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While Marv makes some good points on the limitation of old 911’s I would offer one comment as to the limitation of the a/c in hot climate. There is a fix for that, the Griffiths upgrade. This is something I did too my 89 Carrera, and was able to comfortably drive it in the hottest summer days Orlando had to offer. I also put a ceramic window tinting on the windows. As for reliability, not sure I’d question the reliability of that 3.2 Carrera drivetrain. While modern Porsches are Lexus level reliable, the 3.2 Carreras are known to be bulletproof also.
Thanks for the tip on the A/C.
Yes, the 3.2 is a pretty bulletproof engine. But these are not new cars and already 30+ years old, so you have to contend with all the little issues that entropy will throw at any car. That includes cables, connectors, switches, mechanicals, rust intrusion, rubber, the list goes on.
All fixable, but it can get too be death by a thousand scrapes when little things cascade on you. All of this makes them a little more unreliable compared to newer cars where the constant advancements of technology has made newer cars more reliable than their predecessors.
I think it is really hard to advise unless you understand how you will use the car, what the traffic/roads/conditions are like, how year-round weather you plan to use it, what your climate is like, do you go on short errand drives or dedicated day-off drives, etc. personally I have no favorites for any/all uses. I have learned certain cars are Goldilocks in certain cities/lifestyles and then fall out of favor when life changes. EVEN the formidable 997 gt platform eventually suffered this fait with me. I spent 20 years in Houston TX and the last several between NYC and London. I can tell you this: the cars I would call “the best” are a completely different list for each of those 3 cities; London and NYC being closer to each other than Houston. However, if I ever moved back to TX I’d sell my CGT and 1965 911 for something completely different. I might even buy a 997rs again (I won’t explain why cause I don’t want to hijack OP’s thread).
When you say you want to use it more often, do you mean that you want to have a little fun on routine errands and commutes? Or more like you want it to be more accessible so that you end up using it more often for pure-fun driving? Do you live in rural area or quickly get to a non-congested “fun” area to drive? Or are you making the best of a fairly crap roads/traffic unless you dedicate an entire day to get away from it all? What is your climate like and do you plan to drive it on nice days and crappy weather days?
Depending on these types of questions/answers, I would dramatically shift my car choices. I USED to take the approach of owning a car for every single possible occasion, location and scenario 🤣. And that’s one way to do it but it comes with its own challenges. Once I paired things down to 2-3, I realized it really came down to how I was going to use the cars in real life (vs my hypothetical ownership dreaming), as much/more than whether a given car was the GOAT. This is a boring/practical approach to your question but the more actual miles I poured on and the less dreaming about how I might hypothetically use a car, the more realistic I got about my cars. No, neither of my remaining cars are AT ALL practical, but they check the boxes I decided I want to check for where I live and how I access the hobby at this point in life. I am 90% sure if my location/life change significantly, so will the cars.
you have a good spread of p-cars. Are you really wanting something more practical/functional that is still a little fun? Are you primarily a tad bored and want some additional variety that isn’t too big of a PITA?
I think it is really hard to advise unless you understand how you will use the car, what the traffic/roads/conditions are like, how year-round weather you plan to use it, what your climate is like, do you go on short errand drives or dedicated day-off drives, etc. personally I have no favorites for any/all uses.
This.
And as regards the Griffith's AC remediation on 930s / 964s - it's great, but it's not 100 degree heat index great. My '89 was rebuilt from the ground up (even added 993 dash vents with the full Griffith's system), and that car never left the garage when it was super hot or cold outside. Just not pleasant to drive in those circumstances.
If you're constrained by space or # of car limitations, I think you have to carefully define your use case before you can put together a good list.
I forgot one that will sound silly, but if you truly want super practicality + capability + fun, and you don't care about prestige / status / brand - Golf R with Stage 3 APR kit. Ultimate grocery getter sleeper . . .
These ^ are all great suggestions but it seems to me you have a great Euro driver’s car ( likely one of the best) why add another Euro car? I love coffee ice cream but sometimes some great vanilla hits the spot.
I would add an American offering. I pass C6ZO6s and GT350s ( love the ZO6. Not a fan of the flat plane crank in the 350) all day in these antiques. Yeah I’m a Shelby and Boss fanboy . Guilty.
Pristine street examples can be had for a song compared to some of the other stuff and are a hoot. Plus they’ve become “collectibles” (Boss LS version and Shelby GT). Sorry, no chain steering wheel though. Great driver’s cars. Trust me.
Those mustangs are rad!! They look like a blast! Are they track only cars for you? Do you have street Shelby’s? I have put my name in for a new z06 and a gt500 but I’m not holding my breath, lol. I was quoted $25k over sticker for the gt500 and I just don’t have the stomach for adm. I would be a buyer at msrp but personally I won’t do that kind of adm. I do really love the lines of the mustang and considered one. They look so nice and handle so well.
While Marv makes some good points on the limitation of old 911’s I would offer one comment as to the limitation of the a/c in hot climate. There is a fix for that, the Griffiths upgrade. This is something I did too my 89 Carrera, and was able to comfortably drive it in the hottest summer days Orlando had to offer. I also put a ceramic window tinting on the windows. As for reliability, not sure I’d question the reliability of that 3.2 Carrera drivetrain. While modern Porsches are Lexus level reliable, the 3.2 Carreras are known to be bulletproof also.
Yes, I agree about modern Porsche and reliability. They really hold up well and this car that I am looking for is one that is a keeper for years and years. I’m thinking about going this direction and maybe adding some nice suspension upgrades? Not sure, but one thing I do know is that I just love the looks of 911 throughout the range and I think they are a safe bet financially over the long haul where I see them continuing to appreciate over time.
I think it is really hard to advise unless you understand how you will use the car, what the traffic/roads/conditions are like, how year-round weather you plan to use it, what your climate is like, do you go on short errand drives or dedicated day-off drives, etc. personally I have no favorites for any/all uses. I have learned certain cars are Goldilocks in certain cities/lifestyles and then fall out of favor when life changes. EVEN the formidable 997 gt platform eventually suffered this fait with me. I spent 20 years in Houston TX and the last several between NYC and London. I can tell you this: the cars I would call “the best” are a completely different list for each of those 3 cities; London and NYC being closer to each other than Houston. However, if I ever moved back to TX I’d sell my CGT and 1965 911 for something completely different. I might even buy a 997rs again (I won’t explain why cause I don’t want to hijack OP’s thread).
When you say you want to use it more often, do you mean that you want to have a little fun on routine errands and commutes? Or more like you want it to be more accessible so that you end up using it more often for pure-fun driving? Do you live in rural area or quickly get to a non-congested “fun” area to drive? Or are you making the best of a fairly crap roads/traffic unless you dedicate an entire day to get away from it all? What is your climate like and do you plan to drive it on nice days and crappy weather days?
you have a good spread of p-cars. Are you really wanting something more practical/functional that is still a little fun? Are you primarily a tad bored and want some additional variety that isn’t too big of a PITA?
Great points. I spend time between Montana and Southern California. In MT, during the winter and for around town, I have a 20+ year old Silverado which I love. 267k miles and I work on it myself. Love the truck a lot. When snow is gone, there are endless scenic roads, forests, national parks, and quaint little towns to visit. So the longish back road deserted highways are a lot of fun! In CA, most of my drives are in the canyons. Gratefully, I don’t commute much so this car is going to be for recreation. If I’m going to work, I take the 991.2 turbo S but I sometimes question the optics of this. I have other cars that are great for high performance driving and track use, errr, I mean cars and coffee spectacles lol and they are great fun. Not as fancy as a CGT though. I remember when they were going for under msrp, but at that time, that car was far beyond my reach, and still is! I will just play my lotto and dream, lol. I’ve never heard a car rev like that car. Truly a unicorn. I’m sure you must love it.
Guys, I want to thank you all for your thoughtful comments and suggestions! It’s been very helpful and thought provoking. I’m going to summarize in no particular order, the cars I’ve been suggested so far:
1. 911 (classic through g50)
2. 964
3. 993
4. 996TT or 996GT2
5 cayman spyder
6. Shelby Mustang
7. Chevrolet C6 Z06 corvette
8. Eid BMW M3
My wife seems to favor the Porsche choices, Shelby and corvettes. She particularly likes the spyder. We both like them a lot. But when I looked online, there aren’t many for sale and the used ones have an ask of $15-20k over sticker/1. Is this where the market is? We also love the older Porsches and there are a lot of choices and decisions on that front. To my eye, I just love to look and sound.
Those mustangs are rad!! They look like a blast! Are they track only cars for you? Do you have street Shelby’s? I have put my name in for a new z06 and a gt500 but I’m not holding my breath, lol. I was quoted $25k over sticker for the gt500 and I just don’t have the stomach for adm. I would be a buyer at msrp but personally I won’t do that kind of adm. I do really love the lines of the mustang and considered one. They look so nice and handle so well.
Thank you. They are track only fully caged. They are a blast and fast. I do have a 2012 Boss 302 LS which is a hoot on the street and a great driver’s car.
The new GT 500 is a beast. It is FAST not only in a straight line but on track. Amazing considering its weight.
Not sure I would pay over msrp but today’s world is nuts. Ford is having real issues getting product to market. I did pay over for my TRX but they offered $7k less than I paid for my 3 year old Raptor with 32,000 miles. Could not turn that deal down. Who knows how long we will be able to buy American V8s before they are gone and mandated out of existence by aoc and her ilk. I digress…
I suggested American Muscle since you already have one of the best European offerings.
All the cars on your list are great though. Tough choice but a first world problem and that ain’t bad.
02-06-2022, 11:56 AM
