Educate me on classic P cars

[slngsht]

Friend of mine has fallen in love with old 911s and wants a convertible. what years are worth considering at reasonable price ranges?

 

She is not interested in the best performance one - just a nice elegant 911 drop top. Suggestions?

[MHKflyer52]

Hi Mazda,

First of all the 911 Cab's came in all years from 1967 to present.

If I was going to recommend a Cab for someone to purchase I would tell them to look for a 1999 to 2004 (Porsche Model 996) as they are the water cooled engines and are very dependable and also have the best fitting tops for their age and amount of use but like all convertibles they do have some issues but nothing that should keep one from purchasing a well maintained and cared for 996 Porsche Cabriolet. You might want to contact the local PCA Group for the area that you live in as most of the members are very informative and knowledgeable. Here is the phone number for PCA National Office in Springfield, VA. 703-321-2111 and they can point you to a number of good sources for your research for your area.

You will find that most Cabriolets / Convertibles will command a premium price as their owners usually demand a premium and usually get it for nice cars. The local Porsche dealers are also a good source for information but you most likely are aware of that. Good luck in your hunt and do look at all the models that are out there, Porsche 911 1964-89, Porsche 964 1989-93, Porsche 993 1993-98, Porsche 996 1999-04, Porsche 997 2004-Present all considered a 911.

Hope this helps.

[slngsht]

Thanks Martin. I think she is mostly interested in old ones, like 70's or older.

[S1Steve]

Hi Mazda,

Three different body types, Cabriolet, speedster, nice ones are big $$$$

targa, very common.

I have been looking at early long hood cars ,up to 1973. Most that are in my

price range,20k, are rusty. I have two places that I like to explore.

Pelican Parts.com, and the Porsche Early 911s Registry. And of course there is

E-bay just to see what is out for sale. EVERYONE I have spoke with about

buying a early 911, said one thing, Get a someone that really knows early

911's to go over it , before you buy it.

Hope this can be of some help, Steve

[Boxologist]

uggg. if your friend would be satisfied w/ teh boxter/cayman shape she will save herself money and headaches compared to older 911s. i'd love to have a 911SC or RS(even a swapped 914) but 30-40 year old cars are a passion that needs to be had at the knees up to grease and oil level.

[11Budlite]

Mazda - I think Martin meant Targa's when he said they were available from '67 to the present. The first 911 Cabriolet came out in 1983, the last year of the SC models with the 3.0 CIS motors. The '84-'89 Carrera models had the 3.2 motors with a more modern DME controlled FI system which I think is a big improvement. The '87-'89 models also had the more durable G50 transmission which I prefer over the previous 915 transmission. But if you find a '83-'86 915-equipped car that it's in good condition, that can be a bargain compared to the '87-'89 models. These are the last of the classic bodied, torsion bar equipped cars.

The 964 model 911 came out in '89 as a Carrera 4, the AWD version with coil spring suspension and the 247hp 3.6 motor. In 1990 they came out with the Carrera 2 RWD model which is usually prefered due to the reduced complexity, weight, and cost to repair when something goes wrong. Also, the 964 and later cars had a much improved heating/ventilation/AC system if that's important to your friend.

I'm not too familiar with the 993 models other they had a 6-speed, improved rear suspension, and a little more hp than the 964 models (270?), and were the last of the air-cooled cars.

I have no personal experience with the 996 cars, although I did a PCA DE in a 2005 997 Carrera S model and it was so much faster than the driver that it almost made me look fast!

I think the general consensus is to get a PPI and buy the latest, best condition example you can afford.

I would do some research on Pelican and Rennlist and go from there.

[11Budlite]

Thanks Martin. I think she is mostly interested in old ones, like 70's or older.

 

She'd have to settle for a Targa for that age group. Get a PPI and WATCH OUT FOR RUST!!!

[gjslutz]

1884 was the first year for the modern 911 Cabriolet, I paid $41K for mine new. Targas were anound in most years though, and an rather nice option.

 

The Turbo Body Cabrolet and Speedster are the best looking in my eye. I think the option on my 1988 Turbo body Cab was $11K. Turbo 930 Cabs were also very nice.

 

Starting 1974 911's had different rear trailing arms and the car for the first time started tracking good at speed.

 

1978 they started the CS series with a slight bulge in the rear fenders.

 

Every year the 911 evolved a little, all had improvements. For a driver, I would purchase the newest in her price range.

 

All of the 911 & 930's I had were bullet proof except the ones that were pumped up too far. My Porsche quest started in 1970 and the last one was an 1996 Cab, 20+ of them.

 

The 930's were not very good as a driver unless you messed with the gearing. The low compression and long first gear made it a dog for stop & go. Once the turbo was spooled up, things were fine. My last 930 was a 1986 (first year after 1978 for the turbo in the US again), if memory is correct. With twin plug heass, cams, micro fuller, K-29 turbo, and more it dynoed 525 RWHP. The gearbox became the weak link then.

 

The wife and I took many long trips in them when we had other cars to drive. Fast & quiet, with a great ride! The Vets of the early years were on the other end of the comfort list.

 

To me they were the best road car built. My .02

[gjslutz]

Add the PCA to the list for Porsche research, the news letter and some info is on line.

[slngsht]

1884 was the first year for the modern 911 Cabriolet, I paid $41K for mine new.

 

 

man, you ARE as old as dirt :jester:

[gjslutz]

Bud lite is correct on the 1983 as the first year for the Cab, My deposit was returned that year as I was too late. I also missed the limmited Pearl 1986 turbo as I didn't have my deposit in soon enough, tight money times. The 1983 959 was way above my pay grade! It could not be used on the roads in the US either.

 

Now if I can find the gas $$ I'll go for a drive with the 7 as we have a forecast of 68'

[gjslutz]

Yes, old enough that I have a hard time remembering inventing it.

[JohnCh]

In the early years, the Targa used a removable plastic rear window that came close to a true convertible experience. I'm pretty sure that option began with the '67 MY and was dropped when the 2.4L engine was introduced in '72. To complicate matters, I also seem to recall that Porsche offered the glass rear window option alongside the plastic window Targa towards the end of the run. No guarantees on the accuracy of my memory

 

A couple of good forums for Porsche are Rennlist and Pelican.

 

Edited to add a pic of a soft window Targa:

 

http://www.porsport.com/images/silver911/main.jpg

 

-John

Edited November 8, 2009 by JohnCh
Added picture

[gjslutz]

Yes most were yellow after a few years, poor UV protection. Some of the 912's had the soft back window also.

[7veloce]

Hi, I am a long time 911 Porsche owner and a member of PCA. My suggestion for you is to look for a Cab from 1984 - 1989 (later ones has G50 trans will be better, I think from 1987 onward) before it went to 964. I hope this will help. They are good cars and reliable.

[Kitcat]

There have been articles on this in "Excellence" car magazine (devoted exclusively to Porsches). The advice is always the same: Have someone knowledgeable look at the car and, buy the best example you can afford. They are Porsches, so plan to pay "Porsche" prices for repairs, service, etc., and pray you don't need an engine rebuild. The magazine periodically provides "Market Updates" re pricing for the various models so I wld expect an issue in the last 12 months or so covered that. They have a web page so that mite be a place to start and perhaps order a pertinent back-issue.

 

Mike

[Kitcat]

Just checked the latest issue of Excellence and they report these early 70's Targas being valued at $16.9K for so-so condition, $19,225 for good condit, $25,750 for excellent condition. Then they list actual prices paid recently, with a low at $9K, high at $36K.

 

Mike