I know there is alot of cross over here, so I thought I would ping the collective knowledge base.

He is not looking for a restoration project, but doesn't mind working on it either. He is pretty set on getting a targa as it will only be a fair weather driver (weekends, etc). No a/x plans for now, but who knows.

Any advice on years to avoid, specifics to look for, good books for research, etc. would greatly apprieciated. This will be his first Porsche

Make sure he has it checked out by someone who knows these cars (911/912), they can be very rusty in hard to find places. A nicely set up 912 can be a very sweet car - and they are easily converted to a 911 - like all Porsches you can plug in things like suspensions and go fast motors - I have a 911 RS clone (2.7 ltrs with 240 hp based on a 69 912)

Tell him not to do it.

Just look for rust. Look everywhere. Or, look for quality repairs.

These little cars are appreciating in both value and respect lately. I don't think any more engine conversions would be wise. A while back it was almost the norm. As they appreciate, a good 912 will be a good investment.

Especially after the nice article in Pano July '06

If he is looking for a 912 because he thinks it will be less expensive than a 911 to repair then he is mistaken. An engine rebuild can be very expensive and more parts will need to be replaced. The case cracks around the oil cooler. The crankshaft can only be turned once. The oil pump is part of the front case cover. The valve guides have no shoulder and can fall in if the old guides were not removed properly...

An earlier 911, 2 liter or 2.2 litre, has a MINIMUM of twice the engine longevity of a 911, and often they run 300K miles (that's about 4X). The cost of rebuilding one of these is roughly the same as a 912, given the cost of case repairs, German pistons and cylinders, and a new crank. This has been true for at least 25 years. As others have said, CHECK FOR RUST. For some reason, the 912s are much harder on the nose pan. Might be the generator/alternator difference, I dunno. I've replaced about 20 of them on 912s, and maybe 1 or 2 on 911s. The cabin floors get so thin you can stick a pencil through 'em, too.

Send him to the 912 registry.org

The 68's have some sort of smog-air injection thingy
that can crack the heads. 616 motors cost as much
to rebuild as a flat 6. If the previous owner lugged the
motor enough the crank can get hammered ($).
69 was the only year of the long wheelbase chassis. 912
Targas are pretty rare compared to coupes. Rust
and more rust. Blah, blah, blah. Again the 912 Registry
is a great source of info. I have a '67 SWB coupe
with a 914 motor and I quite like it.

I hope to win this 912

912 raffle !!!

now that my 911 is pretty much sold, I've got the space

I know it's a '76 smog monster, but I can deal with that...would be kinda neat to have 2 912e's across the street from each other

Hey Cap'n or Jake...

Can one rebuild a Type 1 for this application and keep the numbers matching 356 engine on a pallett in the garage?

Just wondering... coming from someone who knows jack about these early 4 lungers.

Yep. I learned the hard way 30 years ago.

Tell him to buy a 914. With any leftover money, he can do upgrades, and they're all targas.

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?show...c=56377&hl=

I have said this before, I love mine I have had it for almost 10 years. Tell him to look for rust under the front end and buy the best he can afford.