OK, this is a lame question, and I probably deserve a bit of flame kissed toasting, but here goes. I am very ready to be rid of my M3 cab. I will have an open garage bay available for a pseudo-daily driver. An older Ferrari was obviously considered, but I concerned about how wet it will get here in Oregon (and associated rust issues). I've always been taken with the thought of a Porsche Turbo. There is a particular year (or couple of years) that I like, the issue is, I don't know which year??? So--to the 911 experts on the board. I really like the earliest (77ish) appearance of the whale tale (smoothly integrated into the rear cover) as well as thin sides of said tail (appears lighter, less chunky). I think that another year (88?, 89?) had a similarly thin tale, but the advantage of chunky flaired rear fenders and, of course, more modern running gear. With this lame desciption, can anyone provide any input? I well realize that newer is usually always better, but I don't like the "melted look" of the 90's tails, nor the "pop up" of the newest cars. I'd also like something that I don't need a computer to work on. Obviously, rennlist.com has some good info, but I couldn't find a pictorial guide. I went over to the local borders, and there were 911 buying guides, but there weren't any year by year pictures of the Turbo. So, a book suggestion would be good as well.
Have you tried Google images? You can find a picture of just about anything on there. Since the car is for semi-daily use, have you considered a "turbo-look" 911? They can be difficult to find, but they look exactly like a 911 Turbo without the often finicky and $$$$ engine.
FYI - If you go back to Rennlist.com and go into the 911 (930) forum, there is a thread titled "show your 930" or some such similar title. A ton of pics of members 930's from approx. '77 thru '89. Some fantastic vehicles and these guys definately know their stuff!
76-77 930s have the smaller Carrera type tail, they are 3.0 litres vs 3.3 78 on, they are also about 300lbs ligter than the 78s at 2600lbs. i wouldn't get a turbo look, a lot of the fun is the performance of the car, you can totally punk almost any new car in speed easily much to the suprise of the drivers. I have had no issues with my 77 other than a oil sender unit leak, they are very reliable. 78 on to 89 930s have the larger tea cup tail with the higher sides bigger rubber and different vents Image Unavailable, Please Login
like jeff, i'm very partial to the 930. they are defininitly a daily driver if you chose to have it as such. i still think of these cars as icons and would have a hard time doing it personally. they are bullet proof and really can be maintained easily for the most part. when properly modified, they are among the fastest machines on the road and are truly for the expert when limits are to be explored!! get a really good one...which is to say...look at lots and buy the best one you can afford. you will find that the real enthusiast will preserve their 930 as few other cars. you may also see some real rags...stay away from those! don't look at the cpi prices when looking at great examples. and when you pull the trigger, look forward to all the future mods that will continue to make each drive a new experience. when i want to go on a really special drive...i take my boxer. when i want to drag a knee...i jump on my ducati. when i want to go really fast...really fast...a ride in the 930 is best!!! hope we will soon welcome you to the club. good luck, peter
OK, it is the earliest 930 tails that get my heart pumping. I also vaguely recall from magazine articles of the time that 1) the boost comes on like a sledgehammer (which can be good and bad), and 2) at the limit handling requires a good life insurance policy. Any comment on those thought would be great. BUT, at the risks of offending the purists, is there any easy way to graft an early (say 78) tail on a latter (say 88/89) car? Or, is there any Porsche body guru I could contact about this? I gotta get the search criteria narrowed down. Thanks--Scotty
no ...the later cars have the intercooler and thus , the larger tail is needed. the sledgehammer part...correct! the once said in a magazine (c&d i think)..."more people threw away their 930's on the first day of ownership than any other car in history"!!! kinda cool having a car w/ that kind of reputation!!! drive one hard in the rain and you really appreciate the talents of hans stuck!
I have never driven one, but read plenty on the subject and I believe the "life insurace" part comes from the fact you need nerves of steel to never ever brake or lift off the throttle while in a corner. There are lots of stories of leaving the road going backwards. The rear weight bias is supposed to be unreal. I have a 996TT, and I can say those demons are largely tamed in the newer cars. 996TTs are insanely modifiable as well. Have 911 turbo's always been ridiculously upgradable in terms of power?
While I agree you need to have quick reflexes in the older 930s it's part of the fun, you really need to be pushing hard to lose it or do something foolish like lift considerably while going fast in a corner,but thats how the racers swing the tails out to fly through them, the 930s are different beast to the regular 911, I have owned 2 previously and driven many, it's quite thrilling to be able to burn rubber in a 911 which takes some power to do as the weight is in the rear and its impossible to do in a regular 911. Vic Elford the ex 917 Lemans and 911 rally champ racer has a Porsche high performance driving book written for 911s, good reading on how to take advantage of the cars handling characteristics.
Im no expert by any means, but what it sounds like you would like would be the last of the 930s, which would be a 1989. I like them very much, they are very bulletproof by all accounts, and can surely be worked on by hand. the spoiler is quite aggressive, as thats what I prefer as well. Tuning for more HP is EASY.
The Porsche 930 is my all time favorite, esp the factory slant nose and Ruf models. This one is hot: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=4518198504&category=10156 Good luck on your search.
I remember one magazine or book once described the very first 911 Turbos acceleration as such "0-10 in 4 seconds, 10-60 in one". Obviously they were exaggerating, but after you ride in one a few times, you can certainly understand what they meant.
