Buying advice for a friend

[twobone]

A friend of mine is thinking og buying a Porsche. His budget is $13-20,000 USD.

Assuming he wants a 911.....what else of course

What are the best specs he should look for?

I have an 81' SC with a 3.0.

Should he also look for a 3.0 or should he try for a 3.2?

Is his best bang for the buck a Targa like mine or should he search for a coupe?

I don't really see him as having the desire to do a lot of expensive future upgrades and the risks associated with an early car (rust, engine rebuilds, etc.) lead me to recommend he stay away from pre-79 cars.


So...what do you recommend?

Mike

[MetricWrenches]

It all depends in what you find out there my man. I'd rather have a well cared for '72 than an abused '89. Just make sure he doesn't buy somebody elses problems.

[ssscarrera87]

In that price range closer to twenty you should look for a 3.2 carrera 85-87
you get the more desirable transmission with an 87 also it seems that the coupes are more wanted now,but you should still get a better price then a Targa.
Sean

[nostatic]

he should decide between coupe, targa, or cab. Then he should leave $2-3K for after purchase fixes. So that will determine the upper amount for his purchase price. A PPI (pre purchase inspection) is pretty much mandatory.

At this point, all of these cars are all about condition. You can find '79s in much better shape than 89s...so no generalizations apply. Each iteration has its own "issues".

That being said, '87-89 cars tend to be a bit more desirable becuase of the G50 transmission and hydraulic clutch. Some find that a big draw, others less so.

You and your friend should do some research on the various incarnations of the breed. Searching here on words like "buying" "ppi" will give you a ton of info. The short story is:

65-73 - "long nose". Desirable (although 65-68 is short wheelbase), but hard to find rust-free examples, and they are getting more and more expensive.

74-77 - middle years. 2.7 engine is infamous, but many of them have been well sorted by now. Full galvanaizing started in '76, so it is easier to find ones that aren't rust buckets.

78-83 - 911SC. The finest car ever made. 79 in particular. Well, actually very solid cars. A few things to look out for (tensioners, head studs), but great rides.

84-89 - 3.2 Carreras. Another great car, with a few possible issues (valve guides, rod bolts).

Condition, condition, condition.

[masraum]

Best bang for the buck is an '87-'89. He should be able to get a great one for $20k. It'll have the best AC of the bunch, the best tranny, thicker torsions and sways, more likely to have Fuchs, maintenance free fuel injection and ignition. and basically a troubleproof car. He'll be getting a car that is better for fun driving, cruising in comfort, fun back roads stuff.

Or if he's likely to go the track junkie route then hook him up with an early SC that's in good shape, he'll save a ton of coin compared to the late '80's car, but have something lighter and have money left over for mods. He'll also be getting a lighter car with fewer options

[anthony]

To me the SC is the best bang for the buck but as said previously, it's all about condition. The later Carerras are definitely nice with the G50 tranny but a comparable condition SC sells for $8-10K less. Quite frequently I see people asking $25K for low mileage superior condition late Carerras. I have no idea though if they are getting that kind of money for them. He could get a really nice Carerra2/4 for that much.

I'd actually encourage him to set aside $5K of his budget for the future. Most cars will need tires, shocks, a full service, and this and that. That's easily $2-3K right there. If he's got an extra $2-3K in the bank to play with it will be a lot more fun and he won't feel like the car is costing him an arm and a leg.

It would also be worth it to pay a little extra for a car that has been gone through recently - if someone has done tires, shocks, torsion/sway bar upgrades, full service, etc. then that's worth several thousand dollars.