Considering a 911 - need advice

[masraum]

Quote de KC911

ps: At 60-65 mph what gear are you in?

I'll get most of the way there in 2nd, shift to 3rd just before, then put it into 4th to cruise. I think 60 is a little too slow for 5th for me.

just out of curiosity, why?

[nostatic]

iirc 60mph would be bouncing the rev limiter in 2nd gear. So I'll answer "2nd"

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by masraum

just out of curiosity, why?

I don't think that was directed at me, but the quote is confusing. Me...I don't "lug" my car below 3K, and I rarely drive at steady cruising speeds. I'm sorry for the thread hijack...I'm done. Thanks Hal !

[nostatic]

Originally Posted by speeder

Rally much?

[masraum]

I don't think that was directed at me, but the quote is confusing. Me...I don't "lug" my car below 3K, and I rarely drive at steady cruising speeds. I'm sorry for the thread hijack...I'm done. Thanks Hal !

Yeah, the quote function works a little weird on my phone. The owners manual for my old `88 said the minimum shift point for going into fifth was 2500 rpm. 3000 rpm would only be lugging is you were going up a big hill or towing something. I drive spiritedly, but there are periods where I'm cruising at a steady speed. It's not like the only place I drove my car is at the track.

[RWebb]

Originally Posted by KC911

Go back and REREAD my post. ...

that would defeat the entire purpose of the internet

[Head416]

Originally Posted by masraum

just out of curiosity, why?

Why... do I say 60 is too slow for 5th? I'm not sure, but I think that would put the RPMs around 3k, maybe even under. My car has great power at 4k and up. It just doesn't feel like it's meant to cruise under 3k.

(YMMV, and these are all approximations from the top of my head. I'll have to go for a cruise to provide any accurate numbers.)

[javadog]

Originally Posted by Head416

It just doesn't feel like it's meant to cruise under 3k.

On a flat road, it will do it all day long, in any gear. These aren't the old two liters from the mid '60's we are talking about.

JR

[speeder]

Originally Posted by nostatic

Rally much?

Hmmm, I think that picture was taken before the ride height was set. Either that or just a weird shot because the e-brake was set and popped the front up. But most likely, I had just installed the Bilstein sports and hadn't taken it in for ride height/corner balance and alignment. That car would up @ euro ride height, IIRC. Here's another pic:

[speeder]

God, I miss that car. It was seriously dialed-in, 2500 lbs. dry.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by Halm

When a long time enthusiast is lectured about what gear to drive in, IMHO it is time to shut down the thread.

Hey, it's never too late to learn to drive!

I rode with a fellow Pelican once in his 911 and he was driving down a city street @ 5k rpm. It was quite strange. Someone must have told him to "keep the revs up" at some point and he did not really understand why or why not so he just failed to upshift. Ever.

Even if you are driving a 1958 4-cam Carrera that fouls plugs on the street, there is no power or performance available if you are winding the piss out of it at a steady speed. It's called a power band for a reason. you need to be at the bottom of the band to use it. And this was in a 3.0 CIS car; a low-compression, low powered car with nothing in the upper register to speak of. An engine no more fussy or peaky/cammy than a Mercedes or BMW sedan engine. Sorry. There would have been a lot more torque available driving around @ 2500 rpm and punching it. Once again, there is little or no torque available when you are already at or near the top of the power band.

Even if you're driving a Honda S-2000 or some car with no bottom end, it does not make sense to drive down a freeway in a low gear. It just wastes fuel that could be used to have fun or go somewhere. It takes 2 seconds to downshift, and that's if you're really slow. Any 911 from the early '70s-on has plenty of torque down low and not that much up top, with a few exceptions. (Turbos and variocam cars improved the top range).

[Steve Carlton]

I still need to drive some cars, but what do you think of this? I'm annoyed by the minimal information in the listing and the opening bid of $27,000 and the Buy It Now of $27,500, but it seems like the car itself could be in great shape, at least cosmetically. From the car report, it seems to have only had 14,000 miles on it when it was 20 years old (suspicious), then it went to 43,000 miles in 2 years (from 2005-2007). What's with the MSRP? Does that have the options it should have (anything important missing)? Custom color for $1,200? What's with the interior? Did $1,972 include the leather itself?





Porsche : 911 Carrera Coupe 2-Door in Porsche | eBay Motors

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by speeder

Hey, it's never too late to learn to drive!

I rode with a fellow Pelican once in his 911 and he was driving down a city street @ 5k rpm. It was quite strange....

Nor is it ever too late to improve one's reading comprehesion skills . I agree with you and everything you've posted on this thread except for one MAJOR point. How how does that apply to me? I simply don't drive on the type of roads that you (and others) seem to do. I don't drive at "steady speeds" much either, but when I do, the tach is gonna be hovering slightly over 3k (whether at 30, 60 or 80 mph), and I simply ignore that idiot CASIS light. I don't upshift at less than 3K either...don't care what the manual says. I've been driving manual cars (of all flavors) in similar fashion just as long as you have Denis...grow up! When it comes to HOW I drive...you are simply "projecting", uninformed and clueless .

[Dottore]

Originally Posted by Steve Carlton

I still need to drive some cars, but what do you think of this? I'm annoyed by the minimal information in the listing and the opening bid of $27,000 and the Buy It Now of $27,500, but it seems like the car itself could be in great shape, at least cosmetically. From the car report, it seems to have only had 14,000 miles on it when it was 20 years old (suspicious), then it went to 43,000 miles in 2 years (from 2005-2007). What's with the MSRP? Does that have the options it should have (anything important missing)? Custom color for $1,200? What's with the interior? Did $1,972 include the leather itself?





Porsche : 911 Carrera Coupe 2-Door in Porsche | eBay Motors

If that car checks out, I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

[Dottore]

BTW Steve I hope you realize that by posting ads with a cherry car like this and asking for input, you run a high risk that someone on this board will buy it out from under you.

Ask me how I know.

[Steve Carlton]

How do you know?





It's okay. I need to drive some cars before I'm ready to move on something.

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by Steve Carlton

...It's okay. I need to drive some cars before I'm ready to move on something.

I'd also add...when you find "the one" (if it's similar to the car above), be ready to "pull the trigger' ASAP, or it will be gone before you know it...ask me how I know . I'd never purchase without seeing a car myself, so in my case, a "reasonable" ($200 I think it was) deposit to take the car off the market until I could arrange a flight, etc. Buyers wll "line up fast" for the really goods ones, was my experience (and I wasn't first in line for a couple of 'em). Good luck with your search!

[Jim Richards]

That car looks very nice, Steve. Good luck with your search.

[onewhippedpuppy]

That's a great looking Carrera. My only reservation would be the statement about using it for "concourse", as well as the low mileage. If he hasn't been driving it, there are some potential maintenance issues.

[javadog]

Originally Posted by Steve Carlton

I still need to drive some cars, but what do you think of this?

To answer your questions...

That appears to be a good candidate, if you like the colors.

The mileage issue is rare, but not unheard of. Because the milage can be altered easily on these cars, I'd want to see all of the service and ownership records, to see if there were enough data points to support the history. It's likely that the first owner drove it very little, then the car was sold to someone that drove it quite a bit. Absent any documentation, it would be a red flag, but not neccessarily a deal killer.

The options are pretty normal for that era and the sport seats are a big plus.

The interior is probably mostly leather, although there were some things on the "special leather"-optioned cars that are not on this one. Things like the door pockets, arm rests, etc. Not a big deal. It would be easy to verify what panels are full leather.

The dash is a problem, in that a leather dash from that era is going to warp, low miles or not, and the light color will create reflections in the front window, which I find distracting. I wouldn't let it bother me, as it's possible to find a used dash for around $600 and replace it. I'd suggest a black vinyl one. There are also people that will recover a dash, which is another option.

For a car like this, I would want to arrange a PPI from a repair shop and an inspection by a body shop. If those panned out and a deal seemed likely, I'd fly in to inspect the car, conclude the deal, complete any deferred maintenance and drive it home.

JR