911 turbo 3.3, daily driver, am I mad ?
Discussion
Hi,
I’m thinking about getting a 911 turbo 3.3 as a daily driver. The sort of car I could afford would be a late 80’s 4 speed, maybe a 5 speed if I was lucky. My budget is into the low 20’s and I’m intending to source it through one of the independent specialists, so I’m after a very nice car needing no significant work.
I wondered what people thought of the usability of this car day to day ? I owned a LHD drive one briefly (as a weekend toy) a few years ago so I know a bit about some of the driving issues, however my car had a few things I never sorted out and I wondered if they were normal ?
The brakes had very little initial bite and tended to pull to one side (either side, pretty much at random). The car had not been used much by the previous owner which might have caused this. It also had a nasty rattle from the gearbox at low revs around town (taking sharp corners slowly in 2nd for example). The car had supposedly only done 60k km and had a believable service history so this seemed a little worrying.
I only do 5 to 6k miles a year so petrol isn’t too much of an issue. For servicing and fixing stuff I was budgeting 1 – 1.5k a year at an independent (I won’t be doing track days and as I live in central Manchester the car will rarely be driven near it’s limits, hopefully reducing wear and tear). Insurance is a lot less than a 993 or a boxster so that’s ok. Residuals look good, which really helps make the whole thing look financially viable.
I like the turbo for it’s performance, looks etc but I’m not unaware of it’s shortcomings: turbo lag, handling that needs serious respect, lack of ABS etc. I don’t really like the looks of the 964 series (no offence intended, they just don’t do it for me except for the turbo which is probably way beyond my budget for a good one) and would be worried about the (apparently) inevitable engine top end overhaul. A decent 993 is out of my budget as I wouldn’t want LHD.
So what do we think then ? Is this a daft plan ? Probably.
I’m thinking about getting a 911 turbo 3.3 as a daily driver. The sort of car I could afford would be a late 80’s 4 speed, maybe a 5 speed if I was lucky. My budget is into the low 20’s and I’m intending to source it through one of the independent specialists, so I’m after a very nice car needing no significant work.
I wondered what people thought of the usability of this car day to day ? I owned a LHD drive one briefly (as a weekend toy) a few years ago so I know a bit about some of the driving issues, however my car had a few things I never sorted out and I wondered if they were normal ?
The brakes had very little initial bite and tended to pull to one side (either side, pretty much at random). The car had not been used much by the previous owner which might have caused this. It also had a nasty rattle from the gearbox at low revs around town (taking sharp corners slowly in 2nd for example). The car had supposedly only done 60k km and had a believable service history so this seemed a little worrying.
I only do 5 to 6k miles a year so petrol isn’t too much of an issue. For servicing and fixing stuff I was budgeting 1 – 1.5k a year at an independent (I won’t be doing track days and as I live in central Manchester the car will rarely be driven near it’s limits, hopefully reducing wear and tear). Insurance is a lot less than a 993 or a boxster so that’s ok. Residuals look good, which really helps make the whole thing look financially viable.
I like the turbo for it’s performance, looks etc but I’m not unaware of it’s shortcomings: turbo lag, handling that needs serious respect, lack of ABS etc. I don’t really like the looks of the 964 series (no offence intended, they just don’t do it for me except for the turbo which is probably way beyond my budget for a good one) and would be worried about the (apparently) inevitable engine top end overhaul. A decent 993 is out of my budget as I wouldn’t want LHD.
So what do we think then ? Is this a daft plan ? Probably.
Yes indeed, what a great looking car (anyone here ?). Not surprisingly I think it sold pretty much straight away.
I'm stuck with a px vehicle at the moment (don't ask), and I'm still in the sleepless-night-should-I-or-shouldnt-I phase so I didn't follow it up.
Thanks for pointing it out though.
I'm stuck with a px vehicle at the moment (don't ask), and I'm still in the sleepless-night-should-I-or-shouldnt-I phase so I didn't follow it up.
Thanks for pointing it out though.
Thanks everyone.
I've seen HenryFs car on the web but haven't followed it up yet, mostly because work is so busy I can't really get down to Uxbridge at the moment. If he's still got it in a week or two I'll maybe take a look at it.
HenryF, if you have a minute and feel like it you could PM the details over? I'd ask about the mileage but I hardly dare having read your previous posts ! (I'm joking, honest !)
Cheers.
I've seen HenryFs car on the web but haven't followed it up yet, mostly because work is so busy I can't really get down to Uxbridge at the moment. If he's still got it in a week or two I'll maybe take a look at it.
HenryF, if you have a minute and feel like it you could PM the details over? I'd ask about the mileage but I hardly dare having read your previous posts ! (I'm joking, honest !)
Cheers.
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