billatlanta

I have two Porsches (soon to be one) and none are air cooled Needless to day I am embarssed in that I have never drive one. I am interested in buying one for another family member to do autocrosses in and later DE events.

I test drove a 83 911 SC Targa. Car appear to be well looked after, but that will be verified with a PPI. Unfortunately it does not have records for its life prior to 4 years ago. No major work has been done in 4 years. It had 130k miles. When I drove it I noted what appeared to be a slight shimmy in the front wheel. Motor felt and sounded strong. OK here is where I reveal my naivety:

1. The transmission felt how should I say crude in nature compared to the transmission in my 944 and 996. I know it is not a G-50 tranny (915?), does that tranny have synchros on first gear? I actually had a grinding noise when I put it into first while moving (rolling).

2. Clutch pedal required significant pressure compared to the 944/996.

3. Steering and handling other then a slight shimmy coming from the front was great.

4. Engine seemed strong, reved freely and pulled good in the upper rpm range.

5. Brakes seemed fine.

6. The air condition does not work, all other electrics do.

Costmetically the car is nice, with a new top. My concerns are the records or lack thereof and the transmission. I am not sure if any upgrades such a chain tensioners were done, they were not done in the last two years, that is for sure. Also any thoughts on the market value of this car would be appreciated.

Thanks.


My questions/concerns are the transmissions robust in the 911 SC?

Jay H

Bill:

The 915 is a robust transmission, though they tend to need a rebuild in the 100,000 mile range depending on their use. Some last much longer than that.



915 transmissions, when you first drive them, are similar in feel to a dump truck transmission (j/k - sort of). Hard to use at first. BUT, once you learn them, they are very satisfying and rewarding to drive. I love the 915. Some people hate them. 1st gear syncro's can get weak with a bunch of use. You also can not force a 915 to shift quickly. It's more of a finese type of transmission. Though, they should shift without too much balkiness or grinding or hesitation if not rushed.

I've never driven a 996, but I would assume the older clutches have a much heavier feel than the new hydralic clutches. The SC does not have an easy, Japanese, cheap car, light clutch feel.

You can visually inspect a 3.0 liter motor to see if the pressure fed tensioners have been installed. I'll post a pic when I'm on my home PC.

Honestly, records from day 1 do help, but after a length of time, they don't matter as much. The cars current condition will tell you most of the story. Yes, it's nice to see how often the oil was changed and if any major work was done. But, during a PPI, a good tech will find most of the appearant work that is needed now. There could be surprises that even full records won't help much. Always a crap shoot when you buy a used car.

Good luck,

Jay
90 964

HarryD

Hi Bill,

Early 911's are filled with "idiosyncracies". When i first got the car, i had several of the issues you listed. Over the past 2 years, they have been slowly resolved. As Jay notes, the 915 Transmission is not like most of the others we see in every day life but once you understand how it needs to be operated, it had it's own charm.

My car had almost no records when I bought it but the price reflected the need for some serious engine work and minor repairs as indicated in the PPI.

As far as you observations:

Yes, there are synchros in all the gears but he ones in 1 and 2 tend to wear out first. Mine was grindy in 1st and 2nd. I had the shift coupler replaced and adjusted. I also changed the gear oil from Kendall to SWEPCO 201. This almost totally eliminated the grinding problems. Shift slowly (say Poor-sha between shifts) helped immensely.

Mine did also but the cltch was very worn. Once that and the cable were replaced, it has has a wonderful feel.

Tire balance maybe?

Of course, its a Porsche

My compressor was seized but others tell me that even if it was running, I might not notice the difference.

Overall, sounds like a nice car.

delhi

yup. i agree with the 915 tranny. if you want something a bit more akin to your 944 and 996, then a 87+ 911s with it's easier shifting g50 tranny would be your best bet. U'll also notice that the air-cooled porsche is much louder. it reminded me of an old VW bug when i drove an 86 targa once.
also the 915 tranny won't allow you to shift to first until a complete stop. not for the manual tranny noobies.

HarryD

Delhi,

Please do not tell my tranny this. It foolishly allows me to change into first whenever I wish.

Usually problems like this are related to worn shift couplers and poor adjustment.

Drew Theodore

I am with HarryD. I can shift into 1st while moving. I only do it when under 10 MPH so I do not wear it out. Going to 2nd takes a short pause. I also like the way HarryD described the 915 tranny. "It had it's own charm". I never thought about it like that. It may be a balky transmission but I think it is a drivers transmission, in that it gives a lot a feedback to the driver.