Scott H

For a while I have been looking for a car that is a little bit different from the norm, and loads of fun. To me fun isn’t big V8s and stop light races, it’s light weight, peppy sports cars. I have looked at cars ranging from BMW M Roadsters and Coupes (I really do love the BMW M Coupe), Honda S2000, and 3.0L Z4s. Of those, I thought I had decided on the BMW M Roadster or Coupe, but then one day while wasting time on Auto Trader, I found this:



And I absolutely fell in love with it, so for the past few weeks I have been reading up on 3.2 Carreras. As I was researching I found out that this car is a 25th Anniversary Edition that is painted black. I honestly just couldn’t believe I had stumbled upon such a car, and that just made me lust after the car even more.

I have not had a chance to test drive this car yet, but I am planning to bright and early on Saturday morning. My only real concerns are that it has 125k miles, and when I called the guy he said it didn’t come with anything except the owner’s manual and keys(he said "all" the keys, so I'm hoping that means the alarm key is present), and that it had passed through their “inspection” process. The car is also priced at just under $20k, which seems high by around $2-3k because of mileage, but I'm sure I can get them to lower that. But on the test drive, what should I look out for beyond the obvious things like steering pulling one way, overspray, and the smell of burning oil from the engine?

I’m also concerned that if I buy this car, it is going to be my daily driver. I believe I am mechanically inclined enough to do all the maintenance on this car short of rebuilding the engine, which I’m sure I could swing that too if I had the manual and tools.

My question to you all: is this a sensible thing to do? I know the car will not be as bulletproof as a 4 year old BMW, but will it be reliable enough to commute 50 miles a day? I know much of this has to do with the current state of tune, and that I would need to get a PPI, but just in general it would be nice to know. Also, does anybody here daily drive their 3.2? Have you all had any problems with them where you could not fix them on the side of the road and keep going? Do you still get the same feeling of pleasure driving it day after day as you did the first day you owned it ?

If this car falls through there is also a 964 that has caught my eye, but I have done no research on them. My biggest question about the 964 is that I know it gained a bigger motor, but it also seemed to gain a few hundered pounds. Is this extra weight offset by the larger motor? Does it change its handling characteristics? Compared to a 3.2 is it more or less the same speed flatout, or does it pull harder up top due to its incresed power and higher rev limit?

Many thanks to all of you. Sorry for being so long winded on my first post, but to make up for that, here are some more pictures off the dealers website, since I know all of you love pictures.

ked

Scott, looks like a very nice example! you came to the right place if you want confirmation that a 911 can be a daily driver. Think of it this way; it was designed as a daily driver sports / GT, well-maintained examples have been known to reach over 250K miles, & many of us still drive them on a regular basis. I've certainly depended on my '87 to get to work, for long trips, fun & sport - at over 100K mi.

The keys are starting w/ a good example, educating yourself about it (& 911s in general), maintaining it very well, parking / storing in garages (if at all possible), & finding an expert Porsche mechanic (if you don't do it all yourself).

The most common "stranding" failure in normal use seems to be the DME relay, easily accessed under the driver's seat, easy to carry around a spare (approx $35?) in the glovebox. In evaluating any 911 for purchase, get an independent PPI via a 911 expert (include a careful survey of the chassis, underneath, etc, confirming any history of accident repair...). A clear understanding of the engine's condition (broke head studs?) is important, so have a compression check done & determine the oil consumption rate (if it is more than a qt every 600 mi... why: consumption, leaks...?

Reserve a few $1000 to address issues that will undoubtedly arise in the first year or two - if they don't, you will certainly find useful & enjoyable upgrades to spend it on.

Every sports car enthusiast should own a 911 at some point - once you get a nice one, you tend to keep it, or at least have some 911 for the rest of your driving life. Good luck!

Jay H

I'll address the 964 part of your question. I have a '90 C2 right now and sold a 3.2 Carrera to get it.

The 964 is definitely heavier and feels heavier. However, there are tangible increases in power that you can definitely feel. The 3.2's are no slouch and are very quick and agile, but the 3.6 cars pull like trains. Lots of torque, more stability at higher speeds and my '90 feels much more planted at over 100 mph speeds than my 3.2 did (however my 3.2 was a 'clean' car and did not have spoilers). Spoilers on a 3.2 will help with higher speed stability.

The 964 was basically the first redesign of the 911 since the 911 came out in model year '65. ~85% of the 911 was changed for the 964 model. Torsion bar suspension gave way to coil overs, ABS was standard, airbags became available on '90 and later (US) cars, the ventilation system was upgraded to make the A/C more efficient, shifting action is slightly less, etc. They make wonderful daily drivers and feel much more modern than the 3.2 and prior cars..

The down side to 964's is that some (not all) of the early cars had teething problems and they are more complex cars (more performance has a price). They cost a bit more to maintain than the 3.2 cars, just due to the added technology.

Many early ('89 to '91) 964's have been updated to cure the problems that can be associated with an early car. However, a good inspection should reveal any large scale problems that could occur. The late 964's ('92 to '94) are very solid cars right from the factory.

Brakes are exceptional on both the 3.2's and the 964's. 911's have always had good brakes.

Both the 3.2's and 964 are excellent 911's. But, they are very different in feel and if you budget allows, you may want to try a 964 to see if it's for you, along with test driving this 3.2 you originally posted about.

I would also recommend getting into as many 911's as you can while you are in the buying stage. You need to get a feel as to what a good one is like and what a dog is like.

Good Luck to you!

Jay
90 964

Jay Laifman

Let me add some different flavor. As you can see from the picture to the side, I have a '73 911. I have used this as a daily driver for almost 15 years. Rock solid and reliable. So, just because it's an old Porsche doesn't mean it can't still be a daily driver.

As to the 3.2s, I've driven lots of 911s over the years - 77, 79, 84, 94, 95, 99 .... I always came away with the impression that they were heavier, number, quieter and less sportingly fun then my '73. But, I never drove an '85-'89 car figuring they were no different than the '84 I drove. So, when I wanted to get a newer car a couple years ago, I bought a Boxster S (which is a fantastic machine). But, a month or so ago, a friend was selling her '87 and I helped her. In the process, I took it for a half hour drive to warm it up for someone coming to test drive it. WOW. What a great car. There is some life or character in that car that I found missing in the '84s. I just loved it. I came very close to selling my Boxster S and buying it instead. I didn't. But, I can tell you this, had I driven her car before I bought the Boxster S, I definitely would have found an '87-'89 cab instead of the Boxster.

Note that I did not limit it to '87 on because of the G50. I am one of the few who seem to be very happy with the 915. I've just since learned that there was a change to the injection system in '87 and I'm attributing that lively character I liked in the car to that. Perhaps there is something in the '85-'86 cars that would also move me. I just know personally, that the '84 didn't do it for me (with no disrespect to the car or those that own and love them) and the '87 really did.

Jay H

Peter Zimmerman (one of our resident experts on 911's) also mentions the same thing about performance differences starting with the '86 911 verses the 1984 and 1985 Carreras. Jay's experience above seems to tie into the difference he felt between the '84 and the '87.

Porsche never published any performance differences for the 84, 85 and 86 models (though Pete has some documentation showing a slight kw power increase in '86)...however it's been brought up enough that there just might be a change that happened in '86.

ruckmjr

As far as the V8s go, I have a 99 vette with a few upgrades. Fantastic machine. Incredible power and torque. Great handling. But...I find myself enjoying my 88 911 much more (as a daily driver). If I had to drive great distances, the vette would be my first choice. But for an around town daily driver, the 911 rules.

The 911 is easy enough to work on too. The only problem I have is the availability of parts. If I need something, a oil line for example, it has to be ordered. There is no problem getting the parts I need, just some down time while the parts are being sent. If the 911 were my only car, it wouldn't work.

r911

It is sensible. What sort of climate do you live in?

Scott H

Thank you all for the quick replies; it’s great to know that so many other people drive this car daily. I’ll be sure to drive a few other 911s to ensure I know what a good 911 feels like. As luck would have it there is another independent dealer a minute down the road from this one that deals mostly in old Porsches, some of you in the Central Florida area might now the guy that owns it: Nort Northam

As I said, I live in Central Florida, so during the summer it does get very humid and hot, which I know can be a problem with the 911’s less than stellar air conditioning. I’m hoping that a flush and recharge with R-12 will be adequate until I can upgrade some of the components. My neighbor likes to restore vintage American cars so I’m sure he knows somewhere I can get R-12. The car will be parked in a parking garage during the day so it will at least be out of direct sunlight.

Another question I have is how well do the tires wear? I would expect with a large portion of weight centered over the rear wheels that they would tend to wear a little faster than normal. I’m just glad the rears are only 225/50/16 so they are fairly inexpensive as compared to 255/40/17s that M Roadster’s run in the rear. Is there an “optimal” size to run in the rear? I believe the tires on this car were just replaced so I should be set for a while.

Jay H

Depending on your tire choices and driving styles, rears can last 10,000 or 15,000 or even 25,000 miles. They do wear quicker than the fronts and 25k on a set of rears is about the max you'll get if you buy performance tires.

For normal street driving, I'd stay with the stock sizes. Porsche engineering is pretty good, and for now, a bone stock 911 is plenty to learn with and has good limits. You can move to a 245/45 16 in the rear if the rim width allows it.

ked

Scott, if you get a nice original, stock 911 as a first Porsche driver, you might want to keep it that way for a while. It will keep you quite entertained as you learn its ways. Rears wear 2x the fronts, avg, means you might choose a tire that will be on the market as long as it takes to wear out the frts. Your concern for low operating costs is laudable, but keep in mind a 15 yr old 911 ain't a cheap car to run. Preventive maintainence must be respected, high quality parts must be used, there are numerous appealing upgrades to consider & it IS a 15 (or more) yr old machine. It will not be the cheapest car you'll ever own, but it might be the most rewarding - very efficient & effective & fun. Fine examples from certain model years (like '84-'89) have about finished depreciating.