sambeckett78

just wanted to get people's thoughts on this...

the lease on my current daily driver, a panamera S, is up in a few months. my other car is a '97 993 C2, 45k mi, which i plan on keeping.

my thoughts on my next daily driver would be to buy a relatively low mile G50 coupe, maybe 60-90k miles on the odometer, or get into a new 991 lease.

yes, these two cars are so far apart from each other, most people reading this are probably scratching their heads on why these are my two choices. i'm a big fan of the G-series look, and i love the 993, but desire something a little more retro.

any thoughts on the G50 as a daily driver in southern california?

thx!

Reiver

Sam, this is the old air cooled section...maybe someone will know but I don't.

tcsracing1

what is a G50?

cairo94507

For me it would be an '89 G50 coupe, as close to stock as possible with records. I like the 991's but there is no comparison for a true driving machine like the best of the best, a G50 3.2 Carrera, '87-'89. Oh, and make sure to do the A/C upgrade to keep it ice cold, especially in LA.

Reiver

When did we start referring to 911's by their tranny?
Yeah, get one.

Mondrian

When Porsche made 2 Carrera g/boxes, how else would you differentiate between the two? I suppose post/pre 87 would work too (with a bit more typing).

Mondrian

I have a G50, alas in 964 clothing and 991 in the wide body RWD format of 50th anniversary PDK. Both are fairly recent additions and neither a DD so can't comment on long term durability as a DD.

They are two very different cars that have something to offer, both with their own strengths and weaknesses. From a financial view the 991 is a depreciating asset whereas the G50 is an appreciating asset or at least a non depreciating one provided its looked after properly and your DD is not so much to pile on the miles (how many miles/yr will you be doing?). G50 will of course have higher maintenance costs and more likely to breakdown given its age.

You definitely get all the creature comforts in a 991, driving is effortless and clinical - it really comes alive as a performance car after 5-5500 rpm, at highway cruising speed (75 mph) rpm is on 1700 (max is 8400). I actually prefer driving the 964 in non highway roads as its more involving & fun in the sub 5000 rpm range but if there is any sign of traffic then 991 with its PDK wins hands down.

If I had to choose between the two I'd pick the 991 as a DD and 964 as a fun weekend car, if push came to shove then I'd go for a used 991 so as to be able to squeeze a weekend 911 out of my budget.

Keadog

I had an '87 G50 that I used as a good weather DD for 7 years in the '90s. It was a great, fun car but the AC was worthless. In SoCal? Not unless you have a functioning AC retrofitted, IMO. Both my 993s AC worked OK but only if the fan was on high and boy was it loud!
Remember also these G50 cars had literally half the HP as a 991S. Fun above 4k but by no means fast.

ChristianR

im an air-cooled guy all the way, for a drivers car the h2o 911 all day long. for a dd its a no brainer, creature comforts, etc, 991 without question

kjchristopher

I would't rule out a nice 915 box. You can have one rebuilt for a lot less than the premium a worn-out G50 box brings.

I daily drive my 82 in LA.

timothymoffat

I've been driving my 83 SC as a "DD" most of the summer here in Vancouver. Loads of fun and very enjoyable in the nice weather and decent traffic. Not as much fun in ugly rain or heavy traffic. Everything works fine, just requires work to make it work if you get my drift. I took my pickup on days I knew I'd be in rush hour traffic.

If it's your ONLY "DD" and you have a choice like the one you have, I'd go for the 991. The modern conveniences sure make traffic more tolerable. If, on the other hand, you have another vehicle to swap with some days, the old car can sure put a smile on your face.

mclaudio

Driving old 911s including a "G50" is like wearing old pairs of jeans to me. I recently bought an 89 911 "G50" thinking that I can daily drive it - my third attempt (the first one was an 86 930 back in 2001, the second one was an 86 911 back in 2009). While I've had various other 911 daily drivers ie 964s, 996s, the older 911s as daily drivers are a commitment.

In my area, I can't see doing it in Seattle streets, but can likely manage in Eastside where roads are better. I'm hanging on to the Cayenne for now.

sambeckett78

i appreciate the comments, guys.

even the sarcasm.

obviously i thought that the replies would be a bit skewed towards the 911 due to where i posted my question. but i thought i'd get a more fair response than on the 991 forum as my guess would be more guys here would be familiar w/ both cars.

some current thoughts since reading replies:
yes, i should not rule out a 915. haven't driven one, so i should check one out.
maybe i try a 3.2 Carrera ('87-89), and if i can't deal w/ it as a daily, sell it (should be easy enough), and get into a 991.

anyways, i suppose choosing between the two is a good problem to have.

cheers.

500

A big factor (for me) would be the characteristics of your "daily drive".

If you can spend a decent amount of your DD time on secondary roads, without congestion etc., then an old air cooled would be great. However, if your "Southern California" reality is of the LA variety, then I think the modern 991 would be the choice.

JCP911S

Used my 84 3.2 Carrara with 915 GB as a daily driver for a decade, including many early morning trips to NYC/DC Beltway, and snows in winter. This was not a choice, it was either this or sell the 911 and buy a Honda.

The 3.2 never left me down, but sit on the DC beltway for about 2 hours at 4:00 PM in August in a suit and tie, and then you'll know with car you want as a DD.