Your advice appreciated...

I have a small delema... In your opinions which is the better car to buy as a daily driver?

An 88 Targa with 60000 Miles and enough spare change left over for Engine repares, tires ect ect... or a 92 Targa with 48000 Miles and little spare change left over?

I an leaning towards the 88 Targa simply because its the first Porsche I fell in love with. On the other hand, because it will be a daily driver the 92 might be more reliable and cheaper in the long run.

I live in Germany and will be driving approximatly 15000 miles a year.

Thanks,
-Matt

If I was buying, I would get the 88. I personally like the steel bumpers better than the urethane, and with such low miles on both cars, reliability should be about equal.

All things being equal go with the newest car you can afford, unless there are particular gremlins associated with that particular model year.

Bruce

The '88 is a 911 Carrera, the '92 is a 964, completely different cars. Only two models of 911 are reffered to as "orphans" due to a regress in reliability. These were the early '74-'77 2.7L cars and the 964s. The 964s 3.6L engine is not he same as the 993 and the bain of mechanics everywhere. The resale value of these cars reflects this. Some may dissagree, but unless the 964 you're looking at is an exception the Carrera may be a better choice as a daily driver.

Thanks for all your help. I stopped by my local dealer today and had a talk with the "Meister". He said if the are comperably priced it doesn't matter... but he would personaly prefer the 88 911. Hmmm why would that be I wonder :-)

Since this didn't satisfy me, I called up a college who has owned an 84 911, 92 964 Cab. and now has a 996. He said the same thing as you guys. I quote "Forget the 964... all the ones on the road today with 60000+ miles are falling apart... as mine did". He quoted horror stories such as Galvonic(sp) corrosion between steel oil pipes and the aluminum Cyl. head requiring the head to be replaced.

He recomended a 993 if I can afford it... nice thought but its out of my price range... and the 993 Targa is not a real Targa anyway :-)

I've always wanted a 911 Targa since seeing my first one as a kid back in the early 80's. I currently drive a Z3 2.8 but due to the lease running out I need to replace it with something equally fun that fits withing my budget. (Of course the replacement has to be an "topless" car too *grin) Ergo, its time for a Targa. I am pretty good mechanicaly but I dont have the time to do everything myself so if anything major goes wrong it'll go to the dealer...

Now I ask your opinion again in light of all that... Is a 87 - 89 Targa the right car for me or should I get somthing sensable and save my money for a 993?

Thanks,
Matt

Well - I vote for getting the 87 - 89 Targa now. Driving these cars is such a blast and the 993, while an outstanding car, is a different animal. I don't know if there is a Porsche owners club there in Germany (I can't imagine there isn't) but if so, join and begin taking Drivers Ed. You will learn about REALLY driving your Porsche safely at speed and become a better driver. The conversion to a 993 later will be that much better, with the 993 superior suspension, etc. Go for it now!

Hope you have a garage. Targas leak if you leave them out in the rain.

I'd go with the 88 though - you could add a lot to the car. And the mileage is still quite low.

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Mark Szabo
1986 911 Targa 3.2

.........yes they do........



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Leland Pate

___79 SC Targa

Targas shouldn't leak .
My 78 Sc Targa does not leak at all.
You can adjust your top for fit better and have less wind noise and or your seals are bad

Get a 96+ 993. You can afford it , you just didn't look in the right places yet.., the same problem many Porsche addicts have.
An 87,88 or 89 would be the second choice, but not the 90-93 series.The first year for the variable valve timing was 96. So for the 993 series the choice would be 97.,98.
do some more homework , you'll find that the decision almost makes itself, especially if you're looking at the cars simultaneously.

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Wild Willie 88-911