Bronco,
In essence, the following is something I posted about a year ago:
A sense of moral duty requires that I put my 2 cents in here, despite risking offending fellow 911 enthusiasts here. First, let me say I've got an early 911 ('72) that I've had for 6 years and have just put a new engine in it and service it myself, so am reasonably experienced with 911s and can speak with some authority. I spent 18 months looking for this car when I lived in California- there are a lot of rusty 911s out there, even in California (half of that state is coastal = sea salt).
In January of last year, I decided I wanted an SC or 3.2 as a daily driver for £10-12K. I spent a lot of money travelling to look at cars that were totally misrepresented over the phone, got shafted by owners who sold their cars knowing I had bought train tix to view theirs, inlcuding PCGB members, etc, etc. I did not see a single car that I would waste my money on. At £10-12k, you will be VERY lucky to find what it sounds like you are looking for. Ignore the crap in 911 & Porsche World on buying these cars for £10k, they are not genuine articles (I cancelled my subscription to this magazine because I feel very strongly about this issue).
I then decided to up my budget and looked at some later 3.2 Carreras. Still nothing I would put my money into, unless you can live with the constant threat of corrosion or an engine rebuild (you usually can find a car that will need either a body restoration or an engine rebuild, sometimes both). These cars DO rust, despite being galvanised. The only thing I could find were mint cars that are top money and too nice to use (ie- you will pay massive depreciation if you do).
Then I upped my budget further and looked at 964's. Still no joy. Take for instance an apparently beautiful car with 60k and FPSH + many bills. I had a PPI done on this car (another £150). It needed, at conservative estimate, £7k's worth of work to sort it out, and the owner was asking £17.5k.
So, I had three PPI's done and didn't buy one of the cars, and remember, I'm quite experienced with these cars, but not an expert. Let me reiterate, at £10-12K, you could very well get yourself into deep financial trouble with a 911. I honestly, from first hand experience, don't think you can get a RHD 911 at that price that you can use properly, without putting a ton of money into it. The cost to sort out any corrosion is going to be massive. If you find corrosion somewhere, I guarantee it will be elsewhere on that car, you just haven't found it yet. And we haven't talked about engine or gearbox rebuilds yet. True, these engines are bulletproof, but in the UK, the salt that is put on the roads corrodes the studs that run from the crankcase, through the cylinders and hold the heads down. If even one of these goes, you're looking at £2.5k.
So, you might be asking. How did I resolve my situation? I took the advice of a local independent whom I spoke to before seeing my first £10K SC. He told me not to do it, but to consider a 968. I told him it had to be a 911, even though I've already got one. Those front engined, water cooled cars are not real Porsches.
Then one day, 6 months into my hunt and totally demoralised by the poor quality of 911s on the market (the best ones get snapped up immediately), I tested a 968. It was a revelation. 240bhp and a six speed gearbox. Not the aural or visceral stimulation of my early 911, but one heck of a car and eminently suitable as a daily driver. A very under-rated car that must not be compared with a 911, but is very quick and handles beautifully. So after looking at 5 968s, I bought one in budget and with considerably lower running costs and much higher peace of mind. It's a tremendous car.
Food for thought. I wish you luck in your search, but please, be very careful.
David
PS: Yes I know there's nothing like the thrill of taking a 911 to the red line or willing yourself to hold the throttle deep into a sharpening corner to avoid the dreaded trailing throttle oversteer, but try describing these passions to someone who has spent every penny of his/her savings on that £10-12k 911, and then has to pay for the £10k body restoration or the £5k top end rebuild (or both). That visceral stimulation pails into insignificance compared with the consequent financial anxiety.
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