I keep flirting with the idea of buying a classic 80 something
911
. Probably this will not see the light. But I'm just curious:
1) how expensive are the spare parts of classics?
2) are spare parts off the shelf at the dealer?
3) how reliable are the air cooled Porsches?
4) can they be used as DD in Arezona weather for example?
87-98
911s
are very simple reliable cars and inexpensive to run. The 993s are the last aircolled and they are more modern but have expensive issues with the air injection emissions control. Although in Saudi Arabia they may have not used them. The 993s have coil over suspension and they handle better. They are much easier to set up and tune than the torsion bar suspension on the 87-89s. carl
USD $40,845 plus gas.
I bought my first about a month ago (see signature). The table below shows ALL costs so far (except gas). It gets between 15 and 20 MPG and requires premium gas.
The engine looks, runs and measures very well but will probably need a top-end rebuild sometime in the
next
50K miles or so.
Also, I still want to put another $5K to $6K into interior restoration and for a proper stereo at some point but the theory is that after the round of repairs and sorting listed below, I should have a very reliable car for a long time and many miles.
The car is still in the shop for the last set of repairs at the bottom of the table and I should get it in a couple of days.
The car was really fun to drive on the twisty roads before and so I wonder what it will be like with good, properly aligned tires.
Hard to say. There are several approaches/philosophies.
In the 928 community, with which I've become familiar, most people buy a car that needs much deferred maintenance. 928s are pretty cheap, and so are the owners! We mostly do our own work. Timing belt, water pump, gas lines, shocks, motor mounts, oil pan gasket, top end refresh - there's quite a long list. I've spent about $2000 on parts so far, 50% done. I'm not including the lift I bought to make it a more pleasant experience. There are several people who have set themselves up as parts suppliers. They are very helpful. They come up with better and cheaper parts than OEM, and parts that are NLA. There's a dedicated source of used parts.
Don't want to wrench? Occasionally, a well-sorted car appears on the market, for which most of the standard tasks have been completed. I'd say "pay whatever he wants", since it will be fair after accounting for parts and (his) labor, or lot less if he a shop do it.
The third approach is to get one, wait until something breaks, have it fixed, and repeat as necessary. Then sell it with a bunch of deferred maintenance.
The mechanical stuff is relatively straightforward. The superficial stuff is not so easily fixed, so it's actually more important to consider when buying a car.
Terry - that's exactly what I was looking for when I got the vintage Porsche urge - a car without stability management nanny systems, the much better G50 transmission, and a ragtop. But they're 2x the price of a nice 928, and a little scary to drive fast, I've heard.
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Terry, your toy is a jewel..!!! Mashallah
Can you kindly share pictures here?
http://www.planet-9.com/911-pictures-video/103855-show-us-your-911-out.html
As what Curta said, I hear they're scary to drive. Can you elaborate on the driving experience?
Hi,
Please check this nearby P-9 thread where I have already posted some pictures and info:
http://www.planet-9.com/club-911-ge...discussion/106560-more-bluishness-guess-i-have-start-hanging-out-forum-too.html
I still don't have very many hours in the car and I can only mostly compare it with my 987.2 Cayman. The 911 is a very high-quality sports car in the traditional (to me) sense. It's simple, the engine is noisy (sounds good), the only transmission option was a manual shift, no help with ABS or traction control and no power steering. Only about 215 HP and 2750 pounds.
What this means is you have very much more road feel, especially through the steering, then even the Cayman. You feel very much like your driving the car and it makes the Cayman seem more like a luxury car. Slower speeds seem pretty fast.
Also, the quality of construction seems higher, with a lot less plastic. The carpets and the mats are plush, thick and soft and still in great condition. I really like all the big analog VDO gauges, some of which fluctuate rapidly - although I cannot see the speedometer as well as I'd like.
The Cabriolet configuration is not very useful for cargo (compared to the Cayman or water-cooled 911), especially if you want to park for awhile with the top down so that nothing can be left in the back of the car. The front trunk is full of gas tank and spare tire and not much room for luggage. For me, this will be a weekend backroads car. No long trips and no track time.
I have heard many times that the car is scary so when driving in the backroads, I have approached the curves with caution, slowly sneaking up towards the limit. One time when powering out of a corner, the back end broke loose but not by much (with really crappy rear tires) and I never felt like it would be a problem. What I hear are two things:
1. Never lift in a turn. (I guess keep neutral throttle so that neither engine braking nor acceleration take away rear tire grip needed to hold the turn.)
2. Be very careful when panic breaking when going down hill - that's when the back end will really want to come around and go first.
On the twisty roads, it seems to get around the corners as well as the Cayman - at least in the same league. Hard to tell, without measuring.
So far, this car is very fun to drive and very basic. I can't wait to see how it drives once it's sorted out and I hope to take it to
Porscheplatz
this weekend (May 2) at Laguna Seca and get it in a parade lap.
I don't want to hijack the thread but S4 is a great 928. Did you get one with MT?
How much would a classic cost in Saudi Hassaan? Not sure if there are many for sale though.
They exist but either as garage queens or trashed on the street in miserable condition. Once in a blue moon one shows up for sale.
I have a very crazy idea that may sound even insane, but...
I recently decided not to hold my breath for a new Range Rover replacing my Land Cruiser. My bother in Texas was defending his case till he gave up on its terrible reliability. RR forums confirm that. Yet still I need to replace my LC. I was thinking if the ground clearance of a classic
911
matches a sedan's then I can live with that as a DD and sell my LC for one.
Yes, old
911s
are not SUVs
I know that but I just need a car with proper ground clearance.
If not then I might wait for the new generation LC expected August 2015 or 2016 then trade in mine with it. Sadly I am still in love with RR every time I see one down the street... but I'm not going to pay that chunk of money for a car to stay at the dealer's service center all the time.
PS if you find a classic
911
for sale here in KSA please buzz me.
