'Affordable' 911's
Discussion
Reading between the lines, I get the impression 964's are best avoided due to oil leaks and other issues (which is a shame as I do like that shape), but how much is a late 3.2 Carrera such as this
Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2 Celebration
going to cost a year to maintain doing circa. 6k miles pa, whats likely to go wrong, how 'dangerous' is an eighties 911 to drive LOL
Early stages of seeing wether a dream could become a reality (limited funds!) appreciate £17k is hardly budget, but that would be offset by the fact depreciation should be pretty non existant if looked after
I await your comments with interest
>>> Edited by mustard on Monday 12th April 10:50
Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2 Celebration
going to cost a year to maintain doing circa. 6k miles pa, whats likely to go wrong, how 'dangerous' is an eighties 911 to drive LOL
Early stages of seeing wether a dream could become a reality (limited funds!) appreciate £17k is hardly budget, but that would be offset by the fact depreciation should be pretty non existant if looked after
I await your comments with interest
>>> Edited by mustard on Monday 12th April 10:50
OK I'll kick off.
Had an '86 3.2 (pre G50). Budget on a grand a year including a few niggly jobs which I gave to cheaper (and frankly better) independents, although main service was at an OPC.
Be warned though, shortly after I sold it, the engine went bang - something to do with compression. Apparently not totally uncommon, and the buyer's inspection report didn't spot anything (not done by an OPC I hasten to add).
Had an '86 3.2 (pre G50). Budget on a grand a year including a few niggly jobs which I gave to cheaper (and frankly better) independents, although main service was at an OPC.
Be warned though, shortly after I sold it, the engine went bang - something to do with compression. Apparently not totally uncommon, and the buyer's inspection report didn't spot anything (not done by an OPC I hasten to add).
And on the handling thing...
not that dangerous at all - honestly. If you have healthy respect for the thing, it won't bite. I drove mine in all conditions including ice and snow, and it was my first 911.
Providing you go into it with your eyes open and clear expectations, you shouldn't get into trouble. Just don't lift!
not that dangerous at all - honestly. If you have healthy respect for the thing, it won't bite. I drove mine in all conditions including ice and snow, and it was my first 911.
Providing you go into it with your eyes open and clear expectations, you shouldn't get into trouble. Just don't lift!
Other problem maybe that there are lots of average condition 3.2s around, and if you buy a really nice one, you have to spend time and money to keep it that way, to stop it coming an average car worth say 10K.........
My advice would be buy a 964.much more modern, better heating system. 964s can be bought for £13K-14K but chances are they will need upwards of £3Ks worth of work to make them right. Also dont be too hung up on mileage.I used to own a 165K miles Carrera 2 which was magnificent.
£17K will buy you one without leaky engines.in fact i have one for sale in PH classifieds.
Good luck in your search.
POORCARDEALER said:
Other problem maybe that there are lots of average condition 3.2s around, and if you buy a really nice one, you have to spend time and money to keep it that way, to stop it coming an average car worth say 10K.........
My advice would be buy a 964.much more modern, better heating system. 964s can be bought for £13K-14K but chances are they will need upwards of £3Ks worth of work to make them right. Also dont be too hung up on mileage.I used to own a 165K miles Carrera 2 which was magnificent.
£17K will buy you one without leaky engines.in fact i have one for sale in PH classifieds.
Good luck in your search.
Just a bit back ground digging at the moment, I do prefer the 964 shape, if I did proceed any further the car would be bought on its provinance (ie service history, low no. of owners, paperwork) mileage would only need be average, no objection to a car thats been 'used'
Tell me, once a 964 has had it £3k spent on it, is that a permant fix to the problem or do the leaks etc reappear?
Re early 964's, this oil leaks thing is somewhat exaggerated...if you go out and get a car thats not leaking then dont worry about it.There's a similar urban myth that early 996s have got crap engines with main seals about to fail at any moment. The 3.2 Carreras with G50 gearboxes are regarded as pretty reliable, the 964 has G50 gearbox and the very tough 3.6 engine ,better performance.... you can get either for your money.
Always buy a car with good history from recognised Porsche dealers or specialists..number of owners id not worry about as the cars you will be looking at(up to 17 years old remember) will have had 7 or 8 owners, if you were buying a two year old car then yes worry.there are the odd one or two owner cars out there but you will pay a big premium for them and if your budget is £17K you will not be buying one!!
Oil leaks......they dont all leak oil, but most do leak a bit (in my experience), depends how much it annoys you...........if you can buy a car that doesnt, then great, if not you have to put up with it or spend £££££ss........
Finally unless you are buying a car which you know has had all the big jobs done recently (and the seller can prove it) then keep back a bit of your budget (Id say £2K) for immediate jobs and maintainance.remember a clutch on a 964 is the best part of a grand fitted.
I've had a 996 '98 pre-facelift; a 911 3.2 915 gearbox and now a 964 c4 '90: all in the last 2 years or so. Each was brilliant in its own right, except the earlier porsches are much more fun than the 996 which felt a little like a fast saloon (albeit a stunningly fast one) if you know what i mean. The 911 is great fun but make sure you check out the condition, lots of poor examples around.
If starting out - i would go for a 964, from an independent with good history; great cars and all the ecellence of a 993 but not the extra purchase cost, and if you want a few extra bhp then the way the car / engine is set-up its easily achievable.
woolfie
If starting out - i would go for a 964, from an independent with good history; great cars and all the ecellence of a 993 but not the extra purchase cost, and if you want a few extra bhp then the way the car / engine is set-up its easily achievable.
woolfie
I looked into this looooooong and hard before I bought my 964C2. As part of buying it there was 4k of work done to it to make it right (inc. complete top-end rebuild) - total 15.5k for a LHD C2.
There _was_ a design failure with the then new 3.6 engine that saw the heads gradually warp away from the barrels, leading to top end oil leaks. They're also prone to leaking around the crankcase bolts. Some of these were fixed under warranty, some will have been fixed since. A higher mileage car with a recent rebuild is probably a better bet than a lower mileage unit without, but in any case a proper inspection is essential!
The 964 is a fantastic car, and so much more modern in feel (i.e. not 70's/80's) than the 3.2, the 3.6 engine is an amazing unit (that is much advanced over the 3.2) and the handling is more easily set-up due to the redesign of the suspension (not least for the move to coil-overs).
I must admit to being a bit nostalgic about the 3.2s, but the 964 is much more accomplished an all-rounder, and as it's my only car that is an important factor. Plus it has climate for those hot summers days
and heated seats for the cold winter ones 
I specifically bought a LHD German import because a) the pedals are in the right place (i.e. not wildly offset) b) Germans tend to be over-zealous about looking after their Porsches and c) they're cheaper.
Note: If you _do_ look at 964s, then really look into the differences between the C4 and the C2 - they handle so completely differently they may as well be separate cars all-together.
Best of luck in your search,
Fox
---
964C2, not for sale, honest.
There _was_ a design failure with the then new 3.6 engine that saw the heads gradually warp away from the barrels, leading to top end oil leaks. They're also prone to leaking around the crankcase bolts. Some of these were fixed under warranty, some will have been fixed since. A higher mileage car with a recent rebuild is probably a better bet than a lower mileage unit without, but in any case a proper inspection is essential!
The 964 is a fantastic car, and so much more modern in feel (i.e. not 70's/80's) than the 3.2, the 3.6 engine is an amazing unit (that is much advanced over the 3.2) and the handling is more easily set-up due to the redesign of the suspension (not least for the move to coil-overs).
I must admit to being a bit nostalgic about the 3.2s, but the 964 is much more accomplished an all-rounder, and as it's my only car that is an important factor. Plus it has climate for those hot summers days
and heated seats for the cold winter ones I specifically bought a LHD German import because a) the pedals are in the right place (i.e. not wildly offset) b) Germans tend to be over-zealous about looking after their Porsches and c) they're cheaper.
Note: If you _do_ look at 964s, then really look into the differences between the C4 and the C2 - they handle so completely differently they may as well be separate cars all-together.
Best of luck in your search,
Fox
---
964C2, not for sale, honest.
"There's a similar urban myth that early 996s have got crap engines"
No urban myth and it affects new cars as well (and Boxsters)
The latest TSB from Porsche has been modified:
When checking the installation position of the crankshaft, if the special tool 9699/1 cannot be
placed with slight resistance in the crancshaft housing bore, the engine must be replaced with a
replacement engine.
No urban myth and it affects new cars as well (and Boxsters)
The latest TSB from Porsche has been modified:
When checking the installation position of the crankshaft, if the special tool 9699/1 cannot be
placed with slight resistance in the crancshaft housing bore, the engine must be replaced with a
replacement engine.
IMO the prices for 964's are relatively low due to these 'known problems'. However if you can find a car with the top-end rebuild done, recent clutch, no rust for £17k then you will never regret it. I would budget for £1,500 pa for expceted and unexpected bills including tyres, brakes, servicing etc. To reduce maintenance costs, get a C2 coupe without air-con.
However, the car is much heavier and much more complicated (and therefore costly) to work on than an earlier 911.
However, the car is much heavier and much more complicated (and therefore costly) to work on than an earlier 911.
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