story." I bought is a month ago and gives very good insight.

http://www.rpmautobooks.com/

As others have said, 74-77 are mechanically the weakest cars. Either go earlier or later years. The '78 SC was very much improved with a 3.0 lt engine and much better reliability.

Try www.rennlist.com, ask questions there it's a very helpful and knowledgeable crowd

 

Get an SC with the tensioner update & popoff valve updates. A PPI will confirm how the headstuds are. Bottom ends on the SCs are better than Carreras-10mm nuts/bolts on the rods vs. 9mm on the Carrera although it doesn't make a difference if you are not going to race or do driver education events.

Carreras also have a reputation for premature valve guide but this issue may have been addressed on a prior top end rebuild. Don't worry about the SC vs. Carrera debate-as Porsche guru Bruce Anderson says he'll take a nice SC over a tired Carrera. Run away from the 74-77 cars-too many problems with magnesium engine cases losing studs.

All SCs had galvanized bodies. These cars were largely hand built until the 964 came out and they had great build quality.

GREAT CARS for the money. Find one you like, do a PPI, buy it, maintain it and sell it for just about what you paid after a couple of years. Check out REnnlist.com. Peter Zimmerman has an excellent book on this subject and you can get more info over @ Rennlist.

There's a reason why it is an icon....

 

911 Speedsters, that would be my choice. Of course, they were limited edition vehicles so they will cost more than regular 911s, but they will also retain their value much better I think.

 

You could go above a 944 and newer to a 968. They are quick/ fun and are NA engines, so no turbo to worry about or added heat in the engine bay. I'm looking for one now, just to see what kind of a deal I can get. From the people I've talked to, these 968's are very nice and in most cases are in far better condition than the 944 group which seem to have one rep, which is to beat them all day, every day.
If I lived in the states I would already have one.

 

I just added on to the family car lot. An 87 Targa. Very fun to drive, tough and easy to work on. Sorry I didn't get one sooner.
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Nice car, Tony.

 

Hi Tony,

Is your car Lagoon Green? I have been looking for one just like it. Had a purchase lined up, pre-purchase inspection done, and then the seller decided to keep it.

Any interest in selling?

Jeffrey Read
Memphis, Tennessee

 

James - any enthusiast deserves to own THE classic Porsche once in their motoring life. Stick with the 78-83 SC or if you can a 84 to 89 Carrera. These cars are decently quick, fun to toss, incredibly durable and quite affordable - as well as one of the most recognized shapes on earth.

I'd look for the best example of either even if it has seemingly high miles - 911s of this vintage routinely go 200K miles without pulling the heads off.

I still miss my 1984 911 Carrera sunroof coupe and my current Pcar is a 996 TwinTurbo. Do the usual PPI and research (rennist and sixspeedonline) to learn the differences and nuances of each model.

For example I'd take an earlier SC over a later one because they became a bit heavier over time and 0-60 suffered (6.1/6.7). Although this car was developed over 30 years so the later models are usually better.

You will never regret it...

 

74-77