Early 911
07-21-2006, 09:41 AM
#1
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Early 911
Looking to buy a fun ride. For occasional trouble free drives, i.e. limited risk of breakdown on road. I had a few questions
1. Targa vs Coupe? I already have a 89 speedster, so open touring is not so important. I simply like the looks of the targa, and need to weigh that against the rigidity of the coupe, I think.
2. Again, I much prefer the looks of the 1973 and earlier against the modified bumpers, etc of the 1974 on. Pros and Cons?
3. Engine? Pros and cons of 2.4, 2.7, modded, etc.
4. CIS, MFI, etc.?
Anyone have any cars they may suggest that are for sale?
Thanks.
1. Targa vs Coupe? I already have a 89 speedster, so open touring is not so important. I simply like the looks of the targa, and need to weigh that against the rigidity of the coupe, I think.
2. Again, I much prefer the looks of the 1973 and earlier against the modified bumpers, etc of the 1974 on. Pros and Cons?
3. Engine? Pros and cons of 2.4, 2.7, modded, etc.
4. CIS, MFI, etc.?
Anyone have any cars they may suggest that are for sale?
Thanks.
07-21-2006, 02:00 PM
#2
Burning Brakes
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Let me take a shot at answering some of your questions.
1. Targa vs. Coupe? Personal preference. I, personally, prefer the coupe for it's rigidity.
2. Early cars drives very different then later cars, they are more raw. There are no power assisted steering or brakes. I suggest driving a couple different examples from different years to get the feel.
3. Engine? Usually the bigger displacement the better, but it really depends what your using it for. I'm very happy, at the moment, with my 2.2 and it's a dedicated track car.
4. CIS is more trouble free compare to carbs & MFI. But a well tuned MFI is just insane!
You can find some really nice early 911s for sale at http://www.early911sregistry.org/for...isplay.php?f=8. I strongly suggest buying Peter Zimmermann's "The used 911 story". IMHO, it's a must read! Good luck in your search!
1. Targa vs. Coupe? Personal preference. I, personally, prefer the coupe for it's rigidity.
2. Early cars drives very different then later cars, they are more raw. There are no power assisted steering or brakes. I suggest driving a couple different examples from different years to get the feel.
3. Engine? Usually the bigger displacement the better, but it really depends what your using it for. I'm very happy, at the moment, with my 2.2 and it's a dedicated track car.
4. CIS is more trouble free compare to carbs & MFI. But a well tuned MFI is just insane!
You can find some really nice early 911s for sale at http://www.early911sregistry.org/for...isplay.php?f=8. I strongly suggest buying Peter Zimmermann's "The used 911 story". IMHO, it's a must read! Good luck in your search!
07-21-2006, 03:14 PM
#3
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Originally Posted by climbasky
Anyone have any cars they may suggest that are for sale?
07-23-2006, 09:46 PM
#5
Three Wheelin'
Early 911s are great, they are light and incredibly fun to drive and great throttle response if it's tuned right, whether carbs or MFI. Good used Weber carbs are getting kinda hard to find, however, and if the originals are worn out the best bet is to bite a $3k+ bullet and switch to PMOs which are fantastic we have a few customers running em.
The early cars are going up in value, however and you might have to pay a lot for a nice one. Also, 911s weren't fully rustproofed until '77 so u really need to check an early one for rust, especially since you live where it snows. Up to 71 early 911s also had the Euro/racing type gearshift pattern of the 901 gearbox, with first gear back and to the left where 2nd is on most cars. Once you drive it its pretty easy to get used to though. The later 915 gearboxes are definitely stronger and better for upgrades, and have a conventional H-pattern. However, you have to be kinda delicate with em as they can be kinda balky and hard to get into gear sometimes. No forcing shifts!
The problems with the 2.7 engines are well documented so I won't even get into that but if one has been rebuilt right with all the updates and a better cooling fan and no thermal reactors they are pretty good.
CIS is generally really reliable and pretty easy to tune/work on, but if you ever need a new fuel distributor or something that it's expensive. Throttle response just isn't the same as the earlier cars though, these cars were tuned for economy and driveability. Also CIS isn't very tolerant of high compression ratios or aggressive camshafts, so if you're looking to upgrade to one of these engines you'll have to go carb'd/MFI/EFI.
911SCs are pretty bulletproof as far as 911s go since the engine is based on the stronger 930 case but they are getting old and can still have problems. They are also the first 911s to have power brakes, as 77 and older had no assist. Still no power steering (964 was the first to get it), and has the 915 gearbox so u still really have to drive these cars, but hey that's the fun of it all.
As far as coupe vs. targa, I'd go for the coupe. It looks cleaner and is definitely way stiffer. When I put a targa up on a lift at my shop, the doors get hard to open and shut, indicating the amount of chassis flex going on. Also the targas are almost never leak-free, and have more wind noise. If you're willing to put up w/ all that though targas are still cool, and a lot of the 911s from that era are targas.
Whatever you do, get a pre-purchase inspection from a reputable Porsche shop (such as mine!
), its well worth the $250 or so. Good luck!
---
Chris Andropoulos
Schneider Autohaus
Santa Barbara, CA
The early cars are going up in value, however and you might have to pay a lot for a nice one. Also, 911s weren't fully rustproofed until '77 so u really need to check an early one for rust, especially since you live where it snows. Up to 71 early 911s also had the Euro/racing type gearshift pattern of the 901 gearbox, with first gear back and to the left where 2nd is on most cars. Once you drive it its pretty easy to get used to though. The later 915 gearboxes are definitely stronger and better for upgrades, and have a conventional H-pattern. However, you have to be kinda delicate with em as they can be kinda balky and hard to get into gear sometimes. No forcing shifts!
The problems with the 2.7 engines are well documented so I won't even get into that but if one has been rebuilt right with all the updates and a better cooling fan and no thermal reactors they are pretty good.
CIS is generally really reliable and pretty easy to tune/work on, but if you ever need a new fuel distributor or something that it's expensive. Throttle response just isn't the same as the earlier cars though, these cars were tuned for economy and driveability. Also CIS isn't very tolerant of high compression ratios or aggressive camshafts, so if you're looking to upgrade to one of these engines you'll have to go carb'd/MFI/EFI.
911SCs are pretty bulletproof as far as 911s go since the engine is based on the stronger 930 case but they are getting old and can still have problems. They are also the first 911s to have power brakes, as 77 and older had no assist. Still no power steering (964 was the first to get it), and has the 915 gearbox so u still really have to drive these cars, but hey that's the fun of it all.
As far as coupe vs. targa, I'd go for the coupe. It looks cleaner and is definitely way stiffer. When I put a targa up on a lift at my shop, the doors get hard to open and shut, indicating the amount of chassis flex going on. Also the targas are almost never leak-free, and have more wind noise. If you're willing to put up w/ all that though targas are still cool, and a lot of the 911s from that era are targas.
Whatever you do, get a pre-purchase inspection from a reputable Porsche shop (such as mine!
), its well worth the $250 or so. Good luck!---
Chris Andropoulos
Schneider Autohaus
Santa Barbara, CA
07-25-2006, 04:00 PM
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1. Targa vs Coupe?
Go with the one you want. I have a targa that I think looks great. It doesn't have any cowl shake like a lot of convertibles but it obviously isn't as rigid as a coupe.
2. Again, I much prefer the looks of the 1973 and earlier against the modified bumpers, etc of the 1974 on. Pros and Cons?
The biggest con for longhoods is their initial price and their age. I love the classic look.
3. Engine? Pros and cons of 2.4, 2.7, modded, etc.
I hate to generalize, but the 2.7L engines in mid-year cars (1974-1977) had serious problems and are fairly cheap to buy. SCs and Carrerra (1978-1983, 1983-1989) can be great cars and the 3.0L and 3.2L engines are pretty good (3.0L is head stud issues and the 3.2L for valve guide issues). Both of which could be problematic on longhoods as well (do a proper PPI with a compression test).
The 2.0L (1965-1969), the 2.2L (1970-71) and the 2.4L (1972-1973) engines produce less hp and torque than SCs and Carrerras (and possibly middies). But the power is sufficient (at least in my 1972 2.4L). Carbs give better throttle response than CIS. MFI is supposedly great, but is potentially troublesome. My car was converted from MFI to Zeniths carbs for that reason.
4. CIS, MFI, etc.?
All are fine. I like carbs as they are simpler and give good power/response.
Best of luck!!!! Make sure to get the car you want. I paid for 2 other PPIs before I found my car (which was reasonable, PM me if you want to know the price). BTW, the pic is not the best (next to a dealership and bad angle) and I have straightened out the driving lights.
Go with the one you want. I have a targa that I think looks great. It doesn't have any cowl shake like a lot of convertibles but it obviously isn't as rigid as a coupe.
2. Again, I much prefer the looks of the 1973 and earlier against the modified bumpers, etc of the 1974 on. Pros and Cons?
The biggest con for longhoods is their initial price and their age. I love the classic look.
3. Engine? Pros and cons of 2.4, 2.7, modded, etc.
I hate to generalize, but the 2.7L engines in mid-year cars (1974-1977) had serious problems and are fairly cheap to buy. SCs and Carrerra (1978-1983, 1983-1989) can be great cars and the 3.0L and 3.2L engines are pretty good (3.0L is head stud issues and the 3.2L for valve guide issues). Both of which could be problematic on longhoods as well (do a proper PPI with a compression test).
The 2.0L (1965-1969), the 2.2L (1970-71) and the 2.4L (1972-1973) engines produce less hp and torque than SCs and Carrerras (and possibly middies). But the power is sufficient (at least in my 1972 2.4L). Carbs give better throttle response than CIS. MFI is supposedly great, but is potentially troublesome. My car was converted from MFI to Zeniths carbs for that reason.
4. CIS, MFI, etc.?
All are fine. I like carbs as they are simpler and give good power/response.
Best of luck!!!! Make sure to get the car you want. I paid for 2 other PPIs before I found my car (which was reasonable, PM me if you want to know the price). BTW, the pic is not the best (next to a dealership and bad angle) and I have straightened out the driving lights.
07-25-2006, 07:52 PM
#7
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man that's a sweet targa!! 
here's a slightly different flavor....
i wanted a coupe too but have been pleased with this 3.2 so far. hey maybe next time....they are all great cars
here's a slightly different flavor....i wanted a coupe too but have been pleased with this 3.2 so far. hey maybe next time....they are all great cars
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08-03-2006, 01:25 PM
#9
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Thanks for the compliments. She looks even better in person. Going against the flow, I prefer targas. Mine is strictly a summer car (can't drive a non-galvanized car in Canada in the winter) and it didn't make sense to buy a coupe. I don't even know why I bothered to block out the plate no. It's visible in the first pic.....