Yes, it is imprudent to jump into something rashly.
I approve of your deliberative nature, but was merely noting this process may take several months.

I would not assume prices (of anything) only go in one direction.

What exactly do you want?
One the one hand, you have advanced mechanical skills.
On the other, you need a reliable primary car.
If money was no object, would you actually want a car that needs some sorting or would you prefer a finished car?

I do think you should revisit the idea of your self-imposed $25k ceiling.
If you buy a more expensive car, you will just sell a more expensive car at a later date.

Driving a car home is a great and memorable experience. It was a blast to pick up my car 1400 miles from home and bond with her for that trip. If the PPI is good, these cars are normally very reliable...of course they can break down like any car but mine hasn't left me stranded at any time. Too good an opportunity to miss. Cheers

Having not driven one, I too recommend driving a few 911's. Not to discourage you, but you may consider a Boxster or Miata. Having both as well as a 911, I find I often take the Boxster. This time of year the cold air is nice and it has the same sound as my SC and is quicker. And a very nice Boxster or Miata can be had for way less than $25k.

Not sure what shape your Fiat is in, but you may consider holding onto it or the Honda. For $9k you're not going to replace the Honda with a 50k mile car if you want it back. If it were me and I wanted to stay with only two or three cars, I'd consider other options than an air cooled 911. Cheap 996 models would be high on my list.

The advice to drive one, or several, is obviously good and I've identified two or three that are local-ish that I can go check out. Now, since I am perfectly capable of evaluating a car but have never driven a 911 at all, let alone evaluated one as a potential used car purchase, what should I pay particular attention to dynamically that may not be obvious to me?

I understand the suggestions of a 996, Boxster, or Miata (especially the Miata), but if I get anything additional to what I have, it is going to be a 74-89 911 or nothing. If I didn't have the Fiat I might get a Miata if I didn't mind going back to three cars. If I don't get a 911, I'll replace the Honda with something like a Mk V GTI, B6 Audi Avant, or 2003-2008 Mazda 3 or 6 hatchback. As for the low mileage, sometimes you get lucky - last weekend I drove a pristine 2008 Mazda 3 with 35k miles and a $8k ask. My emotional attachment to my Sentra SE-R is such that I won't get rid of it for anything! And dang, is it fun to drive :)

Otter74, unlike others that seem to be almost trying to put you off purchasing a 911 I will encourage you to go with the type that most ticks your boxes. I think that stylistically there is a massive difference between the different cars over time. You seem to be a car enthusiast possibly driven by the heart - same as me.

First and foremost for me is the car has to look right, it has to get my heart racing before I have turned the key. It has to fulfil childhood dreams (those ones that never truly die).

You can use your head to try to ensure you don't buy a lemon. If all that matters to you is that it has a 911 badge on it then I would go for a newer SC that is the best you can afford. Mechanicals and Bodywork rule over Interior here.

For your budget I cannot see a longhood being viable as the only ones that you could purchase would be projects or need a reasonable amount of work before they were roadworthy. Therefore your choice is probably between the 2.7s and the SCs. If it were me I would choose an early car that drives well and is honestly described.

You can sometimes go by the person selling a car - what they know, what they can tell you about the car, how passionate they are. It is difficult to be objective when you are faced with an example of your dream car.

I bought mine without an inspection and I have never looked back. I knew it wasn't perfect but I wouldn't have been able to afford it if it was a really good example. It had been converted LHD to RHD and had certain parts missing (like interior lights and knob off the seat adjuster) but nothing that meant that I couldn't drive and enjoy the car.

I have had 1 breakdown in 2 years and that turned out to be an adjustment required by the garage after they had done some minor work incorrectly. I have done quite a lot of the work on my car myself. I haven't needed any major work completed and the car has its service every 6 months with its warrant (I want the garage to service and warrant the car so they can let me know what may be needed in the near future).

I absolutely love having the car - I sometimes wonder into the garage just to look at the car. It is a decision that you will never regret. The only thing you need to decide upon is which 911 is for you. I wanted a Targa - I love having the roof down and a Targa is a very practical proposition.

You will probably have a great deal more cars available to you being in America. I eventually found my car less than a mile away from me. It was fate. I had seen the car parked nearby previously - they are a real rarity - and I fell in love with it on the spot. A few weeks later I saw it was for sale.....

Anyway, I am rambling. The point is that you obviously want a 911 - is $25,000 enough? I can't say for sure. You are mechanically minded so you should be able to rectify faults that might make a cheaper car a viable proposition. Maybe someone is selling a car that is mechanically sorted but they haven't got round to doing the interior so the car is cheaper and in your price bracket.

The best of luck to you.

Cheers, Neil

Neilnaz,

You've got it. Every time I see an old 911 I either perk up and smile or pause and sigh. Yesterday after work I saw what appeared to be a '74 Carrera RS - that sure got my attention! Maybe it was a tribute, but who cares? The sound! Etc. very unusual to see that in the city. My heart speaks but my head leads....

Locally I've found a very nice looking SC, a very nice Carrera that is over budget but worth driving anyway, and an interesting looking 76 S In gold with a beige cloth interior and an engine rebuild - also over budget but worth checking out, I think.

wow.

long time lurker, hello everyone.

i had to chime in, as i'm in a very similar situation, albeit in CA where there are a lot of cars to look at.

my motivations and sensibilities are very similar to yours. it's nice to see such a RATIONAL discussion about the market and trying to pin down a good car. mostly stuff i've already cosidered, but some excellent fodder nonetheless.

best of luck, curious to see where you end up....

Targas are wonderful but 90% of them leak. New seals and a few hours of adjustment is still not a guarantee. Please do not start another gawd foresaken coupes are better than yo mama thread. I would avoid one unless it is a sunny day only car. Many frustrated targa owners including myself will back me.

And for the record, and I am sure others will back me, no matter how beautiful the sand beige wide body is I am sick of seeing it every 4 posts. Gawd have mercy!

I'm in the midst of getting my targa sealed and it's not been easy. Seals, new top, adjustments on window glass, I'm still not there.

But when the top is off....ohhhhhh yeeeeaaaahhh

I'm willing to live with a certain amount of this for the top-off qualities!

I found a good-seeming local car, an SC, whose owner I spoke to today. I was the first person who responded to him who was not a dealer or broker and the only one he responded to (he wants it to go to someone who wants to drive it.) I'm going to go look at it on Saturday.

Otter74

Good luck on your search. Here is my different point of view. As long as you have another way to get to work (i.e. another car or by foot), you can take a little more risk. A lot of people out there will talk you into spending a lot of money. I have about $6500 into my entire purchase of my 1976 911 and various parts). I bought it without an engine or transmission and missing a bunch of gauges. If you are mechanical and patient, you can get something fun and reliable. Since I got the engine in I have driven about 6000 miles and my car only let me down once (where I needed a tow truck...BTW, get AAA, a cell phone).

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/664950-1976-911s-garage-find-road.html

My rec is to go with galvanized. If you get a 2.7 engine, make sure it has had some of the upgrades, especially carrera tensioners as they are quite an expense to do yourself. There are a couple of other upgrades so do some pelican searches. Most of the people who say only get a 3 or 3.2 have never had a 2.7.

If you want to drive more than working on it at first, do the PPI and don't go too high on the mileage. Trust your gut with the seller. If they feel shady walk. While in general good cosmetics follow good mechanicals, if careful, you can find a car that was neglected by someone but picked up by someone who sorted the mechanicals. Cosmetically my car is messy, but mechanically, my car is a solid B now. I have seen a number of cars like this.

If you are open to other P cars, I would recommend a boxster...once I get some space, that is my next move...cheap and prices are at the lowest. If going with 74-85 911, try to get it soon, prices are increasing at a pretty fast pace now.

I still think you should be able to find a pretty good low $20k or sub $20 if you are patient. Regardless whatever you get, you will have to post your selection and your progress.

Good Luck!

NeedSpace,

Great project!

I do indeed want a car that I want to drive more than work on. Of course I like working on my cars, but I don't need another project car :) from my initial searching low 20s seems totally doable for the kind of car I want, though I'm not sure about below 20. Obviously I would be happy with that.

One thing I wonder about 2.7 cars - I hear people say that 74 and 77 are the preferred years, but why? I assume the 74 preference is because they lack thermal reactors. Did all 75s have them, or only CA cars? What makes 77s preferred? I used to think assisted brakes arrived with the SC but I seem to have been wrong, so perhaps that is part of it. Is 77 when better ventilation (with the center dash vents) showed up? Or was the the first year of fully galvanized bodies?

There are other people who know FAR more than I do, but let me tell you what I know, or at least think I know. Between 74 and 77, the laws changed regarding emissions. This caused a bit of funkiness and less than stellar performance which mostly got sorted by 1977. That said, my understanding is that this is a bigger issue for california. Living in NJ I don't have to worry about emissions on a 1976 car, so I don't have to worry about that. Given you aren't in california, I don't think this will be an issue for you. Just rip out the stuff you don't use from the exhaust system. My car is from CA but my engine is from SC so it didn't come with many of those bits.

As for braking, my 1976 doesn't have a brake booster so braking is quite an effort. But it stops well enough for me, I don't sweat it.

Also, pre-1977 cars wiring is a little different, so you have to search for the right wiring diagrams,not a huge deal but something to consider.

Others can chime in but that is my $0.12 (you know, with inflation).

Have you ever thought about posting a "911 Wanted" ad on the Chicago area Craigslist? Here's mine from the Fall of 2013:

Porsche 911 wanted, 1978-89
"Interested in purchasing 911 SC or 911 3.2 Carrera. Prefer coupes, Targas not out of the question, no interest in convertibles. Cars needing suspension, electrical or interior work are welcome, rust or major body damage is a deal killer. Serious buyer with cash. Please use reply link. Thank you!"

What showed up was a 80K mile Weissach. Completely original, driven only 9000 miles in 17 years. The paint has some fading and rock chips, but it's relatively presentable. The seats have some cracking and really need to be redone, but they're not shredded or anything. Otherwise the interior is exceptional. Carrera tensioners were done. The engine had a slight miss, lots of wind noise through the windshield seal, a sloppy shifter and a noisy front wheel bearing.

After I drove it I had a leakdown test done and the head studs checked. I figured if those things were ok that I could handle whatever the miss was about. Head studs intact, leakdown numbers were that of a new engine. So, I pulled the trigger

I repaired a couple of vacuum leaks and replaced the plug wires, which addressed the miss. Installed new motor mounts and replaced the shift bushings. Next week I'll do the windshield seal and wheel bearings. That really addresses everything that's not cosmetic, and the cosmetics are good enough for me.

My point in this post is that there still are deals out there if you are smart, have some wrenching skills and are willing to roll the dice a little. I think I got the last incredible deal on a 911. Paid $12,000. Good luck in your search.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1434063889.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1434063912.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1434063936.jpg

Wow! That is an amazing (!!) deal for a beautiful car. For that kind of money I'd be able to buy a 911 without getting rid of my Honda, though I think deals that big are gone. Good for you, though! I hadn't considered that, but it sounds like a good idea - thanks.

For some unexplainable reason, I really really like that 2 tone interior. And I'm not even a fan of red!

I know what you mean.
I think the red piping on the seats makes it look like a color coordinated package.

Damn, too bad I didn't look at this thread a couple of days ago.
I was in Spokane for 2 nights and could have checked out that '77 for the OP.

Timmy, even if the timing was off, I appreciate the thought!

I am going to look at a car near Chicago tomorrow morning, and I've spoken to the owners of three or four other cars (San Jose, Ontario, Vancouver, Hawaii), enough to help me start refining my search.

It is a coordinated package. I don't mean to hijack the OP's thread, but for those unfamiliar with the Weissach edition 911:
Click here