Porsche 911

[crj1968]

Anyone here own a 911? Specifically a 70s/80's model.

[Ponch ®]

I wish.

[crj1968]

Yeah...I missed a good deal on a black one just like that. Now I am keeping an eye out, but you know, it's like keeping an eye out for an R/T Charger

I'll always remember as a kid, seeing a "Whale-Tail" Porsche and wanting one. 

[Chad L. Magee]

I found (and almost bought) a nice 1977 Porsche 930 back when I was in high school.  I was into finding Porsches back then.  It would have been my first car.  I had enough in savings to buy it outright at the time, but not enough for my insurance.  So, I would had to wait a bit until I was older to afford to drive it.  However, my parents were afraid that I would likely wreck it, so they squashed that idea.  To be honest, they were probably right.  I rolled my first car on a gravel road after owning it less than six months...

[crj1968]

Well that would of been a sweet car to have in high-school...and likely harder to roll than whatever you rolled.  

I love my charger but it'd be fun to have a small car like that. My brother has a WRX that is an absolute blast to drive.
I was surprised at how fast it is...it really is a great car. But the Subarus just don't have the retro-coolness of a 911, of course.

[NCMopar]

I had a chance to pick up a 930 Turbo, before they became stupid money. Those air cooled 911s are truly sweet and definitely have a personality that the newer ones can't come close to (most newer cars can't). That said, I've never been crazy about the "bobbing" or nose lightness that these things have. The newer 911s feel differently due to the wheelbase, but it's still there.

The one thing that always strikes me about driving older cars is the visibility and thin A pillar. Not a NHTSA win, but the ability to see so much is refreshing.

Regards,
John

[twenty mike mike]

Just keep in mind the difference between Porsches and porcupines...   

[crj1968]

Just keep in mind the difference between Porsches and porcupines...   

I shall keep that in mind if i ever get one.   

[NCMopar]

Twenty mike mike, my DD is a '16 M3, so I'm familiar with the sentiment...



Regards,
John

[twenty mike mike]

Twenty mike mike, my DD is a '16 M3, so I'm familiar with the sentiment...

Regards,
John

I'm on #32 of that marque, myself. I should never have sold this. Strangely, it got more attention than the Charger does.

[crj1968]

That's a cool car.
I've got a 3 series series myself...it's not an "M" unfortunately, but an awesome car. Never cared much for BMW's until I actually got in one and drove it. 

[NCMopar]

Absolutely beautiful! I could totally see kicking yourself for getting rid of it. One of my bucket list cars is an E28 M5. Unfortunately, I missed the window to pick one of those up @ a reasonable price, just like the 930...

CRJ, I'm pretty much a car whore (no allegiance to any make other than old Mopars), but do tend to buy German when it comes to new cars. I travel quite a bit, so I drive rental cars about 1/3 of the year. When I'm home, I don't want to drive a rental car.


Regards,
John

[twenty mike mike]

Thanks, CRJ and John. 

I know it's an icon, but I drove an E28 M5 and wasn't much impressed with it. If I were to go to the M side, I'd probably look for an E34 or an E39.

[crj1968]

Yeah I hear ya there.  Last "new" dodge I bought was a Stratus in like 98?  It was such a POS I never looked on another Chrysler lot. I did have to go check out the new Challengers of course.




Hey Mike Mike- that looks like a lonely car show.  

[crj1968]

Thanks, CRJ and John. 

I know it's an icon, but I drove an E28 M5 and wasn't much impressed with it. If I were to go to the M side, I'd probably look for an E34 or an E39.

You know the M6 is pushing like 600HP right?   

[Mike DC]

    
I never undestood the appeal of the old 911s.  IMO they don't look that great.  And dangerous/snappy handling is far worse than just having low limits.


Now . . . an old Lambo Countach from that era?  Or an F40?  That's another story.  

[crj1968]

   
I never undestood the appeal of the old 911s.  IMO they don't look that great.  And dangerous/snappy handling is far worse than just having low limits.


Now . . . an old Lambo Countach from that era?  Or an F40?  That's another story.  

Surely, you can't be serious. 

Perhaps... but you can't pick up an F40 for $30K.   

[NCMopar]

Mike, those old 911s can be sketchy and you have to drive them in a different way, but they can be truly rewarding. As for the Countach, that pig was a pig when the pig was new. It is beautiful (the early ones), absolutely. To me, it's really auto art and it would be hard to derive any pleasure in driving it, other than the sound of that V12 and the fact that everyone would have their phones out taking pics and videos of it. The F40? Only the Baby Jesus truly deserves to own one. The rest of us should just stand and bow our heads.

I'm sure you're right about the E28. I guess I'm just crazy for that body style and the simplicity of those cars. While my F80 is an amazing car, the M3 has grown to the size of the E60 M5 and you can feel a greater disconnect from the driving experience. Again, it's a great car, does everything REALLY well, just not very involving.


Regards,
John

[Chad L. Magee]

Back in 2004, I found a 1972 Lamborghini Espada on ebay.  It was a project car, complete but with the engine completely disassembled ( ).  It was in a nearby state, so I could have reasonably picked it up over a weekend.  It sold for $3500 that day as a buy it now price after I walked away from the computer screen.  All I had to do was to hit the "Buy It Now" button and I could have had it.  I had the money in the bank, just could not pull the trigger to buy it when I needed the money for upcoming college expenses.  The styling on them was not the best (much like a Dino from that era).  If it was a running car, it would have been valued in the mid-30s at the time.  Like all of the high end Italian sportscars, the values on these jumped quite a bit over the past few years (and I knew it would).  That one still makes me feel sick when I hear about them being easy six figure cars now...

[crj1968]

The F40? Only the Baby Jesus truly deserves to own one. The rest of us should just stand and bow our heads.

lol
Amen. I saw an F40 rolling about 10 MPH down the street in San Francisco years ago.




Chad- yeah those Espadas are funky ! Six figures for one now eh? I believe it...wow.

[Mike DC]

 
I thought the F40s were a bit overrated in their day.  But they have grown on me a ton since then. 


The Lambo Countach just looks cool.  It's iconic. 

Looking good is about all it does though.  It weighs as much as a 2nd-gen Charger.  (How did they even achieve that feat?  It's a small-block NA engine in a little car!)  And it's not made any better than any of the other 1980s exotics.

[redgum78]

I rekon these 928's are good value. V8 and much cheaper than a 911.

[NCMopar]

Red gum, a Dr in the small town I graduated HS in had a Guards Red 928 S4. He use to absolutely fly everywhere he drove that car. I saw him doing 50 in the hospital parking lot, lol. I lusted after that car and would DD one of those today, if I could find a nice one.


Regards,
John

[Ponch ®]

  Now I am keeping an eye out, but you know, it's like keeping an eye out for an R/T Charger

in more ways than one. 80's Porsches in general (well, not the 944s) are the rare type of car where a 35 year old "used" version is more often than not gonna be more expensive than a 5 year old one.

[Mike DC]

   

in more ways than one. 80's Porsches in general (well, not the 944s) are the rare type of car where a 35 year old "used" version is more often than not gonna be more expensive than a 5 year old one.

Good stuff from the 1980s is easily old enough to make the grade for "classic" now.

Muscle cars had reached classic/collectible status when they were barely 20-25yo.  That works out to an early 1990s car today.   

[redgum78]

Red gum, a Dr in the small town I graduated HS in had a Guards Red 928 S4. He use to absolutely fly everywhere he drove that car. I saw him doing 50 in the hospital parking lot, lol. I lusted after that car and would DD one of those today, if I could find a nice one.


Regards,
John

  on my bucket list too!

[Aero426]

There are Porsche's that are inexpensive to buy.   But there are no cheap Porsches.     All Porsches are maintenance intensive.   They are not a 5.0 Mustang.    The low price  Porsche will eat you alive; it doesn't matter what model.    The OEM support is excellent.   You can buy an amazing array of parts.   But they are expensive with a capital $$$ sign.   

I think the rise in air cooled 911 prices is pulling the best examples of other older models up whether the engine is in the front or the rear.   

[Troy]

A guy I worked with had an 80s(?) 911 that he never drove - but he constantly was dumping money in it. He would complain about the $2,500 annual maintenance (and this was early 2000s). I loved the car but I'm pretty sure I'd have gotten my $2,500 worth out of it!

Troy

[Aero426]

A guy I worked with had an 80s(?) 911 that he never drove - but he constantly was dumping money in it. He would complain about the $2,500 annual maintenance (and this was early 2000s). I loved the car but I'm pretty sure I'd have gotten my $2,500 worth out of it!

Troy

Even if you do your own work, it seems you have to have a budget for repairs and maint to figure in.   My 944S is a really nice car that has always been taken care of and maintained.   And it still bit me with a head gasket.   That was over my ability level, so it was an expensive hit.    Several other small things have cropped up along the way.   So far, it has been an expensive car per mile to run.     The reward is the gold standard handling with the 51/49 weight distribution.   You point this car and shoot.    It just goes where you want it to go.  

As to a 928, between the heavier weight and many being automatics, I don't think I would want one.   The  next step for me would be a 911.   But I really don't see that happening.    

[Ponch ®]

   

in more ways than one. 80's Porsches in general (well, not the 944s) are the rare type of car where a 35 year old "used" version is more often than not gonna be more expensive than a 5 year old one.

Good stuff from the 1980s is easily old enough to make the grade for "classic" now.

Muscle cars had reached classic/collectible status when they were barely 20-25yo.  That works out to an early 1990s car today.   

yeah, but emphasis on "good stuff"

Is an 87 5.0 worth more than a 2011 Mustang GT? Probably not.
Is a mid 80's S-class Benz worth more than a 2012?

Cars like the 911 are the exception, rather than the rule.

[Derwud]

I worked at a Porsche Dealer in the 80's and worked on Jags into the 90's...

930 Turbo is a beast and you must have skill and balls to drive.
911 a little tamer, but again you have to have SKILLS to drive one hard..
944 GREAT package and underrated, That car can still beat some newer cars with superior handling  and braking.
928 first real GT supercar produced.. The manual trans versions were a blast to drive and they could cruise @ 120 all day long!!

Driven a lot of the super cars and Porsche does it right!!

[crj1968]

I don't have great driving skills, but man I'd love a 911 so I could start wearing scarves.   


Ponch- truth....there wasn't much "good stuff" in the 80's.

[Al]

Yes, I own a 1980 911SC, oakgreen metallic with a 915 manual transmission. Drives like a charm! Completely different in all respects from my 68 Charger but I enjoy both cars tremendously.

Greets
Al

[crj1968]

Yes, I own a 1980 911SC, oakgreen metallic with a 915 manual transmission. Drives like a charm! Completely different in all respects from my 68 Charger but I enjoy both cars tremendously.

Greets
Al

Nice ! 

How long have you owned it? Are they a PITA to maintain?  

[Aero426]

Yes, I own a 1980 911SC, oakgreen metallic with a 915 manual transmission. Drives like a charm! Completely different in all respects from my 68 Charger but I enjoy both cars tremendously.

Greets
Al

Interesting color and it's not Guards Red like about half of vintage Porsches seem to be.   

[M5Ivan]

I've always loved 911's over the years and knew at some point I would have to beg, borrow or steal to get one in my garage I had a '13 991 for the last couple of years and it made a great daily driver and was a blast on the track. The 7 speed manual was fun to drive, but on the track I couldn't keep up with my buddy who had the same car but with the PDK transmission. Fast forward to this year and we both bought different cars. Here they are at a recent Cars and Coffee. The 930 is crazy fast when it's on boost, even faster than I thought it would be!!

[Dino]

Great cars! My buddy had a late 70s 911 and it was a fun ride. A guy I worked with owned a 928 and that was an amazing ride. I love the look of the old Countach. It was the first car I fell in love with as a kid. I'd love to own one some day but I'm not sure I can afford a toy like that. My next car will still be a Delorean though. They get more expensive every year and I will have to dump some money into it to stick a V8 and manual 6 speed in it and make t a reliable car. Some custom touches in and out as well as dropping the front but dammit I want one!

[Al]

Here's a picture.

[crj1968]

That's awesome Al.  Man I could fit two of those in the garage space my charger takes up.   

Affording them is a different story, however.   

I talked to a guy with an NSX the other day at a car show and he was talking about over steer. It dawned on me I had never driven a rear engine car. 

[RCCDrew]

I was a Porsche technician in the late 90s. I was priveledged to work on 911s, 930s, 968s 928S4s, 944Ts, 993s. Also got to work on Beemers and Ferraris and one Lamborghini. Great times.