Classic Porsche

[Zipp0 1]

Anyone own a late 70's - late 80's Porsche? I am considering buying a toy car for Sunday drives, and I have always wanted a Porsche. I can get good prices in the $5-7K range or anything from a 924 turbo, 944S, 914 2.0L, or maybe a 928S. Any suggestions? I know that timing belts are critical. Any other advice?

Thanks.

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Chuck Norris doesn't do push-ups, he pushes the Earth down.

[Amazon 7]

ARRRGGGHHH

Expensive Volkswagons.



.have fun.... and find a good source for cheap parts.

[Stumpy 284]

I've driven the 944S and the 928S

944 - bit girly by todays standards.
928 - Less so - Lot of fun actually.

But like Amazon said - find a good source of cheap parts.

Never try to eat more than you can lift

[NewGuy2005 53]

I used to have an '86 944 Turbo. An incredible car. If you get a 944, get the turbocharged version.

I used it as a daily driver. Plan on spending around 1-2K per year on maintenance.

How much are you planning on spending?

[NewGuy2005 53]

Holy crap!! Just saw your price range. Don't buy one. If you spend that amount, you'll buy junk and spend a fortune keeping it running.

I was once told that the cheapest Porsche you could buy cost $20,000. If you spend less than that, you'll end up spending more getting the car in shape.

What about a Miata? They are a blast to drive and cheap to buy and own. Very reliable, too.

[AggieDave 6]

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What about a Miata? They are a blast to drive and cheap to buy and own. Very reliable, too

Its a chick car, unless you do the mods that Stacey David did to one on his show.

You could always go with a Porsche 914, its easier to maintain then some of the "modern" versions. Or build out a 1303 Super Beetle with a TypeIV plant. You get a lighter car with the same horsepower and same brakes. Go look at http://www.germanlook.com You get a modern suspension setup and with some modifications you end up with a reliable street monster for half the price of a comparable Porsche.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[FrancoR 0]

I just bought a '82 911 last week.
Ask your question on http://rennlist.com/ they can give you a good answer. From what i hear on the 911 the engine will last forever if roperly maintained properly, so ask for maintainance records. If it wasn't maintained it will need a lot of fixing and parts are very expensive.

Franco

PS: I have a miata for sale now :-) That might be in your price range, but you shouldn't be overly homophobic if you intend to buy a miata. Other than that it is a great sports car, put on some sticky (Azenis!!) Tires and have fun.

If it does not cost anything you are the product.

[Amazon 7]

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You could always go with a Porsche 914, its easier to maintain then some of the "modern" versions

Yuckapoo..... Worst of the engines EVERput in a funky psuedo sporty body.. its basically a TypeIV VW Bus engine... parts are cheaper than other models of expensive VW but they just aint right....

Edited to add that .....IF.......you can find a 914/6 you might have something worth hanging onto....they were very rare.

[1969912 0]

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late 70's - late 80's Porsche

Not quite "classic"

Mine is barely classic:

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1956920;search_string=1969912;#1956920


The 944's had some issues, but they are good cars, especially for cost of purchase, but no Porsche parts are cheap. Front suspension arms, clutches, water pumps are things to watch out for. The most modern used Porsche for the money. Probably will never be a "classic Porsche".

Many people consider 914's to be "not really a Porsche", but they have gained the respect that they deserve in the lats 10 years or so. The 1970 914 was intended to replace the 912 as the entry-level Porsche. They were marketed as VW-Porsche's in Europe. They use what is essentially a VW flat-4 (914-6's had a 911 motor, but it's a different animal), 911 front suspension, 911 type 901 gearbox in a special housing.... They are a kick in the ass to drive; feels like a ripping around in a kart. Probably more of a "tinkerers" car than a 944. You should be able to get a really nice 914 for 7K$. The newest 914 you can get is more than 30 years old.

928's. Don't know much about them, but they were "supercars" of their time. Some were way fast. It's amazing that you can get some of for so little money. A good one from a good year will be way more than 7k$ though.

You could get a 911 or 912 for that kind of money, and I would look into it (but I'm a 911 nut). There are "bad" 911 years. 911 engine rebuild will be ~10K$. DIY rebuild ~6K$. 912 rebuild will be ~8K$, DIY rebuild ~4-5K$. 912 engine is NOT a VW engine, and parts are $$$$.

Most important thing to keep in mind for any Porsche: Parts are expensive!
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The best source of information is a magazine called "Excellence". Each month they have a section called "Market Update" that looks at a Porsche model and discusses the good/bad characteristics of the car broken down by year. They list typical values over the last 4-5 years. "Market Update" is written by Bruce Anderson. Bruce is the most knowledgeable person in the US on these cars. It would be well worth it to pay for back issues of the magazine so you can read his articles.

Join or attend Porsche Club of America meetings. PCA is a great group of people. I'm not sure if you can join the club without a car, but you can certainly attend functions and meetings. Go to their website and find a contact for your local chapter, call him/her and they will hook you up with someone who has, for example, a 914. That person will gladly talk for hours about the good/bad/ugly of 914's.

Don't consider buying a Porsche without doing extensive research and looking at many cars.

PM if you want.

"Once we got to the point where twenty/something's needed a place on the corner that changed the oil in their cars we were doomed . . ."
-NickDG

[AggieDave 6]

Ok, the VW "Bus" which is a Type II and called a Transporter never had the Type IV engine in it from the factory. You're confusing similarities that are worlds of difference apart in the details. A Type IV case is made out of aluminim instead of the aluminim and magnesium alloy that the VW cases were made from. The Type IV have a different fan setup (unless you do an upright conversion), different bearings, a different crank with a different stroke from the factory and lets not even start on the large differences in the heads, the oiling system and the bore...

The Type II's engine was based on the Type I (its basically the same thing) with some different components on it.

There's a reason why so many people have converted their Type I's and 1303s to a Type IV engine with an upright fan conversion. You update the 1303's suspension, put a set of 944 brakes, a modern set of wheels/tires with a monster Type IV powerplant and you're dealing with a HOT street car. You can build out a clean and very fast street car for under $10k in that manner. I'm sticking with a Type I based engine in mine, but this is all first hand knowledge. My 1973 VW Superbeetle (1303) is on jack stands in the garage and is just a bit over 1/2 way through a rebuild.

You've touched off an aircooled VW nut.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[CSpenceFLY 1]

Dave I need to get you in touch with a friend of mine from highschool. He has owned and built some of the finest VWs I have ever seen. He had an oval window that I would have loved to have but I didn't have the cash when he got ready to sell it.

[eman 0]

Great cars ! I have had a 911 since 1983. I went from a '78 SC, then a '79 SC to a '91 C2 Tiptronic on to my current 1997 Carrera S Widebody. Keep the oil clean and it will be fine. They are race cars ! Enjoy. I would raather have an older 911 than any of the other models. They hold value great if you take care of them.

[BillyVance 35]

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You could always go with a Porsche 914, its easier to maintain then some of the "modern" versions.

I agree. I used to own a 1975 Porsche 914 2.0. It was the funnest car I've ever driven. I almost made a couple of my friends pee in their pants going around a curve too fast. The great thing about the 914 was that it had a very low center of gravity, and the mid-engine (right behind the seats), the center of weight was pretty much as close to the center of the car as you can get, and you have cargo space behind it and up front. You could go around curves and corners much faster than, in regular cars and not skid the tires or spin out, and you don't get the "roll" where the car tilts outward as you turn. Don't get the 1.7 liter version. It sucks donkey balls as far as power goes. I bought my 2.0 for $3500 12 years ago and it was in very good shape for 50,000 miles. I had many offers to buy it when I had it (and I never advertised it for sale), and I eventually sold it when I was having a hard time keeping up with two cars.

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[Amazon 7]

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Ok, the VW "Bus" which is a Type II and called a Transporter never had the Type IV engine in it from the factory

BZZZZZZZT Wrong answer...

The Type2 Bus did indeed have the Type IV motor in it from the factory as of 1972 models. I had several of them over the years.

http://www.type2.com/bartnik/tech.htm

Up till that time they used the Type 1 motor. I had several of those as well including a 1967 split window camper that I switched the engines in when the motor quit going up the long climb to the top of the hill of I-5 by Mt Shasta. ( The CHP officer just shook his head and walked away when he saw what I was doing at 1 am on the side of I-5) I knew the motor was tired and I had a complete 1600 long block under the camper bed as well as the roller jack to swap it out.

Oh I had one of those Diesel Vanagons as well..great milage....47 MPG once... just dont try to get out of anyones way

[Zipp0 1]

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Holy crap!! Just saw your price range. Don't buy one. If you spend that amount, you'll buy junk and spend a fortune keeping it running.

I was once told that the cheapest Porsche you could buy cost $20,000. If you spend less than that, you'll end up spending more getting the car in shape.

What about a Miata? They are a blast to drive and cheap to buy and own. Very reliable, too.

Well, blue book on mid-late 80's 944's in excellent shape is around $5000, so I'm not sure about the $20,000 thing. I am looking into the Miata, though, thanks. Everything I have read says they are very fun to drive.

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Chuck Norris doesn't do push-ups, he pushes the Earth down.

[AggieDave 6]

Technically correct, but who counts anything past 1969 as a Transporter anyways? Actually I have a hard time counting anything past when they had reduction gears on the transaxles still. IMO the height was with a 21-window samba. Come 1972 changes were made that sent the Transporter down the road towards the water-boxer and things were just never the same. Come 1979 the death nail had been struck with Audi.

Oh well, a lot of people say the same thing about the design changes in 1971 with the 1302 then especially come the end of the 1972 production run when the 1303 started production.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[Amazon 7]

well technically the 1968 with the big window instead of the 1967 split was their downfall...and the whole rolly side door thing just aint right

[AggieDave 6]

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Well, one of those rare times we agree.

Eitherway the Type IV engine is a good engine in a Type I, especially when bored and stroked out to 2300cc range.

You know I've always really wanted a pre-1961 panel barn door to make into a cool DZ/boogie van. With the bike, my current VW and my now old truck its going to be hard to convince my wife.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[2fat2fly 0]

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its going to be hard to convince my wife.

All you have to do is get it, fix it like you want to while telling her that it's really mine and you're just working on it. When you're done, I'll let you keep it at my house and I'll drive it just to keep the ruse going and keep you out of trouble.
Geesh, the sacrifices I'm willing to make for you-I hope you appreciate me

I am not the man. But the man knows my name...and he's worried