floete

912E update:

I just wrote the seller to tell him I had to pass. He wrote me back a half hour later thanking me for my consideration -- and to tell me that he had another potential buyer waiting in the wings, that he called him up after receiving my email, and that the car is now sold. BTW/ I know the new owner. And he's as great a guy as the old owner. And, he already owns two other Es, as well as an SC.
I cannot have imagined a better and more fitting end to this tale. The car has gone to the best possible and most logical new home.
Sigh.
It's heartwarming, is what it is.
Goodbye, Raby 912E.
Onward me!

Brett San Diego

Sounds like everybody's happy. Good luck with the 85 Carrera.

Brett

race911

That says it all. Kind of like my yellow car. I know many wanted a car that far "out there", but I'm not sure it works for anyone as an only 911.

Jake Raby

I've owned Porsches since gthe age of 12, I currently own 5 of them. My most favorite of the entire stable is my 912E, from basically all perspectives. The car is nimble and with it's 150+ pound weight reduction in the rear over a "911" of the same era it handles very well.

I'd rather drive my 912E as any of my other Porsches. Give the car some power and you'll swear its not a 4 cylinder.

whalebird

I've always liked the type IV motor and would not look past it in the 914. I've piloted some sweet 2.0 914s and the torque and throttle responce is simply fun. One of my goals is to build a type II bus with a strong and reliable type IV motor, fuchs and 944 brakes. I can't think of anything more fun to drive. Jake, your input is valuable and probably a bit lost here in the 911 forum, but stick around here and share your experiance - we all have a lot to learn. I know your scope of engine building is vast and can offer a lot to us. Thanks for participating and engaging our discussion.

race911

Glad to see you (and others in the business) take all mechanical things to places their companies never intended. Unfortunately, it was when the 912E was relatively new that I was trying to keep factory stock cars on the road for their underfunded owners bitching about why the car was so slow. Sadly, there wasn't much to do. Carbs? I suppose. Exhaust? Ha. Internal engine? What was available 25 years ago? Then you had the BAR having every smog shop scared if they even THOUGHT about running a car through without thermal reactors. And the power sap of an air pump. And owners who figured since the dealer installed A/C, that it must work: properly, and not compromise performance.

Jake Raby

In stock form the car is anemic, pretty much like any 912, because they were designed for touring primarily and Porsche didn't want them competing with the 911 in any way.

Give that engine 25HP and it wakes up, give it 50 HP and it is fun, give it 75HP more and it'll tear the *** off of any 911 of its era.. The lighter weight in the rear is really notable.

Today we make 125 flywheel HP from an engine with a 2mm oversized bore with slight headwork and my camshaft, all while using the stock EFI. You are right, 25 years ago none of that was a possibility.

whalebird

Where can you find 75hp in a type IV motor? I understand the displacement has to be increased, but what are the biggest restrictions? I'm thinking about a 72 bus I've had my eyes on for a while.

floete

Well, the 85 Carrera prospect didn't work out. Turns out it needs way more in terms of $$$ and/or wrenching skills than I currently possess. So, the hunt continues. Thanks again, guys!

(btw, do any girls frequent this bbs? should i be saying 'girls n guys'?)

500

Too bad... but not-to-worry, the hunt will continue!

I'm not sure if you have answered this already Floete, but have you had many opportunities to drive (or be given a ride in) some 911s? I really wish I had done more of that so I would have a relative idea of how individual samples compare.

From my perspective if I went and looked at a car and was not too interested, I would not ask to drive it, but I would ask if the owner could take me for a short spin. You can get a bit of an idea of things that way too.

Oh, and I am happy that the 912E situation worked out so well all around.

P.S. it might be interesting to post a summary of what the issues were with the '85 - there might be some intersting feedback that could be useful in the future. I think in your price range you can find a decent car, but it won't be a perfect one (and I know you get this). The key will be finding the car that is mostly right, and being ready to sort out the few real issues. The more you know about the true costs and ramifications of these issues, the better!

whalebird

Great advice. Drive every single one of these cars you can. No example is going to be perfect, Cosmetics can be easily fixed and not effect the driving experiance. I think I said it before, but a car with shabby original paint is much more attractive than a decent respray. You don't want to get a car that someone is trying to flip - lots of cover up on those cars. A solid original car that has been properly maintained is your target.

BRB-83-911SC

floete - I have been following your pursuit and am impressed with your patience and persaverance, and have been learning a lot myself. We excahnged info a while back about my 83 SC, and you passed - no hard feelings .

As many have said, the more you see and drive, the better. In my case, I have never driven another 911 besides the one I have. I wish I had - I think mine drives quite well and is well sorted, but in reality, I have nothing to compare it to. One thing I do know, is that it drives much better than it did when I bought it.

So, with that said, and since I beleive I am not far from where you live, you are more than welcome to come and take mine for a spin. I understand and appreciate the fact that mine is not one you would consider buying, but thought a drive in it might give you another "data point" in your search, and your feedback would certainly be valuable to me as I prepare to put mine back on the market this spring.

floete

Brian: Glad there are no hard feelings! And I plan to take you up on your kind offer. Maybe next week sometime? Truthfully, I have not driven as many 911s as I should have, given my level of (self?) involvement, if not obsession.

85 follow up: really lovely car, equally impressive owner, but the car needs a new transmission in the next year and it once took a small hit in the back that wrinkled the fender edges a little and lowered the car a small amount. I talked to the owner's mechanic and by God I hope my one-day-in-the-future mechanic is just like him: right to the point, brutally honest, with thoughtful opinions galore. Anyway, after listening to him and talking to the owner again, I kind of got the feeling that this would not be a good car for a first-time, non-wrenching (yet!) Porsche owner. My second car, my third? Sure, you bet. But not first.

I've actually just found another car. I can't bear to start another help-me thread, so I'm just going to post what I know here, with some pix.

It's an 82 SC with 97,233 miles on it. The usual SC upgrades have all been done, with the paperwork to prove it. Owner says only issues are typical SC difficulty shifting into second, double clutching eases the pain; semi-working electric mirrors; crack down the middle of the dash; a tiny oil leak. Has new clutch, new tires, clean headliner, functioning nonleaking sunroof, new fuel lines, no rust, upgraded nice & chilly a/c. Has taken no hits. I'm calling his mechanic soon. Asking price $14.5. Naturally, I'm hoping he'll go lower, because as w/ the 912E, anything in the 14's is going to rob me of my repair reserves. Pix below.

BRB-83-911SC

floete, we will work out a convenient time. It goes in Monday for repair of that rust spot on the sill - not sure how long it will be in the shop, but it shouldn't be long. I will PM you when I have it back.

Keep the posts of the prospects coming - I, for one, enjoy experiencing the search vicariously through you.

floete

K, Brian, let's see what we can figure out... Love to give it a spin!