Adrian_Thompson (Forum Supporter) said:What are the hidden costs of 996tt ownership?
Rear quarter panel damage. 
Adrian_Thompson (Forum Supporter) said:What are the hidden costs of 996tt ownership?
Rear quarter panel damage.
Dealing with the coolant pipes at some point. They'll need to be welded or pinned as the factory glue degrades and they pop out. You can reach 6 or 7 out of the 8 with the engine in if you want to pin them. Welding them means engine out. I plan on handling that on my car when the clutch needs to be replaced or one starts to leak, whichever happens first.
Several people have mentioned the oil cooled cars. I absolutely love those cars and have driven plenty of them and know them well. My good friend and next door neighbor has a 78 SC driver quality car. There are two issues with those cars though. If this was a pure toy, I'd be all over one, they are one of my dream cars having come of age in the 80's. But they are just not suitable as daily drivers FOR ME. I realize that many on here would consider a stripped out roll caged equipped car as a great DD, but I'm way past that. First any DD level car must have real working AC, ABS, power this and that, air bags, heated seats etc etc. modern crash protection, at least front air bags. The air cooled cars are just way to basic and the platform is way too old (1963) for me to DD in the real world. YMMV. Second, while I love these cars they are way beyond "Adrian's value to cost ratio". If a nice, no stories 9/10 G50 Carrara was still a $30K car, I'd be all over one, but they are not worth $40-50++++K TO ME. Their prices have way surpassed their value in my mind. Not saying they are not great cars, they are. I'm not saying they are not worth the prices people are paying for them, they must be to those people. For me though, that boat has long sailed on these cars
In reply to Adrian_Thompson (Forum Supporter) :
Same here, if money was no object I'd get an 80's 911, cocaine white with a slant nose and the biggest whale tail I could find. Unfortunately I can't go near one right now. The next wife will be better insured.
Wally (Forum Supporter) said:I'd get an 80's 911, cocaine white with a slant nose and the biggest whale tail I could find. Unfortunately I can't go near one right now. The next wife will be better insured.
I've got a $1M policy on AngryWife and she's got a $1M policy on me. :-)
In reply to AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) :
You better keep buying each other nice presents to prevent each other plotting.
Adrian_Thompson (Forum Supporter) said:David S. Wallens said:Anything in our Your First Porsche article scratch that itch?
Funny aside before I answer that. I still have your original first time Porsche article where you used $10K as the price point. BAck than you listed late non S Long hoods as your 911 choice sub $10k as they were cheaper than a nice SC or Carrera, that was a long time ago!
Yes I read your article, but I disagree with several of your recommendations. As much as a PIA the earlier single and double row IMS bearings are, at least they are serviceable. Any car with the non replaceable RMS without splitting the car is off the list for me, which discounts two of your pics, the 997.1 and 987.1. I can and will stomach a car which either means a trans out DIY repair or a $3ish K service at shop. I'm not buying a car that needs an engine out and disassembly to fix a known non rare issue.
Dang, that first one was written a hundred years ago.
Another vote for a nicely maintained 996 coupe, or a 997.2 if it fits the budget.
We looked at 996 cabs and 986s when shopping for my wife's car and learned that the cab roof gets very pricey to repair, so bought a 986S that was priced to allow for the clutch the first owner knew it needed and the IMS that we knew any would need.
Of the air-cooled cars, the 964 and 993 tick all of the boxes except for the stupid money they're getting now: basically factory restomods with modern suspension, airbags, working AC, and some power geegaws. I've dailied one for a number of years, now nice-days-only to minimize the chances of someone sliding into me, but they're OK in weather, too. I do almost all of my own work, if I was paying someone I probably wouldn't drive it nearly as much.
In reply to Wally (Forum Supporter) :
Bid again!! The seller is offering $1000 off to leave the hideous black wheels. This car is such a bargain!
paddygarcia said:Another vote for a nicely maintained 996 coupe, or a 997.2 if it fits the budget.
We looked at 996 cabs and 986s when shopping for my wife's car and learned that the cab roof gets very pricey to repair, so bought a 986S that was priced to allow for the clutch the first owner knew it needed and the IMS that we knew any would need.
Of the air-cooled cars, the 964 and 993 tick all of the boxes except for the stupid money they're getting now: basically factory restomods with modern suspension, airbags, working AC, and some power geegaws. I've dailied one for a number of years, now nice-days-only to minimize the chances of someone sliding into me, but they're OK in weather, too. I do almost all of my own work, if I was paying someone I probably wouldn't drive it nearly as much.
I did the top on my Boxster myself. Time consuming and fiddly, but not hard. Decent aftermarket replacement tops are in the $6-700 range.
For me it's a non negotiable. It will be a drop top.
Walllleeeeeeyyyy
Adrian_Thompson (Forum Supporter) said:For me it's a non negotiable. It will be a drop top.
I've owned seven (eight, nine?) convertibles, and I've gotten it completely out of my system. I'd buy a Boxster or another Jeep, but the the top will stay up/on most of the time. On two of my Miatas, I completely removed the soft top assembly for more interior space and bolted down the hard top.
I will add that a 2013+ Boxster with the top up is tough to distinguish from a hardtop from the inside. Those tops are really nicely finished. Nothing like a Miata or a Z3.
The BAT car has gotten too expensive to buy sight unseen.
In reply to Woody (Forum Supportum) :
Agreed, you can go on Rennlist and pick one up at that price without the auction pressure.
Woody (Forum Supportum) said:Adrian_Thompson (Forum Supporter) said:For me it's a non negotiable. It will be a drop top.I've owned seven (eight, nine?) convertibles, and I've gotten it completely out of my system. I'd buy a Boxster or another Jeep, but the the top will stay up/on most of the time. On two of my Miatas, I completely removed the soft top assembly for more interior space and bolted down the hard top.
I will add that a 2013+ Boxster with the top up is tough to distinguish from a hardtop from the inside. Those tops are really nicely finished. Nothing like a Miata or a Z3.
Only took me one convertible for the novelty to wear off (though I had that one for 9 years or so). I realized that there are probably a total of four weeks during the year here in New England where driving top down is comfortable. The rest of the time it is either deadly hot or too cold. Then of course driving around in a convertible on I95 sucks. That said, if it was something easy to put up and down and a hardtop I could see myself doing that.
Woody (Forum Supportum) said:The BAT car has gotten too expensive to buy sight unseen.
Yeah I gave up at the end, it got a bit too exciting for me
In reply to Adrian_Thompson (Forum Supporter) :
Same here on the Boxster, and also the gears. The 996 mechanism is complex and sometimes needs a PS2 to calibrate. More than I wanted to deal with but everyone's get their own limits of PITA.
In reply to paddygarcia :
Did not know that about 996 tops. Good to know for future reference.
Convertibles in general. I get it they are not for everyone. I was hard top cars only, no sunroof guy myself when younger. Back when I actually cared about autocross and track days, I was all about chassis stiffness and weight. These days I much prefer drop tops. Honestly my current 986 has its top down almost all the time. The top has been up exactly twice this year, once when I got caught in unexpected rain and the other when I wanted to go through the car wash one morning. Yes I drive my drop top Porsche through an automatic whirling brush car wash. I DON'T CARE!!!
I've had the yellow one in my pic for close to 20 years. Maintenance is pretty straightforward once you get past the fear of working on a Porsche. I will say that car prices and parts prices have both increased considerably in the past few years.
As others have suggested but if I was shopping right now I'd be looking at 996 turbos first, and then low mileage 996 manual cabs second.
In reply to Harvey :
Crave the shade.
AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) said:Wally (Forum Supporter) said:I'd get an 80's 911, cocaine white with a slant nose and the biggest whale tail I could find. Unfortunately I can't go near one right now. The next wife will be better insured.
I've got a $1M policy on AngryWife and she's got a $1M policy on me. :-)
I have a ton on myself, but her issues made her pretty much uninsurable.
I know it's got a few days to take off but this is so close to perfect
In reply to Wally (Forum Supporter) :
Nice looking car, but I wouldn't be surprised to see that get close to $100k.
If you're looking at SC Era cars how about a 912e? They're not cheap any more but I've seen some really nice ones go by for far less than six-cylinder money.
You'll need to log in to post.
