jpyles

The 89-94's are model designation 964. The 89's were only available as Carrera 4, the all-wheel drive version. In 90 the carrera 2 became available also. The 993's arrived in 1995 model year.

Bearclaw

There is a reason that you see 996 (1999-2002) prices at depressed levels. This was the first generation of water-cooled 911's, and the 3.4 engine suffered an inordinately high number of failures (most of which were replaced under a factory program), along with rear main seal leakage and weak transmissions. Many also consider this body style rather 'blah'. All this adds up to bad PR and heavily discounted pricing. If you find a good one with good service documentation, it will likely have at least 50K miles on it, so either A) the engine has already grenaded and has been replaced, or B) it isn't going to have these problems, or else they would have happened by now. For these reasons, it may be worth considering if the aesthetics appeal to you.

DL Lawrence

...be sure that you get what you really want. I discovered, through the old trial and error method, that what I had wanted for so many years was an old school, air cooled Porsche 911. I researched and looked around for a year and half before finally buying a 996- the prices have gotten so low on these cars that they're hard to ignore. Yes, some have issues, but mine was great- it ran perfectly, was wicked fast, RMS was bone dry, and had no engine intermix issues ( the reason for the engine failures you hear about). I bought it with 47K on the clock, drove it for 10 months, and sold it with 57K on the clock. All I did was change the coolant resevoir tank, which is a when, not an if. $400 bucks. No problems other than that. I think a 996 is the best value out there nowadays for a 300 hp sportscar. HOWEVER, it just did not satisfy what I guess was my perception of 911 ownership- so I sold it a year ago, and bought an 84 3.2 Carrera, and LOVE this car. The 996 was a great car in it's own right (fast, comfy, AC that worked, powerful, power-auto-tilto everything), but- I don't know- it just didn't have any "soul", if that makes sense. I love my Carrera- it's a driving experience unlike anything else, and the grins per mile factor is off the charts. They have a sound, smell and feel all their own. Yes, it's expensive to maintain, but you'd be amazed what you can do yourself if you have a bit of mechanical aptitude, the right tools and some time. There's plenty of help on the discussion boards. I agree with previous posters- first and foremost, a through PPI is a must, as is Pete's book. Take your time, and drive a lot a cars, while being considerate of other peoples time. You'll be suprised how many nice ones are out there, I think. Good Luck!

Tippy

I owned a 996 first, 2000 to be exact and an '87 C3.2 now. Believe it or not, I prefer the steering feedback of the 996 and confidence the car brings stock over my '87 with coilovers.

The '87 is so loud inside, smells of oil, and the car is bouncy just like a beetle. The ergonomics are very poor to the point you really can't relax while driving. It is a true go-kart though!!!

The G-50 in mine takes a lot of man handling versus the 6 spd of the 996s. It is the only G-50 I have used so not really a good source from me.

I have different brakes (I believe 993 TT?) on mine and all I can say is, the 2750 lb beast will stop rapidly with little pedal effort over my 996 I had.

dshepp806

I so wish I had the chance to drive these other animals, so as to "compare",..to my '89, 3.2L, G50...Yeah, I got the visceral thing down,......I just wish I could go taste the newer ones to experience what so many others speak of,..(in MANY different ways, I might add)....I need to go do this....


Best,

Doyle

holy911

I've been searching every single day on Craigslist, sometimes on Yahoo Autos. Any other good sources out there? Oh, and here too, though not much new inventory on a daily basis, and majority are not local to me in the Bay Area, Northern California.

I've been getting quotes too on PPI's and engine, tranny rebuilds and convertible top repairs. Man the prices are sky high! $12k for a 3.2L rebuild!??? YIKES! That's a new compact car price alone! Or a year of community college for my kid. Or a good portion of my annual income (I don't make much income).

But this seems to be okay timing to just do it. If worse comes to worse and I'm in over my head with costs and repairs, I'll sell it.

That said. Anyone in the Bay Area willing to let my test drive their '89-94? Ha.

old man neri

cars.com
autotrader.com
forums.pelicanparts.com (look for the cars for sale section)

RacerX1166

Some other places to look. I'm in the same boat as you so, if you come across a navy 89 coupe, I've got dibs.

http://www.jaxed.com/cgi-bin/mash.cg...mit=++++go++++

http://www.excellence-mag.com/classi...lassified.html

http://www.rallystuff.com/pcar_sources.html

DRACO A5OG

+1 on Peter Zimmerman's Book, I wished I had it before I bought.

holy911

Thanks for those sources, RacerX. Don't worry, I'm not looking at Coupes. Specifically, Targas. Maybe a Cab if the top has no problems or is manual.

Paul K

FWIW, a complete rebuild on a targa top is about $1k. That being said, I love my targa. I'd be hesitant to buy a black car- takes a lot of maintenance to keep it looking nice. On the 915 vs. G-50 thing, The difference to me is that with a G-50 you don't have to think about shifting. That said, the G-50 clutch is more expensive to replace. Now is a good time to buy a 911- and I second the suggestion to search the pelican forum classifieds.

Good luck and keep us posted!

Paul

'89 3.2 Targa

DL Lawrence

Here you go- the Mother of all Porsche for sale links:


http://www.rallystuff.com/pcar_sources.html

Have Fun!

holy911

DL,

Thanks for that exhaustive list! Hours of fun, through the night. The Mother Lode!

holy911

Gentlemen.

Is this a good deal? Seems like a "close enough" to what I want. It's a Cab, but has low mileage. Still rather have a Targa, but the price seems fair.
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...TAFSRCHUSDTEXT

jpyles

This is a 964 cab with an Tiptronic auto tranny. No G50 on this one. It's a 1993, so most issues with 964's should be resolved on this one. But did you really want an automatic? It also has later model wheels - looks like Boxster wheels perhaps.