3.0 Or 3.2 Car

[ed bates]

I am in the market of purchasing my first 911...A question that arises is, what is a better car, 1978 - 83 or 1984 - 1988. I have read the buyers guide that is posted on this site, but there seems to be pro's and con's with each car. I have about $14,000 to spend and want something that will be fun, fast and reliable......Any input from owners would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance.

Ed

[HarryD]

Originally posted by ed bates
I am in the market of purchasing my first 911...A question that arises is, what is a better car, 1978 - 83 or 1984 - 1988. I have read the buyers guide that is posted on this site, but there seems to be pro's and con's with each car. I have about $14,000 to spend and want something that will be fun, fast and reliable......Any input from owners would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance.

Ed

Forget about them luxo 911's get a "real" one that was made before 1974!

All joking aside, they are all nice cars. Drive a few and decide for your self. Be sure you keep a $2-3,000 in the bank for upgrades and unexpected repairs.

[Scooter]

Just buy the best 911 you can afford. If the car is in good shape and you like it, you will be happy with either one. If you are looking for something specific (i.e., cable vs. hydraulic clutch), then my answer may change.

[Eric Mckenna]

What.. Luxo! .. 'll put money on the fact my 78SC is more RAW than your 73.5 Harry.. haahah wnna place some cash on it.. huh wanna bet?


no,, no get a 78-79 SC

[HarryD]

Originally posted by Eric Mckenna
What.. Luxo! .. 'll put money on the fact my 78SC is more RAW than your 73.5 Harry.. haahah wnna place some cash on it.. huh wanna bet?


no,, no get a 78-79 SC

No not really. My Gruppe W(impy) car is just not up to the task.

[GrindingGears]

Spend $10-12 on a well sorted SC (3.0), save the rest for what will soon follow.

[Randy Webb]

The 3.2 has a much better FI system than the CIS on the 3L.
But the cars are heavier than the 3L.

The advice re finding the best car -- documented is very sound.

[Eric Mckenna]

Originally posted by HarryD
No not really. My Gruppe W(impy) car is just not up to the task.

hahahahahah! .. fair enough harry.... I hope she gets better soon..

I still say go with a good war tested SC...

[HarryD]

Originally posted by GrindingGears
Spend $10-12 on a well sorted SC (3.0), save the rest for what will soon follow.

Once again proving my theory that all Porsches cost at least $20,000 (pay me now or pay me later).

[djmcmath]

With $14K to spend, you'd probably be best off with an SC. Beautiful cars, quick like greased lightning, and even pretty reliable still. As mentioned above, keep a couple $K in reserve, 'coz the week after you buy that dream car, you'll find a bunch of stuff that didn't come up on the PPI, or things that you want to change, or whatever.

Of course, it pains me to have another fine individual join the ranks of the SCWDP, but I suppose that's par for the course.


Dan


PS -- as to PPI's -- have one done, period. I'd also recommend getting a good book on the subject. I used the "911 Buyer's Guide," and found stuff out about cars that saved me from wasting money on a PPI.

[HarryD]

Originally posted by Eric Mckenna
hahahahahah! .. fair enough harry.... I hope she gets better soon..

I still say go with a good war tested SC...

Sure, whatever.....

Say Eric, I see you are in Fairborn,OH. Is Doc Wager's place still there? That is where I bought my Spitfire many moons ago. Brings back happy memories of a less carefree time.

[yelcab1]

if you look hard, you'll get a clapped out 3.2L with 200K miles. Or, you can get a decentlyclean 3.0L.

The CIS is more a pain than the MFI, but they are both DIY doable.

[Eric Mckenna]

Originally posted by HarryD
Sure, whatever.....

Say Eric, I see you are in Fairborn,OH. Is Doc Wager's place still there? That is where I bought my Spitfire many moons ago. Brings back happy memories of a less carefree time.

hey, what street was he on ?

[HarryD]

Originally posted by Eric Mckenna
hey, what street was he on ?

Eric,

It was a long time ago and I just can't remember. When I was there (in 1979), he had an Austin-Healy sign on a post and a never driven TR-6 (with Hardtop) in the one car show room. I think he was selling Subbies also.

[Gordo2]

Wish there was a way to hide my identity, the SC crew will flame me for this one.

If I had to do it again, I would have looked harder at 3.2's. I'm thinking engine rebuild in the next couple of years with the intent to give a major boost in power. Saying goes "no replacement for displacement"... Would like to get up to a 3.4 but it would require 3.2 crank to upgrade. Would like to get to EFI. Mod starting with 3.2 injection system is fairly standard using the existing manifold. Mod for CIS normally results in dumping the entire system.

Don't get me wrong. The 3.0 is awesome. I can't imagine an easier engine to work on and more reliable, but in stock form it's a little shy for brute power. That's not to say the stock 3.2 is a brute, but the upgrades to increase power significantly seems to be a little less involved and less expensive than the 3.0.

Bottom line, buy the best car you can for the money and don't worry about if it is a Carrera or SC.

Good luck,

Gordo

[mwbaum]

Its a cliche by now...but buy the very best car condition-wise for the money. I Love my Carrera...especially now that its Steve-Wong chipped ...., but if I was on a limited budget and found a perfect SC vs a worn Carrera, I'd get the SC for sure, and update the tensioners etc....

[Randy Webb]

Let me return to what a previous poster said -- why not get an early car? For me there are two models of 911 to get -- the early cars or the 993. Everything else is in between - a compromise between the sports car (early 911) and the GT (993).

[Pettybird]

I'd recommend the SC, too--

do a cursory search of traderonline or ebay, and you'll see what a 14,000 Carrera looks like. Either it's broken or beat down. Obviously, a large amount of patience can yield just about anything, but you'll be plenty happy with an SC.

For $14 grand you'll be able to find one with all the problems fixed, too. My car was $9k with cosmetic and normal age-related problems, and the tensioners/clutch/popoff/81-up airbox were done. It came with a list of things to do, and it's been about $1500 (in parts!) long so far, but it's what I wanted, and I can chip away at it. For that money, I bought new tires, brake pads, Billsteins, turbo tie rods, turbo lowers, gaskets, bushings, clutch cables/pedal cluster rebuild, oil seals, filters, magnecor wires, and all the little wear parts. There's always something that can be fixed, some little problem that can be attended to, no matter how much you pay- you're still looking at a 20 year old car.

Despite the horror stories, they're fairly easy cars to work on, too. You can shake your head and wring your hands about the quirky procedures, but then you cave in to German ways and stuff just about falls apart in your lap. I'm not saying everything's easy (i'm a big guy and the pedal cluster is way, way down there), but there's an underlying logic. Or madness-- don't remember.

Still need that op-art fabric to finish it, though...


Good luck!
Doug

[Randy Webb]

Just to make sure this thread stays complicated....

How about a really xlnt '74 -- if you can find one. You get the lightest of the bumper cars (if you want the bumper look), and the prices are very low. Just be sure that all the upgrades have been done to the 2.&L engine -- or buy my engine!

[aigel]

I think I'd get an SC if shopping in that price range. I have friends with Carreras, and those cars sure are not much different from mine, including performance. There are some pros and cons for both models. I agree with everyone else to get the BEST 911 you can find, not the newest in model year, as it is often stated too. Of course, all other things being equal, I'd go with the Carrera (mainly for the motronic).

G