I am a new Porsche owner (first one is a 2002 Boxtser).

I am looking to purchase a 911 Targa as a daily driver. I drive roundtrip 15 miles a day to work. My budget is limited (~$15,000). I realize that this price range would probably put me in the 1970's to 1980's 911 Targa for a good running car. Hopefully, the 911 Targa would have 80,000-100,000 miles.

Can someone point me to information on these year ranges? Are there certain years that were more reliable than others? Where are the problem areas (rust, etc...)?

Any other pointers?

 

rpugh,

Personnally, I was in a similar place last year. I was looking at 60's and 70's Britsh iron and by chance discovered that the Porsches were in my price range. I opted to go with an early 911 so I would have $$$ in the kitty for the inevidable repairs and upgrades you will want to make. I liked the idea of a pre 1975 model for several reasons. This time period represents the 911 as a "pure" sports car with adaquate but not overwhelming creature comforts, the style is distinctive, the cars are relatively simple and can be maintained by myself (if I choose)with a minimum of specialized tools; and (in Oregon) I avoid emissions testing. I decided to avoid the 2.7 liter engine due to the history of stud failures, so that limited me to a model no newer than 1973. I wanted a longer wheelbase so that limited me to models made after 1969. I considered a later SC but the higher (first) cost put me off since I wanted a large reserve of funds for anticipated work. I looked long and hard for a car with no rust since the rustproofing in this era is little to nonexistent. I ended up paying (what I believe) a premium for a rust free car that will need engine work this coming winter but I felt the lack of rust will compensate me in the long run.

I had alot of fun looking at cars and deciding what I wanted. As I have said to others, the hunt was actually a large bit of the fun.

Good luck!

 

First, let me just say that your Boxster would make a better daily driver than the 911 you are interested in. That said, 78-86 targas could be found in your price range. They would probably have more mileage than you are looking for, but IMO, any of these years is good for 150k-250k miles without much work if treated properly. Alot of Targas leak, so a careful inspection of the door pockets and floorboards is required. Other than that- a PPI and service records would be a must once you find the cosmetic car you are looking for. I paid alot more than your budget for mine, but I got a perfect record, low mileage example that doesn't leak. I have seen cars for quite a bit less that are close in quality, with a few more miles, that I would buy if I had a Boxster in the garage. This is my only Porsche, so I paid through the whazoo to get EXACTLY what I wanted.

p.s. Most would argue that the years listed above are the most reliable of all the Porsches.
Problem areas are transmission(915) and valve guides. Have the PPI tech pay close attention to these. If these areas are in good shape, it will be up to you to ruin them.

p.s.s. If the actual Targa top is not PERFECT, do yourself a favor and deduct $1,400 from the price , buy the car, and then send the top in for a FULL and COMPLETE rebuild. Otherwise, you'll be playing games with it constantly, trying to get it quiet and leak free.

 

here's some real life info.
<a href="http://www.pelicanparts.com/cgi-bin/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=62480" target="_blank">http://www.pelicanparts.com/cgi-bin/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=62480</a>

<a href="http://www.pelicanparts.com/cgi-bin/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=62617" target="_blank">http://www.pelicanparts.com/cgi-bin/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=62617</a>