lifetime decision?

expat · 12-25-2001, 08:41 PM

I'd like your thoughts...

Six months ago I bought my 1987 911 Cab. The price seemed about the same for models being sold in the previous 8 months before my purchase and also since this time.

In many ways, my purchase was impulsive but strongly supported by my wife. I felt after many years of owning family cars of lower price range, it was time I had a toy that I could be proud of.

So now here's my thinking after six months of ownership.

I want (deserve) a 911. BUT I like the look of the turbo bodied cars and am starting to think the coupes have a nicer line and more practical for the insanely humid weather in Hong Kong that requires air conditioning 9 months of the year. I like the sound of the engine that can only be appreciated properly with a cab.. Open air driving is a blast but maybe a novelty (then again it is a toy- don't take that the wrong way, I do love the 911)

Current 911 has these problems
-needs new front fender (rust)
-needs rust cutting in several small places (rust is never small)
-needs new roof and seals (leaking badly during heavy rain)
-carpets are in need of replacement (been waterlogged before)
-airconditioner is aftermarket and is useless except in winter!
-whole car has been repainted at some stage (poorly)
-original speakers are useless (torn)
-seats are original but needs recoloring

On the positive
-body is straight (no dings)
-engine is strong and low mileage
-everything is pretty much stock except for head unit on stereo
-has potential to be a project car

So many possibilities come to mind and I'd like the people I trust here to give me their thoughts on what they would do eg

Sell and upgrade
Commence a project
Keep car but perform some cosmetic upgrades

Keep in mind that in Hong Kong
-parts are not easy to come by
-I have undercover garage space but working space is limited to a few feet either side
-there are not many of these cars in HK any longer most are exported to Australia (maybe one comes up for sale each month)
-I have a mechanic friend (own business) who can help with pretty much anything and owns a turbo 88 therefore has some personal interest.
-I have had experience in my youth building engines for racing and general mechanical work although I am no where near the level of most on this board

Without being stupid, money is not a consideration at this point as that causes too many personal variables. For example how long I intend to keep the car, when the money is available etc.. However I do not want to waste money, it should not be a money pit that sucks up 3x the value of the car that would be illogical IMO.

So..........give me your thoughts....what would you do?

pjv911 · pjv911's Garage

I would do a inexpensive quick restoration on the car. The only reason I say this is because of the lack of available 911`s for sale.If you invest $3000 -$4000.00 into the car and you are proud of it than that might suit you fine. I would however start looking for a replacement 911 as soon as the rust first starts to return.

Bill Douglas · 12-25-2001, 11:10 PM

Expat, how come there are so few cars in Hong Kong and most of them are taxis. Is your vechile rego/licensing really expensive or something?

expat · 12-26-2001, 12:17 AM

pjv911 - thanks, that's the kinda way I'm leaning

Bill - I'm no expert but I think there are few reasons

- Cars are big time status - New Porsche, BMW and Mercedes are everywhere so old ones are very often shipped overseas especially Australia (not withstanding current economic situation which doesn't make it such a great deal)

- generally locals don't EVER service cars unless there's a breakdown. So most secondhand cars are crappy. Mind you the Rice boys definitely look after their cars - its there lives. They participate in a lot of illegal racing for money. Some guys down the road from me got busted the other day for possession of 130 stolen cars they had stripped for racing, they got caught while racing!

- car rego is (for my 3.2ltr) HK$5500 (US$700)per year and comprehensive insurance for same is HK$6500 (US$800). Fuel is HK$10.50ltr (US$1.30). Yep I think its expensive!

- most local Chinese live in apartments where there is little or no parking so taxis are very cheap and convenient. Most who own cars pay for parking on top of rent which is around HK$4000 per month (car parking that is).

- parking anywhere is a nightmare so taxis are definitely the way to go.

I live out of the city (HK proper) in an area called the New Territories which isn't far from the China border. Here there is lots more parking and more open roadways therefore more people own cars here.

Cheers
Mark

Milu · 12-26-2001, 03:32 AM

My opinion, for what it's worth, is to fix up your cabriolet.
It is a known quantity. I don't think any 911 air con can work well enough to cope with HK's humidity!

beepbeep · 12-26-2001, 05:32 AM

*cough* ... if you want a coupé beacuse of AC and good ventilation possibilities then it's probably better to keep the cab. Heck, it's better do drive any other car ... 911's aren't quite known for their comfort...

Otherwise...do a minor fix-up on the cab, sell it and import a 930 in good condition :-)

Milu · 12-26-2001, 06:32 AM

Have you tried driving with both windows open and your rear screen unzipped when you can't drive with the top down? It was the best compromise I found for very hot clammy days, and lots better than the so called aircon.