Everett43

Thanks whalebird.......with the invaluable information I have been given here I probably won't pursue
the 17k mileage 911. The price is very high and probably can't be brought down far enough to make it
worthwhile. I'm starting to have second thoughts about these cars in general. I know all cars need to be
well cared for but I'm not mechanically inclined and don't want to spend a bunch of money to keep one running.
If I could anticipate changing the oil once a year and adjusting the valves every 12k miles or so that would be fine,
but it's beginning to sound like I could look forward to some more expensive maintenance costs.
I very much enjoy driving this era Porsche and the styling to me is the best of the Porsche line of cars,
but maybe a "non mechanic" like myself would be better off driving a Cayman or a Boxster! :-)

Mike Murphy

Nope, these cars can have costly issues too

Look, all p-cars can have costly maintenance and repairs. I would spend your time worrying only during the research and pre-acquisition phases of Porsche car ownership. Find a good car, at a good price, do a PPI, and then be rest assured that most likely, $10k engine repairs are not common. Of course, if you save $10k on the purchase by buying a car with higher mileage, then you've "budgeted" for your major repair in case it ever happens. This is what most people do on this forum with the older cars, IMO.

theiceman

Everett you have to remember we talk about know issues here ... but as Steve said this is on a very small percentage of cars.
If you want to be scared go to google and type in "IMS failure". you'll be back here in a hurry looking for a car. I agree if your not mechanically inclined it will be more expensive .. but lots of none mechanically inclined guys started right here and now really enjoy working on their cars.

Personally i would grab that 17K car in a second if the price were good. But admitedly I am mechanically inclined so this type of car doesn't scare me in the least. My personal feeling is the " garage queens will fail" is 95% myth but i am not here to debate that . Just put everything into context.

GothingNC

Try to find one with a recent valve replacement along with the clutch.

Looking on Pelican it appears there are not many 84-89 Carreras for sale right now(Winter)

John

Mike Murphy

There are over 120 3.2's on cars.com

Everett43

Super incites from you guys. Thanks again very much. I guess I need to determine what strategy
to employ in acquiring a 3.2. Either I pay top dollar for one that is supposedly "perfect" or pay less
for one that may be fine, but then budget for some unanticipated costs, as "murphyslaw1978" points out.

Whatever I get I want it to be a daily driver [well, most days anyway!] but even using it that way I'll only
put about 3-4k miles on it per year. I may be wrong, but it seems to me that one bought right will not
depreciate very much if I take good care of it. I need to "pull the trigger" and start enjoying the car every day.
On the other hand I am enjoying the hunt and the learning process that you folks have provided.

Everett

whalebird

Everette43; I think your on the right track. The hunt is part of the fun. Drive every car you can, and never buy the first one. You may kiss a few frogs, but you will know when you find the right one. Do lots of research and ask a lot of questions here at rennlist. Do not limit yourself to your general region, price and selection varies from one area to another. I can honestly say that you will not find a more reliable and pleasurable car to drive. A well sorted Carrera will last hundreds of thousands of miles. I know several that are far over the 200k mark and driven daily. In referance to your Boxster consideration, I love Boxsters, but in no way does a Boxster come close to the ownership experiance as an air-cooled Porsche. From driving expeiance, reliability, and certainly curb appeal - an air-cooled car is still the best. Not to mention the community(Porsche Club of America, Rennlist, etc.). You will not know a better group of enthusiast and own a better car.
Good luck and keep us posted.

salukijac

Something that I noticed twice now is the amount of annual mileage you put on a daily driver. How long is your commute? These cars like to come up to full temperature (meaning you should bring it up to temp) every time you drive them. I was just wondering if the car will come up to temp as a daily driver if you have a short commute. Just wondering...

Ed Hughes

For <$25K, you should be able to get a relatively low mile Carrera that is in tip-top shape, and could serve as a DD, provided you heed the important warning about temperature above. In fact, I took mine to the store just now, and took a scenic 40 mile route through the hills, just to make sure she was good an warmed up.

Or, you can buy an '84 that is solid as a rock for $10K, needing some cosmetic help, and enjoy putting another $30-35K into her over several years-which is pretty darn fun and rewarding too.

Everett43

whalebird....Yes, prowling the market [mainly internet ads] for a 198x 911 has been fun! In regards to the
Cayman or Boxster comment I made earlier....I started out a couple of years ago lusting after a
Cayman or Boxster. I came close a couple of times to buying a Cayman. It is only recently that I started
looking into the possibility of the 911 and I started that by driving a 2000 911 at a local dealership. I
enjoyed that car too but in the 911 series I've always been partial to the style of the 198x vintage.

The fact that the 3.2 series car can be acquired at a price less than shelling out for a newer Porsche
appeals to me too. The one and only 3.2 I've driven was a 1987 Targa and I had difficulty getting my legs
under the steering wheel. The car had a set of stereo speakers on the floor in front of the rear seats which
may have reduced the travel of the seats. I think the problem could have been corrected by removing the
speakers and/or using a smaller [Momo?] steering wheel w/spacer. I'm 6'4" but from all I've read here
that shouldn't be a problem. One of the things I've always liked about the Porsche was that I could fit in
the thing! I had 1974 914 that I bought new and it had more than enough room for me.
Sorry...I digressed from the real topic didn't I !?!?

salukijac....My commute is only a mile and a half and I only do it 4 days a week! I've only put 38k miles
on my car in the last 10 years, ergo, the 3-4k miles per year comment. I saw your comment about this
earlier and it did make me wonder as, unless I make a point of driving the car for longer periods of time,
I would not be getting the engine up to temp and could cause problems.

If I had to make a decison today I think I would still try to find a nice 3.2 at a decent price and drive it
for a couple of years. If, for some reason, I didn't want to keep it I shouldn't get beaten up too badly
at resale. I suspect I would keep the car for quite awhile though!

Everett

Ed Hughes

I can't see how you'd fit a Cayman/Boxster. I test drove one for a day when they came out, put some serious miles on her, and could not get enough legroom.

Everett43

Ed....I did test drive a couple of Caymans and a 2005 Boxster and I did fit OK. There wasn't a ton of
extra space but I didn't feel cramped either. I don't remember, but it may be the case that the
steering wheels are adjustable on the Cayman and Boxster. In any case they were OK as far as fit!

Everett

Steve Weiner-Rennsport Systems

Thats a VERY good point and IMHO, critical for good engine life.

Everett43

Originally Posted by salukijac
These cars like to come up to full temperature (meaning you should bring it up to temp) every time you drive them.

salukijac/Steve.....That is one consideration that is giving me pause about the car. My typical drive is so short that I'd not get the car warm most of the time.
Would it suffice if I drove the short trips 4 times a week and then took it out for some extended exercise on the weekends, or is that not enough?

Everett

Ed Hughes

That's better than naught, but you really are best to fully heat ANY car up, otherwise you end up with a bunch of water vapor condensing in your oil and case. I think we pay more attention to this, because we care more about our cars than the general public does, but any car should be fully warmed up when it is run. 2 mile trips to the store are killers.