Decisions Decisions Decisions

[RyanWay]

Mods: I hope this is in the right forum. Please move if it is not. Thanks!


So with my beautiful 72 2002 sold and having been searching for a 911 for a bit I'm facing a dilemma that I hope the Pelican community can help me refine, if not solve.

I'll set the stage: I have about $43K burning a hole in my pocket and if my dear old dad does NOT let me register the car to his Bend, OR address, i will have CA smog restrictions to contend with.

Option 1:

a late 70s SC with low miles, the right color and decent paint, and two engines (a rebuilt for some power 3.0 and the original matching and complete engine on a stand) missing AC, carpet, headliner but with bilstein suspension. i will need to find my own smog pump and put the cat back on to pass smog (and take it right off). Direction I would take this car is Magnus's new SC "budget-esque" Cost: 28.5 to my door then the work begins TRE bumper and splitter RS carpet, SSIs, rennspeed bits, and some suspension goodies roll bar and whatever maintenance items needed to make it a reliable driver.

My guess this puts me at about the $33-$42K mark and my wrench time depending on if I go nuts with the go fast bits or not.

Option 2: Buy a really nice mid-year 911s with some but not all of the goodies I want on it Cost: $35-45K Benefits: no smog drawbacks: 2.7 engine or if I'm lucky a 3.0 and non galvanized body but at that price point it will probably be nice

Option 3: mid0high mileage g50 car and right timing $35-45K

Option 4: higher mileage 993 or 01-02 996tt $40-45K (both awesome but lacking in the older car vibe that I loved so much about my 72 2002.

Lastly NONE of the cars I would consider would need paint/body or "major" rust repair so that might rule out the

Wildcard Option 5: the wrong color painted long hood 911t that can be had for about $35-40K as a starting point which may have a bit of rust to contend with and which would have most likely none of the outlaw bits I want to make a fun canyon carver and a 904 trans).

Open to suggestions. The SC/Carrera body would be my ideal starting point but I have to Smog it every two years. (which would mean dropping an engine and swapping the smog-able one every two years or not doing 964 cams, PMOs, ITBs etc to being with).

Is buying in the winter a better idea?

Thank you VERY much for your suggestions and feedback! I have thought about this a lot but I'm going in circles.

-Ryan

[Rick Brooklyn]

Those options are all over the place.

Middie and 996tt are both awesome cars in their ways but as different as Rawknees and Sofia Vergara, with the other options somewhere in between.

Nobody can tell you which one to get, only you can find the answer. You have to think wether you want an old skool classic that you buy for the feel and not so much for the performance or a modern car with a beast of an engine that pulls like a freight train, or something else again.

[Matt Monson]

How many add kids does it take to change a light bulb?



Lets go ride bikes.

I'm gonna monkey wrench your shyte. Look for a carb stickered 3.6 swapped car. Needs to be a 95 or earlier engine for obd-i that will handle your power urges. Lots of SCs running around with later engines in CA. You just have to be patient and buy the right one.

Or if you fancy a project buy an out of state one and go dance in front of the ref yourself. One nice thing about a car with a bar sticker is going forward smog stations care less about visual infractions. You can fiddle with the car and still pass without going full engine r&r every 2 years.

I've played it both ways. About to smog my Subaru and then reswap engines. Its a forking pain. I'd rather had a sanctioned car. .

[RyanWay]

I do have ADHD. LOL

I already have a tuned turbo BMW so 993 and 996 are out.

I like the 3.6 idea and saw the middie one in the classifieds but detest yellow cars. Solid advice.

Looking for pointers not the decision to be made for me. Would like to not repeat the same mistake others may have made.

Thanks for the replies!

[Mudflaps]

Originally Posted by RyanWay

I do have ADHD. LOL

I already have a tuned turbo BMW so 993 and 996 are out.

I like the 3.6 idea and saw the middie one in the classifieds but detest yellow cars. Solid advice.

Looking for pointers not the decision to be made for me. Would like to not repeat the same mistake others may have made.

Thanks for the replies!

What sorta turbo BMW do you have? Specs? Id probably get a p-car incongruent with the BMW. I used to have a 450whp e36, and if I still had it, i wouldnt even glance at the 996tt option. Id go the other route and get a middie or SC.

I am in kinda the same boat at the moment. Looking at 996s, sc's, 3.2's, etc.