'affordable' air-cooled Porsche
Discussion
I love the air-cooled 911 however my budget doesn't stretch to the usual suspects so will need to fish in the shallow waters which reveal some interesting cars around 30k
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2...
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2...
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2...
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2...
Be careful, as they say 'there's no such thing as a cheap air-cooled Porsche' - i.e. you will likely need to spend a lot to get the car into a useable state whether that's refreshing the suspension, fixing rotting bodywork (v expensive), leaking steering rack, and so on.
You're honestly better off saving a bit longer or getting something like a smallish personal loan to get you into the £40k+ bracket.
You're honestly better off saving a bit longer or getting something like a smallish personal loan to get you into the £40k+ bracket.
I think prices start at £50k for ok ones for any thing.
mindfield as buy worng and you are in for a £50k restro job and on a basic cars that's not going to happen
the cars getting the restore work are the old cars which were £30k and now fetch £200k, so you canput £50k to £100k in them.
the markets now moved so base cars are ££££ as most are being sold for restro back dates !!!!
3.2's, even 964 are all very tatty in the main but the moneys not in the cars to restore them to the level you might want !!!
I have been looking but it seems entry point is now £50k on a car which has had work.
mindfield as buy worng and you are in for a £50k restro job and on a basic cars that's not going to happen
the cars getting the restore work are the old cars which were £30k and now fetch £200k, so you canput £50k to £100k in them.
the markets now moved so base cars are ££££ as most are being sold for restro back dates !!!!
3.2's, even 964 are all very tatty in the main but the moneys not in the cars to restore them to the level you might want !!!
I have been looking but it seems entry point is now £50k on a car which has had work.
Prices have definitely softened and I think it should be possible to get well loved and usable example for £30 upwards.
Good SCs at that price and then into 3.2s.
These cars are going to be 31+ years old now, so expecting to find a perfect as new condition car at this price is not going to happen. You would have to ask your self if this is what you really want - they are expensive become unusable.
A well loved example that is bodily and mechanically sound is a good place to start. They will all rot in the usual places at some point, but you don't need to spend £50K to get it fixed, it still likely to cost upwards of £10 though.
I have had my car for 15 years and bit by bit it's been improved. When it came back from full respray looking perfect I really didn't want to drive it. Now that it has the stone chips back, happy to use and enjoy.
It costs me very little to look after, annual service £500 - £700 and all done. At 33 years old, I would still happily just fill it up and head to off to the continent and enjoy a weeks good driving.
Its not a garage queen and not perfect, but to my mind that is really where you want to be. A car that you can enjoy driving and not worry about ruining its value.
Good SCs at that price and then into 3.2s.
These cars are going to be 31+ years old now, so expecting to find a perfect as new condition car at this price is not going to happen. You would have to ask your self if this is what you really want - they are expensive become unusable.
A well loved example that is bodily and mechanically sound is a good place to start. They will all rot in the usual places at some point, but you don't need to spend £50K to get it fixed, it still likely to cost upwards of £10 though.
I have had my car for 15 years and bit by bit it's been improved. When it came back from full respray looking perfect I really didn't want to drive it. Now that it has the stone chips back, happy to use and enjoy.
It costs me very little to look after, annual service £500 - £700 and all done. At 33 years old, I would still happily just fill it up and head to off to the continent and enjoy a weeks good driving.
Its not a garage queen and not perfect, but to my mind that is really where you want to be. A car that you can enjoy driving and not worry about ruining its value.
Mid 30s is possible if you’re a competent DIYer and can fix common problems yourself. I did it mid-last year with a 993 and expense has been minimal. She’s never not run, but now she runs like new :-)
Lots of pics on www.instagram.com/gws911
Happy to chat by PM if you want figures and details etc.
At this price something will be lacking though. In my case it was history, so a good test drive and inspection is essential.
Lots of pics on www.instagram.com/gws911
Happy to chat by PM if you want figures and details etc.
At this price something will be lacking though. In my case it was history, so a good test drive and inspection is essential.
roca1976 said:
Something bit rough n ready, mot standard weld repairs and plenty of patina!
Don't care about matching numbers, G50 gearbox, oil weeps, etc however it needs to trustworthy!
maybe spend little more and put a cheeky offer in for this?Don't care about matching numbers, G50 gearbox, oil weeps, etc however it needs to trustworthy!
https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...
IMI A said:
maybe spend little more and put a cheeky offer in for this?
https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...
Me likey a lot ..... and Adrians a top bloke to deal with https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...
Crawford also have this stunner which has been my desktop image for several months (previously had red stripe)
https://www.williamscrawford.co.uk/listings/porsch...
Pretty much my perfect car!
https://www.williamscrawford.co.uk/listings/porsch...
Pretty much my perfect car!
roca1976 said:
Crawford also have this stunner which has been my desktop image for several months (previously had red stripe)
https://www.williamscrawford.co.uk/listings/porsch...
Pretty much my perfect car!
I love the aircooled 911s, but that’s a 50 year old ‘classic’ - I think you’d need to be a dedicated and competent enthusiast to enjoy a frustration free life with a car like that.https://www.williamscrawford.co.uk/listings/porsch...
Pretty much my perfect car!
The later 3.2s, 964s and 993s are a better bridge between the classic and modern era, IMO.
But, there’s no question, you need to buy with incredible care.
I’d love an air cooled car but as mentioned above its the huge repair bills/ hourly labour rates you pay for classic expertise that puts me off. You could easily spend the purchase price again on bodywork / engine rebuilds.
In the absence of a Significant lotto win I’ll stick with my useable sub £20k 996 C2 manual. I do lots of maintenance myself and use a respected indy (GCR) for servicing and stuff out of my capabilities. I’m gradually improving it and love driving it.
If the engine fails (IMS done but bore score always a risk) then I’ll have a decision to make - £10k+ loss or cost on an otherwise good car. Which is a bit easier to stomach that an air cooled.
Currently on 88k miles so have 2 or 3 years to decide whether it will get an engine rebuild.
In the absence of a Significant lotto win I’ll stick with my useable sub £20k 996 C2 manual. I do lots of maintenance myself and use a respected indy (GCR) for servicing and stuff out of my capabilities. I’m gradually improving it and love driving it.
If the engine fails (IMS done but bore score always a risk) then I’ll have a decision to make - £10k+ loss or cost on an otherwise good car. Which is a bit easier to stomach that an air cooled.
Currently on 88k miles so have 2 or 3 years to decide whether it will get an engine rebuild.
Koln-RS said:
I love the aircooled 911s, but that’s a 50 year old ‘classic’ - I think you’d need to be a dedicated and competent enthusiast to enjoy a frustration free life with a car like that.
Well I'll completely disagree. There's nothing dedicated or competent to enjoy a car like that.I have one of the early LWB cars from 1969. It's as simple as they get. And it just works. I can't imagine what people thought of them back then, they were so superb.
Obviously, it needs to be a good example that works but they are awesome and easy.
bert
Paynewright said:
I’d love an air cooled car but as mentioned above its the huge repair bills/ hourly labour rates you pay for classic expertise that puts me off. You could easily spend the purchase price again on bodywork / engine rebuilds.
Obviously if you buy a pile of poo, it'll cost to sort out. Simple really, put the effort in and buy a decent one. Not that hard.And you'll not be sitting on that modern Porsche nonsense of will my motor lunch itself today!
Bert
BertBert said:
Paynewright said:
I’d love an air cooled car but as mentioned above its the huge repair bills/ hourly labour rates you pay for classic expertise that puts me off. You could easily spend the purchase price again on bodywork / engine rebuilds.
Obviously if you buy a pile of poo, it'll cost to sort out. Simple really, put the effort in and buy a decent one. Not that hard.And you'll not be sitting on that modern Porsche nonsense of will my motor lunch itself today!
Bert
OPC has serviced mine since new and I only keep going back there for its yearly service because of it .... but for day to day remedial work or any work ..... then I’ve a great guy that keeps the old girl tip-top ...... and he works from a shed of a workshop .
BertBert said:
Obviously if you buy a pile of poo, it'll cost to sort out. Simple really, put the effort in and buy a decent one. Not that hard.
Bert
Yes you can buy a decent one, but it not £30k is it.Bert
Most car cars at shows are tat, I know that sounds bad but it’s sadly true.
Top end engine rebuilds 50k miles ago and a £3k blow over paint job don’t make them decent, and that’s most of the cars you see on the road.
When it’s now £15k for an engine rebuild and £20k for paint, you are not doing that yourself in the garage !
Yes you can do all the work yourself if you have the time, but body and engine rebuild is NOt inc.
Buy wrong, ie a hidden blow over job which is rotting from the inside out and you are doomed.
So it is pretty hard to buy a good one imo.
A competent inspection should reveal any work needed and many cars will have had money spent on them over the years to keep them in nice rather than perfect condition. The numbers thrown around for engine and bodywork bare no resemblence to my experience but I guess there is quite a disconnect in specialist pricing from North to South.
Lots of great cars out there. When old Ford Escorts can fetch over £50k then nice air cooled cars are a bit of a bargain!
Lots of great cars out there. When old Ford Escorts can fetch over £50k then nice air cooled cars are a bit of a bargain!
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