Thoughts on these cars? They remain the only Porsche I like of the 911esk body style.
I thought about getting a 912 and looked at a few locally...Pretty cool cars! However, for a few thousand more I would certainly bump up to a similar generation 911. I think the extra power would make a difference. As odd as it sounds too, the older 912s and 911s were the most comfortable sports cars I have ever sat in
I don't care about 911s although my wife loves them. This is just the oldest thread I could find to bump.
Geeze, how do I roll back the years? Back in the day, I used to run with Buddies who were running Hemi's with headers, no mufflers, honking 4 barrels, slicks, you name it. Sports cars were these weird little POS that could barely crack 25 HP going downhill with a tailwind. All this meant that you had to learn how to drive. Imagine that.
The early 911 cars are skyrocketing in price at the moment. Especially, the "S" models. Many people like these older (1964-1973) 911s the best due to their lack of federal regualtions. These cars are the most raw of the 911 bunch and many see the 911RS as the best porsche ever made. 912s are the same body with an old 356 type engine. Accordingly, they are less spirited to drive. However, if the early 911 body style is what you are looking for and you are on a budget, a 912 is the way to go. Fernando
When I had my 911, a friend had a 912, and we traded for a few days. I thought the 912 was great fun--you could drive like a lunatic and be barely breaking the law...it really was a fun car. Not fast, but fun.
There's a few 964's modded to look like early 911's, which gives you the best of both worlds. I've even thought of moding my Ruf 964 to the older style look (but think I may just have to change it into a 911 speedster lookalike)
Prices are heading up on the early 911's. The next affordable, really desireable 911's are the '87-'89 cars, which have the improved gearbox, and then the 993 ('95-'98). The problem with the 997 is you can't get tartain plaid seats and a basketweave dash motif.
I owned a mint 1968 912 for some time. It was an absolute blast to zip around. The car is by no means fast, especially by modern standards. However, everything about the car just felt right. The structure, handling, brakes are all superb. Drive one and see if it's for you.
I owned a 1969 912 from 1999-2001 (my high school days) and I loved that car! It was so well balanced. You could push it to it's limit and it would still be oh so smooth. I ended up redoing the entire interior and installed a roll cage, then painted it Artic Silver and was getting ready to rebuild the motor and trans when a gentleman in NC offered me $6,000 for it cause I was wanting a 911SC, instead I blew the $6k on strippers and ended up with a used 944. Wish I had that 912 back now!
I picked up a "basket case" '67 912 cheaply... planned to drop a 250hp Corvair turbo drivetrain in it, but discovered it had a later model Type IV engine back there (similar to the 1976 912E). The PO had driven it a couple hundred miles home and had disassembled for some minor rust repair (mainly floorboards) and had given up on it. My kid began stripping the paint off for a bare metal respray and then she lost interest. I'd sell the car cheap (actually for less than the cost of the new parts that come with it) if anyone wants to play around with one. My impression is that these cars were much better balanced than concurrent 911's, but also considerably slower. Bill
Just sold my '76 911s. The car was VERY light. The suspension & gearing from the factory was fantastic!!! The only races I lost in that car were in a straight line and over 100mph to cars with considerably more power (later model 911's).... You can still find the older 911s for "cheap" & they are fun to work on. I drove mine through most of graduate school & it was as realiable as a old-school VW...
