cale

I think I have a minor obession with the '72-'73 911 growing in me. I've read the early 911 FAQ but it seemed to be rather sparse concerning costs and average maintenance. If I picked up a good condition 72 or 73 what would I be looking at in terms of average maintenance? Also, what things tend to break and would have to be watched out for? The car would get pretty regular use, as I don't buy cars to have them just sit and look pretty, in my opinion everything looks better while moving. Thanks.

Jeff

JackOlsen

I don't think you'll find any typical maintenance pattern for a 30-year-old car. Too many variables.

The early cars are pretty simple, from a mechanical standpoint. You'll need to know the miles on the motor and tranny to be able predict when they'll need major refreshing. MFI components can also be expensive to fix.

Aside from the big mechanical pieces, the three things to watch out for when buying one would be:

1) Rust
2) Rust
3) Rust

A thorough pre-purchase inspection by a shop familiar with the early cars is a must. Most of the ones you'll find for sale -- as with any 30-year-old car -- are junk.

cale

Thanks for the reply Jack, your car was one of the ones that got me interested in the early 911s in the first place.
I was mostly looking for the major well known problems, such as the grenading 2.7 in the slightly later cars and the like.
I will definitly be on the look out for rust as I start my search.
What is a good way to deal with rust, or to protect a car this old against it? Would a full strip and re-paint be of much value? And what can be done to protect the underbody of the car?
Thanks in advance for any help.

Jeff

rs911t

I love my '72, but haven't found maintenance to be the money pit (not yet, at least). It's all the cool, old stuff you can buy to put on/in it!! Wheels, seats ...

zxandy

jeff

my 71 911t - is totally original but with no history for it's first 28 years....this is generally considered a dodgy type of purchase! But my heart took over at finding a very solid RHD model.

Had it checked out and it is totally solid on the rust side - as Jack says, this is key to a long and happy relationship. These dars are great as everyday drivers.

Mechanically, the classic areas that (ideally) would have been fixed are
-the cam chain tensioners - upgraded , you will see new oil pipes installed in the cam covers
and -useful to have Turbo valve covers installed in place of the original magnesiume ones.

Beyond that, get it checked over by a reputable specialist who will be doing service work etc for you.

There is a checklist at <a href="http://www.porscheworld.co.uk,buyersprintoff.htm" target="_blank">www.porscheworld.co.uk,buyersprintoff.htm</a>
that gives some pointers.

good luck - early 911's rock.
andy

Tom F

I love the pre-'74 cars, and I have a lot of respect for the Jack and the others who vouch for them. But, I think that if you're going to drive the car here in the Northeast (even if you don't drive in winter snow and salt, which is a real no-no), then you'll find a Carrera or SC is a much better choice. They are decently rust resistant, and they have much better machinery. The MFI, in particular, is a pain and really expensive to fix. Motronic was like a magic bullet for these cars, and the CIS is pretty liveable, too. Fuel mileage with Webers? Forget it. You will be embarrassed when your neighbor's Suburban gets better gas mileage. As an added bonus, the later cars come with much better interiors and they usually have A/C.

I've owned four pre-74 (three of them 2.4s) cars, and three post-74 cars. Whatever you do, check out a used 911 CAREFULLY. Good luck.

frankd

I agree with the all the above. You can find a rust free car ,it will just take you some time and patience.

I love my 72T which I purchased from a PCA member in Minnesota. MFI is the only tricky part of these cars.

Good Luck

Jim Florance

Gotta ditto all the comments on the problem w/ rust. I thought I was buying a very clean 911T, even got a PPI from a very reputable shop. Then I got the auto-x/time trial bug and started replacing suspension pieces, noticed some wierd shapes in the undercoating and started to scrape it away, $4000.00 later the rust is gone. Had to replace the entire pan, the left rear longitudinal frame rail, and patch up several pin-holes. A previous owner did a masterful job of filling the rust holes in w/fiberglass, body putty and covered the whole mess with a lot of undercoating! Now my project is back on track, but the expense of getting the rust under control really set me on my head, didn't see that one coming at all Aside from that, I put about 15,000miles per yr on the car, religiously maintain everything and It cost me about 1500 yr for the three years I drove it prior to the rust repairs. I thought that was pretty good for a car that is 32yrs old.

gerry100

Coincidently, I was at our landfill/recycling center the other day and and as I was dumping my newspapers I noticed a copy of "Motor trend" from May '72. Because it had road Tests of the 911 series.

Article was well written and had a good spec sheet. ( Motor Trend is usually considered the worst of the advertiser shills among the major car mags).

As soon as I get a scanner and some advice I'll post the article, But in the meantime if you can somehow find a May 72 Motor trend , it will be a good read.