ruf965

Hello,

I need some advice here. I have just found a 1973 911E that hase been sitting for the better part of the last decade. Complete and original car with factory blaupunkt radio. European delviery car, serviced in Germany for the first 6 years. All dealer stamps until about 10 years ago 56K original miles.

Engine is seized, body needs restoration, no rust in the floor pan. Will need new front wings and paint. Appears to be Guards red, or some type of red. Factory sport seats in leather with cloth centers, cookie cutter ate's. Loads of documentation and all original stickers in the engine compartment etc... engine bay is unreal clean and mileage is verified.

I can buy this car for 1500.00. I am silly for trying to restore this car? I have an 11 year old son and thought it would be a great project for the two of us over the next four years.

Thoughts?

2002M3Drew

Investment in an old Porsche that doesn't run: $1,500

Rewards from working hand in glove with your son on something as cool as an old Porsche 911....PRICELESS!

Man, you are one cool dad. Kudos to you. I'd go for it.

KC911

That sounds awesome (restoring the car with your son), but why the four year time frame? Please don't say that you would give a 15 or 16 year old a 911...imo, that would be a serious error in judgement...take it for what it's worth.

Keith

L8 Apex

One of my coworkers bought his 15 year old a '73 Targa that was a D.E. car - RSR fender flares front & back, full roll cage, built 2.4L, etc. only to find that he couldn't afford insurance for it after he bought it. I think it was around $900 every six months to insure his son when he turned 16.

Another thought is, that even if your son is responsible and you can afford the insurance, this car just doesn't have the safety features that a newer car would have. I'm amazed that my parents let me drive around a '70 Karmann Ghia as my first car and the thing didn't even have seatbelts.

Sounds like a great project, my step-father and myself restored my Ghia one winter and I learned a LOT about cars doing that. It is a GREAT learning experience and great father / son bonding.

Sounds like a good buy, lots of guys dream of finding a "Barn Car" like that someday, including myself. The history of the car sounds interesting as well which just adds to its uniqueness.

Good luck with your decision!

jet911

First I would call your insurance company to see what it would run on a 911 for a 16 year old now, then add 50% at least to that for 4-5 years down the road. My son just turned 16, got his drivers license, is a 4.0 student and with all the discounts, insurance for him on my 88 BMW 528e is $720 every six months (I have Nationwide insurance).

Second, I would make sure this is something your son wants to do and will be committed to. My boys are way into sports. They told me yeah dad, we would love to get into a car project. Only problem, they are never home and guess who is working on the project....

Good luck!

2002M3Drew

He didn't say the car would be his son's car, just that they were going to do a project together. I see it is a leasurely rebuild over 4 years or so, a car control clinic and autocross car, a cool car to loan for Prom or whatever, and in the end, a great heirloom. I would imagine even dad will enjoy owning this car and enjoying the memories of rebuilding it.

I agree that the 911 is not a car for novices (even 50 year old novices, for that matter), but it is also a great learning tool...if you can drive a 911 well, you can drive just about anything.

KC911

I agree, and that was just pure speculation on my part due to the time frame he mentioned. Now if it were me , I would sucker the kid into 'thinking' it would be his to drive and getting him to help on the restore...
Not really... It does sound like a great candidate for a restoration however, and I'm thinking about doing something along those lines.

ps: I don't have kids...I just know how my buddies & I were at that age...I also had nearly a 4.0 gpa (imo, totally meaningless), but I would probably have never seen college if I had access to a 911!

ruf965

Thanks for the feedback. I guess my question is really about the saneness of the project itself. I have restored a 1967 Jaguar, and 1974 914 and to a lesser extent my first 911, which was a 1972 RS replica. None of those projects were a ground up job. Just wondering about the buy in price on something like this.

As far as the car being my son's. Well, my dad bought a 1966 Mustang coupe when I was 12 and we spent 4 years rebuilding it. He gave it to my for my 16th birthday. It was mine as long as I maintained a 3.5 GPA. It was great incentinve. As far as safety or being too much car too handle, I vehemently disagree. Remember, we live in a time when Suburu's are pumping out 300hp. 175hp 911E is in my opinion a great drivers car. He will learn to drive well, and will have enough power to get both into and out of dangerous situations.

Thanks again for all the feedback.

Stephen

KC911

Like the previous poster said, Stephen...you sound like 'one cool dad'...good luck w/ the restoration!
By the way, I bet we're about the same age...I can relate to the Mustang! My first car was a '70 Mercury Cougar (very similar to the Mustang) with a 351 Cleveland, and in hindsight, it was WAY too much for me at that age and only by sheer luck or the grace of God am I still here...Keith

ps: The 911 doesn't have anything on 'those' cars as far as being 'tail happy'

SandyI

To rebuild the engine, fuel system, brakes, suspension, transmission, leather interior and body work? That's easily $25,000 but probably more. I wish I had a dad like you when I was growing up.

SandyI

Don't kid yourself that a 911E can't be too much car for a 16 year old. A 31 year old rear engine car with 165 hp isn't nearly as safe as a new Subaru. My 1969 911E is my daily driver and there is no way I'd give it to my son or daughter as their first car.

ruf965

My point is that both a new subaru or a 30 year old 911 can be too much for any 16 year old. 100MPH is the same in either car. The greatest thing about a 911 is that it demands respect from the driver. I still remember the first time I let my foot off the gas in the middle of the apex on a wet surface in my first 911. My personal feeling is that an early 911 will make you a much better driver in many respects. I believe most accidents are caused by inattention to your surroundings. This is caused very easily in autos that require very little from their driver.

The irony here is that my son is a very soft spoken, reserved and calculated young man. He has suffered from eye problems for the last few years and is just recovering from surgery at Johns Hopkins. Obviously he has a long way to go to that 16th birthday, but he is a far cry from my own hell on wheels approach to life at the same age.

I think that 25K is probably a good number for restoration. Thankfully, the gear box is perfect, as well as the brakes as they were the last items replaced. The calipers will get rebuilt, but that is clearly within my own wheelhouse.

I thought that maybe we could take the Bruce Anderson engine building class together and do the engine ourselves.. just a thought.

Thanks again for the input everyone.

Stephen

Revvin_911S

I think it would be a great project to work on with your son, but if you are planning on it being his first car, please start teaching him right now about Porsches and all the extra responsibilities that come with driving one. And even then think twice about letting him have it full time. I say this as a 21 year old who had a '66 912 for my first car. My dad also had an '82 BMW 528e that I drove to school on a daily basis. The deal was I drive the BMW every day while practicing with him in the 912 on the weekends until he thought I was ready for it everyday. The 912 was for special occasions only. He spent a lot of time with me in the 912 teaching me about how it handled and how to drive it correctly. None the less, 2 months after I got my license (I had the car for a few months before) I was on my way to pick up a girl to go to the movies, got a little carried away driving, and locked up the brakes coming down a hill on wet roads. I lost control and totaled the car. I was ok, and walked away without even a bruise. The point is, even the 912 was a lot of car for a 16 year old. I was a responsible kid, got a 3.75 in high school, wasn’t crazy or anything, and wasn’t racing or driving stupidly. In a more modern car the brakes wouldn’t even have locked up, and with more experience I wouldn’t have panicked and would have simply taken my foot off the brakes to regain control. Besides those points, every guy in his school will want to race him just because his car says "Porsche" on it. He will be heckled for what he drives, and his car may not be safe in the school parking lot. I know because my second car, a '68 912 bought with the insurance money from the first 912, was keyed in my parking lot. Even in your son is mature, the other kids at his school won’t be. I have since moved up to a 911, but still face many of these problems at college. I worry about leaving my car in the parking lot everyday, and people are always looking at me funny for being so young and driving a 911. It would be a good idea to invest in a "beater" for him to drive to school at the very least. Especially if you spend 4 years restoring it, it would be a shame to have some jealous immature kid key it, or some ditzy 16 year old girl run her suv into it because she cant park.

Blake

GrantG

Insurance on a 73 is peanuts - get collector car insurance (model 30 yrs old allows for 5k miles/yr and it cost a couple hundred $ for a whole year).

fixnprsh

bwaahaaa, excellent project, bad first car, build it for both of you to enjoy on the weekend. You want him to respect a car like that, buy wim a hopped up old bug for $3000, its just as fast, just as safe, handles just as spooky, has the same drivetrain lay out quirks, and if he totals it, no big deal as you didn't spend four years and $25K restoring it, I totaled my first car, a V12 Jag, in a matter of weeks from not having enough experiance and sliding it into a tree in the rain. then I got the hopped up bug and drove the pants off of it for 3 years without incident (but close calls) and good luck trying to get collector car insurance, I couldn't get it for my 58 ragtop bug just because I had a couple of tickets, and it has 40HP! so no company in their right mind would insure a kid in a $25K Porsche!