DIYer: '77 to '97

[macleodm3]

Greetings Fellow Enthusiasts!
I will be purchasing an air cooled 911 sometime during the next year and plan to keep it for a long time as a weekend driver. Having built (and test flown) a Cozy MKIV experimental aircraft from plans, done all the maintenance on the Lycoming 360 in that airplane, as well as maintaining and repairing my 1975 BMW airhead I feel 100% confident in my willingness and patience to learn everything needed to keep an air cooled 911 healthy.

That being said, are the 915's, the g50's, the 964's, and the 993's all reasonable to work on from home? I'd really like a 911 that has long term parts availability and that can be kept running as circuit boards and computers fail over the years.

Any advice on a long term DIY'er driver? I love them all and would be happy with the driving characteristics of any of them.

Thanks!
Andrew A
Pound, VA

[Dpmulvan]

Got any pics of the cozy?

[macleodm3]

Cozy N624AC, similar to a 911 in many ways:
1.) air cooled pusher
2.) 2+2
3.) fun to drive

Andrew Anunson
Pound, VA

[TeeJayHoward]

I can only speak for my 911SC (915 tranny), but I've not found anything I can't do in my garage yet.

Some things to note going in that I didn't know about:

1. The carpet is a bajillion pieces. Nobody makes a moulded carpet like in most other cars for some reason.
2. Everything's just screwed in to the chassis. No, not bolted, SCREWED. Okay, not really "everything", but damn, I did NOT expect so many screws.
3. The electrical system is dirt-simple and some systems are on their own harnesses.
4. People talk about the 915 being "not that bad". Plenty of people also love old farm trucks. They shift about the same. There's a reason the G50 models command a premium. If you're thinking about getting a 915 model, drive one first.
5. Parts are EXPENSIVE. You can buy an entire new, warrantied engine from a different marque for the price of some parts for the 911's engine. A G50 transaxle costs more used than some new cars.
6. You can get many parts brand new from Porsche, as long as you're willing to wait for shipping.
7. The later models were rust-proofed. It works well.
8. If you're into big power, buy an '87+ or a Turbo.
9. Porsche people are super accepting of modified cars, unlike the Ferrari community. That being said, if you are the type to bounce between vehicles often, avoid modifying your car beyond bringing it back to stock, because that's what the dealers want to sell.
10. Forward-dating and back-dating the 911 and 964 models seems fairly common. So if you love the look of a '69 but want the amenities offered by a '93, you can do that.

[PeteKz]

That's a wide range of models you might be interested in. Most important question is what is your budget?

To pick the Carreras as an example, they will run $70K to 90K, depending on mileage and condition. Some really nice ones will be more. But let's say $80k for a 1988 Carrera coupe. You will pay $80K whether you pay it up front, or little by little over time. If you buy one that needs work for, say, $50K, you will end up spending another $30K on it. Thus, if you want one you can drive regularly, it's better to buy a good one upfront, instead of over several years that you will not be driving it.

Nice Cozy.

[macleodm3]

TeeJay, thanks for your reply. Its helpful and interesting! Glad to hear the electrical systems are simple eand serviceable on the SC's. That is the purpose of my post:

For the years '77 to '97, which of the 911's can be kept running by a DIYer?

Pete, I appreciate your reply too and I agree with what you're saying... pay now or pay later (forever).

[ADDvanced]

I'm just going to say 74-89 would be easiest, as the cars are the most simple. The 964 and 993, while still awesome, get more complex, more electronics, more complicated suspensions, etc.

[jrwilson]

Also, don't get too hung up on modifications - the good ones don't seem to effect values. Plenty of backdate cars bringing serious dollars.

[PeteKz]

Slight difference from ADDvanced advice. Start with 1978. That's the first year of the SC in the US, with the 3.0 liter engine and aluminum case and wider rear fenders.

78-79 US models have larger intake ports and intake runners, so I prefer those to the 80-83 US SC's which have oxygen sensors and more engine electronics and smaller intake ports and runners. If you find a 80-83 RoW SC, they retain the larger intake ports and runners, as well as higher compression.

84-89 Carreras: These have Motronic engine management. I like these too, because you can do a lot more with the Motronic system than the simpler CIS system. Engine goes up to 3.2. The downside is, there's more electrickery. But still very maintainable, and there are a lot of aftermarket support for them.

87-89: Best of the Carreras becuase they switch to the G50 transmission, which shifts much better than the 915. Plus, many of them came with LSDs.

[ADDvanced]

I mean wider fenders and more power are nice but there's really not much different keeping 74-77 on the road vs 78 onwards these days; by now all the magnesium cases should have case savers and regular exhaust systems, not thermal reactors. Just saying from a DIY perspective, not really any different.