1st 911 15K-Max
10-21-2002, 09:18 PM
#1
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1st 911 15K-Max
I have no more than $15,000 to spend on my first 911. This is going to be a daily driver. I live in Santa Cruz, Ca. and work in the Silicon Valley. 30 mins. of my 45 min. commute is driving through the curves of the Santa Cruz Mountains with little traffic to worry about. I have wanted a 911 for as long as I can remember and I can not wait any longer, my commute reminds me every day how much fun I could be having. So my search begins. I have read many times on this discussion board that you should by the newest 911 you can afford, I'm looking for more specific advise. I would like to get a car that is already in good condition. Given my price range and driving conditions what years should I be looking at? I thank everyone in advance for taking the time to help a 911 rookie, any and all advise will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Ryan
Thanks,
Ryan
10-21-2002, 09:34 PM
#2
Ryan:
Your best bet is to look for a 1978 to 1983 911SC. Those are extremely reliable cars and they are very fun to drive. Decent cars can be had for under $15,000.
You can also find some early 3.2 liter cars (1984-1986) for sale in your price range as well.
You will want to keep ~ $2000 in the bank for maintenance and unforseen repairs that will come up. Most of the SC's are over 20 years old now and older cars take time and money to keep nice.
You can check here for more info on 911SC's : <a href="http://tech.rennlist.com/911/911scfaq.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>
Condition means everything in these cars. I'd take a nice '78 SC over a beat '86 3.2 any day. It make take a bit of time to find the car you want, so be patient.
Good luck in your search,
Jay
90 964
Your best bet is to look for a 1978 to 1983 911SC. Those are extremely reliable cars and they are very fun to drive. Decent cars can be had for under $15,000.
You can also find some early 3.2 liter cars (1984-1986) for sale in your price range as well.
You will want to keep ~ $2000 in the bank for maintenance and unforseen repairs that will come up. Most of the SC's are over 20 years old now and older cars take time and money to keep nice.
You can check here for more info on 911SC's : <a href="http://tech.rennlist.com/911/911scfaq.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>
Condition means everything in these cars. I'd take a nice '78 SC over a beat '86 3.2 any day. It make take a bit of time to find the car you want, so be patient.
Good luck in your search,
Jay
90 964
10-21-2002, 09:54 PM
#3
I agree with Jay,for that price you should be able to find a very nice 1978-1983 911SC.For reference,I just brought home tonite my new baby,a 1983-911SC.The car has 97,150 original miles,all documented with tons of receipts from over the years,this car has had new clutch,lightened flywheel,headstuds upgraded,Mocal oil cooler with fan and many regular maint. items done.The paint is all most perfect for a car 19 years old,no dash cracks,seats are cracked,carpet good,had a excellent pre-purchase inspection,oh also the AC had been upgraded to a Sanden rotary compressor and I bought the car for $13,500.I looked at about 8 cars before I found this one,many of them were junk!Take your time,your heart will tell you when you have found the right one,then pay to have a PPI done to confirm if its a good car or not.Good luck. <img src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" border="0" alt="[cheers]" />
10-22-2002, 12:50 PM
#4
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Your best bet is to look for a 1978 to 1983 911SC. Those are extremely reliable cars and they are very fun to drive. Decent cars can be had for under $15,000.
You can also find some early 3.2 liter cars (1984-1986) for sale in your price range as well.
What would be the advantages and disadvantages of buying an early 3.2 liter car (1984-1986) over a 1978 to 1983 911SC and vice versa? Are the 1978 to 1983 911SC's a more reliable car? Is the 3.2 going to be a better performer?
Thanks,
Ryan
You can also find some early 3.2 liter cars (1984-1986) for sale in your price range as well.
What would be the advantages and disadvantages of buying an early 3.2 liter car (1984-1986) over a 1978 to 1983 911SC and vice versa? Are the 1978 to 1983 911SC's a more reliable car? Is the 3.2 going to be a better performer?
Thanks,
Ryan
10-22-2002, 03:28 PM
#5
Ryan:
The 3.2 cars step up in hp and torque ratings and will be a bit quicker. The 3.2 has Motronic engine management which allows for some aftermarket tweaking as well improved fuel economy even with the greater output. Both cars (SC and 3.2) are very reliable 911's. The Carrera will be a bit more flexible around town due to increased torque, but the SC's are just fine too.
Both SC's and Carrera's up to and including model year 1986 share the same 915 transmission. It seems that at 100,000 miles is the average age for having the tranny rebuilt. Some (not all) Carreras have problematic valve guide wear.
Carrera's all have the chain tensioner update, but this can be retrofitted to the SC 3.0 motor.
Again, condition will really tell you which car to buy if your looking at a 3.2 and a SC at the same time.
Good Luck,
Jay
The 3.2 cars step up in hp and torque ratings and will be a bit quicker. The 3.2 has Motronic engine management which allows for some aftermarket tweaking as well improved fuel economy even with the greater output. Both cars (SC and 3.2) are very reliable 911's. The Carrera will be a bit more flexible around town due to increased torque, but the SC's are just fine too.
Both SC's and Carrera's up to and including model year 1986 share the same 915 transmission. It seems that at 100,000 miles is the average age for having the tranny rebuilt. Some (not all) Carreras have problematic valve guide wear.
Carrera's all have the chain tensioner update, but this can be retrofitted to the SC 3.0 motor.
Again, condition will really tell you which car to buy if your looking at a 3.2 and a SC at the same time.
Good Luck,
Jay
10-22-2002, 03:29 PM
#6
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Hi Ryan,
It's difficult to sort through all the hype surrounding the SC and Carreras. Seems there is a real rivalry between the owners of these cars and lines are constantly being blurred. From my perspective as a new first time owner it seems like a bunch of nonsense - the cars are very very similar. Changes from the SC to the Carrera are a Bosch Motronic fuel management system and a .2L increase in displacement. These changes resulted in 20 more horsepower and better MPG. This change did not come without cost (as SC owners like to underscore) and the car gained about 200lbs over the previous setup. Even so most test results I have come across say the Carrera is faster across the board than the SC.
I think you should not get hung up splitting hairs on performance numbers with these cars. Instead focus on getting a clean unmolested copy with the options you are looking for. As everyone keeps saying a Pre-Purchase Inspection PPI is critical if you want to decrease the odds (not eliminate) of pumping in big $$ early.
It took me a while to locate my 86 Carrera but I was open to 81-83 SC's and 84-86 Carrera's. I did not want the G-50 transmission (87-89) because I thought the 915 would be easier and cheaper to rebuild...perhaps even by myself.
Good luck!
It's difficult to sort through all the hype surrounding the SC and Carreras. Seems there is a real rivalry between the owners of these cars and lines are constantly being blurred. From my perspective as a new first time owner it seems like a bunch of nonsense - the cars are very very similar. Changes from the SC to the Carrera are a Bosch Motronic fuel management system and a .2L increase in displacement. These changes resulted in 20 more horsepower and better MPG. This change did not come without cost (as SC owners like to underscore) and the car gained about 200lbs over the previous setup. Even so most test results I have come across say the Carrera is faster across the board than the SC.
I think you should not get hung up splitting hairs on performance numbers with these cars. Instead focus on getting a clean unmolested copy with the options you are looking for. As everyone keeps saying a Pre-Purchase Inspection PPI is critical if you want to decrease the odds (not eliminate) of pumping in big $$ early.
It took me a while to locate my 86 Carrera but I was open to 81-83 SC's and 84-86 Carrera's. I did not want the G-50 transmission (87-89) because I thought the 915 would be easier and cheaper to rebuild...perhaps even by myself.
Good luck!
10-22-2002, 04:29 PM
#7
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Just my 2 cents..
I recently purchased my first 911 (2 weeks ago to be exact) - and while I was not really looking (except for shopping some new ones), an '85 Carrerra Targa literally fell in my lap. The previous owner works at the same company as me and worried about being force adjusted (read: fired) so he wanted to get some cash. He had it on our internal classifieds for $12,500 - in the local paper it was listed for $14,500. I went and drove it, had a PPI performed, then purchased for $11,850. W/ 117,000 miles, both exterior and and interior are perfect - mint! Worst problem is its tranny synchros: 1st being totally beat, 2nd on it's way out. Other than that - she is simply awesome and has become my daily driver - I've put almost 1k miles on it in 10 days and my commute to work is 2 miles
. After purchase I put another $2,000 into new rims and tires immediately - which it did not need, but IMHO stock fuchs are just plain ugly! I estimate another few $K for the tranny rebuild next spring. So - total cost after repairs will be about 16k.
Anyway, what I'm trying to say is - you should be able to find a jewel in your 15k price range w/out having to sacrafice anything. I got lucky!
I hope you do to!
Good luck!
-Vex
I recently purchased my first 911 (2 weeks ago to be exact) - and while I was not really looking (except for shopping some new ones), an '85 Carrerra Targa literally fell in my lap. The previous owner works at the same company as me and worried about being force adjusted (read: fired) so he wanted to get some cash. He had it on our internal classifieds for $12,500 - in the local paper it was listed for $14,500. I went and drove it, had a PPI performed, then purchased for $11,850. W/ 117,000 miles, both exterior and and interior are perfect - mint! Worst problem is its tranny synchros: 1st being totally beat, 2nd on it's way out. Other than that - she is simply awesome and has become my daily driver - I've put almost 1k miles on it in 10 days and my commute to work is 2 miles
. After purchase I put another $2,000 into new rims and tires immediately - which it did not need, but IMHO stock fuchs are just plain ugly! I estimate another few $K for the tranny rebuild next spring. So - total cost after repairs will be about 16k.Anyway, what I'm trying to say is - you should be able to find a jewel in your 15k price range w/out having to sacrafice anything. I got lucky!
I hope you do to!
Good luck!
-Vex