Hopeful future 3.2 Carrera owner

[richde]

The first problem is that I'm currently living in Germany and the Euro is KILLING the dollar, which leads to the biggest dilemma, the price. Due to problems registering a car in my current situation, and again, price, I'd like to stick with the '84 Carrera.

Prices seem to be all over the place, and cultural differences don't help the shopping process. What is a fair price, at least in the States, for a relatively clean, rust free, '84 with somewhere just over 100K miles?

Is it best to stay away from Targas? Seals would be something to look at, but what is the wind noise in one like, more or less than a cabrio?

I'd like to be able to find something that would last for a very, very long time with normal maintenance. I'd be shipping it back to the states when I move back in 4-5 years, so a Euro spec car wouldn't have any emissions standards and just be a weekend funmobile in the SW USA. Although the US spec cars getting re-imported into Germany are cheaper, and down on HP.

This is so confusing.....

[DanielDudley]

19K should buy you a very nice car here, and if it is a 3.2, you should be able to get it to run pretty well equal to a euro by modding the exhaust and chipping.

[jcsjcs]

I just purchased an '84 Targa with about 100k (miles) for $16,000. In pretty good shape - nothing major required. I am very happy with the Targa top - no leaks yet - but then no major rain driving yet either. As far as wind noise - I have had the car up to about 100 mph and the noise was okay. The overall car is loud so the Targa wind noise is not factoring into my concerns. Work can be done to quiet a Targa top - I think my top is in pretty good condition.

Took it out over the weekend and the Targa top was AWESOME to have. As close to a convertible as I want to get - with the back seats and protection.

[richde]

What about the later model SC's? (referring to 201hp Euro spec 81+ cars)

Did the 911 really gain almost 300 lbs between '83 and '84? I was looking on carfolio just to get information from one source. That's quite the porky increase if true. Plus, just how common are cam chain tensioner failures in the earlier cars? Is the Carrera tensioner mod really that common or do people just check them periodically with or without the attachment that keeps the tensioner from completely collapsing?

[Jay H]

My brother has two Euro spec 1983 SC coupes. Both are probably a bit quicker than my US spec 1984 Carrera. The Carrera "comes on the cam" a bit harder over 4000 rpms and the SC's lack that ultimate pull (at least in feel), but his SC's are both quite quick.

Where are you getting the weight increase that you quote? SC's weigh less than 3.2 Carreras if you compare a no option '78 SC to a no option '89 3.2. That's because a lot of equipment became standard as the model years increase. More options typically means more weight. I would suspect that a 1983 911SC weighs about the same as an equally equipped 1984 3.2 Carrera.

My '84 has few options and one of my brother's SC's is very similarly equipped. They both feel the same as far as weight goes. One could feel a 300 pound increase pretty quickly...

Also, keep in mind that Porsche used the 'old school' chain tensioners from 1965 to 1983. So, they are not THAT bad. Keep an eye (or an ear) on them and you could go awhile without trouble. My brother had over 115,000 miles on his SC before switching over to Carrera pressure fed tensioners and those non pressure fed originals were still fine.

I think that an SC, 3.2 Carrera a 964 or a 993 could last an indefinite amount of time if you keep maintaining them. Even a 2.7 liter car with a fresh and properly rebuilt motor can last a very, very long time. The older cars are very robust as well (pre 2.7 liter cars), but some parts are getting hard to find and the older a car gets, the more problems from age that can arise. However, there are several people on these boards that run old 911's in a daily or near daily driving situations with few major problems.

911's are relatively simple cars and are extremely robust vehicles. It's not uncommon to find cars running very well with over 200,000 miles on them.

Good luck,

Jay90 964, 84 3.2

[richde]

Originally Posted by Jay H

My brother has two Euro spec 1983 SC coupes. Both are probably a bit quicker than my US spec 1984 Carrera. The Carrera "comes on the cam" a bit harder over 4000 rpms and the SC's lack that ultimate pull (at least in feel), but his SC's are both quite quick.

Where are you getting the weight increase that you quote? SC's weigh less than 3.2 Carreras if you compare a no option '78 SC to a no option '89 3.2. That's because a lot of equipment became standard as the model years increase. More options typically means more weight. I would suspect that a 1983 911SC weighs about the same as an equally equipped 1984 3.2 Carrera.

My '84 has few options and one of my brother's SC's is very similarly equipped. They both feel the same as far as weight goes. One could feel a 300 pound increase pretty quickly...

Also, keep in mind that Porsche used the 'old school' chain tensioners from 1965 to 1983. So, they are not THAT bad. Keep an eye (or an ear) on them and you could go awhile without trouble. My brother had over 115,000 miles on his SC before switching over to Carrera pressure fed tensioners and those non pressure fed originals were still fine.

I think that an SC, 3.2 Carrera a 964 or a 993 could last an indefinite amount of time if you keep maintaining them. Even a 2.7 liter car with a fresh and properly rebuilt motor can last a very, very long time. The older cars are very robust as well (pre 2.7 liter cars), but some parts are getting hard to find and the older a car gets, the more problems from age that can arise. However, there are several people on these boards that run old 911's in a daily or near daily driving situations with few major problems.

911's are relatively simple cars and are extremely robust vehicles. It's not uncommon to find cars running very well with over 200,000 miles on them.

Good luck,

Jay90 964, 84 3.2

I looked all around for weight information on the SC and Carrera generation cars and the one place I could find both is on www.carfolio.com. But looking again at a different site, the weights are closer, 110lbs between an SC and Carrera. Which makes sense, since the cars were almost identical in other dimensions. Info on the internet is worth as much as you pay for it, I guess.

The ROW SC makes more torque, 500 rpm lower than the US spec Carrera, but slightly less peak hp. Veddy interesting.

[gtc]

My targa top does not leak. Don't be afraid of them.