Hey there,
I'm just getting into the 911 thing and have only previous experience with vintage vw's.
I'm located in Peoria, IL and have decided, after reading Excellences article this month that these years will suit me best. I can spend a max of 15k and am having a hard time finding the 911 for me...
I'd love a targa and under 100k miles...
Plus I'd love it as close to og as possible.
Am I dreaming?
Where did you guys find your cars? My local classifieds are lacking and I will travel for the right car...
Do you think this year range is right for me?
I'm a college student and don't plan on using it on the track. Just a nice driver that I can use in place of my '74 bug convert that I need to sell to fund the porsche. Don't worry I still have my restored '59 bus.
Aircooled all the way...
Thanks alot

 

If you're patient, you can find an excellent example of an SC in the mid teen$. Take it from someone who learned a hard lesson, and don't rush! Keep looking, and be diligent. When you think you've found the right car, have a thorough pre-purchase inspection done by a qualified Porsche mechanic. Don't use the same shop that's been working on the car (more advice from someone having learned the hard way).

I also come from an air-cooled background, having owned a couple of '74 VW Superbeetles (with factory air!!). The 911 is like a Superbeetle on steroids, and quite a bit of fun. They can also be extremely reliable if you buy the right car. If you have even a single doubt about any car you look at, walk away. It's not easy to do, but another one will come along.......

Good luck!

 

Pete,
You mention the latest Excellence article on the middle year 911's. Written by Bruce Anderson, you won't find much better advice.
Read and re-read before you begin shopping.
A good SC will fit into your price range. If you like a car that is a bit simpler to maintain yourself, then the SC is a good bet. The '84-'89 Carreras are very nice cars, but have more complicated electrical systems. The better ones would also be a bit over your stated 15k. You mention Targas....these and Cabriolets, need close inspection, as they often have hidden damage caused by inevitable water ingress.

 

Thanks for the quick advice!!!
Wow, I was afraid the porsche crowd may be less welcoming than the vw crowd, but I stand corrected!!! Wait is what I will do.
I'm also considering buying one in Texas as I have family there and they tend to be cleaner cars...
So what years should I focus on then? 78-83 sound like they'd fit my range...
Sorry, I'm new to the porsche terminology such as s, sc... but I'm learning!!
Any buyers books or reading material you'd recommend?
Bruce Anderson, even though I have no idea who he is (porsche-guru?), gives some awesome advice in Excellence...
Quite a few w guys double dip in the vw/porsche scene!!! Thanks again

 

We Porsche guys always welcome new people, and I myself really enjoy it when we get new air-cooled guys. It is a welcome change from the usual "I just got a boxster" bunch. I find people with air-cooled vw background make the best 911 owners. We are all the same air-cooled die-hards at heart. I bought an sc in 92 for its reliability and ease of maintenance. The trick is to get one that doesan't need anything and everything works. You will save money in the long run instead of fixing little things. Mechanically they are strong. I always tell people there are probably a couple of more reliable cars out there in the short, within warranty term. But in the long term, nothing comes close. Their durability is right up there with vw beetles and mercedes diesels. The sc series was produced from 78-83. Those all came with Bosch k-jetronic injection (cis). It is a simple system consisting of very few parts which last forever, unless you let the car sit for months or you put in really bad gas. The 78 and 79 have an air injection pump and have bigger intake runners for larger head ports. They have no lambda sensor so they have no control box. I don't like the air injection pump in those, but removal can be a hassle with emmissions in some states. The 80-83 have a lambda sensor and a control box, but with no air pump. All are great and put out around the same power. They are amazingly quick for the horsepower present. Mine stock but with stripped interior is Vette z06 fast. The 84-89's are carrera 3.2's. Those have motronic injection which is more complex and efficient, but have more sensors and things to screw around with. But are good too. My sister has one and loves it. The 3.2's have the same size pistons but have a longer stroke achieved by using the 3.3 911 turbo crankshaft. Great cars too, but at $15 you are bound to get one with problems. In comparison, just last week I saw a very clean grand prix white sc in LA with around 110K miles (just broken in) for around $12. At $15 you could get something like that and have a couple of extra bucks for stupid stuff that always breaks in a new used car. Be wary of little surface rust under the lower corner of the windshield pillars and around all the other seals, even though these are easy to repair. A good book like "The Used 911 Story" are worth their weight in gold. The 2.7 liter 911's made from 74-77 are not as durable as the 78-83 sc 3.0's. To know you are getting a 3.0 or bigger in the car you look at (you never know), the part number on the passenger side of the crankcase should start off with 930. I tell you this because a friend of mine once bought an sc with a 2.7 in it. He was quite pissed off to say the least. But all in all, these are great Porsches. I still have mine and will not part with it simply because it is durable and quite straightforward to work on. I love the fact that there are no computers in the injection. I have 201K miles with no rebuilds and have over 4 years of monthly track driving in 100 degree desert heat. I know of no car more durable or fun. But there are badly maintained cars out there, so buy right, buy once and drive it. Good luck.

[ 06-19-2001: Message edited by: Ed Bighi ]

[ 06-19-2001: Message edited by: Ed Bighi ]

 

I like this book i got for about $12 at borders bookstore called Porsche 911 Red Book. It gives important things like engine codes and option codes. That with the latest excellence from august '01 i think i'll find a nice 911sc or if all else fails a 951...by the way have the chain tensioner replaced (i hear they go real easily, change to a carerra version, watch out for those rubber centered clutches and trailing arms are better on '80+, i don't know thist stuff first hand, just what i've read.)

 

Pete,
I am a Texas 911SC owner, and yes we do take very good care of our cars,as most Porsche owners do.I have to say that there are 911SC's here that have not been very well cared for also,again,as with some people just don't have the love for their cars they should.If you can get a PCA ( Porsche Club of America) member's car and have it checked out by a reputable shop you can't go wrong.Let me know if I can help, I am a PCA member in Austin,Tx.Good luck !!

 

Watch out for broken head studs. I've seen 3 cars out of the last 8 or 9 new SC customers at the shop I work at with this problem. Exterior condition is no insurance. The latest one is an '83 with 30,000 origional miles on it. If you know the sound, you can hear the compression popping out of the head gaskets, It sounds just like a good type 2 hippie van that you don't think will make it to the corner.
This is a very costly repair, so have a Porsche specialty shop remove the valve covers and check on ANY SC you're serious about. The local PCA Q-tippers (concourse guys) will know who's reputable.

 

Scs are an absolutely wonderful car to own and drive.
I want to reitterate what Steve had to say. CHECK THE HEAD STUDS!
After I discovered a snapped stud on my motor I started doing allot of research about this problem. I have found many, many, many cases of head stud failure on the internet alone. Plus, as a regular on the Pelican Parts BBS, I can tell you that this is a serious problem with these cars.

This fact alone should not keep you from going after a SC. The studs in question are the bottom row of Dilvar studs. This material has showed that after aging, countless heat cycles and years of corrosion they have a tendancy to fail. I have heard of some motors having like 6 snapped headstuds at one time!
Just make sure to get a proper PPI done on the car you are interested in and if it has higher milage then you need to budget a couple grand for the inevitable "top end job" that will be neccesary if you do end up loosing a stud.

The tensioners should also be replaced with the Hydraulic type. Some cars have this done already. If there are external oil lines leading to each chain housing cover than it has them already.
Pull the air filter and make sure it has a pop off calve installed in the air box.
I don't think there are too many SCs running around with the ill-fated rubber centered clutches. Most of these cars have gotten to the point of having at least one clutch job done and I am sure the wrench had enough common sence to replace that POS.
Targas leak.

915 gear boxes get very very hard to shift. Higher mileage trannies will most like ly need new synchros.

Make sure the oil lines that run under the rocker panel on the passenger side have not been cruched by Bubba, at Les Schwab Tires.

See if all of the gauges are opperating...usually the oil pressure sender gets caboshed and you think the oil pressure (druck press) is pegging.
If there are oil leaks they can become a hassle. Some very common ones include the engine mounted thermostat o-ring, engine mounted oil cooler O-rings, oil return tube O-rings, overtorqued valve covers etc. Everything mentioned is not that hard to fix either.
These cars like all other cars have their quirks and bad habits. WOuld I trade mine for a ton of gold???......well, yes, but would I trade mine for....ah hell, you get the point.
SCs rock.

Make sure to join the SC World Domination Plot as soon as possible after your purchase.


Best of luck,
Leland

 

cc from email:
Hey there Chuck,
Thanks for the great response!
I think I just may start my pursuit in Texas... I may move to Dallas soon too!!!! Anyway, I just wanted to know if you could spread the word to your friends/contacts and such...
Best,
Pete

If any folks in IL have a nice sc, please contact me...closer to home would be easier thanks for your help folks, I can't explain how much I appreciate it

 

Let me second and emphasize a few comments:

Buy a copy of Zimmerman's "The Used 911 Story" today. It's running in short supply, suggest you check with Pelican Parts.

Sources: The Rennlist has a classified section - it's where I found my Carrera. Suggest you avoid eBay. Check out your local PCA and their publication/website. I had some luck looking on a thing called the Luxury Car Network, it's a brokerage service for high-value cars. You should probably seek other feedback on that. Your goal should be to buy your 911 from an enthusiast - they tend to take better care of the car, have records, etc. Intuition plays a big part here - if it's too good to be true, if it does not feel right, run the other direction. There are lots of cars out there, it's worth time (and significant money) to find a well cared-for example.

There are some benefits in a Texas/southwest car from a Winter storage/rust perspective, though the interiors tend to get baked down there.

Good Luck!

Don

 

VWPete- I will be ~4 months behind you in this same quest. I currently enjoy driving & racing my 99 Honda Civic Si(it's not Rice like many might think ). I will be selling that car in the fall and purchasing a 78-89 911 depending on my budget at that time. I also appreciate any information posted here since I will refer to it many times between now and then. I'm not sure if you plan to track your car, but if you will then the answer to this question may benefit you as well:

I would like to purchase an 80-83 SC Targa, but I plan to attend many DE events and may go on to race the car beyond that.
My question: Would a Coupe be a much better car to put on the track than a Targa? My car will be used for: 70% fun to drive on nice days and 30% for autoXing and the track.
I will most likely be installing a harness bar in the car(Targa), but I know that the coupe would still be far stronger and lighter than the Targa. How much difference would this make in my first few years of racing?

Thanks for all the useful information that everyone is willing to share. I look forward to revisiting this page for additional useful info.
-T

[ 06-20-2001: Message edited by: Tony'z911 ]

 

Thanks for all the advice guys!!!
I actually ordered The Used 911 Story this morning from Barnes and Noble...
can't wait to get it and learn!
Thanks,
Pete

 

Tony, if i had known you owned a Civic I wouldn't have wasted my time with you...
My room mate has a Si and I absolutely LOVE to mess with him about it. He had a sticker on the rear window that said: "Team Kabuki" until I gave him so much sh*t about it he finally had it removed.
Honda makes some really great cars. Too bad they attract such a lame crowd.
Hope you can get a 911 soon. You'll never turn back.
Pete, also you really should get a copy of Bruce Andersons "Performance Handbook".
That is some really goo readin'.

Ed, You have never heard of the SCWDP????

We are an organization of SC owners with one simple mission: "Take over the world."
We strive for:
SC Domination.
The utter submission of all other 911 owners.
The underminding of society toward SC dominance.
You know...your usual run of the mill, dominance stuff.

We are a secret society of brothers...
hell bent on revenge for the discontinuing of SCs.
Our network of Operators encompasses the globe. We have people working for us in high level Gov't positions.
We are now in the process of taking over one or two mass news networks...this will give us an even longer reach.

We have our own "secret hand shakes" and coffee mugs.

Palitave can set you up with the complementary towels.
My name is Lee, "Mastermind".....welcome to our world.

Muhahahahahahahahah ha ha ha ha ....

 

Hi there,

I just bought my '71 911E track car last March, so I thought I'd chime in...

I definitely agree with Chuck that one of the best sources of cars is your local PCA. I searched a lot of classifieds through the internet. It just so happened that the first time I tried looking at the ads on the local PCA site, I found exactly the car I was looking for, and bought it later that week (after the inspection, of course!).

But I would also recommend going to one of their autocrosses or social events. It's the perfect opportunity to see nearly every model of 911 that you're interested in. You'll get to sit in the cars, talk to the owners, hear the engines, and watch them on the track. Just walk up to any PCA member and tell them you're evaluating different models for an upcoming purchase and you're bound to get a lively, lengthy, and enthusiastic description of their particular car!

Another great thing about buying a car from a PCA member is that it's "in the family". Think about it - 99% of the time, after you buy your car, you'll never see the PO (previous owner) again. But if you buy it from a PCA member, there's a good chance you'll see each other at events and socials. It's in his best interest to be as honest and fair about the pricing and condition of the car. It's been 4 months since I bought my car and I still email the PO to tell him how we're doing at autocross and ask for tips on setup, etc.

Good luck on your hunt!