irobertson

Ah yes, I stand corrected. 1989 was the introduction of the 964, but if you still wanted a 2 wheel drive car, it was a 911.
Even though 3.2 with 915 was only available for three yeas as well, the suspension never changed to the shorter T-Bars until the G50.

Derek911

The only people that like 915 transmissions are people that own cars with 915's. If you have a choice between a 915 and a g50, get the g50. The G50 is the better of the two. If you come across a 915 at the right price, then the tranny is not a deal breaker, but a g50 is worth the premium. Do not rush into a car, look at and drive as many as possible... save enough money for the best possible car... it may take months or even years... but waiting is better than rushing.

crixer

I have had two 915s and one G50. The 915s are okay if setup properly but don't have that precision feeling of a G50. Shifting the G50 was orgasmic for me. Very precise and satisfying. The 915 feels sloppy to me. It is worth the weight difference in my opinion. I particularly wanted an '84 so I knew that I would have to deal with the 915. That is perfectly fine since I will have a 964 soon as a daily How is the 87-89.5 G50 compared to the feel of the 964? It has been so long since I have driven a 964.

Mike Murphy

The great thing about a 915 is that not just anyone can drive it. Anyone can drive a G50. So the 915 is a real man's car, lol.

Trakrat

I'm curious... do you have any documented proof? If so... let me know where I can find it. I'd like to make a call to the Porsche Atlanta center and show it to them before they misinform more people of this error.

911Dave

I had a black '86 911 with an original silver sticker. Then I had a Prussian Blue '86 911 and a Prussian Blue '86.5 928, both with silver stickers. I now have an original '88 911 in Diamond Blue (blue-tinted silver) with an original black sticker. And I've been viewing 911 for sale ads since 2004, most of which have shots of the VIN stickers. What I said is what I've observed in all of them.

Is Porsche Atlanta a dealership? Even if you're talking about PCNA headquarters, they are notoriously uninformed about practices being followed back in the day.

sugarwood

I prefer the 915 over the G50.

The entire point of getting an air cooled 911 (and paying top dollar for the privilege) is to have a vintage "leather goggles" driving experience.
No power steering.
Suspension firmness opposite of "floaty sofa".
Mechanical clutch.
No nanny assist or stereo or DVD player or Navigation.
An exhaust rumble.
An oil dipstick!

The very point of buying an old 911 is that it's nothing like your modern convenient Honda, and that it's a vintage driving experience.
In that regard, a 915 gearbox is more authentically vintage than a G50 anyway.
The guy that needs a modern Honda gearbox probably would not be happy in a 30 year old car in the first place, and might prefer a Cayman.

Tremelune

I disagree to some degree. The entire point of getting an air-cooled 911 is to have a similar experience to what you describe that can be driven daily, in modern traffic, and if you like, all weather. These aren't even vintage cars, they're simply the last iteration of cars that were built to be good, reliable driver's cars before they all turned into sellable commodities with undesirable "features" that only last the warranty period. I drive my 911 because nobody has improved on it since (arguably the 993 did, but I prefer the earlier look). Same goes for the E30 (and maybe E36) vs later cars.

Really, the desired experience is different for everyone, so transmission preference is real. While I believe the sea of average/poor 915s give the transmission a bad wrap, if I buy another air-cooled 911, I will be sure that it has a G50, and I expect that to be the trend of current owners. The $5-10k premium for a G50 car is well worth it. They will always be worth at least that much more than prior impact-bumper models, so the only real cost is what money is tied up during your ownership. If I could spend $10k to put a G50 in my '84, I would, but the conversion cost currently looks closer to $20k all told.

I'm of the mind that if you want a vintage leather-goggles experience, get a little British car for $5k. All the rawness and "character" you could ever want, great handling, and an exhilarating drive at legal speeds for the fraction of the cost to run any Porsche. Well, of course, run whatever you like for however much you want to spend!

r911

The entire point of getting an air-cooled 911 is to have an experience that no other car can provide.

The G50 is heavier and so are the cars using it. That detracts from the driving experience. otherwise, they are easier to shift.

A good 915 will not be as good as a good 901/911 mainly due to the crappy shift pattern.

Mike Murphy

I've driven both 915s and G50s, and prefer...both. I'm not sure how a 1980's car isn't vintage at this point. We're approaching 40-yr-old cars here. That's seriously old when out into terms of daily driving. But it's a nite and day difference between the two, just like these cars are nite and day from my 996, which is already 18-yrs old. The newer cars have way more technology, are faster, quicker, etc.

Just drive one of each and you'll very quickly have an opinion of which transmission you prefer. Nite and day.

Amber Gramps

Imagine that same heavy old G50 in a well set up example that weighs in well below 2,600 pounds. Perfect canyon carving (coilover/raised & decambered spindle) suspension, raw (delete-delete-delete-delete) interior, sticky tires, fantastic (modern injectors and exhaust) tune, LSD, 930 brakes etc..... All the Plus side and none of the negatives. It's the RS Roadster Porsche should have built...

Pep!RRRR

The 915 makes you sing for your supper...

r911

The 915 makes you earn your turns...

Amber Gramps

I know a 915 that was used to "money shift" his engine from a 3,2 to a 3,4.

myflat6

The g50 is great and all but but let's face it - it shifts like a Honda (seriously) - nothing particularly unique about the experience. Driving my SC is more engaging. mechanical clutch and the 915 personality suits the car. I still enjoy my G50 so don't misunderstand me. But it is getting overrated and annoying to see all these threads from people who want to jump into the air cooled world and must have the G50. Drive them both before you believe the hype.