If you were Porscheless...

[Cornerlot]

The market is awash in SC's and some Carrera's. You could find plenty of fun for between $20,000 and $30,000 .

Steve

[1979-930]

If I had no Porsche I would pony up for another 930. You can still get driver level cars for $80k. There was a sweet Blue one with GT3 suspension on BAT a while ago that sold for around $70k or $80k.


Sent from my iPhone while Driving

[Matt Monson]

Originally Posted by nathanbs

I dont know why but I cant look at a Cayman like an aircooled 911 or even like its a 911 its more on par with a 914 I suppose. Are we talking for cool factor? track handling? What is your objective(s)? Again two completely different animals

I don't understand the 914 comparison, unless it's just the midengine thing. My base model 201hp Boxster will drive circles around my 3.2 Carrera. There's just no comparison with another dozen years of chassis development and engineering. I was guilty of judging them from afar for about a decade. Then one days I got tossed the keys for one and told to go for a drive. And it was even a PDK model, which I hated the idea of from day one. Not anymore.

The IB cars were amazing for their day. But today, a WRX or some other hot hatch can outperform an old 911 in almost any category regardless of ones personal preferences.

[Rick Brooklyn]

Originally Posted by Macroni

Same boat...... Can't stop thinking that these cars trade at crazy numbers. While I am tempted by a $70,000 996 GT3; I believe a $175,000 70S is irrational.

$185,000 to $200,000 gets a mint 430 Ferrari Scuderia..... much more tempting to me.

I'll take the 911S over the scuderia every day of the week. I might take a BB512 over the 911S, though.

[SalParadise]

Originally Posted by Rick Brooklyn

I might take a BB512 over the 911S, though.

Right on to this one. I worked at AmeriSpec in the '80s in Connecticut and we did probably more than 100 BB conversions - I even had a BB front hood hanging on my wall at college.

[nathanbs]

Originally Posted by Matt Monson

I don't understand the 914 comparison, unless it's just the midengine thing. My base model 201hp Boxster will drive circles around my 3.2 Carrera. There's just no comparison with another dozen years of chassis development and engineering. I was guilty of judging them from afar for about a decade. Then one days I got tossed the keys for one and told to go for a drive. And it was even a PDK model, which I hated the idea of from day one. Not anymore.

The IB cars were amazing for their day. But today, a WRX or some other hot hatch can outperform an old 911 in almost any category regardless of ones personal preferences.

To try and clarify I would say the 914 is to a 911 S what a cayman is to a GT3 . It's like the new poormans porsche. You can't compare a newer cayman to your 3.2 that's not fair as there's likely a 30 year difference. It's like people comparing 76-77 carrera 3.0's to 1981 SC's as if no credit should be given for the fact that it had that performance and weight 5-6 years earlier. That's a big deal!! Both 914's and Caymans are cool but I can't get behind them with nearly the same enthusiasm as a 911

[NYNick]

A 99-03 996 coupe properly updated and modified will knock the living crap out of anything air cooled for half the money all day long. So will an Accord.

A Cayman will knock the living crap out of the 996, properly set up.

If it were me, I'd buy an early 996, budget $10k in improvements, and get a helluva car for $30-35k total; the whole air cooled persona be damned.

[Rawknees'Turbo]

Originally Posted by NYNick

A 99-03 996 coupe properly updated and modified will knock the living crap out of anything air cooled for half the money all day long. So will an Accord.

Don't be so sure about that, Bub! I don't know anything about modded 996's performance stats, but I know for sure that I would easily dine on an Accord (in acceleration, particularly) in the Mighty Meatlocker Turbo (and I bet that the MMT's a/c is more ball freezing, too)!!! Getcha suuuummmm!!!

[NYNick]

Originally Posted by Rawknees'Turbo

Don't be so sure about that, Bub! I don't know anything about modded 996's performance stats, but I know for sure that I would easily dine on an Accord (in acceleration, particularly) in the Mighty Meatlocker Turbo (and I bet that the MMT's a/c is more ball freezing, too)!!! Getcha suuuummmm!!!

"Butt" of course, I was hardly referring to air cooled turbos. Christian could hardly handle a 912 much less a 930.

[dad911]

Cayman for 20-30k
Boxster for 10-15k

both alot of bang for the buck.

[nathanbs]

Originally Posted by NYNick

A 99-03 996 coupe properly updated and modified will knock the living crap out of anything air cooled for half the money all day long. So will an Accord.

A Cayman will knock the living crap out of the 996, properly set up.

If it were me, I'd buy an early 996, budget $10k in improvements, and get a helluva car for $30-35k total; the whole air cooled persona be damned.

In that case why not get a shifter cart or a crotchrocket bike? My buddy can out lap most 400-600 hp porsche's with his Focus R or whatever the hell it is. It's not just about hp it's about cool factor, rarity, manual steering, faint smell of gasoline. Are we building a track car or buying a dream that we hope won't be worth less in 5-10 years than we put into it. Speaking for myself of course with that being said 996's are cool but I would have to get a turbo, GT2 , GT3

[Rawknees'Turbo]

Originally Posted by NYNick

"Butt" of course, I was hardly referring to air cooled turbos. Christian could hardly handle a 912 much less a 930.

Ha ha - no doubt about that!

Instead of Chris's wifey saying "I think the 912's speedometer is broken", she would be asking him "what's that revolting smell" as Chris shat himself even with only 1/3 throttle!

[Matt Monson]

Originally Posted by nathanbs

To try and clarify I would say the 914 is to a 911 S what a cayman is to a GT3 . It's like the new poormans porsche. You can't compare a newer cayman to your 3.2 that's not fair as there's likely a 30 year difference. It's like people comparing 76-77 carrera 3.0's to 1981 SC's as if no credit should be given for the fact that it had that performance and weight 5-6 years earlier. That's a big deal!! Both 914's and Caymans are cool but I can't get behind them with nearly the same enthusiasm as a 911

Got it now. I've never been a 914 discounter. I grew up with a next door neighbor who owned a 1970 914-6 and belonged to narp before pelican or RL. They've always been part of the family to me. Now a 924 otoh...

[Matt Monson]

Originally Posted by NYNick

A 99-03 996 coupe properly updated and modified will knock the living crap out of anything air cooled for half the money all day long. So will an Accord.

A Cayman will knock the living crap out of the 996, properly set up.

If it were me, I'd buy an early 996, budget $10k in improvements, and get a helluva car for $30-35k total; the whole air cooled persona be damned.

The first water cooler I ever drove on track was a 996 Carrera Koni Challenge car. It was an open DE with no run groups or even formal sessions. Everyone out there at once. There was this group of 5-6 997 GT3s running together. All day long I was chasing them down and getting wave ts. I am not done superb driver. 400-500 lbs and race prep does a lot.

I have considered what you suggest but I would start with an '04 C4S and 2wd convert it. That would be a fun hot rod build for under $40k.

[mattC2993]

I've got a new to me Boxster S which is a heck of a car for $10k. Its old enough to have a little character. Sure, I'd like another air cooled 911 but at today's prices no thanks. My 356 is a lot of fun but I wouldn't have bought it if I had to pay today's price either. My old Cayman S was a great car but had zero character IMHO. Thats my general feeling on 987 and newer Porsches.

[Bassalt997tt]

I have been porscheless since sold my 997.1tt 6 months ago and now looking for air cooled classic per my other thread

[ficke]

This thread I thought was about what you would replace and old Porsche with if you did not have one, so I was thinking of other old cars I would replace them with. I find it hard to think of new cars as old car replacements, likewise I would not think an old car can make a new car replacement.
My old Porsches do not have what are considered basic necessities of newer cars like A/C, cruise, control and a good radio, much less bluetooth'. They get comparably bad fuel mileage to new cars and they stink and or hard to start have no real safety stuff and generally or way more dangerous and hard to drive than anything newer, especially at speed. Those of course are all the reason I like them. So if I did not have an old Porsche no newer Porsche or any other new car will do. It would have to be another old car to behave like an old Porsche. Preferably carbureted so it would stink and be hard to start when hot and maybe enough cam where I had to blip the throttle to clean it up enough to pull away from a light smoothly.

[-Levi-]

Originally Posted by nathanbs

I dont know why but I cant look at a Cayman like an aircooled 911 or even like its a 911 its more on par with a 914 I suppose. Are we talking for cool factor? track handling? What is your objective(s)? Again two completely different animals

That is a 100% a fair question and I totally understand your thought process. I didn't think much of them either before my father brought home a 2008 boxster s le. 300 plus hp and awesome handeling started to make me re-think it a bit. Bang for the buck is just there, they are razor sharp in the corners and not to hard on the wallet. Not to mention they haven't become "large cars"
Before I put a 3.6 in my sc the caymans were faster everywhere, yes- everywhere. I love my sc but there is a lot to these new caymans and boxsters. But let's be honest, gt3rs for the win!

[Rawknees'Turbo]

Originally Posted by -Levi-

But lets be honest, gt3rs for the win!

False! 993 GT2 Evo for winning biggly yuge!

[Unobtanium-inc]

You can look outside of Porsche to fill out the collection. I was looking to add another car in the last year but wanted to make sure it had a backseat, so the kids could enjoy it too. We now have our new ice cream getter. All in with full mechanical resto, about $14,000. Can't think of anything air-cooled I could of added to the collection with that, not with a backseat.

---Adam