84-89 Carrera looking 10+ years from now

[LuckyRR]

Looking down the road at the future of the 84-89 Carrera...

What parts do you think will be the hardest to come by?
-87-89 G-50 parts?
-DME?
-Fuel Injection components?
-Electrical Sensors?
-Other drivetrain components?
-Chassis components?

-Some items like fog light covers just as an example are getting scarce now...

Looking at the MFI parts for example from the early 70's that either cost a mint or are unavailable, definitely had me thinking.

I am fortunate to have an 88 now, that I love and want to keep on the road!



Please give me your thoughts, let's discuss.

[skrufy]

Contact Chuck Croteau at Red Line Service in Tucson- he is a big fan of the late Carreras, and firmly believes their prices will go up and up as all the guys with the water-pumpers realize the error of their ways. He can give you the info you seek....520-795-5394. Charles@redlineservice.com

Tim
Alpine, Az.

[Chuck.H]

We're lucky these cars are highly collectible and there is strong aftermarket support for new and used parts. Imagine if you were intending to keep a 1980's AMC car original, you'd spend all your time flipping thru Hemmings.

Yes there will be some parts that will dwindle off over the years, fog light lenses and interior bits being some of them. I go to u-pull-it junkyards, and you can always tell the 'pattern failures' like power window or ignition switches etc - they will have 40 Pontiac GrandAm's, but all the ignition switches have already been pulled. We'll experience that as all the fog lights from wrecked Carrera's get sold off.

When the significant EFI parts become un-available (say the idle air controller) either an aftermarket conversion will appear, or a complete EFI replacement will become attractive. But once those parts are NLA, keeping a bone stock Carrera running will become difficult if not impossible.

Mine isn't stock now, so I don't have any problems - bring on the change!

Chuck.H
'89 TurboLookTarga, 338k miles

[Tippy]

I think 1 & 2 of your list will be. Trying to locate a G50 output flange has been really tough for me. Found some but it wasn't easy.

[Ed Bighi]

It will be the same with these as with any other car. Don't bother so much with mechanical bits. Go and worry about tail bases, interior parts, etc... This is the stuff I put away. Right now I have, for my 930, or any more that I buy, things like one extra factory 930S intercooler, 3 turbo tail bases in box, etc... It's beyond me while people bother so much with things like sensors and drivetrain components when it's always the interior that becomes scarce first. Exterior trim second. Always. Why? Because the average human is too cheap to replace those. This creates a smaller demand which leads to the factory not bothering making 20 units of whatever per year. A friend of mine last year asked me the same question about his 500E Mercedes. I said, go down to the dealership and go and see if you can get a replacement b-pillar interior trim panel in black for instance. Besides, they get brittle and crack easily over time. I think he had a hard time getting one and went right on ahead building up an inventory of these types of parts. Forget anything drivetrain related. That stuff will always be around. Or at least, a LOT easier to get.

[Chuck.H]

Originally Posted by Ed Bighi

...things like one extra factory 930S intercooler, 3 turbo tail bases in box, etc...

Hi Ed -

What do you mean by turbo tail base? You mean the rubber lip or the fiberglass (actually I think mine might be plastic) between the decklid and the tail?

I ask because I can't imagine that wearing out - even my rubber is holding up, but I'm very particular about never letting it sit in the sun.

Chuck.H
'89 TurboLookTarga, 338k miles

[Trog]

Gas

[Wiese]

Originally Posted by Ed Bighi

It will be the same with these as with any other car. Don't bother so much with mechanical bits. Go and worry about tail bases, interior parts, etc... This is the stuff I put away. Right now I have, for my 930, or any more that I buy, things like one extra factory 930S intercooler, 3 turbo tail bases in box, etc... It's beyond me while people bother so much with things like sensors and drivetrain components when it's always the interior that becomes scarce first. Exterior trim second. Always. Why? Because the average human is too cheap to replace those. This creates a smaller demand which leads to the factory not bothering making 20 units of whatever per year. A friend of mine last year asked me the same question about his 500E Mercedes. I said, go down to the dealership and go and see if you can get a replacement b-pillar interior trim panel in black for instance. Besides, they get brittle and crack easily over time. I think he had a hard time getting one and went right on ahead building up an inventory of these types of parts. Forget anything drivetrain related. That stuff will always be around. Or at least, a LOT easier to get.

Ed is making some valid points here. Of course the hoarding some of us (and a lot of dealers/parts sellers) are doing is only going to make parts availability more scarce. So buy them while you can!

[Jim Richards]

Originally Posted by Trog

Gas

LOL. Or maybe I shouldn't.

[dan88911]

There was a post a few months back about the availability of parts. In respond someone attach a video of the porsche factory in Germany restoring cars for owners and claiming to continue to produce parts for all model years.

[dan88911]

Yeah, search under NLA PARTS I started the thread you will see the video there.

[screenwriter-X]

So let us think about the logic of the question and the logic of a response.

FIRST, ONLY BUY ONE OF WHICH YOU THINK WILL BE A SHORTAGE. PERIOD. Let us all think about that for a minute. If you wait until what you buy has truly worn out, then add that to how long such a part will last in the hands of a TRUE ENTHUSIAST who treats it properly -- like you -- that lifetime extends BEYOND your lifetime. So don't be an idiot, and buy only one. Period. that's true of any part except things like tires and brake parts and filters etc.

Okay, so beyond that...

Parts only manufactured by Porsche are what will COST.

Interior is number 1.

The DASH is prone to warp as it is on the SC because they were built of vinyl coated particle board which shrinks in heat and warps. When the factory stops making these, prices will RISE. Nobody is in the market supplying this. I have seen very, VERY few 911's of the era without warped dashes.

Most other interior parts are fixable and/or replaceable. So any panic is silly.

Exterior trim.

Yes, by all means pick up one of each obvious exterior trim. Fog light covers, rear tail lights, any rear spoiler items, et al. Even now, Chinese suppliers are making complete garbage copies, so they will obviously be available for a long time. However, real replacements will not. For example, I bought a Carrera 3.2 that the previous owner (idiot) slapped a Chinese driver's side rear lens on the back. Very quickly the red "film" inside peeled in a little heat and I had to replace it with a real Bosch taillight cover.

Drivetrain stuff will be available for long, long time. As will all "wearables". Look, if your car needs work on any item in the foreseeable future, go ahead and buy and be prepared. Otherwise, don't bother.

Transmissions alone, a 100,000 plus G50's out there insure that parts will be around beyond your lifetime. Oddly, the only worry comes from the pressure of all those jokers using these transmissions for their GT40 kit car garbage projects.

That's the way it is.

[Jeff964]

Factory original fan housing

[whiterabbit]

Dashboards, sport seats, interior trim especially cloth trim.