buying/building advice

[penguin]

I'm looking to buy an older Porsche to take out to the track occasionally (time trials, maybe some wheel to wheel racing) and drive around town (NOT a "daily driver" though). I'm trying to gather up some advice about years, models, options, aftermarket parts, etc. I'd rather buy something relatively cheap and spend time and money fixing it up and making it faster than buy something "finished" right away. factory originality isn't important to me at all.

I've been thinking a '74 2.0 914 might work out best, but I'm concerned that it'll feel underpowered so I'm also thinking about either a 911 or a 914-6.

anybody have any suggestions?

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

All good cars. The four-cylinder may be a bit underpowered, but it is still amazingly fun to drive! I really love walking away from 911s in the corners.... ;^)

The Six is a lot of fun, too, but a heck of a lot more money, both to buy and to work on.

The 911 is... Well, it's a 911! What else can you say about it?

--DD

[John Rogers]

Depending on where you live, such as CA, you have to worry about smog checks if the car is 1974 or newer, so you can't do much to the engine, or you have to switch all mods back every two years! Our road/track car is a 1973 with a 2.5l four, short gears for excellent autocross use, roll cage, no heat, solid mounts, numbers on the side, etc, but it is still licensed and I drive it periodically on the street (it's a blast). It is MUCH cheaper to maintain than our turbo and runs circles around it at an autocross. I'd recommend a 914 if you can find a good one.

[Jim Philpot]

In every installment of Bruce Anderson's market update ("excellence" magazine), he advises buying the newest or the best car you can afford. This is because parts and labor costs easily escalate out of reason when upgrading a "fixer-upper". Even if someone GIVES you a car in need of moderate restoration, you can end up with $7K to $10K, or more, in it by the time you pay someone to do engine, tranny, paint, interior, suspension, wheels/tires, etc.
If you've observed ads on the 'net, in magazines, etc., you know that you can buy some pretty nice cars for that kind of expenditure.

The other side of this coin concerns your ability and desires. If you can handle engine/tranny rebuilds, repaint, interior restoration, and WANT to get involved in all of this, you've got it made! You can "re-construct" a damn nice car really on the cheap if you're not paying someone to do it. If this is your bag, buy as rustfree a car as you can find, hit all the swapmeets, get your hands dirty, and enjoy.

Having no experience in racing and auto-x, I can't offer advice or opinions in this regard, but I'd guess that you will end up with close to the same costs regardless. Cosmetics are not as important, but you've got to look at performance upgrades, safety considerations, etc. which can cost as much as, or more than, appearance improvements.