potential 911 owner
 

Hello folks.

I am currently selling a classic car and am considering what to do with the proceeds. If I decide to buy another toy, it may be a Carrera. It's a car that I've desired my entire life.

However, I know nothing about them. Is there a FAQ somewhere that could assist in my education? I'd be looking to spend no more than $25K. Given that, what are years to avoid, years to seek out, etc.

Thanks!

Welcome to Rennlist! Unfortunately, at that price, you will probably be limited to 1974-1977 cars, and even there the best ones are going to be more than that. Maybe a 911SC (1978-1983), but you would need to get lucky. Many (most?) air-cooled cars at that price are going to need work. If you are able to do that work yourself and it's something you enjoy, then those would be viable. But probably not if you have to pay someone.

You can find early water-cooled 911s (1999-2004) in that price range.

"The Used 911 Story" by Pete Zimmerman is a great place to start your research.

Start reading up, browse some classifieds on Bring a Trailer, eBay, or at Pelican Parts. You see something you might be interested in, you can ask for opinions here.

Mark

you can get into one for 25 but it will need restoration, and may be a much lesser car than one that has been well taken care of, hence I would shy away from those cars. Best to purchase 87-89 then next 84-86, then 78-83. The 90-94 models are troublesome, and the 993 models are in my opinion to sophisticated and expensive to get the full air cooled experience. Like Mark said, 74-77 would be the model range for the best cars for 25,000 but those 2.7 engines were notoriously bad as they ran hot and pulled case studs, and the air conditioning was meager. Of course we all know that the 65-68 and 69-73 cars are out of sight, even now the 912s. Never buy a 76 912 as it was one year only and impossible to find parts to service.

Bottom line? I would save my money and plan on carefully looking and come up with a 45 thousand DEAL on a 87-89 model. They are out there!

I would suggest mowing some lawns/Uber driving/etc, whatever you can to step up your bank to the $35-$38K mark - There you will find a decent 911SC.
Much better to wait and buy a car that is well sorted, looking good and has some service history

look for a 78-83 911SC.
buy the best you can afford.

You will need 30-40k to buy it.
Targa version are cheaper if you are not fussy.

You can spend 5k++ on these cars when going in for service given their age.

Once sorted, they are fun machines and worth it.

Are water-cooled models frowned upon? Any comments on this car?:

https://www.car-castle.com/auto/used...t-wi/36635385/

That link doesn't work for me, but sure, in some quarters the water-cooled cars are not popular. Like this forum, which is for air-cooled through 1989. :)

But plenty of people here have both. What you'll find is that first generation of water-cooled cars is probably the least popular, but they are a great performance bargain right now. They are also much better suited to being a daily driver than most air-cooled cars, especially if you live somewhere that is hot and you need AC. Like any older used car, you need to know the weak points and make sure they have been taken care of. I think the latest edition of Pete's book covers them too.

They are known as 996's, and there is a separate, active forum for them here. Check it out.

Another option is a Boxster. Cars in your price range are known as 986's.

Mark

water cooled is fine. Just a different era.
The air cooled really deliver the goods however.

^
At least $40K.....

i would certainly research the 996 before making any plunge, they are the lowest price on the market for a reason.

you can buy a water cooled 911 for half what the same condition car would be in air cooled, maybe water cooled is best for you 25 budget

Anybody know what it would cost to have the IMS preemptively replaced in a 996?

I would guess $2K-$3K. You need to drop the gearbox, and while you are in there you might as well replace the clutch. Ask the guys over on the 996 forum.

The other issue with these cars are the hard-piped water lines. The epoxy holding them in place can fail, and dump coolant. The fix is to TIG weld them, but I think you need to drop the engine for that. I just don't know how critical a fix this is, especially if you don't track it.

Again, check out the other forum.

Mark

I would steer clear of 996 to be honest.
Unless you get a super deal or find clean one owners with rare colors.
C4S in mint condition for the right price can be nice finds too.

I owned a 996 which I bought with the IMS replaced. The previous owner spent $2900 to do it including a new clutch and RMS. That was in 2014 so I'd say add another 10-15% for 2019 pricing. When I was shopping for the 996, the IMS story got boring fast. You had 1/2 the crowd swearing it was an overblown issue and a waste of money. You had the other 1/2 swearing every 996 was one 1/10 of a mile away from catastrophe. And there would be 200 post threads on the issue. Real answer is nobody really knows for sure how many are affected. It's a crapshoot. You could buy one, drive it 100K miles and not be affected. You could buy one and it explodes on the way home. Spend the $3K and save yourself a lot of aggravation. Or better yet, find one with the work done already.

I enjoyed my 996 during the time I owned it. I bought it and sold it for almost the same amount after driving it 10K miles in 2 years. They've hit a flat depreciation. Your only cost to own it is sales tax and maintenance, really.