Air Cooled 911-Bad Idea?

So for right now I have decided to give up for awhile the idea of racing on track and am just going to work on autocross.

Also going to hold off on Rallycross, figure on keeping things simple. Own a second gen (2002) Miata and things are working out great with it.

I am having a Porsche fetish, and am thinking 944 or 911 Air Cooled.

What can you all tell me about the Air Cooled 911's? Read up quite a bit on 944's.

Chris

Neither...914 handles better than both

plance1 wrote: Neither...914 handles better than both

But is made by Volkswagen

I can't speak for 911's, but I can't for 944's. These are very good cars. A lot of fun to drive, very forgiving, yet extremely entertaining. New drivers and experienced ones can enjoy a 944. But, keep in mind you are buying what I've heard call "The Civic of Porsche". And it is a little true (I used to have one). These cars very quickly fell into the price range where just about anyone could buy it. And they did. So not every 944 has been properly cared for. And even if it has been, it's a %20 price increase for parts and work for every time the car has Porsche written on it. If you aren't afraid to work on the car yourself, and like a bit of a challenge, a 944 is a great car. If that doesn't sound like your idea of a good time, I'd suggest you avoid it.

An air cooled 911 is a singular experience. I've had a '72 and an '84. Nothing else quite drives like them. You feel very connected to it.

It will be expensive to service and it will make you tired on long trips, but it will always feel "special" somehow. I replaced my '84 with a Boxster that is a better car in every way, yet it somehow just doesn't feel "special" like the 911 did.

It will take time to learn to drive your 911 to 10/10ths (or even six tenths, really) but once you get it, it's like you've learned the secret handshake and suddenly the lack of a defroster, the punishing ride (in my '84 at least), the persistent oil smell, the vague shifter and the feeble wipers cease to matter.

You will simply love that car.

I'm digging the heck out of my '84 Carrera. Yes, I'm sure there will be an article in there.

what's wrong with volkswagens?

Read everything you can find on them. In addition to the usual buyer's guides, you may want to read The Gold Plated Porsche by Stephan Wilkinson.

If you're not frightened off, shop very carefully. Look at as many cars as you can, and budget $400-500 for a Pre Purchase Inspection if you find the car you want. It's worth it. Read this thread about a car that I almost bought a year ago. The PPI saved me from making a HUGE mistake on a car that appeared to be nearly perfect.

http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/killer-body-evil-heart/5763/page1/

I shopped for over two years before finding the right car. I love it. If you do your homework and find the right car, you'll love it too.

Just remember that Targas are for Bob Costas.

I'll also add that mine has been very comfortable on long trips. We recently did 9 hours in the rain, and I had a fever. The trip just flew by.

David S. Wallens wrote: I'll also add that mine has been very comfortable on long trips. We recently did 9 hours in the rain, and I had a fever. The trip just flew by.

Yup, the seats are amazingly comfortable. Plus, they're inside a freakin' Porsche!

David S. Wallens wrote: I'll also add that mine has been very comfortable on long trips. We recently did 9 hours in the rain, and I had a fever. The trip just flew by.

My '72 rode really well, but my '84 beat the crap out of me. Maybe there was something wrong with my '84. It had Koni sports and the previous owner had lowered it to what he called "Euro ride height".

All that being said, I will agree that the seats were excellent and very comfortable.

I think the difference between my '84 and yours is that you bought a really good one.

Another great book that you should check out is 101 Projects for your Porsche 911 by Wayne Dempsey. He's the owner of Pelican Parts. The book will give you an idea of what you can tackle yourself, which is probably a lot more than you would expect.

http://www.101projects.com/

The Pelican Forum is another great resource.

I drove my 86 911 from New England to FL earlier this year and it was a great trip! Seats were fine for 10-12 hour stints. Now if I could only figure out how to operate the heat, defrost, and AC !!! LOL

Had an 86 911 coupe, now have an 85 targa. I've done a few 1,000 mile trips in them - maybe it's just me, but think it's a great road trip car. Plenty of stuff that can go faster and handle as well or better these days - but few things reward you as well for getting it right. You'll never mistake it for an appliance.

M030 wrote:

David S. Wallens wrote: I'll also add that mine has been very comfortable on long trips. We recently did 9 hours in the rain, and I had a fever. The trip just flew by.

My '72 rode really well, but my '84 beat the crap out of me. Maybe there was something wrong with my '84. It had Koni sports and the previous owner had lowered it to what he called "Euro ride height". All that being said, I will agree that the seats were excellent and very comfortable. I think the difference between my '84 and yours is that you bought a really good one.

Thanks.

I need to measure my ride height. A few people have called it Euro-spec, but I haven't investigated. It has 10-year-old Bilsteins. Honestly, I love it on the highway: nice seats, perfect controls and an excellent view in all directions. Some cars stress me out on the highway thanks to their blind spots. The 911 doesn't really have any. And yeah, the heat controls baffle me, too.

Thanks for the replies guys!

I'm going to give this some serious thought and work on saving some serious cash...and waiting for "just the right car"

Chris

There seem to be a number of good 911s for sale recently on one of the US forums I'm lurking on...

I've driven my '88 / '89 MY Carrera 3.2 to the South of France and back, 500-600/miles day are not a problem. Heck, if you're driving within the legal limits you barely have to fill up during that time.

One of the forums I'm on here in the UK is full of DIY types and I certainly would DIY mine if I hadn't made my usual mistake of buying a very low-mileage one where it makes a lot of sense to have as much documented history are possible. They're a little quirky but from what little I've done on it they don't seem to be massively hard to work on, just different.

Regarding the PPI, I would strongly suggest that you're present when the PPI is carried out. I wasn't for the car I bought, IMHO the guy needed a yellow arm band with three black dots on it and a guide dog. That little mistake has cost me several thousand pounds to get the front suspension pan repaired properly...

Seems like there are a lot of good SCs coming on the market, and there are deals to be had on some of the later cars as well. I've seen some nice 89-93 cars (964 model designation) coming up in the mid teens lately, often for less money than a comparable 80-88 SC or Carrera.

I miss my old 72. there was just something about it. Refined yet raw, fast, yet slow, wonderful handing, but so so evil if you did it wrong.

I love the long nosed cars, but I would not be against an 80's 911 I could convert (and you can)

911's are great cars.

There is a reason they are so popular despite a 60's design with 30's origins.

An 80's 911 is both ancient and modern, sporty and comfortable, raw and refined.

Personally I found the 944 line (Turbo especially) to be a better value for money thing, but I do respect the 911 (all years) quite alot.

One of the guys in our region auto-x's a '73 911 in AS. Few things are cooler than watching him flog that car around a course... pulling out of corners with the inside front wheel in the air...

...even cooler when you find out he's the original owner...