Hello everybody,
I'm contemplating buying a 911 and deciding which years I want. Based on my experience with old BMW's I'm a bit paranoid about rust. I know that Porsche started using galvanized steel in '76, but were there any significant improvements in corrosion protection in the '80's? I very vaguely recall reading somewhere that there was such an improvement, but I can't remember where I read that. Nothing in Zimmerman's book.
On a related point, do you guys drive your SC's/Carreras in the rain? Of course I wouldn't think of driving a vintage car in the salt, but I'm hoping the galvinization is good enough that I can get the thing wet if I have to (when the bimmer is in the garage).
Thanks in advance!

 

The newer the car the better the bodies are to holding up to the bad stuff on the roads. Also, I don't aim to drive my 911 in the rain, but if I get caught in it at an event or while out it happens. No big deal, just don't expect the defroster to do much!

 

My car sat for a while at one point in its life. I have corrosion on many fasteners and other unprotected parts. I have to say though that I'm blown away that there is nearly no sign of any body rust anywhere.
The only place I have seen anything that would even slightly worry me is on the edge of the crossmember where the shift linkage enters the cabin. It looks like this area had been bumped slightly and the protective coating had been compromised. Other than that, she seems rock solid.
These cars are amazing!
I would not want to get her covered in salt, but I'm sure not afraid of the rain.

 

Thanks, guys -- that's good to know.
Jay: So it was more or less continuous improvement from '76 to '89 (and after)? Or can one say that the Carreras, say, are better protected than the SC's?

 

i have a 78SC and although its a canadian car and came with very intense rustproofing ( not sure if it was factory done as it is an original canadian car ) I have no corrosion whatsever and i am like Jay .. i dont take it out if its raining but i get caught in bad weather quite often ..

 

The one real bugaboo with the SC's and Carreras is the lack of plastic inner splash shields for the fenders. The fenders all have various amounts of stuff that provide great places for grime to accumulate. Particularly notable are the tops of the front bumper shock supports. These can often fill up with muck, and add some salty residue and it will do a number on the metal. Of course, most people won't see it until it has corroded through into the trunk area. The kidney bowls are also tricky that way. These areas, particularly the tops of the bumper shock mounts, can be hard to inspect, but it is worth the effort.

The other area to look out for corrosion is in the front trunk where there has been a leaking or overcharging battery in the past.

The 964 cars introduced plastic fender liners, which help a lot. It is too bad that Porsche did not do it on the '80s Carreras, as they did make that improvement on the 1985.5 944...