How reliable is the Porsche 3.2?

[tmaull]

This is a strange question to me. It’s not a brand new Hyundai. Things will break. Sometimes things will break at a bad time. If it’s a really huge deal to be 30 minutes late to work because your car broke down, an old 911 isn’t worth the anxiety. On the other hand, when they are sorted, they can be incredibly reliable transportation and the more you drive it the more reliable it is. But mostly it’s a personal preference thing. I like my commute a lot more if I can hit 6800rpm and I don’t mind the occasional AAA tow.

[Canada Kev]

Sometimes things will break on that brand new car as well.

[Autoban]

I own my '86 Cab (3.2L) since 2012 and have put about 35K miles on it. I drive mostly from spring through fall whenever I can. I have to take my Touareg to the office whenever I need the extra seats. Over the 35K miles I only had one real break down when the steering rack came apart. Other than that I replaced the fuel pump because it made noise (was still working) and the DME relay with a solid state relay because as far as I could tell mine was still original. I replaced the top in 2019 because I made a stupid mistake and broke the rear window. Other than that, once a year regular maintenance in accordance with the Porsche maintenance schedule.

You can't compare a Hyundai (or any other family sedan) with a 911 sports car. When does a Hyundai ever see revs up to 6K RPM? When we do drive our 911s, we drive them much harder than people drive their daily driver sedans.
Here is a short video about my car. And yes, I do drive my 34 year old Cab in the rain. There is no water leaking in. As you can see, it can still do 0 to 60 in (actually just under) 6 seconds. And I do really like my 915 transmission.

Juergen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evROXFnNiWE

[GH85Carrera]

The very best of the best cars from the mid 1980s can't be compared fairly to any modern car.

I would be ready for the driver-less cars that are coming real soon before I had to drive a gneric appliance car econobox Hyundai-Toyota-Fiat-Nissan style car. My wife drives a 2017 Macan we special ordered to fit her wants. It is a world of difference from my old 85 911 or 86 El Camino. I can understand why some people want a appliance car. Just get in and go.

That just does not fit my personality. No one ever had a poster of a econobox on the wall of their room as a teenager.

Different strokes for different folks. I will keep driving my old cars.

[stlrj]

Originally Posted by Jd21476

I actually have a AAA so thats a good point

I hope you have the AAA Premier Membership:

-200-mile tow, plus 100-mile tows 3x/yr
-All Plus benefits
-Free car rental with tow.

Cheers,

Joe
87 Carrera

[stlrj]

Keep in mind, these cars were made before on board diagnostics and scan tools. So what you're left with is what's between your ears and hopefully, years of experience with a fair amount of luck.

Cheers,
Joe
87 Carrera

[steenkamp]

In the last 3 years i did a couple of +600miles day trips (Sweden, France, Italy, UK). Don't worry, a well looked after 3.2 is most likely more reliable than your "other car".

[GH85Carrera]

This is my car when my wife rode with me to Maine, to see the Acadia National park. It is a great place to visit. It was a 2,000 mile trip. That picture is 2,000 miles from my house! Just one stop on a 5,000+ mile journey to every one of the New England states, and Canada.

Never the slightest problem.

It was only 1,650 miles from my drive to Key West and 1,400 miles to San Diego, so those were easy trips. Back in the year 2000 we went to 14 national parks on the way to Sacramento, CA.

Get in your 911 and drive! Rain and dirt all wash off, they are not garage sculptures, they are cars meant to be driven.

[Rtrorkt]

as chief steward for a PCA drivers ed program, we had 3.2 with 60k track miles and just valve adjustments, spark plugs and oil

[ClickClickBoom]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

This is my car when my wife rode with me to Maine, to see the Acadia National park. It is a great place to visit. It was a 2,000 mile trip. That picture is 2,000 miles from my house! Just one stop on a 5,000+ mile journey to every one of the New England states, and Canada.

Never the slightest problem.

It was only 1,650 miles from my drive to Key West and 1,400 miles to San Diego, so those were easy trips. Back in the year 2000 we went to 14 national parks on the way to Sacramento, CA.

Get in your 911 and drive! Rain and dirt all wash off, they are not garage sculptures, they are cars meant to be driven.

This^