912 vs Early 911 - Help me choose!

[smckenzie]

Ever since that 912 that appeared in the movie SpyGame, I've wanted an early vintage Porsche.

I've done a mountain of research, read books, checked out videos on YouTube to get an idea of the 'sound' of these cars and watched eBay and other sources for over 8 months. Not to mention driving my wife nuts.

Now if I could only pop down my local dealer and take a 912 and early 911 for a spin that would solve it, but I can't.

So for all you lucky owners, help me out here. In your opinion, which should I go for? Have you driven both?

My budget is $15k to $25 tops. Car would be for weekend driving and as an investment.

BTW, we recently purchased an 08' VW R32 which is a blast. It sticks to the road like glue, its fast and leaves boring Corvettes and such for dust.

The R32 is 240HP, so will driving a 912 feel like I'm driving a good looking lawn mower? Or should I go for an 911T?

Thanks in advance!

[gruen911]

912's are nice as a starter Porsche especially because they are cheaper and look basically the same as a 911. But almost everyone eventually wants to move up to a 911. Buy a 911 and and enjoy the extra power and performance. You won't look back. With a 912 you will always be looking forward.

[72targa]

Porsche is German for "give me all your money". Please don't buy one as an investment. If you can't perform most of your maintenance and repairs, you will quickly learn that you have not purchased an investment.

Please do buy one because you have a passion to drive one. Talk to as many people as you can. Go to car events. Learn about what you are getting yourself into.

I am partial to 911's but I have been around both. They both look very similar standing still but are significantly different when it comes to sound and performance.

There are plenty of more modern cars with better perfomance. You either have passion for old Porsches or you don't. Best of luck in your search.

[pacarguy]

If you are interested in performance the 911 is the way to go. You will be disappointed in the 912. Just one man's opinion. BTW - while fast, I doubt you are leaving any late model corvettes in the dust.

[Longballa]

This is the early911Sregistry for a reason. I would be suprised if any one here said a 912 is better. For 25K you should be able to find a nice T with maybe even a 3.0L in it.

[pmjt]

Hmm - sorry, I've got a different view.

I'm lucky enough to own several wonderful early 911's - and always avoided the '12 - but two friends bought 'budget' '12s and there is something very special about that car.

Yes, there's less power - although with love and care you can get 100bhp vs. 130bhp from a six. BUT, and this is the big but, the weight is a bit further inboard - so the handling is (as he writes this he expects to get flamed!) sweeter (there I've said it).

The horror of owning these cars is the restoration costs - if you can't afford to factor in a cool £40,000 ($80,000) to restore the car down the line, buy a car that's been restored.

Not to sure of the US value on '12s but $25,000 = £12,500 will, in the UK, buy you a wonderfully finished '12 - one sold over here a couple of weeks ago - absolutely stunning body and finish.

My *personal* advice is - with a budget that will either buy you a bag of crap '11 or a sweet '12 - get the '12 and save up for the big day when you can jump into the '11.

As a friend of mine says "it's not how fast you go, it's how you go fast"

HTH

P

[JackOlsen]

If you're looking for an experience like the 240-hp VW provides, neither a 912 nor a 911T is going to snap your neck in a particularly compelling way. A 911T has something like 130hp. And as others have mentioned, no 911 makes a particularly good investment. The early cars' prices are farily inflated right now, and while they might continue to increase in value, I doubt they'll ever catch up to the cost of their maintenance as they continue to age and replacement parts get more precious over the coming years.

As the long-hood market becomes more of a collectors' market, you're not going to see as many of the early cars tweaked for performance. As such, they're going to make great 'time machine' hobbies for people nostalgic for that era. If the romance of the late sixties and early seventies is what you're after, then either a 912 or a 911T would probably make you happy, and the 912 will be cheaper.

Now, if you do get a chance to ride in an early 911 that has been hopped up a little, with an updated suspension and the motor tweaked or updated, then you might be shocked at how easily a 35-year-old car leaves your modern R32 in the dust. Especially on a track, the early 911 design is a great starting point for a very quick and durable car.

But if you're looking to preserve the value of an early car, then keeping it stock is the way to go. And left stock, the 912 and 911T model are not exactly giant killers when they're lined up against modern performance cars.

[curtisaa]

Well said Jack. I, do think the investment "value" is bit understated. Given our economy and $$ @ 3.25 %, I would 'bank" that a purchase of either of your potential Porsches' would return more than 10%.

[Sacto S]

Like many on this board, I have owned both and enjoyed both. The 912 is a well balanced nimble car. If it is well sorted it is a lot of fun and a classic Porsche through and through. If you like more go for the dough, the 911 is the way to go. The 911 will bring a better return for every dollr invested (mostly) and will provide enough get up and go so you don't think you've been cheated on the next Porsche Club Tour. When I had the 912, I used to HATE getting dusted by the 911's on those tours!

Both has it's charm and both are headturning classisc when well presented. If you wnat power, there is always going to be another car faster, but there may or may not be another nicer than the one you're sitting in. Smile and drive it like you stole it!

[smckenzie]

thanks for the replies so far.

I'm not expecting the classic Porsches to be anything like the R32 but having never driven or even been in one, its hard to image what it would be like.

I guess if I wanted sheer speed and a lot of speeding tickets, I would get a modern Porsche, but the classics seem to offer so much more.

Ultimately I'm after the Porsche experience, i.e. in driving, hobby and socially.

I've been working towards this goal of owning a classic Porsche for what seems an age and I don't want to be disappointed.