substance818

I'm looking for a 1970-1973 911T. This car will be primarily used as a daily driver. I've had experience with these cars, but not first hand since I was a little kid. I know this is a dumb question and has been asked a few times before, but what maintainance issues are to be expected with these cars? Basically I'm asking if I'll have to worry about carrying my tools around in case the car breaks down on the way to work.

Thanks for listening, and if you know of any good cars in this area for sale around the price of $12,000 or less, please let me know...

rzepko6194

These cars are pretty reliable if properly maintained. The factory tool kit, a voltmeter, spare oil, fuses, plugs, points and common relays should be all you need to take with you.

I would definetly plan on a chain tensioner conversion to the later pressure fed ones, if it hasn't already been done. The biggest issue with these or any pre-77 911's is rust. Make sure you have a throrough PPI done prior to purchase.

Good Luck!

JP

1987 Carrera Targa

JackOlsen

They're simple, durable cars. Make sure you get a very thorough pre-purchase inspection by an independent Porsche shop before you buy. A car that's been 'let go' can provide endless headaches. But one that's in good shape will generally run like a top, in spite of its age.

substance818

thanks for the tips, how much does the updated tensioner coversion cost out of curiosity? and is it able to be done by an ameture mechanic, or should it be professionally done?

HarryD

The kit is $4-500 and can be done at home.

As far as reliability, my 30+ yr old 911 seems much more reliable than the Triumph Spitfire I bought new many years ago.

Be prepared to look at a lot of dogs before your ship comes in. I spent almost a year looking at pre-73 Porsches before I found the one I have now.

MRFLATSIX

The main thing to look for on these cars is rust. I bought my '70E because it had no rust and no accidents. You can repair anything mechanical but rust is a cancer. My own car has been completely rebuilt to like new and is as reliable as you can get. I had the pressure fed tensioners but they made so much noise I went back to the originals with guards. I had the best shop on the west coast listen to it and they said sometimes the old engines are just noisy. Ive heard many stories of the carerra type collapsing so they may or may not be more reliable. You can put a spacer in the bottom,as a guard, but most guys don't. I went back to the old type with guards and am happy. The main reason for failure is the small bearing area and geometry of the chain wheel supports. Replace all those parts with the latest type (you have to anyway if you're going to convert) and with guards you won't have a problem. There are some good cars out there, you just have to look

HarryD

To emphasize MRFLATSIX, my car budget was less than yours and I focused on finding a car with a lo/no rust body needing mechanical work.

Rust is the biggest issue for these cars. Look very carefuly. If you have not yet, there are tech articles here that will point out where to look. you may also want to do a search of the Rennlist Archives to get pointers on what to look for in an early car.

As far as tensioners, my car had 930 units when I bought it. When I had the valve guides replaced, I decided to upgrade to carrera tensioners but the other ones were fine and I would have kept them except for the fact the engine was already apart and the cost to update was limited to the cost of materials so it seemed cost effective at the time.

JCP911S

Agree with all of above plus 2 cents... the rust issue cannot be overstated... don;t talk yourself into a car with rust unless you either own a body shop or a bank.

Swallow hard and prepare to pay top dollar for a good car.... this probably means no more than $12K... you can pour money into these cars just fixing odds and ends.

Also, a car that is driven reqularly is probably a better bet than a beautiful garage queen, even if it has some minor cosmetic issues. The owner will have probably stayed on top of all the little annoying things that go bad with 30 year old components.... silly little things can leave you sit and hit you up for $100 here and $200 there.

When everything is right these are very solid reliable fun cars

Good luck

substance818

thanks for the tips...

just to a person who is looking for a daily driver, would you guys advise me to look more at something like a 911SC?

Doug&Julie

Being in Atlanta, does the lack of AC bother you? If you need it, the later cars will be a little better. A little. For the price of a really good early car you could probably get into a pretty good SC, or maybe even an early 3.2 Carrera. Those will have better AC and ventilation than the truly early cars. I know it seems trivial, but there IS something to that.