I am curious who on this site owns a Porsche? And if you do which one? Way out of my league, but I have always admired them.
Porsche
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Not I, but I thought I would chime in. In a way Porsche has the extremes covered from a personal point of view. No offense to Porsche owners - I truly think all the air cooled stuff is garbage. I was never enamored with any of these cars - well OK I've seen some with SBC engines dropped in. OTOH, the newer cars are sweet. Very sweet. My .12$ (inflation)
I used to own an older 911, with 2.2L engine. It was a very fun car to own. The engine was like a sports motorcyle engine i.e. touch the gas pedal and the rpm's track instantly. The flat six configuration is so smooth. It's quite common for those older engines to go 250K miles with little maintenance, which is unusual for a performance engine.
The older 911 have enormous headroom. Shaq O'Neill could fit in one. The steering is very precise, and has the great feel that front wheel drive cars never have. Handling is very stable at all road speeds. If you take the car to a racetrack, it has snap oversteer at the limit. If you get near that limit on a public road, you are driving WAY too fast and endangering all around you, no matter what car you are driving.
Like any expensive car, it's hard to justify the price but if you can afford it, it's a sweet drive. The basic configuration has been in continuous production for 42 years. There is a reason for that popularity, and I bet there are lots of repeat owners. I know I'd love another!
The older 911 have enormous headroom. Shaq O'Neill could fit in one. The steering is very precise, and has the great feel that front wheel drive cars never have. Handling is very stable at all road speeds. If you take the car to a racetrack, it has snap oversteer at the limit. If you get near that limit on a public road, you are driving WAY too fast and endangering all around you, no matter what car you are driving.
Like any expensive car, it's hard to justify the price but if you can afford it, it's a sweet drive. The basic configuration has been in continuous production for 42 years. There is a reason for that popularity, and I bet there are lots of repeat owners. I know I'd love another!
Pablo! How can you say the air cooled stuff is garbage??? I have lusted for an older (86-89) 911 for so long I can taste it. Never drove one, but they are beautiful and the engines ....to drool over. I have numerous books on them and watch the ads all the time. I am getting old enough I figure I can afford the insurance and the wife is tired of hearing me talk about them. I have purchased a book, but not read it yet, called "The Gold Plated Porsche, How I sank a Small Fortune into a Used Car, and Other Misadventures" He bought a rundown 83 911 and spent $70k over the next two years to make it worth $20k. It may give me second thoughts.
John K - I take it back. Not really garbage. Just a bit over priced and VWish.
I have a 1967 Porsche 912 - body style of the early 911 w/ a 4 cyl engine from the Porsche 356. I've had it for about 20 years now, 294k miles, and a fresh rebuilt engine. Its actually a very primitive car, but has near perfect weight distribution at about 45/55 compared to the 911 which tended to be tail-heavy. It's not near as fast as a 911, but does handle quite nicely. No AC, no PS, no PB, no power windows, no fan for ventilation, only 1 drive belt, but best of all no emission checks.
http://www.912bbs.org
[ January 22, 2005, 02:29 PM: Message edited by: ediamiam ]
http://www.912bbs.org
[ January 22, 2005, 02:29 PM: Message edited by: ediamiam ]
Pablo - I drove my room mate's 1959 Porsche 1600 normal while in the army in Germany in 1961. It redlined at 4400 rpm and that was vw based. Don't think the 911s are in the same category. I was very gentle with it since it wasn't mine, but when I returned it I told him it ran a little rough at 4400 but once I got past the red marks (it was red from 4400 to 5000) it ran fine.
No sense of humor. He never let me drive it again!
ediamiam - I think I could be happy with a 912, & worry that I'd get in over my head w/the power of a 911, but want a later year that has the much better corrosion resistance, etc. (I live in a rust belt, not sunny CA!
ediamiam - I think I could be happy with a 912, & worry that I'd get in over my head w/the power of a 911, but want a later year that has the much better corrosion resistance, etc. (I live in a rust belt, not sunny CA!
John K
I had it rebuilt w/ big bores that use contemporary metallurgy for the pistons. Redline is around 6k, and I take it to 5k all the time. The original 912s were only built thru 1969.
What you need is a 1976 912E - Its the body of the 911 of that timeframe, with a fuel injected Type IV 4 cyl VW engine. Almost a modern car w/ corrosion control, AC, and better seats. Stock hp probably about 90 hp. But the way to go, would be to have that engine rebuilt by Jake Raby to about 150 hp
http://www.aircooledtechnology.com
[ January 22, 2005, 05:21 PM: Message edited by: ediamiam ]
I had it rebuilt w/ big bores that use contemporary metallurgy for the pistons. Redline is around 6k, and I take it to 5k all the time. The original 912s were only built thru 1969.
What you need is a 1976 912E - Its the body of the 911 of that timeframe, with a fuel injected Type IV 4 cyl VW engine. Almost a modern car w/ corrosion control, AC, and better seats. Stock hp probably about 90 hp. But the way to go, would be to have that engine rebuilt by Jake Raby to about 150 hp
http://www.aircooledtechnology.com
[ January 22, 2005, 05:21 PM: Message edited by: ediamiam ]
I am getting a Boxter for a 2nd car.
Thanks..... looks like a great site!
OK, not a Porsche but in college I had a 72 VW. Originally designed by Dr Ferdinand Porsche with the only significant changes over the 30's version being in the suspension. Rust did it in before any real problems as the original drivetrain was going stong at 280,000mi.
The horizontally opposed four is one of the best balanced engines. I have driven newer Subarus with this set up. Nice but they are full time AWD. If they made it selective 2WD/AWD I'd think seriously about a Subie.
The horizontally opposed four is one of the best balanced engines. I have driven newer Subarus with this set up. Nice but they are full time AWD. If they made it selective 2WD/AWD I'd think seriously about a Subie.
A statistics professor at CU Boulder had an older air cooled 930, think it was an 87. It was HEAVILY modded with an aftermarket turbo setup and all. I begged him for a ride, and he bit. WOW!! To say the car was fast is an understatement. He claimed it had like 600 hp; dunno bout that, but it got up and went.
That's the route I'd like to take. Older model 930, which can be had relatively cheaply, and then throw on some aftermarket goodies. Faster for cheaper IMO, and you get one **** of a nice car.
That's the route I'd like to take. Older model 930, which can be had relatively cheaply, and then throw on some aftermarket goodies. Faster for cheaper IMO, and you get one **** of a nice car.
I was on the autobahn in 1977 and there was a Black 911 on the side of the road. I pulled over in my Fiat 124 and it was a German Policeman. He was dressed in motorcycle leathers, had a motorcycle helmet and three high powered guns on a clever gun rack in the rear. He told me he was looking for drug runners coming from the south. I told him good luck and when he took off he was out of site in a few minutes. They shoot first and ask questions later. I like the 1984 911's.
porches are one of the few true race cars right out of the factory that are reasonably affordable. there are not too many cars that you can pick and choose all the the high performance upgrades from other models (air cooled) built in the last 20 years.
I worked in a german auto garage for a short time. the owner had a '78 911 full on race car. it was amazing to ride on the track in it.
Handling and brakes seem to be the main strong points of the air cooled porches. the engine does rattle and the interior smells like a VW though.
I worked in a german auto garage for a short time. the owner had a '78 911 full on race car. it was amazing to ride on the track in it.
Handling and brakes seem to be the main strong points of the air cooled porches. the engine does rattle and the interior smells like a VW though.
I bought a 928 (V8) in 1981, Corvette performance with Mercedes like solidity and build quality. I now drive a 2001 996 turbo. Amazing acceleration brakes and cornering. Reliable and comfortable enough to drive every day to work. 420 ft. lbs. of torque from 2300 to 5300 rpm.
Several years ago I restored a "poor boy Porsche", a 914. It had a removable panel top which was nice in the summer, and handled well. Very cramped interior though; these days I need more interior room......
a 914/6 is competitive against 911s as long as they have similar mods.
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The 914 was the VW-Porsche. It was decided to market the car as a VW rather than a Porsche, because it wasn't fully worthy of being labeled Porsche. Later, the 924 was a "real" Porsche, but it suffered from the stigma of really being a VW. Oh well, perception is all that matters.
Wasn't it sold as a VW in Germany and a Porsche in the US?
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