old man neri

Well, targas are cheaper but a new targa top is expensive. They are known to leak from time to time and new seals are not cheap. And if a thief wants to get in, he will get in.

holy911

Yeah, basically many parts are expensive to replace in these cars. Still much less than the convertible.

And yes, a thief can get into any car if they really want to, but much easier with a plastic/fabric top. Sharp knife is all it takes.

Now as I look at more 911's. The whale tail is slowly losing appeal, after all those years of liking it too. Without the tail, there is a clean look to the car. Hmm. Now then I'll settle for a Targa, no tail or tail is fine.

old man neri

I wouldn't worry too much about the tail. If you look in the classifieds you can always find someone selling a whale tail and someone selling a clean deck lid. It will cost a bit for the tail and painting, that's all. I wouldn't let the tail-factor make or break a deal on what could be a very well kept example.

Rice

I say go test drive the cars because you never know. I test drove a bunch of cars and found one for sale by an individual. Didn't really think I would buy it? Had a PPI and was hoping something was wrong because I just didn't want to buy it now. The response from the Porsche dealership? "Man, you have a great find." I knew it pulled strong and needed a top end. Not a problem. I have the car now and I can get stuff done as I feel I can afford it since we have two other cars. The point is, you never know. Plus unless you drive different models, you will never know which model you want. I had always thought about the 996 but once I drove it, I was disappointed in the lack of rawness and the sound of the water cooled engine. I say test drive as many cars as you can. Just don't waste anyone's time twice.

Rice

By the way, my car is a 1987 Silver Coupe with whale tail. It is not a concour car but a daily driver.

holy911

Hmm, good point about the tail. I did see a couple tails going for about $200-$500. It would be a waste to pass up a great car for lack of a tail. But now I'll be fine with or w/o a tail.
Check this out.
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/scz/ctd/847322551.html

What do you gentlemen think? Only thing is...get this...I REALLY don't like red!

Another question: What's top end repair?

old man neri

3.2 engines are known to have valve guide issues. The 'top end repair' usually means that the valve guides have been replaced and some other stuff. But the term can mean many things, it's best to get the receipt from the shop that did it so you can see exactly what was done.

irie1029

Keep looking till you find exactly what you want... Mine is 42K miles an almost daily driver no thunder or salt, (almost concours... but I am lazy.) I do DE events and the car is Freakin Fun Do not miss out on the fun by not driving it. You will love it.

holy911

Thanks for the top end explanation.

What'd you all think of the slant nose conversion on the link? Low mileage, good price. BUT I just don't like red at all!

The search continues....

hkiang

Listen to the advice of those on this board!

I own a low milage ex concourse '88 Carrera Coupe, which I purchased a few years ago. Like I said, it was a concourse car and was just beautiful, wearing 7 & 8" Fuchs. But I didn't know much about Porsche at the time, nor this board and I did not get a PPI. I just saw that the car looked brand new (underneath too), the price relative to most new cars was low, so I just pulled the trigger. Shortly thereafter, I found that the car was suffering from premature valve guide wear.

My advice, as it is from most from this board, is to do a PPI on any car prior to your making a decision. Its o.k. to buy a car with flaws, but just know what they are prior to purchase. Just go into it with your eyes open. I don't think there is any way one can be prepared for the shockingly high cost of fixing one of these cars - it really can be scary expensive. But, I also think these cars are worth it, no matter what the cost. They have great style, sound, provide an excitement (mostly because of the huge respect that they require from their drivers who wish to drive them quickly), and offer an extremely visceral driving experience, unmatched by the newer Porsches. Also, when they are in (or restored to) a healthy condition, there are fewer cars more robust and durable than these of the '87-89 vintage. These are the Porsches most often described as "bulletproof".

Best of luck in your search,

Henry

andrew911

Do not waste people's time test driving their car if you are not seriously interested in buying or potentially buying that particular car. This would **** me off to no end if some tire kicker wanted to come and waste my time (and will give you bad karma too!)

Now that I got that off my chest (sorry, a pet peeve)...
I had a triple black 87 targa (no tail though)- bought it with 30K miles and sold it 5 years later with 40K miles- was great car & very reliable. I will say as great as black looks, it's tough to keep clean. When I wanted to get another 911 (964), I was looking for a low mileage stock car in great condition first, with color being secondary...I didn't really want another black one. But after 6 months of searching, found the perfect car and happened to be black. Once I bought it and had it home, for whatever reason I was glad the car was black even given the challenge of keeping it clean- the 911 looks great in black.

Anyway, I would stay away from heavily modified cars, or cars that seem to have been "driven hard & put away wet" or otherwise abused- I like to buy cars from the owners to get at least a feel of how the car was treated (not a substitute for a PPI, but it helps me anyway- to see how the car is stored, how the owner drives it, what the owner says...).

The tail is no big deal- don't let that be a deal killer - you can always add it later, and you may decide that the targa bar gives the car a nice side profile without the tail.

I had a non-G50 911 before the '87 (a 1978 911), and the difference in shifting was very noticable. Some on here say they have mid-80's non G-50's that shift great, but I've never driven one so I can't comment.

Look around for the right car, and be willing to widen your area of searching (unfortunately the car I have now was 1,200 miles away in Florida). Also, if there is a car that is say $18K with high mileage and needs a bunch of work or a $23K perfect low mileage car, go for the better car if you can. You'll spend $5K to make the cheaper car better, and in the end have a $19K high mileage car.

Good luck and have fun- a lot of the fun is the search & anticipation of picking up the car once the deal is done!

Bearclaw

Consider a 964 ('89 C4 - '94). Same conventional targa style as a Carrera, and very similar car in general, but with some significant upgrades. I love mine. They aren't quite as prevalent since their numbers were not as great, but they are a bargain and may be closer to your budget.

Rice

My point is that one would not know what kind of Porsche ie. 996, 997, 964, 993 etc. to buy unless one has driven a variety of Porsches. How would one know if one is seriously interested in that particular model without research such as driving one? Everyone takes the chance that someone is tire kicking. I used to test drive various cars at carmax; Even drove a Corvette Z06 C6 model. Awesome! Did it for a month or so because I didn't know what sports car I really wanted. Guess what? I bought a luxury car from them three weeks ago because I was impressed by their sales staff. Low pressure. Don't say I want a 1987-1989 Porsche because it has the "Porsche looks." You may hate driving the 1987-1989 model. You need to drive and try different models. This is just my opinion.

Rice

By the way, I'm in sales and I understand people need to shop to make up their mind. It is part of the decision making process.

holy911

Keep the comments coming gents, this is great for me.

I'm not new to used car buying just new to 911's. Dont worry, I'm not out just joy riding everything out there wasting folks time. My time is just as important, so I'll drive cars that I know are within reach of my budget and interest. I've been finding that most folks really want me to see and drive their car even if I'm mildly interested. Anyhow....

I'm starting to broaden my search to include the 89-94 993s (I think that's the model, right?). Funny how there's quite a bit of the 1999-2002 models going for almost less than the models I want. But those years are just rather plain looking to me (no offense to those that own one, just my tastes is all). I can't tell any difference between those and the Boxsters. These are not bad cars at all, just not what I'm after.

Being an '80's generation dude in college, I always drooled over those years 911s. I remember seeing a bunch of those on the TV show, Miami Vice. Remember that show with all the sweet exotic cars highlighted? I could never afford a Ferrari Testarossa or Daytona (even a replica), so the '80s 911 is my next best choice.

I'm not looking for a racer either. I'm not really interested in getting the fastest 911 out there. These days, I'm just happy cruising 65mph in the slow lane with the roof off, wind blowing in my hair, sun on my face. No rush. I'm looking for the 911 just for the style. I know if someone revs on me at a stoplight, I'll just wave 'em on and cruise to the next stoplight while they get a ticket (and waste gas getting there).