New member neads advice purchasing 67-69 911

[djgonzo]

Being a new guy to the "porsche seen" I'd like whatever advice, tips, experiences you'd like to share with me in purchasing a classic 911.

Pretty much I'm looking for a clean daily driver. Big issues with me are obviously minimal or preferebly no rust. No body damage. Solid engine and tranny. I'm looking for a car that looks good and drives good now that I can work on here and there to get it into the condition I'd like.

That being said... how much should I spend on a '67-69 911 in that type of condition. What are some good resources in finding such a car?

[SandyI]

The short wheelbase cars '67-68 will drive a differently than the
'69 Long wheelbase cars. The T's will drive differently than the E's than the L's, than the S's. Buy a few books on the early 911s. Drive as many early cars as you can. Have a highly qualified Porsche mechanic who specializes in the early 911s available to do a complete and thorough Pre Purchase Inspection on whatever car you're considering. And I'm a firm believer in the $20,000 rule, that to get an early 911 up to an excellent standard of motoring, inside and out, plan to spend about $20K. And with the rising prices, I'd say the cost of a great 911S is probably closer to $35K. The best idea is to find a car, like mine, that someone's already put the big bucks into to save you from the resto costs. And then there's the rust, the rust, the rust. Good luck with your search.

[yopurp]

In addition to Sandy's comments, spend 30 days reading this bboard daily, reading older posts. Search on restorations, etc... Also, most of the good cars for sale, are from members of this registry (not just S cars). I'd strongly second Sandy's comment on the PPI (pre-purchase inspection), just make sure the mechanic knows the older cars! You can post on where you found the car (city) and ask the members here if anyone knows a good 'early car' mechanic. Most indep porsche mechanics do oil changes on Boxters these days. Very few know the details and nuances that make a correct early car. Ask me how I know

[ttweed]

djgonzo-

Listen to these guys. They know whereof they speak. Be patient. Read the archived messages. Buy some books and educate yourself. Have cash in hand ready to strike when the right car appears. The last hot deal to show up here was snapped up quickly, but they come by every once in awhile. Keep an eye on the classifieds at Pelican Parts too.

TT

[pwd72s]

Tom? What "archives"? They got destroyed with the hacker attack...we need to start over.

[Rennman]

Hello,

Here is my top 10 on what my lousy advice would be after buying some 35+ Porsches over the last 12+ years to "work my way up the Porsche ladder"

1. Buy a car that has no rust or rust repairs period. You would not buy a boat with holes in the bottom would you?

2. Buy a car that is LOVED. Leave the projects for someone else. You do want to drive your first Porsche not work on this strange old car.

3. Spend more to get a better car. In the end a so so car will cost you more. Trust me it is true, Most just won't admit it.

4. Buy a good color. You can always sell a Tangerine 911 quicker than a Sepia one when your next Porsche find comes along (This one is a no brainer yet we have all talked ourselves into a color we really did not want, Then had to wait for the next guy to talk himself into it!).

5. Buy an original color car, Color changes a big negative when it comes time to sell and there is nothing worse than seeing the old color show up somewhere especially brown under that Grand Prix white with Blue graphics RS.

6. Buy a stock example and hotrod yoursef. OR a properly enhanced car that is not someone's science project. Pay a premium if the mods are done right.

7. If the car does need some restoration remember the rule of thirds, I break a car into 3 components, Paint and complete body, Interior, and Mechanical. If the car needs more than 1.5 of the 3 elements you WILL be in too deep to recover your investment both time and $$$ unless it is a special model. If it needs complete paint ect. and an engine your'e sunk. This also assumes you DID get a killer deal for releiving someone of the project that they figured out was a loser. Then again we don't do this for the money anyway...and your money could be worse spent on say that new dinette. Just buy a done car and tinker if you like.

8. Buy a car that is LOVED. Someone already spent ALL the money. These may be priced a bit higher than average that may be for sale but these cars ARE the deals. These are also the cars you may never hear about as they often trade between friends. These are also the cars people bitch about being priced too high if they do show up for sale on the market, but they sell!

9.Buy an "Interesting car" Options, Long time ownership history, The PCA car that was raced by the original owner, The car with the Rallye instruments on the dash....A cool car is just more fun

10. Buy a car that has no rust or rust repairs. They DO exist no matter what others tell you. All Porsches do not have rust

My favorite Porsche is my NEXT Porsche. Happy hunting.

Best,

Don

[HarryD]

Here are two good resources to figure out what you may want:

911 FAQ

PPI Checklist

and, an interesting web site.

[Shawn]

Very nice. I hope that everyone enjoys that as much as I did. Except for #4

Shawn.

[911s911rs]

I have disagreed with Don on two things in the past few weeks, but in this case I agree 100% with all ten of his points! Now we're 10/12

I suppose my only other thoughts would be the following:

1. There is no substitute for experience. You will never know 'someone else's car' until you get under it, get your hands dirty and find out how it went together. Once you do that, maybe on a cheaper, less perfect example than described above, you will be infinitely more capable of judging when a really great car comes along.

2. You may be too excited to wait for the perfect car so just don't make too big a mistake on your first one (ask me how I know ). Have it checked out thoroughly and make sure that it is sound mechanically and that there is not too much wrong with the body. That way you can enjoy driving it at the same time as you are 'getting to know it'.

Tim

[larry47us]

Hello,

Here is my top 10 on what my lousy advice would be after buying some 35+ Porsches over the last 12+ years to "work my way up the Porsche ladder"

1. Buy a car that has no rust or rust repairs period. You would not buy a boat with holes in the bottom would you?

10. Buy a car that has no rust or rust repairs. They DO exist no matter what others tell you. All Porsches do not have rust

Don:

I think that this is a great list for someone who is starting out. But why are you negative on "rust repairs?" It is extremely hard to find an early car with NO rust. Desireable, yes, but after 30 years, nearly impossible. Cars with minimal rust can be properly repaired. Or is it your feeling that if a car has any rust, the mechanic couldn't possibly find all the rust -- so steer clear.

Wow, that really narrows the field!!! Or are you trying to sell one of the "rust-free" cars out of your stable?

larry