First time buyer needs advice on entry to Porsche ownership

[u2runfar]

Long time lurker ready to take the plunge into Porsche ownership.

Have $25-30K to spend.

Love the R Gruppe vintage look but not a stickler for numbers matching provenance.
Would be my daily driver rain or shine, but not snow.
Need some good AC for the wife.
Coupe before Targa before Cab.

I am not mechanically inclined but would do basic stuff (oil, fuses, MAYBE brakes or interior work myself)
Scared to death of all the IMS failure possibilities.

So what would you buy, have a pro build, or hunt down? Thanks for any ideas or links.

[Bullethead]

Welcome to the pool. Take your time to find the best '70-'72 T or E possible, or buy someone else's finished and sorted project if it appeals to you. If there's a local PCA chapter, meet & greet... get to know knowledgable enthusiasts and mechanics that might assist if needed when time comes to pull the trigger. $25-30K is a decent budget for a street car, but won't go far if you have a pro build something. Backdated 911s can be an appealing choice as well. Early style but with comforts and performance for less fuss.

Whatever you find, inspect, inspect, inspect.

Best of luck!

[popowitz]

If it's going to be your daily driver and you require A/C then I would recommend a 964 or 993. You can get a mighty fine 964 in your price range. A 993 is also in the range but it might require some work to be a daily driver. For me I could not recommend an early car for a daily driver. I love my '73 but driving it every day in the rain or shine would not be comfortable.

Good luck!

Dave

[DJ911]

I use my 70T as a daily driver. It has the advantage of a very useable 3.0 but is otherwise stock.

Personally I love the characteristics that make it uncomfortable... the noise of the flat 6 (of course), but also the ride, lack of electronic gadgetry, central locking, power windows, etc. even the lack of airconditioning. All of these things are of course also the reason I am mostly in the car without my wife.

Good luck with your hunt.

[hoffman912]

2 things

1) i agree early car is not good for a daily driver unless you live in california and have a short commute (even then a short commute is not good for the car, air cooled engines dont want to be shut off cold)

2) buy the absolute best car you can for your money. i would give that to anyone mechanically inclined or not. a car thats already sorted and needs absolutely no work, while higher priced at the start, will be the cheapest solution long term. you will dump a lot more money into anything needing work to make it as nice as the one you passed because it was more.

[Greg D.]

I agree with the above... Technically, you *can* get a nice long hood T (maybe E) for that money and you can drive it daily. What you won't get is decent A/C (without major replacement of a ton of AC parts), peace of mind/ventilation/comfort/reliability/spousal approval, like in a modern car anyway. And you risk getting annoyed at the car (not its fault, it's old) and are putting an appreciating classic car thru daily risks of accident/theft/vandalism.

I had an 83SC as a primary driver for a long time, and as reliable as that was, there were times I longed for A/C, or proper windshield ventilation in rain storms, or got stuck in traffic jams watching my oil temps rise, or had to deal with 40y old ignition parts starting to fail on me at inopportune time... Heck, I even used a 65 356 as a daily driver for 6 months ! But that's not to say that's the *best* way to go...

Even a great T is 40+ year old. Personally I'd have such a car + a modern one, and take out the old girl for "special" drives a couple of days a week (or more, whatever works for you) and appreciate each drive more. Something like a 911SC in the $10-17K range + a modern slightly used GTI, or E46 bimmer, for instance. You and your wife will be happier.

Or heck, a Cayman S or a 993, both at the upper end of your range.... PS: IMS/RMS issues are vastly over-reported. Each Porsche model has an achille's heel. I've owned no less than 4x IMS-range cars (01,03,05,06), trashed them all, and never got a drop of oil on the floor or engine blow up... Personally, the Cayman S is much current line-up favorite, something about the way it looks and drives takes me back to the oldies...(I might be biased)

[RSTarga]

I agree for that budget, and NOT being mechanically inclined go 964.

If it's going to be your daily driver and you require A/C then I would recommend a 964 or 993. You can get a mighty fine 964 in your price range. A 993 is also in the range but it might require some work to be a daily driver. For me I could not recommend an early car for a daily driver. I love my '73 but driving it every day in the rain or shine would not be comfortable.

Good luck!

Dave

[davewadd]

If the 911 body style is what you're looking for, then the 964 is probably a good way to go....but if you're not stuck on it being a 911 body, then you may want to consider a boxster body car. At least test drive one and see what you think. I've never owned one, but I've driven some... they have a good rep, and handle great.

[fromage]

it's the creature features that make a daily driver... a vintage car can be a miserable enviornment to drive to an appointment on the wrong day... nothing worse than looking like you slept in your clothes for a week when you get there...

I would try to find the latest model with all the creature features working that your budget will allow. Parts are based on current market, not the year the car was built plus a premium for scarce items. New Porsche sell for 100 K plus. Allow room in your budget to sort out any car you get. Nothing worse to find you need clean underwear and don't have any readily available. stuff does happen :=)

vintage Porsche are selling at a premium over more current models ( some have sold for more than a new Porsche ), the better value would be in a more current model as well

[fryardds]

If it's going to be your daily driver and you require A/C then I would recommend a 964 or 993. You can get a mighty fine 964 in your price range. A 993 is also in the range but it might require some work to be a daily driver. For me I could not recommend an early car for a daily driver.

I strongly second this opinion, having owned both a 993 (sold) and a 964 (which I still have), I would take a hard look at a 964 C2 for your budget. You can find a really nice lower mile example maybe with some slight mods or just stock and do those mods yourself over time.

Take a look at this long thread discussing the 964 model and the possibilities for making this model just a bit faster, sound better as well as improving the handling.

http://www.early911sregistry.org/for...s-R-Gruppe-911