Steve Jensen

Yes, my mom drives a 911. She kept it after my Dad died 7 years ago - I kept the 356, and I think I got a better deal.

Anyway, it is a '84 911. The tag on the inside of the driver's door says it was built 4/84. However, it is *not* the standard 911. It has the turbo body (wide back end, whale tail, etc.) but no back windshield wiper, and no scripts anywhere on it. No holes for said scripts either. It is not turbo charged.

From the 356 folks I've asked, it seems that the "turbo look" was a rather expensive option for a standard 911. Anyone know how much? Does PCNA have a Kardex system comparable to what exists for 356s? Is there a unique identifier I could use to find out more about the car, other than the VIN number (chassis number, etc.)?

TIA for info, etc.

Geoffrey

Sounds like the widebody option to me. Kardex works for 911s as well and will tell you the options the car was ordered with. M491 is the widebody option and can be found on the build tag

steve911

Steve--
you can call/go into a Porsche dealership and give them the VIN; they can call up all options on the car as it left the factory.

Alternately, PCNA has the Kardex/Authenticity service. Think its $35 or $40 and they'll give you a printout of the above.

Steve Jensen

Thanks for the quick replies. For the Kardex info, I should just be able to send mail to the same address as I did to get my 356 info, correct?

zzopit

Back in the "day" (c1970-1977) Mom really wanted a 911, she got herself a 71' VW Karman Ghia. Not to be outdone, her sister who wanted an E-type got a 72' MG Midget.

I grew up in the back of the VW, learned to drive and have a better solution than Mom - bought a used 911.

<img src="graemlins/jumper.gif" border="0" alt="[jumper]" /> <img src="graemlins/jumper.gif" border="0" alt="[jumper]" />

ZAMIRZ

Do the kardex rules apply for grey-market cars? I'm trying to do a halfway restoration job on my '83 euro (basically keeping it a driver, but one that looks like it left the factory yesterday if that's even possible). I was wondering, can I walk into my local Porsche dealer and get a kardex for my car or do I have to call somewhere in Germany and have them fax it over?

thanks in advance,

amir

96cabrio

Forget the mail, call Porsche customer service in Atlanta and they will tell you all your options from your VIN..they are more than happy to do so as well. Actually, they will give you the option codes, and then if you search around a gentleman has a website where you type in your codes and it spits out your options.

Good luck,
Joe

Steve Jensen

zzopit - I can do one better. My dad bought what is now my 356 new in '65 to replace a '63 that was totaled in a accident.

When I was born ('71), I rode home from the hospital in that 356. Learned to drive in it too when I was 14, as did my older brother.

When my daughter was born (7/2000), we made it home in the Nissan (no seatbelts in back for a baby seat in the 356) - but as soon as my wife recovered from the C-section enough to be able to get in/out of the 356, we promptly made a few "laps" around the yard (acreage does have advantages) with my little girl in the same position I was on my first ride home - in Momma's arms.

Rick Lee

My mom drives an '88 SAAB 900 turbo cab and I think it's a bucket o' bolts. But I think it's a potential stepping stone to a 911 Targa or Cab. I keep telling her I'll do the work on it, if she buys the parts. And she really got a thrill driving my 911 (when my privileges were suspended in the state they live in). One can only hope.

Ed Bighi

I find nothing wrong with that Saab. I drove one the other day and was surprised about the similarities in concept between the Saab and the 911. Of course they are way different cars with different purposes, quality, etc... But with the ignition key in a weird location, the way the door sills are, the way the hood opens, the interior design, the distinctive 9000 exhaust note and a few other details, made me think of a 911. I don't know why, but it did. And all I've ever driven since I was 21 is a 911. Maybe it is because Porsche, before the mass market turn they took as of late, always did things their way and that was that. So did Saab, before they also turned mass-market. Love them or hate them, the 9000's are so utterly Saab in the same way the air-cooled 911's are so utterly Porsche.

But what I find interesting is how much character and distinctiveness most european cars had until the early 90's. Here is an example. If you took just the seat headrests out of a late 80's Audi, Volvo and Mercedes and put them on a table in front of someone and asked any person to tell you where they came from, they would have no trouble at all giving you an exact answer. Do that with the headrests from 2002 cars by those same manufacturers, and that person will be stumped. It's a good thing they still put manufacturers badges on trunks of cars. They are more necessary with today's cars then they ever were.