To start off, since this is my very first posting, I should probably give some sort of introduction...My name is Brian, I am 25 years old, I am American, though I have been living in Japan for the last year and a half or so...I teach english, and I also teach political science at a junior college. I have loved the porsche marque ever since I could remember, though I have never owned one (I have come close several times) My current cars are a VW Corrado, and Rover Mini Cooper...
Now, to my question: I know there are a number of books about this subject (and I intend to order them) but I wanted to get as many opinions as I possibly could... I would like to buy a used porsche 911 when I get back to the U.S. (this April or May)...but I don't think that it is possible, I am probably dreaming...I have checked a number of car price guides (blue book, edmund's, and the like) and their quoted values do not match what I see when I look on websites like autotrader.com....IS IT POSSIBLE to buy a nice aircooled 911 (most likely a 78-83 911SC, maybe an 84-89) for $10-12K (US)??? (not interested in a targa) Would one of these cars be something that could be driven daily? are parts and repairs going to strangle me? how about reliability? I know the old sayings to buy as much as you can afford, let someone else do the restoration work, etc etc...who out there has a 78-83 911SC? do you drive it everyday? (or almost) I am hoping that I will get lots and lots of responses for this, because like I said earlier, I want lots of different opinions. If someone out there thinks that this is an impractical idea, speak out. I should probably mention that my mechanical ability is OK, but not great; bigger projects I would need help...I think I covered everything...now let the answers and opinions roll on in....

Dear Brian,

I am also looking at buying my first 911 as everyday transport. I live in Switzerland and there is a huge choice of cars. I have also posted on this site for help and advise, but have not receved anything usefull.

I wish you good luck, maybe you could take the time to send a private message and we could compaire experences etc.

Regards,

Chris

hey guys, id love to give some helpful advice about 911 prices but unfortunately i dont have a reference when it comes to US prices, as i live in the uk. what i can tell you, is that it would likely be difficult to buy a 911 past the early 80's years for $12k, if prices are similar to here in the UK (im assuming ours are a little more expensive, just as with new car prices). Even if you do find a post-85 911 for that money it may not be in the right condition. Generally speaking 911's last forever so even something from the late 70's will be reliable, but get the car thoroughly mechanically checked before thinking of purchasing it. this will set you back a couple hundred bucks but could potentially save you thousands. you dont wanna buy a 911 and find out its a dog. oh, and make sure it wont rust, i cant quite remember what year the bodies started getting treated not to rust but this is also important. as for the car price guide books, they can be useful but dont always indicate what the actual prices in the market are. remember, something's only worth what someone is willing to pay for it, so in depressed market conditions such as these prices will be lower than you might expect. and as the buyer, you have a bargaining advantage over the seller as he clearly doesnt want the car anymore and you're offering to take it away from him. 911's ARE reliable, the only real-world supercar til a few years ago so you wont have much trouble living with it day to day.... just be careful in the wet, 911's from a few years back are pretty tail-happy

good luck, let us know how it turns out

jay

Guys -- I truly am not trying to push someone elses forum(s), but Pelican Parts and Rennlist both have extensive archives that have discussed these very subjects. I couldn't hope to do them credit. Check them out. As for me, I bought my 83 SC in Jan 02 for 10.5, since then I've put about 3.5K into engine and body restorations and upgrades. I plan on using mine as a daily driver when I move (I live very close to work now and can walk)...although it has 114K on the clock, the engine runs strong and I expect a long life from it.

Good luck

Don’t worry about “pushing another forum”. That’s a helpful post you made, and that’s what we want at AF :)

Brian....I would also keep a close watch on ebay. There are currently a large number of 911's in the price range and model year you are considering. Ebay is a good forum for understanding a cars true value because you can see what they actually sell for as opposed to what a seller is asking.

Additionally, it is clearly good advise to have any of these cars mechanically inspected before making a buying commitment. Also look for a 911 that has been owned for a long period of time by the same person and someone that is a true enthusiast. They will know the car inside and out and generally speaking, they give you the straight scoop on the cars condition. Good luck

know this is an old post; however, any in the TX area:
this may be too late, but any interested, there is a reliable Porsche broker up in the Conroe (north Houston) area:
Winter Productions / or C2 / C-squared, I do not have the info on me; at home now, not in the shop, but Clint is VERY knowledgeable in the 911s, and usually has some on hand and/or can find you the one your interested in...
I have his number if any are interested... usually his are WELL maintained; with complete histories and documents, most are from arid states: NO RUST, and usually have exceptional bodies (no damage/wrecks); and usually are already to race (rollbars, mild-2-wild add-ons in the engine, etc.) or hit the streets, with higher end, custom built stereos/MP3/iPod a BIG speakers (Kenwood, Polk, Fujitsu, Focus, etc.)
I agree with the Vic post though; very bad repore from my run-ins...
ctesla
NRT racing