How user friendly are 911's?
 

Aloha,

I've posted a few times on here, but still have a few questions.

How much of a DIY car are the early 911's? I like the pre-74 cars with the long hoods and narrow bodies. I'm a VW guy, so I'm going for simplicity here. Well, as simple as a Porsche can get...which is probably confusing for a VW man.

aloha,
Joel

There would be much awe, but not much difference between maintenance of a Beetle and maintenance of a 911. I would say that the early Porsche 911s are certainly among history's most DIY-friendly automobiles. Most of the rest of history's best DIY cars would also be Porsches.

Fear not!

Aloha,

That's good to hear. I suppose the most "awe" will be in viewing the pricetags on Porsche parts...

~Joel

Hello

No that will be the "shock"
the "awe" will be in finding one.

HawaiianVW67,

My '74 911 is my first "hobby/fun" car and it's not that different from a VW to work on. Get good tools and use this board for helpful assistance and use PP for your parts (shameless plug)! I've had my car since last June and most of what I learned came from this site (and from driving and working on the car). The people here are great, can't say enough good hings about the people you will "meet" here. Good luck!!

No biggie, I come from a background of Domestic (mostly GM 8's) and it wasn't bad at all. Shoot, at least you have a good handle on cylinders that can be removed.

I think the thing to remember is that these cars were designed with endurance racing in mind and they won and set records. One of the things that you need to be able to do when accomplishing that is perform maintenance quickly and easily. My '88 is one of the easiest cars to work on that I've ever tackled.

Another point is that these cars aren't designed to be disposable like most late model cars. You can take things apart and they are designed to let you put them back together unlike many modern cars that are designed to have systems replaced.

I can't believe no one's recommended you look at the 912. The same longhood body style and the engine bay will be totally familiar to someone that's used to VWs. Browse around here on eBay and see what you think.

Emanuel

Take a look at Waynes books to get a feel. I used to have older BMWs which I was a little more comfortable working on. Some things on 911's engines can be a little harder to get to. For example, valve adjustments were much easier on my 88 535i but once you get used to where things are it's still just an internal combustion engine. For some reason I find the way 911's are put together fascinating.
Go for it.

Hey epbrown

That 76 912 looks like a great buy for an entry level Porsche. It got the galvanised body and the original Porsche engine and only 280,000 miles. Looks to be one of the cheaper running (?)Porsche on eBay. Don't know what the shipping cost will be to Hawaii.

i second steve's comment about the cars being fixable and that systems can be repaired and replaced so that the car can remain like new.

gary

Speaking of being unfamiliar with the 911 model....I have to mention what happened to me one time.

I was parked in a parking lot one day and this guy walks up to me admiring my car. This "dude" was the type who knows all and ain't afraid to let people know he knows all, except he doesnt know shyt and generally speaking is a @ickhead. (Golds muscle shirt and the Mr. "T" necklace starter kit..you know the type) Anyway, as he is talkin all kinds of car smack and about how he has always been a huge "Porsche Guy" he asks me to pop the hood. I'm thinkin sure why not. So as I reach in to pop the hood release what does he do but walk to the front of the car.

http://www.pelicanparts.com/support/smileys/shake.gif

912E's are an intersting footnote to Porsche. Only 2099 were built with the last of the 2.0L 914 engines. There are several parts that are unique to the car and, if not yet, will soon be made of unobtainium.

My first Porsche was a 912. When it was destroyed by the wayward school bus, I was all set to get another but on investigation and reflection I decided to go with a 911. My decision was based on several facts:

1-Except for the engine, everything else on a 912 is a 911 part with the attendant cost.
2-The engines are fairly old and while simpler than a 911 engine, they are NOT VW engines and parts are pricey. T
3-If you need to hire someone to do the work, they charge about the same regardless of the number of cylinders.
4-There is only one year of long wheel base 912 plus the orphan stepchild 912E.

I found I had better luck shopping for a 911, better performance, and the sweet flat 6 sound.

Of course there are those who truly want a 912 and to them I say, glad to have you aboard also. They are great cars, just different.

SmileWavy

Hummmmmmm Let see

To fix a WUR take a drill and 1/8" drill bit, drill out the rivets that hold the WUR together

Look for some nuts and bolts (metric since it is a German car) to replace the rivets you just drilled out to put the wur back together.

Yeah right that what Porsche call fixable?

Maybe he wanted to check out the front trunk? So what do you call the front hood? A bonnet?

Yeah Im sure he wanted to see my battery choice or perhaps my spare tire...silly me.

Re: How user friendly are 911's?
 

the 911 may seem intimidating until you hang around here long enough.. but it's only a mass of nuts and bolts, with some electrons flying around.. motivation fixes everything......Ron

Aloha,

Thanks for all the replies. I suppose I shouldn't be too worried about moving from a VW to a Porsche, since they are essentially the same animal, one more evolved than the other.

912's are nice, but I wouldn't mind having the two extra cylinders. I just keep hearing the flat six on replay in my head from the last time I was at the historic races in Portland, OR and I can't shake it. Anyone have any audio files of flat sixes at WOT?

I suppose I was wondering if most of you are able to do your own work with the same set of tools you may have had with your VW (you have to date a certain amount of VW's before you get to go out with a Porsche). Are there many things you find yourself having to contract out to the local Porsche guru?

aloha,
Joel

God Speed my Son.

Just remember this: If you disassemble the whole car on the lanai your Mom will be mad at you.

(do any Pelican old timers get that joke?)