84 Carrera engine durablity

[jlr69s]

Hello to all. Its been a long while since I last posted! I am thinking of taking over my dads 1984 3.2 Carrera Targa with 91,000 miles. If I do take it over it will by MY only car, my wife will still have her 2004 Grand Cherokee Special Ed., though.

I know that as with any Porsche it will have certain needs as it ages but my question is with how long it will "last". I know the 3.0L engines are close to bullet proof, is it the asme for the 3.2? I know from experience with this car that the 915 tranny is suspect sometimes... but on average how many miles, with due care, will these 911's last as daily drivers??

Im just trying to find out if it would be a wise investment for me being only 24 y/o to have have this car as my only vehicle. Thanks in advance to all who reply. -Joey

[Zef]

With proper maintenance....this 911 will do a very one good daily driver...not as tough as the SC...but a good one neither.

[petrolblue83911]

If the car is in good shape yes, it can be a very reliable daily driver. the AC however -unless updated, ain't going to cut it for FL summers...that may be the biggest obstical.

-valve guide wear is the a possible issue with these, but if you have all the records and know the car, it could be a really fun and reasonable daily driver.

[kepperly]

Just tore down my 87 carrera and the only thing it REALLY needed
was a new clutch,pp and t/o bearing, along with the cross shaft update. (which you won't have to contend with having 915 trans).
I checked valves, seals, guides, chains, pistons and juggs, all still good to go. I am replacing most seals, chain ramps and hard to get at sensors along with cleaning but thats it. I have run 20/w50 dyno oil since I got it five years ago w/ 75,000 miles and now it has 89,000.
I have removed the catalyst ( just for testing) so it doesn't have all the extra heat on the left side and run a Steve Wong chip.
Don't rev it over 4,00 rpm until the oil temp is above 180 and thats about it.
Keith Epperly
87 slant nose turbo look carrera cabriolet

[JBO]

I agree if compression and leakdown is good you should get many years of reliable service from the 3.2. However, it's an old car and when it needs something it will be expensive. They tend to eat rear tires. The A/C comment is a good one. Keith - shouldn't you go ahead and do a valve job while you have it apart, since it is not that expensive? You should also consider a cam regrind to 964 specs while you have it apart. I did these things a few years ago when I had a couple broken headstuds, and it was well worth it. At 63k everything else was fine with mine as well.

[kepperly]

TELL ME MORE ABOUT THESE 964 SPEC CAMS???

KEITH EPPERLY
87 SLANT NOSE TURBO LOOK CARRERA CABRIOLET

[kepperly]

OH, FORGOT TO MENTION I'M REPLACEING THE DELVAR LOWER STUDS WITH STEEL ALSO

KEITH EPPERLY
87 SLANT NOSE TURBO LOOK CARRERA CABRIOLET

[dmwallace]

I would second the comment about updating the AC, especially if your Dad's 911 will be your primary car.

On my '89 coupe I replaced the compressor (old one was leaking), the evaporator, evaporator motor (since it is under the evaporator), Pro Cooler, and went with the variable speed Kuel fan control. The previous owner had already replaced the hoses. The air now blows very cold.

Re. the catalytic converter - if you don't have to keep it on for emissions control reasons I believe replacing it with a cat bypass/euro pre-muffler is a good investment which will eliminate the blast-furnace effect you will feel in the summer every time you walk past the left rear wheel well.

Regards,
David.

[Esel Mann]

The Florida heat in the summer is brutal for the '84's A/C. If you are comfortable with that, congratulations, because that is one important hurdle to cross when considering an '84 as a daily driver in Florida.

These cars are built like brick ****-houses. However if you don't budget for repairs accordingly, it will make your daily driver experience less than enjoyable. If you are going to use this vehicle as a daily driver you need to be comfortable with the fact that after 23 years many critical parts on the car are simply going to wear out and will require replacement. 23 years is a long time! For example 23 years is a long time for, but not limited to:

- Seat belts,
- Engine/transmission seals,
- Trim/Exterior body seals,
- Plastics,
- Electric motor bushings,
- Wiring,
- Brake lines

This isn't everything but I think you get the idea. People tend to overlook that it's not just mileage but age which factors highly into the lifespan of a particular component/part. This is not to say that any particular item is about to go on the vehicle you are considering. Perhaps many have already been replaced. However like any vehicle of this vintage, being used as a daily driver, you need to A) budget for repairs accordingly and B) try to be proactive in maintenance rather than reactive whenever possible.

Another thing to keep in mind is the matter of gas mileage. The '84 will get around 20-25 miles/gallon average under normal driving conditions. You mention that your wife's vehicle is one of the Jeep models. Setting aside budgeting for repairs, are you comfortable as well as prepared for when gas goes back up and stays up?

If in the end you decide to go with it as a daily driver, superb, as I love to see older Porches on the central Florida roads besides mine. It's a true testament to the quality and timelessness of the design. However if you decide that it is not the right choice, don't worry, there are plenty available for secondary drivers when the time is right for you!

Carlton

[jlr69s]

Thanks guys. I know for sure that the car has had ALL rutine maintainance since my dad bought it about 6-7 years ago and he said that he would help put some money into it before I got it to help me out a bit, being only 24 I still rely a BIT on his salary

The ~20-25 mpg is a vast improvement from the ~14-17 in my GMC Yukon!!!

I do see things like window seals starting to shrink and radom other rubber/plastic pieces showing the agony of being a Florida car, but all of that will no doubtly be taken care of. Compression is still good across the board.

What is the remedy for valve guide wear? Replace? And how common/serious an issue??

Updating the AC is one of the top things on my list as in some of the more recent days I could possibly bake a nice rack of lamb in the passenger seat, it gets that hot!!! I will ask him about a top end rebuild... if I recall he may have had that done while it was in for other work. But I do know for certain that valve jobs have been done along with the other numerous little things

But other than that I plan to do maybe an exhaust upgrade and keep the rest stock. Thanks again guys for all of the insight!

[samsnead]

These cars have great bulletproof engines. Just be prepared to spend the bucks when it comes time to do any maintanance or repairs.

[Esel Mann]

If I recall, regarding the valve stem wear, someone made the comment along the lines of "...if it was going to happen, it would have happened already...". This was in answer to the very same question on a higher mileage Carrera. I recall you mentioned the vehicle has ~91,000 miles on it. I don't want to convey that your vehicle is high mileage as that isn't for its age (For example I'm at somewhere in the 180,000 miles for the same year car and still tracking). I believe that the majority of valve stem wear occured much sooner than 91,000. For some reason a number around 35,000 rings a bell.

With some of the maintenance you mention I would venture a guess that if valve stem wear did happen it has long since been repaired.

From your reply, it sounds like you are leaning towards pursuing this as a daily driver. Congratulations! Please, please, and one more please, be sure to budget for repairs by setting aside monies each month. There is one thing that absolutely sucks with repect to a Carrera or any other Porsche for that matter. That is a Porsche sitting in a garage because it is broke and there is no money to fix it. To paraphrase Mr. Porsche, his cars were "made to be driven".

[hrscrk]

i just purchased an 84 w/79k miles on it.

first check i wrote was for a bunch of old oil seals that were leaking or about to go. i was 1200 miles from home so didn't want to take a chance on a failure in the middle of s. dakota.

also have been told to budget for head steads which, at this point, are ok. everyone i talk with says they'll go before we get to 200k.

i think the guys who say that preparing to write checks for repairs comes with the purchase of a 20 year old car.

but

and it's a BIG but

that's a small price to pay for the joy of driving one of these beasts.

if you haven't seen the current issue of Excellence, check out the comparison on this car and two others. it'll warm your heart.

enjoy.

[PeterCarrera84]

Hi I am a newbi bought an 84 coupe 3 years ago with 171k and a bit, had been taken care of and mantained well fro CV joints to brakes and more but never opened the engine. I now have 190,700 and drive it on w/e since my work car is a van 6 days a week. take long trips to the carolinas and georgia mnts. couple times a year////have a chip, cone filter and a 2 exit from muffller. I simply love it !! It will use some oil but its normal for theses miles. I don't think the Carrera is a city driver in hot weather !!!. AC in a carrera almost non existant !!! and thats ok I have a sun roof. good luck Peter

[jlr69s]

yeah, its a Targa so if need be I can use natural A/C!

hrscrk: Which issue is it? The last one? My dad has them at home so Ill stop by and grab it.

I know that I will def. need to set money aside for repairs but I have already taken that into consideration.

Thanks again to all!

[hrscrk]

current issue just came last week

i think it's jan and the 20th anniv issue.

comparison was with a boxster and 968

you'll like it

[450knotOffice]

"Slodave" has a 229,000 mile engine in his '84 that's never been opened and his car runs strong - really strong. He has a bad oil leak somewhere but a well known shop out here, TRE, is taking a look at it to see if it's just a gasket or something simple like that.

84porsche is another guys I know personally (I see him all the time and have driven his car). His '84 Targa has well over 200,000 miles on it and it too has never been opened. His is dry as a bone and runs strong and very smooth.

pbflyz is another guy I know out here who has used his '84 as his daily driver for over twelve years. He has a huge amount of mileage (not sure how much though) and his car has been super reliable. It has to be. He's an airline pilot and needs to be at work on time with no excuses. His car delivers.

All of these cars look great, by the way, so it's not just the engines that are lasting well.