Daily driving a G50 3.2 Carrera?

[twoblacklines]

Think it is possible without getting too expensive? I do about 12k a year give or take a few thousand.

Not bothered by tyres or servicing costs however don't want to find myself in a situation where I have to spend £1k a month fixing things.

Most of my mileage is around towns or A/B roads however I do 1k miles in one-two days on motorways sometimes too.

Thanks.

[Wozy68]

You will proberly get loads of answers that its the silliest thing in the world to do. That an 'old' 911 will cost millions to run, will be unbelievably difficult to use on a daily basis, useless in traffic and just plain awful on the comfort front.

The reality is that a 911 was designed from day one, as a commuter, small family car and weekend thrasher. The whole point of it and its engineering background was/is based on this idea.

In other words, we had traffic jams, salt laden roads, bad weather and motorways thirty years ago as we have now. Add the fact older 911s have smaller wheels and higher side tyre walls, and a good aircooled can be a lot nicer to drive on our awful roads than a lot of people give them credit for. Factor in they are also depreciation proof, set this against possible extra running costs (not too sure what though) and hey ho, makes even more sense.

Lastly, and this is the most important point. Every journey will become an adventure. Get it sorted and start commuting. :-)

Edited by Wozy68 on Tuesday 14th May 21:13

[anonymous-user]

Just how I intend to use 89 3.2 I have just bought :-)

[shoestring7]

If course its possible. But you'd have to be prepared to manage with old (read poor) standards of heating, ventilation and noise. And these cars do rust - the older ones are 30 years old now and the design is basically a 1970s reboot of a 1960s car.

Frankly I feel a 964, with its much improved HVAC, hugely better NVH, ABS and protected wheel arches would make a far better daily driving bet.

SS7

[RSGulp]

Wozy68 said:

You will proberly get loads of answers that its the silliest thing in the world to do. That an 'old' 911 will cost millions to run, will be unbelievably difficult to use on a daily basis, useless in traffic and just plain awful on the comfort front.

The reality is that a 911 was designed from day one, as a commuter, small family car and weekend thrasher. The whole point of it and its engineering background was/is based on this idea.

In other words, we had traffic jams, salt laden roads, bad weather and motorways thirty years ago as we have now. Add the fact older 911s have smaller wheels and higher side tyre walls, and a good aircooled can be a lot nicer to drive on our awful roads than a lot of people give them credit for. Factor in they are also depreciation proof, set this against possible extra running costs (not too sure what though) and hey ho, makes even more sense.

Lastly, and this is the most important point. Every journey will become an adventure. Get it sorted and start commuting. :-)

This. Great reply.

[anonymous-user]

shoestring7 said:

If course its possible. But you'd have to be prepared to manage with old (read poor) standards of heating, ventilation and noise. And these cars do rust - the older ones are 30 years old now and the design is basically a 1970s reboot of a 1960s car.

Frankly I feel a 964, with its much improved HVAC, hugely better NVH, ABS and protected wheel arches would make a far better daily driving bet.

SS7

I have had both models in the past and went for 3.2 for a second visit - make of that what you will. Plus no wheelarch protection in the back on the 964 which is the problem area in these cars. Plus power steering - a negative for me as I have a 997 too so looking for real air cooled experience.

[1]

I've been using my 1988 as my daily driver since November and its been great. The Continental Supercontact's I put on have made a huge difference to ride comfort and I find it more comfortable than my previous BMW on run flats.

I would echo Wozzy's comments that every journey is an experience and even though I'm only getting 21mpg its appreciating in value so makes more sense than some newer cars. I live in London and the only thing I really miss is PAS but its tiny proportions more than make up for it when trying to get parked.

These cars are incredibly well put together and are far more civilised than most people give them credit.

[///ajd]

i daily commute in a 915 3.2 and have done for 3 years.

G50? luxshurry!

read up on rust, then go for it. rust can be pricy to fix, but they don't depreciate and the cost of such work can be amortised over many years.

[ras62]

Lack of power steering is a major drawback for town driving imo

[mudy]

Get on with it - it's a piece of piss - i did it through London for 18 months in an 88 turbo and it was a cinch

[james280779]

I use my '85 3.2 as a daily, however I prefered my Chimaera for ease of use, comfort, noise and performance. Also the upkeep was a fraction of the 911. I will be going back to the Chimaera once I have sold my 911. (I prefer the 915 gearbox to the G50, just seems to have that little more push - think it has something to do with additional weight of the G50)

[andy102]

If you get a good one, its more like 1k a year. I moved from a 3.2 with G50 to a 964c4 which is easier to live with on a daily basis. The problem with any old 911 as a DD is, you can't switch off when you just want to get home.

[N24]

If PH was around in 1989 would 964 buyers be justifying PAS and ABS in the way PDK buyers are in the other thread...?

I'd go for it - I have a 964 as a 'daily' - wish I could use it more as I commute by train :-(

[SimonRS]

I ran three air cooled 911s as dailies, including an '88 G50 3.2.

Perfect cars for such a task. You'll either have a good one, and get normal servicing expense, or you'll have to fix a bad one up. However, you'll then have a good one

Never heard of any horror stories with these cars, they are bulletproof.

[Presuming_Ed]

I went from a 997 S to a 1989 G50 3.2 as a daily drive and I love it. Reliable as granite underpants and a joy to own. I do live in a sunny climate so I don't have to worry too much about rust and the antiquated heating system. I thought I might miss the rush of speed from the 997 but in reality the 3.2 is quite quick enough for my mediocre driving skills.
Certainly worth a look as daily driver.

[911mick]

On a slightly different angle, I bet you'll see a plenty of 997's on your way to work, but guarantee you won't see another 3.2 Carrera. Go for it

[anonymous-user]

james280779 said:

I use my '85 3.2 as a daily, however I prefered my Chimaera for ease of use, comfort, noise and performance. Also the upkeep was a fraction of the 911. I will be going back to the Chimaera once I have sold my 911. (I prefer the 915 gearbox to the G50, just seems to have that little more push - think it has something to do with additional weight of the G50)

All 12kg!

Go later box everytime if commuting - if ony for the lighter clutch (as in pedal effort, not mass!)

[james280779]

drmark said:

All 12kg!

Go later box everytime if commuting - if ony for the lighter clutch (as in pedal effort, not mass!)

might have been the additional aircon I was thinking of- I knew one of them was heavy. Mine doesnt have aircon.

[mudy]

Presuming_Ed said:

Reliable as granite underpants.

Now that's reliable!

[graemel]

I think Wozy68 summed it all up very nicely.
The G50 has a nicer shift than the 915 gearbox but a properly set up 915 is still a joy to use.
When I ran a 3.2 as a daily driver years ago I probably spent maybe £1200 a year on it but it was a very good one. That in truth is the key. Buy the best out there and enjoy cheap 911 motoring.