What to look for in a 911, I'm shopping Options

[carreraguy]

[/quote]



Actually I'm narrowing it down to low mileage, documented, 84 to 88 carreras.

Preferably stock with no goofy colors. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

..
[/quote]

Can't go wrong there but I'd narrow it even further, go for the '87 to '89 G50 cars; the difference is very noticeable.

[anthony]

I'll put in a plug for SCs. They are the bargain of the bunch. You can find a really nice one for $12-15K which ends up being a full $10K less than the G50 Carrera.

One could do a lot of upgrades for $10K.

Regarding low mileage cars. They all seem to need bushings, shocks, and lots of little stuff. There are two ways of thinking. One is to get the low mileage car and do all the little stuff. The other is to get the 130K mile car that has the rebuilt upper end, transmission, new shocks, and all the little things done.

[Carl]

It's all about $ vs what you want in the car. I had this discussion about 3 years ago after owning a 78 SC for 10 years or so.

My 78 was a very nice car but I could never get it to run properly due to a mid-range hesitation in the 2400 - 2600 rpm range. I spent a lot of money chasing that problem. It seemed to be related to the CIS injection but it was never solved even after changing the rubber boots in the intake manifold, replacing the injectors, plugs, plug wires and repeatedly tuning the engine.

Following the advice of Bruce Anderson in Excellence, I bought a low mileage 89 Carrera, i.e., the last of the series before the 964's were introduced later that year. The 87 - 89 Carreras have advantages over the earlier cars with larger brakes, hydraulic clutch system, and the G50 transmission. From ~84 on the engines had Motronic injection which improves the driveability of the very significantly. No more hesitation and much better fuel economy.

So, in my experience, Tom has it right. 87 - 89 Carrera I cars are the best of the series. For the $10k difference Tony mentions it would be tough to add the improvements built into the later models. Nonetheless, they are all good cars and are very strong with high mileage potential.

Valve guide wear can be a problem in the 3.2's so look for that in a high mileage car.

In late 89 - 91 964's you get ABS, air bags and the 3.6 litre engine. The early 3.6's had some problems so you've got to be sure that they were addressed properly.

If you can afford a 993, that is a very nice car. The 3.6 engine was sorted out at that point plus it has ABS and air bags, presuming you want those features.

[zymurgist]

I like long hoods, but I may be somewhat biased in that regard. Lighter than the SC's and 964's, much cleaner lines (IMO), and if you find one with the right engine, faster than a cat who's just been spotted by my dog.

IMO the only downsides to the early cars are:
1. Rust. But any 914 guy should be able to handle a little rust, right?
2. Transmission - good ole 901/915 shifters work kinda like tossing a hot dog down a hallway.