should I trade down to a 3.2
 

Love my 964 but I've always entertained the idea of owning 3.2 instead. It's known as the German tank. I've heard it's much cheaper to service, bullet proof, raw, and a better driver to road interface. The one that I test drove sure felt that way. Help me out. Is a 3.2 a much better driving experience. I feel a little insulated in my 964.

Well,if you can live without power steering and functional AC,then you should be good to go !

Cheers !
Phil

Your thread title is flawed. You would actually be trading up. :banghead:

My first car was a 1990 C2 964 Targa. My next car was a 1987 G-50 Cabriolet. I now have a 1974 Coupe 911s . I consider it more of an evolution...

I started with a 997, went to a 993, and now am buying a 1989 Carrera. I'm moving in the right direction, I think.

If you're asking these questions, it seems as you're looking for a change. I don't know about you, but there are a lot of cars out there I want to own at some point. It looks like a 3.2 should be on your list, so make the change and do it. Also, AC was important to me as I have 4 girls in my house that aren't the toughest of people, but there are updates available to make the AC tolerable. The one thing you are giving up, that I would consider, if you compare stock to stock is horsepower.

I actually preferred driving my street 964 over my past street 911s - 83, 86, 87. However, you seem to have an itch that you feel needs to be scratched. This is all part of the journey in the car hobby. Enjoy it!

When I went back to an 86 a couple of years ago, it lasted two months before I sold it. Nowadays, I would only go back to an earlier 911 if it has period, historic race history so I can vintage race it.

The Carrera will have a more direct feel on the road, but also less power. I don't think you'll see all that great a gap in service costs.

As others have mentioned, if you use your AC now then you're going to miss it.

You should drive one and see if you like it.

I've had more than one of each. My take is that the 964 is the more useful daily driver as it has reasonably good air conditioning, rides nicely and that 3.6 engine is a jewel. It is a more complex car than the 3.2 and a little more difficult to work on, if that is your thing.

The 3.2 is the last of the old-school torsion bar 911's and while it is heavier than the '70's cars, it still provides a high level of driver involvement. The manual steering is great. However, unless you spend thousands on an upgrade, the air conditioning on them is marginal at best, if it even still works at all.

The 3.2's do have two issues that need to be checked via a pre-purchase inspection - broken exhaust side head studs and worn valve guides. Not all of them have these issues but some do and the fix for either is expensive.

My humble opinion is that if you are buying it for transportation, keep the 964. If you are buying it for a fun driving experience, find a clean, well-sorted 3.2. There is a reason they are holding their values as well as they are.

This is the ultimate subjective question. You need to drive some examples, and decide for yourself. Don't try just one, you may not drive one up to snuff.

Maintenance is pretty much the same, IMO.

Not necessary trading down, just going backwards :)

I still think about a 3.2 or SC, but the 993 will have to go first.

Trade "down"?!
Steve

+3.2! Well said, Jack!

I've had 3 3.2s and at age 60, I personally enjoy the 964 better. The maintenance costs, in my case, have been about equal. For the money, I think a nice low mileage 964 is a bargin. Presently, I have a '90 C2 Cabriolet, guards red with 32k miles.

I started with a 993, got an SC as a companion track car, and "downgraded" 993 to 930. Hard to beat the older cars for steering feel, ride, sound. If you get a 3.2 and upgrade the exhaust and put in a chip, it'll have nice power too.