tennjed

Took my first drive in a 911 today. A 77 S with 170,000 miles, no records available, starts easily from cold, no leaks, does not smoke.

After a very pleasant drive on the freeway and some side roads I ran into about 10 or 15 minutes of stop and go traffic due to some road construction. I noticed that the car became less and less pleasant to drive during the stop and go traffic; clutch engagement and disengagement became less and less smooth, shifter movement seemed to become rougher and rougher between neutral, first and second. The car never became impossible to drive but it did take more effort and concentration to manage the clutch and shifter. Also, engine seemed to load up a bit and hesitate some coming off of idle. However, once through the traffic and back onto the highway everything seemed to clear up once again.

I have read elsewhere on this list that these are "raw" cars. Is this sort of thing nomal?

It is an attractive vehicle. Interior is fair but complete. Brakes and suspension lseem very good. Engine sounds good and runs strong.

Thanks for any help.

Wayne

g-50cab

Do lots of reading on the mid year cars before making a leap - And yes most seem to like to stretch their legs

Peter Zimmermann

A '77 is only as good as its mechanic. There should be no remarkable change when a traffic jamb is encountered. Some '77s do not have a front oil cooler, which can be a problem in traffic/hot weather. Overall the '77 is a fine car, unless it's a CA model fitted with thermal reactors. I would guess that something is definitely wrong with the car that you drove, perhaps a mainshaft seal which has leaked trans oil onto the clutch... which would make shifting in traffic miserable...
Pete

tennjed

Thank you Jeremy and Pete

There may be something to what you are speculating about concerning the fluid leaking on the clutch. Clutch did seem grabby rather than weak.

I am driving an 83 SC targa today. All original with 130000 miles on the clock. It is in fine physical condition with all maintenance records.

Thanks again

2002M3Drew

The best advice I received when I was shopping for cars was to actuallt test drive as many cars as humanly possible during your search. You will quickly develop a "baseline" by which to compare each car against. I began to realize that each car had a different personality. The car I should have loved the most on paper in my search, a pristine, medium mileage 88 targa with SSIs, 2/1 exhaust, chip, G50 tranny, etc...was thee car I liked driving the least...not sure why to this day. Another nice 915 tranny coupe looked awesome, but drove just OK. The SC I ended up buying just spoke to me when I looked at it and drove it, and I haven't regretted it a minute! The fun is in the hunt anyway, and driving these cars sure isn't a bad way to spend the afternoon! Good luck.

Rod.

There is lot's of information here if you search on the mid-year cars. As Pete said, there can be problems but, if the car has been well looked after, the upgrades and other issues should all have been taken care of by now. The mid-years (74-77) are a little simpler than the later cars -- and the lack of rear fender flares may or may not be to your liking. I've only had my '77 for a year and so far have no regrets. It came with records, had a rebuild with all the upgrades and the thermal reactors and air pump removed.

Pete's book is a great resource to get asap if you're looking for a car.

YMMV,

tennjed

Thanks again folks

I drove the 83 sc this morning. I got about 20 minutes in the car with a combination of windy uphill road, 65 to 70 mph highway driving and a couple of miles of Saturday morning stop and go traffic. I feel that this car is better mannerd than the 77 was. However, I still struggled with shifting and clutch use. This time I do not believe that it had anything to do with the car. It just seemed as though I could not get in sync with the mechanicals. This is the first time that I have driven a car and felt that I might be the biggest obstruction to proper operation. It was kind of intimidating.

I am curious about what is meant by "smooth" when it comes to shifting the transmission. Shifting the transmissions on the 77 and the 83 felt nothing like shifting other synchronized transmissions that I have dealt with. With the Porsches the shifting mechanism just feels more fragile than what I am used to.

I can't say that I don't like these cars. They just aren't what I was expecting.

Thanks for you past comments

Wayne

Jay H

Wayne,

These cars (pre 964 models) are very, very raw as compared to modern cars. Clutches are heavy, transmission/shifters are notchy and balky, etc. When I bought my first 911, it took me a good 3 months to really get to know the car and learn how to drive it well. These are not easy to drive cars (and that's how we like 'em damn it! ).

Get some more seat time to insure a 911 is for you, but don't be discouraged.

Good Luck,

Jay
90 964

g-50cab

Find a g-50 carrera to drive - (1987-1989) or a 964 model (1989 c4 to 1994) They are a little more civilized. The earlier cars are much more raw = obnoxious - and it's what I love about em...

Jay Laifman

Do NOT get scared away. First, I can drive in stop and go traffic all day long in my 911. It always remains smooth. The only thing that goes is my left leg from not being able to push the clutch anymore! I will also add that when I first got my 911 it was not quite as intuitive as I expected. As you commented, I was not as smooth as the teutonic Porsche obviously was. But, in a short time, we blended and it's been 17 years with no looking back. Also, I might add that my first 911 that I drove was a '76 S. To me, after years of coveting 911s, it was a disappointment, as was the '84 that followed it. But, the '69 E that I drove next brought all my Porsche love back to where it belonged. Keep up with trying different cars - and don't think the reputation is for nothing. The Emperor DOES have clothes - and they are made of Nomex.

DARISC

I bought my first Porsche, an 82 SC Euro coupe about 8 months ago. I was never enchanted by the marque and coming from a 99 6 spd Vette, which could be speed shifted with ease, I was really disappointed with how the 915 tranny shifted. That was then. After just a couple of days I got the feel for the 915 and wouldn't trade the satisfaction of the feeling of becoming one with a machine whose initial balkiness turns out to have been driver, rather than machine induced!

When I decided to try a Porsche (the Corvette experience having really gone bland after the first 5,000 of the 74,000 milies of JATO-like acelleration bursts), I was eager to get back into a lightweight, visceral (love that adjective!) sports car. I thought I wanted a Carrera with a G50, but found a lighter Eurospec coupe w/no AC and fell in love with the little beast!

I know the Carreras are a bit more refined and that the G50 has more definitive gates, but the 915 can be shifted just as quickly if you're paying attention, and is lighter as well (though I'm told not as durable as a G50). NOT to speak disparagingly of anyone's beloved Carrera, I just opted for rawness and a little less weight. I'm enchanted now!!

BertBeagle

I have a 77 - 40,000 original miles and like new. I think they are going to be an up and commer in the value area. They were the first ones with full galv unibodies so there is not a rust problem. I like the body shape without the flares. They are the best compromise between luwuary, light weight and raw in the 911 series and I like that. Prices for a very nice one are good.
Unless you are planing to do an engine swap only look at cars with an oil cooler. No AC is also a plus for engine condition. If the engine is in good condition and you take care of it, it wil last a long time.
If you are patient you can find exactly what you want, including color, in the condition you want.
If you have any questions I will be glad to try and help.

Ron Minson

tennjed, where are you located. The reason that i ask is that some of our Rennlist Brothers and Sisters my take you out in their cars for a spin and you can get a good idea from them as to what is normal and what is not normal. Tricks on letting the clutch out in first and second. infact search Rennlist i think there is a good thread on this. I have a 85 911 with the 915 trans which is a workout in traffic, but i love it an would not change anything. Not to offend but when i drive a friends g50 it takes me some time to get used to the shifting again, it feels a little like a Honda (only the shifting).

Ron

Brian_77_3.6

There where small improvements made in the 915 and the shift mechanism over time. So I think you will find the 915 in a Carrera (84,85,86) a little more positive shifting with shorter throw then the earlier years. However I still perfer the 915 to a G-50. Guess its all what you are used to.

RT930turbo

Like others have stated before, once you get used to a 915, and learn how to really make it work, you will love it. I see it as a challenge, especially on the track, and I wouldn't trade it for a G-50. The G-50 does make the car seem much more "modern" car like, but in my opinion that takes some of the 911 magic out of the equation. Good luck with the search...