Newbie

[mm35]

I want to buy a daily driver for a short commute and weekend fun.

If I have $15,000 to spend, do I buy a high mileage 1984 (or more recent) 911 or a lower mileage but older 911?

Does your answer change if I can spend $20,000?

By spending this amount, can I buy a reliable car or am I just asking for trouble? Assume that I do my homework and buy a car that is valued at these 2 price points.

What is the best free source of recent sales of used 911's so that I can see what the market really is like?

I'd really appreciate your help.

[Rot 911]

$15K will get you a very nice SC with money left over for future maintenance. $20K will do the same for a Carrera. Check the Pelican Parts 911 cars for sale. Some nice SC's and Carreras there right now well within your price range.

[scedmonds]

One other suggestion -- get excellence magazine (best bet to find it is at a major newsstand in your city) and check out the market updates they provide. It's a wonderful resource when you're p-car shopping . . .

[Zeke]

Originally posted by mm35
I want to buy a daily driver for a short commute and weekend fun.

If I have $15,000 to spend, do I buy a high mileage 1984 (or more recent) 911 or a lower mileage but older 911?

You might find that it doesn't quite work that way. Older, low mileage 911s are getting very pricey like real estate. You must be very careful and thoroughly examine any prospective purchase. A better way to state your goal would be to buy a low mileage SC or Carrera. For 15K, you should be able to come up with a pretty decent car. You absolutely have to be patient or you will end up with some surprises.

You say you could up the ante to 20K. Many here have expressed the wisdom of holding back some cash for improvements/repairs to the new acquisition. Happy hunting!

[GrindingGears]

It takes at least $20k to own ANY Porsche.

Pay now or pay later.

Buy something ratty, pay later. Buy something cherry, pay now.

For your price range, find an SC with good paint and some engine work (pop-off valve, chain tensioners, cylinder head studs) and save your extra money for the expenditures you WILL have in the future.

As far as recent sales, search for an older thread called, "What did you pay for your 911" or something like that. It has lots of info you might find interesting.

One more thing, don't settle, be patient. It can take up to a year to find "the one".

[jdowty3]

Don't forget to set allocate money now for the PPI's on cars that peak your interest. You may walk away from a few vehicles after paying for the PPI.

[Groesbeck Hurricane]

Definately get a PPI on anything you look at. I would suggest an SC in preference to an '84. If you are able to go up to $20K then you could open up to Carreras. But yes, every car seems to be a $20K car eventually. I'm heading in that very same direction myself. And when I redo the interior and have some paint put on, I'll be north of that.

[Zeke]

Originally posted by jdowty3
Don't forget to set allocate money now for the PPI's on cars that peak your interest. You may walk away from a few vehicles after paying for the PPI.

You don't always have to pay for the PPI. Any seller I would deal with would be more than willing to pay and the PPI would be good for more than one prospective buyer. Doesn't hurt to back it up with another, but at least take a copy of what may be available to streamline the process. A thorough PPI will involve removing valve covers and more than likely an oil change. No need to keep changing the oil. I suppose the shop could tilt the car like we do in the driveway, but I've never heard of that.

[nostatic]

keep a couple $K in reserve for "stuff". So if you really only have $15K sto spend, you should figure on paying $12-13K for the car. That being said, asking prices are just that...asking prices. But there are a LOT of really crappy 911s out there. If you buy the wrong one, your life will not be enjoyable. You need to get educated, be patient, and if possible, befriend someone who knows the cars to help you in your search.

If you do a search here on "buying" and "PPI" you'll get a ton of good info.

[oneblueyedog]

My car was bought with 13K. I've spent that much on it since '97. It's ready to go another 25 years now. It's worth it if you can do your own maintenace.

Lee
78SC

[K. Roman]

It may take 20K to own a Porsche but I purchased one for 12.5k and got a beautiful targa with all the upgrades. Everything I spent after that was either cosmetic, brakes, and a used distributor. I've had the car for about a year and have spent around 3,000 dollars not including insurance and the high price of premium gas.
How do I feel about it?
Great.

[mm35]

Thank you all for the feedback. I went out over the past few days and read everything that I could with respect to "buying guides." I have also done some research to see what is out there for sale.

More than anything, the buying guides have scared me with all of the potential problems of a buying a used P. It seems like such a huge risk to drop 20k and soon thereafter have to do something as drastic as a rebuild.

Is flying around the country to do inspections and test drives a bit extreme? Are there buyers out there who just stayed local and waited for what they wanted?

[K. Roman]

I'd just be patient.
You'll find something in your neck of the woods.
I wouldn't worry too much about rebuilding either.
Just make sure you get a good PPI done and if things check out you should be good. The engines "bulletproof" status is pretty real.
If spending money on your car scares you, then a Porsche may not be the right choice.
Good Luck

[mm35]

Originally posted by K. Roman
I'd just be patient.
You'll find something in your neck of the woods.
I wouldn't worry too much about rebuilding either.
Just make sure you get a good PPI done and if things check out you should be good. The engines "bulletproof" status is pretty real.
If spending money on your car scares you, then a Porsche may not be the right choice.
Good Luck

That sounds like good advice. Thanks.

[chuckw951]

I would suggest:

1) Buy all of the related 911 books and buying guides. If you get a car you'll end up buying them anyway
2) Read the books and start reading classifieds and online sources. No need to start making calls yet.
3) Do some searches on this board to learn about other's experiences and issues with the SCs and Carrera.
4) You say you have a $15K budget, but could spend $20K. I would suggest that you set a lower budget for initial purchase and put some aside for repairs
5) I would strongly consider buying a Porsche from a fellow enthusiast. The car will likely be better maintained. If the seller doesn't know much about the car they probably don't know much about maintaining it.
6) In addition to #5, I would buy a 911 from someone that just has done many of the common updates/upgrades and rebuilding. Some folks with drop $10K into a $12K 911SC and will want to sell a year later for a variety of reasons. When you sink money into these cars you don't recoup it. Bad for the owner, good for the buyer.
7) Service records are important. An owner claiming a fresh rebuild of the motor or transmission should have records and you should see what was actually done. There is a big difference between a valve job and a complete rebuild.
8) There are upgrades to look for on the SCs and Carreras. On the SCs there's the upgraded chain tensioners, pop off valve and on the 78/79s the oil sump screen update is important.
9) Everything is expensive so spending a couple extra thousand upfront will save you in the long run. A cracked dash ($800), worn carpets ($500), faded/dented/scratched paint ($5000?), tires ($500), shocks ($400), etc. and other costmetic or maintenance items can add up quick. These cars are getting old and many need lots of work that you can't see upon first glance.
10) Realize that even with a PPI things can go south after you buy the car. Those head studs on the SC could snap at anytime and on the carrera well who knows when the valve guides would be ready. You almost have to assume that you'll be dropping the motor at some point. Everybody doesn't at some point, so don't worry too much. It would nice to find a car with these documented repairs done recently.
11) In my view modified or tweaked cars are worth more. If you buy a stock car at some point their may be an urge to upgrade the shocks, sway bars, wheels/tires, SSI exhaust, torsion bars, seats, roll bar, harness, the list goes on. If this stuff has been done already, bonus for you.
12) If you are still reading, start looking for prospects.
13) Be patient and have each car that interests you checked out by someone that knows these cars.
14) Don't fall in love at first sight. Hard not to do and I've done this before myself. Be cautious, there are many porsches for sale these days, so you have your choice.
15) Take your time to find a good one.
16) You said that this would be a daily driver. Check into the heating and A/C components carefully. Lots of expensive items there too.

But, on the other hand, 911s are a pure joy to drive.

[mm35]

Originally posted by chuckw951
I would suggest:

1) Buy all of the related 911 books and buying guides. If you get a car you'll end up buying them anyway
2) Read the books and start reading classifieds and online sources. No need to start making calls yet.
3) Do some searches on this board to learn about other's experiences and issues with the SCs and Carrera.
4) You say you have a $15K budget, but could spend $20K. I would suggest that you set a lower budget for initial purchase and put some aside for repairs
5) I would strongly consider buying a Porsche from a fellow enthusiast. The car will likely be better maintained. If the seller doesn't know much about the car they probably don't know much about maintaining it.
6) In addition to #5, I would buy a 911 from someone that just has done many of the common updates/upgrades and rebuilding. Some folks with drop $10K into a $12K 911SC and will want to sell a year later for a variety of reasons. When you sink money into these cars you don't recoup it. Bad for the owner, good for the buyer.
7) Service records are important. An owner claiming a fresh rebuild of the motor or transmission should have records and you should see what was actually done. There is a big difference between a valve job and a complete rebuild.
8) There are upgrades to look for on the SCs and Carreras. On the SCs there's the upgraded chain tensioners, pop off valve and on the 78/79s the oil sump screen update is important.
9) Everything is expensive so spending a couple extra thousand upfront will save you in the long run. A cracked dash ($800), worn carpets ($500), faded/dented/scratched paint ($5000?), tires ($500), shocks ($400), etc. and other costmetic or maintenance items can add up quick. These cars are getting old and many need lots of work that you can't see upon first glance.
10) Realize that even with a PPI things can go south after you buy the car. Those head studs on the SC could snap at anytime and on the carrera well who knows when the valve guides would be ready. You almost have to assume that you'll be dropping the motor at some point. Everybody doesn't at some point, so don't worry too much. It would nice to find a car with these documented repairs done recently.
11) In my view modified or tweaked cars are worth more. If you buy a stock car at some point their may be an urge to upgrade the shocks, sway bars, wheels/tires, SSI exhaust, torsion bars, seats, roll bar, harness, the list goes on. If this stuff has been done already, bonus for you.
12) If you are still reading, start looking for prospects.
13) Be patient and have each car that interests you checked out by someone that knows these cars.
14) Don't fall in love at first sight. Hard not to do and I've done this before myself. Be cautious, there are many porsches for sale these days, so you have your choice.
15) Take your time to find a good one.
16) You said that this would be a daily driver. Check into the heating and A/C components carefully. Lots of expensive items there too.

But, on the other hand, 911s are a pure joy to drive.

Thanks. Your number 10, everybody does or does not do this?

[chuckw951]

I meant to say "everybody does this at some point" and I was exaggerating a bit. Though if you do a search for "engine drop" you'll find that many have to drop the engine for one reason or another. Not a major task and I think the group in NOVA has it down to a science!

[raceman]

the Porsche SC is one of the most reliable cars ever made,totally stock examples routinely accumulate 2-300,00 miles withought major work.As for the breaking head studs,that was a problem the 2.7 motor had,not the 3.0. l understand that 3.2 premature valve guide wear usually shows up early on before 50-k miles if it`s going to,that`s according to B.Anderson anyways...l bought my 3.2 showing 60 k-miles and it now has almost 100-k,put on over the past 8 years.All the money l`ve spent on it has been for upgrades,other then normal maintainence it hasn`t needed anything,nothing has ever failed or broke

[bigrubberjeep]

Originally posted by mm35
.

Is flying around the country to do inspections and test drives a bit extreme? Are there buyers out there who just stayed local and waited for what they wanted?

All depends where you live. Fill out your profile and maybe some of us that may be local to you cna help