help/opinions please - should I sell off my old cars and buy one newer one?

[haycait911]

a buddy stopped by with his ( new ) 2004 carrera anniversary edition. I must admit a bit of envy. it got me thinking ...again. should I sell my old cars/parts and buy one very nice newer car?

currently on the table.

-'67 912 webered 3.0/915 conversion, fiberglass bits, no rust, rebuilt suspension and brakes, very, very quick. needs nothing.

-'71 Targa 2.7 RS spec with carbs. cleanest longnose I've ever seen. strong motor, have the top and bits to make a cab. needs a cab conversion.

-'73 911T sunroof coupe. currently red, factory color is conda green. numbers matching engine converted to 'E' spec with MFI, needs rear seat pans, engine needs assembling and installation. repaint to green.

- assorted longnose parts, piles of mfi stuff, etc.

I figure I could sell the works for $40k or so. should I do this and buy the best/newest 911 I can? some points:

- I am a bit of a 'tinkerer'
- nearest competent service for a newer car is 300 miles away.
- the stuff I have now will only appreciate, a newer car is headed the other way.
- I like the older cars
- old cars take up a LOT of time.

any help opinions, please? I'm a little lost right now. FWIW I would lean toward buying the nicest/best pre- 1990 turbo I could find. Don.

[Dueller]

Sell two, keep the favorite. Buy mid-90's at the bottom of the depreciation curve...it'll be new/modern/comfortable/"cheap" enough and you can still tinker/work on it. Second a water pump or radiator craps you won't be happy with a much later model.

[LWJ]

Haycait911,

Dude, walk away from the pipe! I have seen some posts on your 67 and it is a KILLER ride. You car(s) have soul. No so with a water pumper. Just my opinion but I have to say that I have serious car envy over your 67.

Larry

[haycait911]

Jim - that's a good option I hadn't considered. keep the '67 and ditch the rest.

Larry - thanks for the comments. every time I come back from a drive my face hurts from grinning. also, I've now got all the bits to build a 3.2 stroker MFI engine for it over the winter.

[Scooter]

No!!!

[Deadeye]

I think Dueller is onto something. A 993 will satisfy your "new" envy and your '67 will continue to appreciate and be a source of pride you can't duplicate.

[Matt Monson]

Why would you sell everything to get $40K when a reasonable condition 996 C2 can be picked up for $20-25K? As some others have said, sell 1 car and buy yourself something else.

If it was me, I would finish the engine on the '73, and get the car running. That car should bring you close to $20k. If you sell off a bunch of other bits and pieces you can get yourself into a 996.

[Zeke]

Some cars are going down in value and some aren't.

[Macroni]

$40k......... a little light for a GT3.... the only car for a man like you

I bought a new Cayman S in 2006. It was a fantastic car--great handler, tons of power, beautiful, amazing brakes. No soul.

I sold it and bought a 1988 3.2 Carrera, after regretting selling one earlier.

There will always be new cars. They quit making old ones.

I bought a new Cayman S in 2006. It was a fantastic car--great handler, tons of power, beautiful, amazing brakes. No soul.

I sold it and bought a 1988 3.2 Carrera, after regretting selling one earlier.

There will always be new cars. They quit making old ones.

[Paul K]

+1 to those who say buy a 993.

Go drive one- you'll soon see what all the fuss is about!

[Matt Monson]

Oh, and just for the record, I would definitely rather own a 993 than a 996. However to get a 993 I think he's gonna have to sell 2 of his 3 longnoses. If I had his current collection in my garage I don't think I could sell 2 of those cars, so I would instead settle for a 996.

[Hodgey]

My Good Man.....the answer is obvious to this English person......keep them all, get the best bank loan you can and buy the newest one you want......the others are paid for right ???.....

You have a selection I covet and aspire to......

Neil

[haycait911]

thanks for all the input!

at this point my plan seems to be:

- assemble and install the engine for the '73, repaint the car, and sell it. ( don't really need two longnose coupes, and with the '67 sitting there, I'll probably never drive the '73 with half the horsepower).

- build my 3.2 stroker MFI engine ( have the bits on-hand ).

- put the 3.2 in my '67, sell the 3.0 currently in the '67.

- keep the targa, cut off the hoop for a summer roadster, do the cab conversion this winter.

- sell off all the bits I don't need.

- that should give me about $30K. which gets me a nice late 80's turbo or a 993.

this gives me a hot rod coupe, a ragtop, and a modern driver car.

waddya think?

nice thing is I don't need to decide anything for at least a few months, until the '73 is done, but this seems a reasonable approach.

[Dueller]

To paraphrase Pogo:

"You are faced with insurmountable opportunities."

[Canuck_Targa]

Cut the roof off the 66 or the 73 to make your ragtop speedster, what did that Targa ever do to you. It is disappointing to see even a targa owner dissing the mighty Targa. Sawzalls are for making a convertable out of a 76 Pontiac, not a 911.

[nesslar]

Quote: "It is disappointing to see even a targa owner dissing the mighty Targa."
Yep.

[haycait911]

I understand the ' save the targas' side of things. I do understand that any longnose car is worth keeping stock in it's own right. but, for me, I would like a cab. FWIW I'm a bodyman by trade. I can easily weld the hoop back on and convert it back to a targa. it's about like changing a bumper as far as I'm concerned.

[Canuck_Targa]

I could weld up the doors and the firewalls, throw a 10 hp merc on the back and make it a 911 a fishing boat, but that doesn't make it right. If I want a fishing boat, I buy a fishing boat.
Now not only do the Targa owners have to stand on their soap boxes to convince Coupe owners of the perfect mix of open air and full roof motoring, we now have our own owners drinking the Coolaid.

***** say 'NO' to targas!, please people, let's just admit they were a mistake and move on. *****

Although this statement cuts deep!
But that's OK, Targa owners shoulders are big, we can carry the load (must be from removing the conveniently removable top for perfect summer driving).