[DDD]

I have an '83 and for what this is worth, I've had fewer problems with it in the past 15 years than any other car I've owned. Now, I don't put more than 3K miles per year on it (summers only), but it has been reasonably reliable. I also have a '91 Miata by the way, but haven't owned it long enough to compare reliability. My Miata is still new to me, but I have to admit for summer driving, I think it is more enjoyable than the 911. It isn't half the car the Porsche is though. The Porsche is built like a tank. The Miata feels like it was built to last 20 years.

I am not one of these guys who takes his car to a mechanic, but I am also not one to swap out an engine over a weekend either. I understand cars, and feel reasonably comfortable working on them, but I am far from a mechanic -- I'm actually a CFO during the day.

Based on everything I've read, stay away from the pre-1978 SCs. You can get into an SC for very little money from what I have seen. I think $10K would get you a nice one.