NeufCentOnze

No I am not intending to sell the 993 for another P car. But I was thinking that if I should give Miss 993 a little sister (older sister really ), it should be an older vintage Porsche. I have owned a 3.2 cab and I loved the driving feel and I miss it. I love HP power (who would not) but I really enjoyed driving the 3.2 around bends even at moderate speed. Would I get the same enjoyment with an SC? And as the title above states, is there a noticeable price difference between the median price of both types (such as comparing mechanically well sorted, more or less original, manual NA coupés).
I know I could get my questions answered to a large extent by doing extensive searches on RL and other forums and also websites specialized in selling cars like autotrader, etc., but I am a little lazy and I 'd rather ask you guys for your point of view and advice.

Cheers
Chris

floete

Great question and, as one in the market for either, I'm quite looking forward to the answers!

GothingNC

I've noticed the biggest price differences are between the SC's/84-86 Carrera's vs' the 87-89 Carrera's with the G50.

Then again, all depends on condtion, color, mileage, location...

Good information on this thread from Zimmerman

https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...ferrerid=27687

John

mck911

I think the best answer to this question is to lock in your budget and buy the best car you can get for that $. SC's are great cars and I'd take a well sorted SC over a Carrera in need of a lot of work any day. If a G50 car falls in your price range, buy that.

floete

From my reading of the Zimmerman post, the salient point is this: "The 87-89 3.2 cars are as good as it gets but ... is it fair to compare a 23k car to a 16k car?"

Obviously, the answer is no. But that post was written in 06 and from what I can gather a good bit has changed since then, narrowing the price gap a good deal.

I did a (probably flimsy) price analysis of completed or bid-upon eBay sales a while back and concluded that for an SC, the avg price was around $10K but people bid low, because it's ebay. So, let's add $2k on for the eBay factor. Call it $12k for an SC outside of ebay.

Just had a cursory look at 87-89s and it looks to me that the avg eBay price people were willing to bid is around $14k (we're talking mileage into the 100k area here, nothing out of the ordinary, just middle of the road). Add $2k and you get maybe $16k for those cars out in the real world.

Remember, I'm just guessing, based on what I'm gathering on eBay, and far as I know there's no other way to get figures for what buyers are really willing to spend.

But, anyway: SC, $14k ... 3.2, $16k. *based on eBay* *don't kill me on this*

If that's anywhere close to being true, then clearly the 3.2 is the bargain buy, *all else being equal*.

Discuss.

NeufCentOnze

Floete, Thanks for sharing your analysis.

I could live with the 915 gearbox. On my previous 3.2 I had a few synchros rebuilt and after that it worked fine.
If I should rephrase the question in another way. What is the best one can get for 20k? I am purposely limiting the discussion to SCs and 3.2s knowing full well that there are other good Porsche models to be had for that price.

Chris

TroyN

I personally like the feel of the SC better than the Carrera. It's lighter and the motor seems snappier. You should be able to get a really nice SC for well under $20K.

Brett San Diego

I have never driven a 3.2 L 911, but I can say I have derived no shortage of fun from driving my 1978 3.0 L. If I had no prejudices for CIS vs motronic or slight air conditioning improvements with later cars, I'd lump all 1978-1986 cars together. If my budget were $20,000, I'd spend around $15,000 on the car expecting to pay around $1,000 in taxes and registration leaving me $4,000 for freshening. If it hasn't been done, it'll need new suspension bushings all around. This would be a good time to move to slightly larger torsion bars and new shocks and struts. Brakes may need some work. Unless you're a die hard unmolested car fan, then a 930S steering wheel is in order. No doubt lots of other little things will need fixing. That $4000 will disappear quickly.

Brett

Peter Zimmermann

John: Thanks for posting that old thread!

Chris: I don't think that all that much has changed since I wrote the above thoughts. It's probably more realistic to factor a 915 repair price of $3500, instead of $1500, because those transmissions are starting to show up with gear sets that need replacement. Other than that, a good car is still a good car. Sports Car Market Magazine (the auction gurus) offer in their 2010 price guide (for sharp condition #2 drivers with only a few visible flaws) a low of $11K and a high of $15K for an SC (slightly more for Weissach & Cab models), and a range of $15K - 18K for '84-86 Carreras. The '87-89 G50 cars are higher, with a range of $17K - 23K (more for Cabs). You still can buy a showstopper SC for $18-20K, about the same for an '84-86 Carrera. Category 1 (great, virtually perfect), G50s will still cost you $25 - 28K.

floete

Well, I wasn't too far off, right on the money w the SCs and a few grand shy on the 3.2s...

ked

"...I really enjoyed driving the 3.2 around bends even at moderate speed."

recall the old saw... "it's more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow", as we old dudes who saw away at the 410mm steering wheel of a 356 like to remind everyone (no, it isn't heavy-steering, we're just weak).

NeufCentOnze

Peter, Thanks for the expert view and yes your 2006 comments are still very much spot on.
I am starting to think that a very well preserved SC might be the wisest choice...

Chris

NeufCentOnze

LOL, I am not exactly a snail on the road. But what I meant is there is no need for 500HP to enjoy rounding a nice apex and feel the grip of the car counteracting the lateral Gs.
When much younger I did push near the limit some small cars ( French cars such as Citroen Diane 6, Renault 4L ) that were not exactly designed for speed and I enjoyed it but I might have been safer driving an SC, that is if I had managed to restrain the weight of my foot on the gas pedal - but anyway this is purely hypothetical as in those days I barely knew Porsches existed and certainly I would not have been able to afford one.

Chris

logan2z

So true.

I recently purchased an '87 Carrera for daily driving duties. The car had been well cared for, newly rebuilt G50 gearbox, brand new Bilstein HDs all around, brand new Yokohamas on all four corners. Still, I've spent a bunch of money in the last month 'freshening' up a few things, including new plug wires, replacing the old foggy H5s with a new set of Euro H4s, headlight bulb/relay upgrade, a valve adjustment, oil change to Brad Penn, new WEVO rear sway bar mounts, new windshield seal/OEM windshield, and a few other miscellaneous items. Let's just say the car is well on its way to becoming the proverbial $20K Carrera - and then some

ked

Don't want to start another SC vs Carrera debate (oh, what the hell, why not?), but I'm partial to Bosch Motronic ignition systems. I view CIS as a "transition solution"... a great one at the time, under the circumstances & if well-serviced / supported by someone of Pete's talent, no problem. On the other hand, the Motronic is modern (still in use in some form or another... http://www.bosch.com/content/languag.../3074_3184.htm ), straightforward & easy to service - maybe I'm just lazy & I've been lucky w/ my '87 (G50 & all). I think an early Carrera 3.2 w/ 915 & Motronic is worth considering as an alternative to a SC 3.0 w/ CIS, if the price is tolerable (& these days, it just might be). Good luck!