3.2 Carrera as a daily driver? - Page 1 - Porsche General - PistonHeads UK

A late G50 gearbox 3.2 is a very good budget choice and more reliable in many ways than the 964 model that replaced it. ( although an early 964 can be significantly cheaper than a late 3.2) Of course in 3.2 form it is not going to match the Tiv for thrust- you would need a turbo and then to uprate it to do that- it should however if you choose carefully be more reliable and certainly more refined. As for comuting 3 miles in it daily, thats not a great idea in any car. What about a smart car, you could thrash the hell out of it for the 3 miles and always arrive at work with a grin!

Hi big wedge... I have an 86 3.2 Carrera as my only car and commute 10-ish miles per day and have no real problems, certainly not from a reliability point of view. The only things that I would change would possibly be the gearbox (915 on mine, G50 may be better) which can crunch a bit into reverse when the car is unused overnight. You can stop this by putting it in first and getting some movement into the gear box before selecting reverse, but I usually forget so just leave it in reverse gear overnight and start with the clutch in. I'll fiddle about with the cable adjustment bits under the floor in front of the back seats at some point. It hasn't let me down since I have had it in the last six months (and shows no sign of doing so), but misting up on wet mornings can be a pain in the ass sometimes, but such is life. I'd say it would be a good move, although 3 miles is not far enough to get the car warmed up. Take a longer detour.

I used a 1986 3.2 every day to work & back for about 2 years, great car. Never once let me down.

I'd say fantastic choice, though i would as i run a 911 as my only car now too. Only hesitation has been mentioned already, 3 miles is not a good commute for ANY car, but once you've bought a 911 your commute will get longer and your grin will get wider... PPP

Ran an early (1984) 3.2 for just over a year, few age related probs but on the whole a great car. Gearbox was shite tho, get a G50 if you can afford it.

I used to run a 280 wedge as my only car for 2 years. Once it was sold I bought a boring car and ended up with a 350 - and a boring car. Needless to say the boring car never got driven so I started looking for a replacement for the boring car. After a few months I decided on an 80's 911. 2 years later my '81 3.0 SC is still performing perfectly doing 12,000 miles+ a year (now up to 141,000). The only hiccup was a faulty st starter motor which meant I had to bump start it. Just make sure you get a good one! Danny

Agree with danny, my SC does about a mile round trip to work as the crow flies, a lot longer in summer! fogging up a slight problem though-yes Dom.

I totally agree with Danny! I've owned my 1981 911SC for 8 years as a daily driver. I can honestly say that apart from a clutch cable breaking and gearbox rebuild, it has never let me down at all. These cars are fairly easy to maintain, I carry out the servicing on mine and have not had a problem so far! The milage is currently 135000 and it drives like a dream!!! It may be 21 years old but it is still the best car in the school car park......according to the kids I teach! In my opinion, the only downside of an SC is the rather agricultural 915 gearbox!!! Still great fun to drive every day! Leszek

Hi Rich,Just catching up via your profile on your threads. 911 3.2. Brilliant car - had an 86 3.2 Carrera up to two years ago. Put an induction kit on had it tuned uprated the brakes/pipes/pads never let me down. Change the oil on a regular basis no problems. The heater can by poor to useless in the winter , however if you check this before buying get the dealer to sort or if private get the price down. The problem can usually be sorted for little money. You will also find that one that has been looked after will be quicker than you think. Cheers SPS

I ran an '89 3.2 for a year and then a 3.2 clubsport for 21/2 years...fine as a daily driver,parts cheap,never had any problems.The 3.2 engine does not like short runs as oil doesn't get hot and you can end up needing a top end rebuild at around £3k..I always used Mobil 1 and neever had this problem as I never took it on short trips.But if you are commuting a mile or 2 ,you are almost paid to get a cheap run around.

I had an '86 3.2 a few years ago and apart from an alarm system that seemed to drain the battery (got if fixed after much diagnostics), it didn't let me down over the 10,000 miles that I ran it. It leaked a little oil but apparently "they all do that sir". Winter demisting and summer ventilation were very poor, but my vents were blocked so make sure you test them before you buy, as this was a real pain. IIRC running costs should be a lot cheaper than a 964. Mine cost about a grand in routine maintenance and replacement of wear and tear items over the course of a year, though I had quite a few niggly things (like rattles and a window mechanism) to fix. I also got between 21 and 25 to the gallon which is phenomenal for a car of this age and performance (engine still pulled lustily, especially over 100mph).

Looking for some advice here chaps. I've been mulling this over for a while now, and probably due to the fact its finally started to look like the Summer is over, started to think a bit more about it! Currently I run a TVR (450 wedge) and a daily hack. I've always been an admirer of the 80's 911 (must be my age) and have been wondering if I could replace both of the above with a 3.2 Carrera Coupe to use every day. I accept the fact the Porsche is not as quick (at the risk of being controversial), but from a reliability/cost of ownership perspective is this likely to work? I only do about 3000 miles per year, including a 3 mile journey to work (yes I know I should cycle!). Is the 911 suited to this type of use or would this be a false economy? The newest of these cars is now 13 years old so what is your view on that famous build quality and engineering. Cheers Alex