Should I buy a 911 for regular use?

ujeni77 · 04-19-2002, 08:08 AM

Hello everyone,

I am thinking about getting another car for my wife and I...and would love to have an older 911...say between 1973 and 1983.

My question is this:

Is it possible to find a 911 under 11k that is reliable enough to drive everyday and not need a zillion bucks in repairs and the sort? If so, what model/year and what should i look for as far as potential problems? If not, do you have a suggestion for me? I am a minor mechanic (i have a 74 beetle that I drive everyday) and can handle at least some repairs myself. I realize that this is a big question

Thanx for your input.

Superman · 04-19-2002, 08:27 AM

There are no 20+ year-old cars that will be reliably repair-free. I bought my '83 SC for $13.5K. At that price I should have gotten one with no head stud problems but I was (and still am) an idiot and I did not get a PPI. Therefore, this year I rebuilt the engine.

Each of the roughly two years I have owned the car I have put about $2000 into parts. This is causing the car's effective age to decrease, and that is my goal.

IF you shop carefully, intelligently and patiently, you can find a good 911 for $11K. You may still have to put a few hundred dollars in repair parts into it every year or two. And there is that chance that you could buy one for $9K that needs nothing for a half-dozen years.

I suppose the most important single factor is the Pre-Purchase Inspection.

pbs911 · pbs911's Garage

I purchased my 78SC three years ago. The entire drive train had been rebuilt. The car has 185,000 miles and I drive the car every day as my daily driver. This includes frequent trips in stop and go traffic from Orange County to Los Angeles, Victorville and San Bernadino. Aside from general maintenance, the car has been more reliable than any other car I have ever owed, included the Japanese imports.

Whether you want to dump money into the cart is up to you. Find a clean example and drive it with regular maintance and you should have a reliable car for every day driving. If you read this board you would probably think these cars are always broken down. In fact, most of the threads are self induced projects to make a great car even better. This is the downfall. TWhile these cars are great, the Porsche will have you wanting to try and improve the facotry handleing and power. This gets expensive.

For a DIY'er, these older cars are very friendly.

car911 · 04-19-2002, 10:48 AM

You should be prepared to treat your SC as a 'hobby' car. As per other postings, they are wonderful cars but old and at the high end of the maintenance cycle. You need to adjust your expectations accordingly.

All my Porsches have been highly reliable daily drivers. But costly in either time or money to maintain to that level. They are definitely not a 'drive and forget' type of vehicle.

Don Plumley · Don Plumley's Garage

In terms of narrowing down your quest, find a copy of "The Used 911 Story" by Zimmerman. It's a good source of the common maladies known to the various model years of production. This board is also a phenominal resource - particularly the search function when you have a specific question.

To paraphrase Superdude and Car911, it's a rare 20+ year old cars that runs like a 2 year old car - stuff is wearing out. However, the success of Paul and others using their SC's and older cars as daily drivers means that with the right car, and the right preventative maintenance (which it sounds like you can handle) your goal is achievable.

"The right car" is a key part of that statement. Beyond a PPI, having some idea about the car's history and treatment will be a large factor. I'd rather have a 150K mile car with all records and evidence of a caring, conscientious PO than a 60K car that was "ridden hard and put down wet." Or if you are lucky like Paul (and me to an extent), the PO just put in all kinds of money to rebuild the motor and drivetrain, only to sell it a few months/years later with no real return on that expense.

I'm guessing that as the owner/operator of a '74 Beetle, you'd feel right at home in a Pcar - particularly in terms of HVAC.

And the knobs will feel familiar too.

Good Luck!

Don

ginpunk · ginpunk's Garage

Hell yes buy one!

If you are a DIY'er like all the folks on this board and know how to get oil out from under your fingernails come Monday, then you will love ownership and never look back.

marcesq · marcesq's Garage

Don't even hesitate (after PPI, of course). They are cheaper than a new Honda, and a heck of alot easier to work on.

Just remember . . . I don't need no stinkin garage queen.

tight as a bull's ass · tight as a bull's ass's Garage

yeah go for the SC!

drive it whenever you can - dont let it sit.

bottom line, you're getting a classy car with power, performance, exotic styling and after all, there is no substitute

BlueSkyJaunte · 04-19-2002, 07:55 PM

I bought an '81 SC in Jan 2000. Put 23k miles on it since then as my daily driver (no long trips in it yet). It has 130k on it now.

So far I've done only routine maintenance, a tranny rebuild, and a clutch replacement. The clutch had 90k miles on it when it was replaced.

That, and the occasional shot of freon to keep the A/C producing at least lukewarm air.

911s can certainly be daily drivers, but you need to budget for maintenance. It's less than a payment on a loan, though!

ChrisL · 04-20-2002, 02:05 AM

Just don't ever think that the air conditioning will be acceptable when the temp and humidity is up there. If you're using it to commute, leave early in the morning when the windows-down drive is very refreshing. After the drive home the 'pit stains on your shirt won't matter.

Go for it.

Chris.

Hladun · 04-20-2002, 06:47 AM

There seem to be two kinds of older Porsches. The first are the ones that guys modify (wreck) or race (trash), but then there are the low mileage, pampered garage queens. Get one of the later and you've got a really good car. Remember it's a 25 year old car so you will need to spend some money on it. How much? Largely depends on the drive train condition. Knowledgeable pre-purchase inspection is a must. I have a 78SC that I drive every day, summer and winter in Calgary, Alberta. Once you've cleaned it up, the 911 is an extremely reliable car. As with any car, abuse (race or modify) it and you're costs will skyrocket!

Sean Hamilton · Sean Hamilton's Garage

I bought mine as a daily driver. I am the 3rd owner. What attracted me to it was its 3.0 litre bullet proof engine and its impeccable service history. I haven't seen anything else of the same 22 year vintage that I'd feel secure with as a daily driver, let alone the prestige and character (soul) of a Porsche. Like my German Shepard - regular TLC and attention when she needs it and I am rewarded ten fold. Sure, there were (are) a few issues that I'll get the "Vet" to do, sometime or that I can mostly tinker with myself - and that's half the fun, the other half is driving it.

Formerly Steve Wilkinson · 04-20-2002, 09:26 AM

Owning an '83 SC, I'd love to be able to say they're as reliable as the day is long, but frankly, it's a 19-year-old car even though I just totally ground-up rebuilt it. When I choose to drive it the 120-mile round trip to Newark Airport, say, I make sure I do it for trips where the world won't end if I don't make it. If it's a super-important trip, I take the year-old Audi A4. On my last trip, a week ago, the oil-pressure warning light came on, had to stop at a Jersey Turnpike rest area and confirm that there wasn't something awful going on (sensor problem, I concluded), and that's the sort of thing that happens. I happen to consider it fun, a bit of a challenge, but for sheer reliabity, my wife and I have a couple of other cars.

Daily driver? Sure, if you have moderate-distance trips under relatively easy conditions and it's no big deal if occasionally you don't make it.

Stephan

masraum · 04-20-2002, 01:35 PM

hmm, '78-'80 bulletproof, reliable, less expensive than '80-'83. I drive my '88 everyday, very little problems. It's an old car, you'll have to fix things from time to time, get one that's been well cared for/comes with receipts/records, get a PPI. The AC won't be great if you live in a HOT area. It'll be more fun than you can shake a stick at. It is a Porsche parts aren't cheap, but with some ingenuity and work you can minimize expense. For example, When a fan motor breaks that sells for $200 many people will rebuild them or engineer another motor to work for $50 or less.

Take the plunge, you'll love it. You do only live once, or, at least, don't remember the fun you had in past lives.

yelcab1 · 04-20-2002, 01:42 PM

I drove my Porsche 84-911 for 3 years as my only car (about 20K miles a year, minimum) and it wore out so quick I stopped. Three first gears, clutch, transmisison housing (all in separate incidents) tires, shocks, clutch cables, CV joints, and overall wear and tear on the paint, the carpet, etc. It cost $3000 in parts a year or more to keep it up, and then you end up with an old car.

My experience is to drive it every week, but only as a second car. That will make it last a long time. I have never seen a Porsche that can be a carefree everyday car as reliable as my wife's Lexus, or my 98 BMW M3. That is my experience.

howie944 · 04-20-2002, 09:19 PM

My 79SC is a daily driver and has been for over 4 years. Sure I've replaced some parts but I take the mindset that most of the parts replaced were at the end of a 22 year life cycle. Replacement parts are of the same quality (thus the price) and will probably outlive me.

makaio · 04-21-2002, 07:59 AM

The only reason I don't drive mine everyday, is I can't fit all my work things in it. It's easier on these cars to drive them, than let them sit.

H20911 · 04-21-2002, 12:39 PM

No! I have to agree with yelcab1, Stephan Wilkinson, and anyone else that leans that way. It is a great second car that you can drive 2-3 times a week but not every day.

Buy a new Toyota if you want a reliable daily driver that is safer and has ICE COLD AIR so you can be comfortable in traffic. Mine now has 370K on the clock.

Depending on the type of people that you are....the quirky stuff will get to you and your wife if it is an everday driver. My wife drives a fully equiped V8 suv but she likes the porsche too. If she was given the choice though, the suv would win out even though the p is more of a driver.

your call

Glasgow 911SC · Glasgow 911SC's Garage

I have driven my SC daily for the past year year and a half and its not let me down once. Its been driven in every type of weather possible (Scotland remember) and copes better than the newer cars I've had in the past. However, I get my servicing done at a n official Porsche dealer, and its not cheap. Either is a car that scrapes 20mpg.

chis · 04-22-2002, 09:29 AM

I am a recent porsche owner and plan on driving my car everyday, however I did end up keeping my other car as well. Very happy I did this becuse I have been working on the P-car almost from day one. Nothing wrong with the car but I have been updating and taking things apart to get better familar with it. Makes it so much easier if you have another car to run that way you don't have to piece everything back together in order to go up down for groceries.