Cajun

I have decided to get rid of my 928 S4 in favor of something that will be a little better on fuel. I have been using the 928 as a commuter car for the past few months, and although it is an EXTREMELY capable and comfortable highway cruiser, I somewhat recall my old 911 being better (at least as far as fuel economy is concerned, and I must admit that I do love the look of a mid 80s 911 better than the 928)... The car will be a daily driver, and it will ocasionally see 100+mile days when I get busy...

I need some opinions. I have owned a "regular" 911, and I currently own a 930. I am interested in replacing the 928 with a mid to late 80s Carrera, but my fiancee' brought up a good point...Would the 911 be too much like the 930? I mean other than the sexy hips, and the boost, would driving the N/A 911 eventually make me numb to the 930?

Has anyone owned both at the same time? What do you think?

I am really tempted...

Bob S

My experience is that each has its own personality. As a daily driver, I would select the 911. The 930 seems like it always wants to be driven hard almost demanding to be on boost, while the 911 can be driven at more relaxed pace. I don't think you'll ever get "numb to the 930"


I'll end by saying, I have never regretted having both and plan on keeping them for many years.
Just my $.02, others will add more I’m sure

DDD

I have to agree. I have not spent a lot of time in NA 911s, but a nice clean 3.2 with EFI in good condition will be much more troublefree and easy around town than a turbo with on-off power characteristics. Regular 911s are nice cruisers.

But ultimately it is up to you, if you want an economy car there are better choices out there.

strudel

I like the turbos dual personality. It has enough torque to lumbar along when you just want to drive, and a bunch of power when you want to get going. I use to refer to my '78 930 as a semi automatic, you could go from a stand still to 85 in second (stock motor & gearing). I would try the turbo for awhile since you already have it.
'79 930 w/3.5
'75 Carrera RS look race car
'73 S coupe

125shifter

I've driven a few SC's and Carrera's and I think they drive very different from the 930. Everything feels lighter and more in touch with the road in the NA cars. I think not having the boost would make it easier around town too since you're not being tempted by it.

rsrfan

I commute in my '81 sc and it is an entirely different animal - but in a good way. I have purposely avoided extreme modifications beacuse it is so easy and fun to drive. The steering as compared to the 930 (205s up front versus 255s) is light and the clutch is easily depressed absent the "leg press" feel. If anything, hopping in the 930 after the sc makes it feel like MORE of a beast.

JP

WERK-I

+1
Don't leave out the SC's. They are a very capable 911 and very enjoyable to drive around town. The 3.0l engines are just about bullet-proof and the chassis feels lighter than the 3.2 Carrera's, not by much.....according to my butt-o-meter. The 930's just aren't that much fun to drive around at speeds less than 45MPH.

Geoffrey

For a daily driver, I would suggest looking at a 964. They have good air conditioning, the interior is quieter, the power is good, the handling is far superior to the older chassis, and in general a better all around car.

911rudy

I had an '87 carrera targa before my 930 and I found it to be a more relaxed ride because you did not have the "Monster" waiting in the closet! I found that I new how much acceleration was on tap and learned to drive around that limit. I also did not respond to every smart *** giving me that "Lets go" look. That happened to me yesterday when I took the beast out to tryout the new wheels and tires. One of the SA's got on my tail and would not back off so I fed the Monster and she ate him! I think it would be a great daily driver although I might look at the early '91-92 964's. There are some great buys out there in that market.

nathanUK '81 930 G50

I think you will enjoy the razor sharp throttle of a 3.2 carrera. The 930 is dull until the boost kicks in...

onboost

Hey Cajun,

Definitely a noticeable difference in the characteristics of the two.. as stated by most who've responded.

I'd also agree that the others that the 964s definitely better cars. However, for me.. I prefer the older Carrera and SC cars. Light (comparatively), nimble and quick. They have also been known to get between 18-22 mpg given state of tune and how it's being driven. I used my 73s as a daily driver for at least a year back in the 90's. I've had several SCs and Carreras in-between then and now along with the Turbo. I would think that you'd enjoy yourself with one.. the price point on these car isn't bad either. Besides, you have the beastly Turbo around when you feel like getting rowdy!!

Good luck,

Paul

911addict

I drove 3.2's as daily drivers, and loved them. Raw and instant/quick.
965 now a daily driver, also fantastic but running costs MUCH higher on a turbo.

F350Lawman

I love my 930 but turbo gas mileage sux, unless you don't use the turbo. So if fuel mileage is important, go NA. Why choose the more complex and heavy car (930) w/o any real benefit to you. JMHO

Cajun

Thanks for the replies gentlemen...

I don't think that I was as clear as I should have been in my initial post...I would NEVER daily drive my 930...it is strictly a toy.

I used to daily drive a '76 911s back in grad school and I loved it. I have had my eye on the later model Carreras for some time now, and I simply did not want to buy a car too similar to what I currently have. Having said that, I know that I could NEVER mistake a NA 911 for my modded 930!

It has been a while since I have been behind the wheel of a 80s Carrera, I think I will have to find a few to test drive and make my decision from there...but I do know that I am more of a 911 guy than a 928 guy. The 928 is fantastic, but it doesn't stir my soul the way 911s of the same vintage do.

kens911

When my wife packed up my 85 911 ROW and left. she drove to Seattle from here in south florida. she got 26 mpg going 85 through the mountains in the southwest. only mods to the car were a steve wong chip 87 motronic box fab speed cat bypass. texas new mexico etc. so that's 85, hot,loaded with her crap and 26mpg. my turbo on the other hand you can alsmost see the gas guage move