I am looking at two 911s--both targas, with records, in comparable condition (good-to-excellent). One is an '86 with 35k miles for $25,000; the other is an '87 with 70k miles for $20,000. The car will be a weekend driver/long-term keeper. Which one would be the better choice? Thanks in advance for your advice.

 

Get them checked out by a mechanic. Chances are that the cars need something, as even with lower mileage if there are original parts there may be something that needs to be fixed. For example, I just bought an 86 with 64,000 took it to the shop and found that I could easily spend $5000 on some repairs in order to get the car in perfect condition. Now, keep in mind that there is nothing majorly wrong with my car...however the clutch is original and it will need front shocks. I got a great deal on the car, so its no biggie..

The 87 has the updated transmission and a few more hp. If its just a weekend driver and it checks out ok, Id get the 87 and save the $5000 for repairs/updates. Since its a weekend driver the extra mileage wont matter much, if it checks out ok.

Erik
86 Cab

 

MadH:

I agree with Eric's post above. The '87 might be the better deal. $5000 fixes a lot of stuff...

Some things to consider: If you want a garage queen to use at concours events or shows, the '86 might be the better car (if indeed the car is in excellent condition). The '86 has low miles, but how were those miles put on? If it was mostly track events, those 35k were hard miles. These cars are definitely built for racing, but it does take it's toll over time. If the miles were normal street driven miles, that car should be in very nice shape.

If you do pay the premium for the '86 because of it's very low miles, and you start driving it (meaning you put ~7000-15,000 miles per year on it), you'll loose a lot in depreciation. Most of these cars (86 and older) are bringing under $20,000. Double the mileage on that '86 and you're looking at a $17k car. ($8000 hit) But that may not matter to you if you keep the car a long time. If you don't drive it much, it'll hold it's value to some degree.

The 70k '87 won't depreciate much even if you put a ton of miles on it. With 100,000 on it, it's still worth somewhere in the high teens or even $20k if you keep the maintenance up to date and the car in great condition.

Condition is everything on these cars. $25k is a lot to pay for an '86 at this point (in today's economy). So, that car should be very, very nice for that money. I still think $20k for a nice G50 911 is a great deal. It's hard to really say which car is better since we can't see them in person, but if I wanted a show car for occasional driving, I'd pay the premium for the low mileage car. If I wanted a great driver, I'd get the '87.

Just my $.02...

Good Luck,
Jay
<a href="http://www.jays911.com" target="_blank">90 964</a>

 

I think the 86 and 87s have comparable performance numbers. The 87s have a few more ponies but its offset by the extra weight I believe of the new tranny and hydraulic clutch among other things. Either way the G50 and 915 motors are about as good as it gets in the Porsche realm.

 

Assuming cars are in equal condition, the '87 sounds like it's underpriced and the '86 sounds like it's overpriced ( and underdriven ).

I'd go for the '87 unless you can bring the '86 price a lot closer.

 

Don't buy the low miler unless you keep it low miles, like 2K miles per year. You will just drive the value off. It's worth what it would cost to replace and you won't find to many 35K mi Targas to pick from so I don't think 25K is off by much if any.

The 87' will do better if you drive it and then sell it to another driver. It's all about the lovefest for the G-50. Some articles say the 87' G-50 is noisy (corrected in 88')and you have that clutch piece that needs to be fixed on G-50's and you get into the possible valve guide wear problem. With 70K I'd guess these have been fixed or you are safe from the problem. If not, any difference in price just left town.

 

Go with the '87. The G-50's are more desirable. I have '87 Cabriolet. It's not noisy. I liked the smoother shifting G-50 and the Hydraulic Clutch. I think it will maintain it's value better than a similiar equiped '86. As always - get a pre-purchase inspection from a qualified mechanic.

 

G50 vs 915 is a major issues in this decision as it should be as that is the significant difference between the vehicles.

That being said some posters on this forum like the 915 better - its purely mechanical feel both in clutch and shifter adds to the "race car with plates" feeling. Once you learn it, its no problem. ( of course I'll bet the G50 is a lot easier to live with in stop n go traffic - I don't use my car in that environment). The 915 has a reputation of needing a rebuild around 100K, but mine works fine at 92K and that's a long time in the future fo rthe '86 you are looking at.

The g50 is a more rugged, easier to use unit but also about 100lbs(?) heavier.

I wouldn't rule out the '86 just for the tranny issue, but it is overpriced compared to the '87 you are considering.