Porsche Newbie

As my name states I am quite new to the 911 in many aspects..

I've never owned a Porsche. I have driven a couple of 911's years ago for test drives. I have to say they have always been in the back of my mind. I love the sound they make, I love the gauges (yeah I am weird like that) and in short just seem like a fun little car.

I have been buying a few books to read up on all Porsche's history ect, checked out "Excellence" magazine, got a parts catalog to see wht kind of money we are talking on replacement parts...So far it seems like the SC seems like the way to go. I keep reading about its reliability. Also, it seems like an affordable car. Have been looking on ebay as well as my local auto trader to see whats out there. Mainly sticking with '79-'83 SC cars in general.

This wont be my daily driver. More of a weekend, tinker with, kind of car.

I haven't really seen any cons about buying an SC. Trying to do my homework here. Anyone want to offer any cons? Pro's? Buying pitfalls? Open to any and all discussions!

bourgeois911

As a happy SC owner, here are a few things to look for on an SC purchase, the biggies being the pop off vavle, the chain tensioners and the rubber clutch:

http://www.rennlist.org/FAQ/sect3.html

Porsche Newbie

Seems like most of the ones I see for sale already have had the tensioners done as well as a clutch at some point.. as with alot of cars, if you look enough you'll find one that the owner(s) have documented most everything..

Of course I am also considering the REMOTE possibility of a 96-97 C4s.. dont know much about them or the cost of regularly scheduled service on the "newer" ones.. scares me a bit just thinking about it..

Chuck Harmon

I had a 83SC. I bought it with 150,000 miles on it, no PPI, I had never driven a Porsche
before, I just knew that I wanted one. This was a Guards Red Targa. This was my only
car for 4 years. I read all the books found Rennlist and Pelicanparts asked tons
of questions. In my opinion, the 1983 911SC is the perfect starter Porsche !
easy to work on, lots of parts available, lots of good advise available, really
really fun to drive, I kinda miss it. When I totaled the car, it had 250,000 miles
and was running great, I had driver error in a curve....loose nut behind the wheel
wasn't paying attention to my speed and the car decided to swap ends... a couple of times,
I'm glad I hit that guard rail, I was getting tired of spinning around ! I walked away
from the crash ! Porsches are very well made !!!!
Join the PCA you can find lots of SC's for sale in Panorama the PCA magazine and on the
web site www.pca.org. take your time and find just the right one, you'll be glad you
did.

Good Luck
Chuck

imcarthur

First thing, get yourself a copy of Peter Zimmerman's book - The Used Porsche Story. He is a frequent poster here.

Make sure you get a PPI for ANY car before you buy.

All 911s are good cars but each 'model' had it's issues. SC's are prone to breaking head studs & transmission - syncro - problems. Carrera's are known for valve guide problems & will probably have some head stud problems in the future. Etc etc

Read, research & drive a bunch of them. Don't buy the 1st one you see.

Ian

OneNineElevenGuy

The SC is a great car. Agree with everything above said. I had mine for three months before I broke a headstud at 82,000 miles. Please make sure those are covered in your PPI.

I looked at about 12 before I settled on mine. It is amazing that what is considered a beautiful car in an ad turns out to be a crap bucket in person. Look at all you can. Read, read, and read some more. Join your local PCA club if you have not already. Many good resources there as well as here on this board.

theiceman

I just got my first 911 about 3 months ago after a lot of research , but I must confess I owned a 944 for 8 years. I have not driven it ANYWHERE, but I am having a blast just taking it to pieces and learining and tinkering ... don't mind me I'm the weird one on the list ...

ice

Edward

P-Newbie,

First off, welcome to Rennlist!

It's good to hear that you're doing your HW, and posting a Q here is another excellent move. Don't forget to also search the archives as there is much there to help you, too.

As others have said, each model, from midyear to SC to Carrera to G50-Carrera has their issues, many of which have been addressed, but take NOTHING for granted. If it isn't documented, assume it hasn't been done. And be certain that your PPI is performed by someone who has lots of experience with 911s ...again, ask here for a shop recommendation.

Hmmm, off the top of my head, there's been lots written about the popoff valve ...don't do it, better off w/o it. Clutches have most likely been changed (can't remember the last time I've even seen a rubber-center one). Carrera "oil-fed" tensioners are good. I think head studs are the primo check as that'll cost you serious dough so if not even done, budget that in. Of course, your PPI chould also include a compression test (and many say a leakdown too though I've never done one ...perhaps my own folley so do what the experts say). And then drive lots of them to get a "baseline" of what feels bad, normal, good. Like the 915 tranny: some will shift gawd-awful, while others are superb (like mine ), so try many. Hope this helps. And don't be shy with questions.

Edward

dmw44

Welcome to Rennlist! I have found my '81 SC to be a treat to drive, especially on the track. it is highly modified for track use (brakes, suspension, interior, exteror etc.) but the 3.0 liter motor is considered to be "bulletproof" and I have never had a motor problem after many many laps at Sebring. Agree with what has been said about getting a good PPI with a guy who knows 911's. The Gold Coast and Space Coast Regions of PCA are great and have many members who can help you--as stated in a previous post, the $47 to join PCA is the best $47 you will spend. Suncoast Region PCA will be at Sebring on Sunday, November 13th. You should come down if possible--free, and you can get into the paddock and hot pits to see some great cars and talk to people about their cars. Feel free to PM me or e-mail me at dmw44@hotmail.com if you have any questions.
Regards, Doug

rappalm

Red Bone Garage is a great shop to go to in West Orlando, their number is 407-299-0619. I trust Robin Reddy with my car. They do good work, I'm sure they will do a PPI for you and give you good advice..

Mike Rappa
87 Carrera Coupe

Noel

I will echo the others comments and stress that the headstuds are the most important thing to check. Every SC owner I have met has a story about their car either having the studs replced at least once. Also, there are many SCs out there are in less then Excellent condition. It is ALWAYS cheaper to find a good one for more money up front than a rat with the plan to restore it. THat said for $15K you should find a nice car. Don't buy the first one you look at either.

Noel

Porsche Newbie

I ordered his book yesterday actually after seeing the link at the top of the page..

DB_NC_95C2

Welcome to Rennlist! I am coming up on 6 months. Got my '83 SC in June and looked at a lot of cars. Was very fortunate to find a one-owner clean Carfax, 58k original miles, close to perfect inside and out, and mechanically very sound. Head studs checked out with torque test during PPI, leak-down compression test was all 97% or better... timing chain tensioner update had already been done... I paid $20k but it has to be one of the cleanest 83 SCs around, to me it was worth it

I put in a new clutch, turbo tie rods, had it gone over with a fine-tooth comb by my local tech after I brought it back from the dealer that had had an independent tech up there do a PPI...

After having had a '02 C4S and driven it once a month on track, I never thought I'd find a car that's so much fun to drive, but the SC is great, very raw and responsive. Would I like some more torque and power ? sure, but the car just 'feels right'...

Good luck

Peter Zimmermann

Newbie: Keep in mind, the newest SC is now well over twenty years old. However, they still remain one of the best values inside the sports car world, and also one of the very best choices to make inside the 911 world. Yes, there are bad SCs out there, so the order in which your purchase will take place must be: (1) Find a car that you like, and (2) PPI. If you haven't read my post near the top of this forum please do so. It is crucial to check for broken head studs on these cars unless you have absolute proof (receipts, repair shop verification, etc.) that the car's engine has already had stud replacement done. It is not known how many, and which, SCs will have broken studs, nor is it known at what mileage the problem will occur. I rebuilt my '81 Targa a number of years ago, at 217K miles, and the studs looked good enough to reuse (I didn't!). My '82 coupe now has 203K miles, with no stud problem. My friend's '80 Targa has 190K miles, all original, on his car, which was owned by my family, since the car had 47K miles, until early this year. No stud problems. The majority of stud replacements I've done were on pristine, low-mileage (under 50K miles) garage queen, weekend cars. I've only seen a few higher mileage cars have the stud issue, but every car my shop did a top end on, or a rebuild, 24 new studs were always part of the job. If you find a "show car" sitting in someone's garage, pampered and covered, you will not automatically dodge the head stud bullet. A word of caution, my knowledge is gained from west coast only experience, so the frequency of stud breakage may be greater in harsher environments. Other SC issues are the clutch disc, but I haven't heard about one of those in fifteen years. The timing chain tensioners should be updated to the oil-fed Carrera tensioners. As Edward stated, the pop-off valve is no big deal, especially if the airbox has already been replaced. Of course, it certainly helps if the car's mechanic has set the car's cold control pressure correctly, which can be determined by having a bit of "hunting" in the idle following a cold start. Depending on ambient temp, that hunting (light surging) might last from a few seconds to over a minute. It simply means that the fuel mixture during cold starts is rich enough to protect the airbox. Case in point, the original airbox on my '82 lasted 192K miles. By the way, I've never used, endorsed, or sold pop-off valves.
Whatever you do: PPI, PPI, PPI! Happy hunting...
Pete

john70t

To try to add to(and repeat) the great info above- the 78-83 SC 3.0L's have a lot going for them. (1980-83 onwards had a Lambda/CPU mixture control).
Don't fix a good thing, and don't jump in a dry pool without checking first, nor neglect the basic maintinance. They don't have all-wheel-electronic-only-drive, and aren't going to sell for 150'Gs at the overpriced B/J auctions, but they will make a good second car.

1)the engine cases are built strong, and head studs aren't known to pull as easily as the 3.2L cases.
2)the CIS works like a diesel and is good for the long haul, not quick but good all around. Replace the rubber distributor boot seals and injector o-rings(non petroleum-based lube!) and spend some cents/minutes on quality hardware to hold it all together.
3)the bulky, compartment-filling, CIS can be replaced(check local smog) with Webbers and the 3.2L camshafts for good response at the track.
4)after '77 911 chassis's were galvanized, and less(!) prone to rusting, and had some of the "luxury" of the later cars.
5)fuse boxes were more logically placed and acessable than the early cars.