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Day to day proposition

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Having had a couple of "modern" 911s, I am lusting for a an early one. I would love an early 70s S. Is this a reasonable day to day proposition - or am I mad?

Spizz
 
Obviously mad ...
I run a '67 911S as a daily driver. As long as you can be flexible with your definition of demisting I reckon you'd be fine.
I am fortunate that I live right down on the south coast so I rarely see salted roads, nevertheless I've been through 2 winters with the car & before both of them I got it professionally waxoyled.
Go for it. [:)]
 
I live in Glasgow...which ism always mucky and salty. Would be prepared to put away November to March....

Where is best place to look for/buy a good one?

Spizz
 
if your used to a modern 911 you'll really love(much more "driving" involved)the original and get a lot of driving pleaseure out of it..but, not as a daily runner

IMHO.

i love my 912 but,would hate to have to rely on it.
 
Go for it, just make sure you get one in tip top condition and you keep it that way . . . . . I wouldn't rule out T's and E's though.

Not many places up your way sell them (that I know about) so be prepared to travel. There should be some on these website (in no particular order or preference).

www.classic-chrome.co.uk
www.chelseacars.com/default.asp?cat=PORSCHE
www.fuchs.co.uk
www.ddk-online.com
www.retromotorcompany.co.uk
www.early911.co.uk
www.autofarm.co.uk
www.karmannkonnection.com
www.wwclassics.com
www.transend.co.uk
www.paul-stephens.com
www.enineeleven.co.uk
www.sporticus911.com
www.export56.com
www.ebay.co.uk
www.vsoc.nl
www.911classic.co.uk
www.sportwagen.co.uk
http://www.chpltd.com/911_porsche_world/pwoclass2.html

Here's a useful buyers guide . . .

http://www.356-911.com/modelinfo/porsche%20911%20menu.htm

Once you found something . . . get it inspected . . . .

Pre- Purchase inspections
Trevor Messet - 01375 677281
Peter Morgan www.petermorgan.org.uk/ or telephone 01672 514038.
Chris Turner http://www.christurner.com/
Nick Moss - www.early911.co.uk

Classic Assessment's http://www.classicassessments.com/ or telephone 01449 672854.

Classic Car Inspection's http://www.classiccarinspections.com/ or telephone 07836 212277.
http://www.mbporsche-engineering.co.uk/ Cumbria
 
product we can put on the windscreen to stop this happening

...a heating element....

Had mine on last night driving home in the sheeting rain. Two of us in the car, both with wet coats, no problem!!

http://www.heatedwindscreen.com

Daily driver... well you'd have to be keen, and very good with preventative maintenance, but it can be done. Focuses the mind on getting the job done when fixing it at the weekend if it has to be a runner by 7:30 Monday morning! Definitely think about a T or E; less valuable and more tractable for everyday driving when you don't feel like using 7000rpm just to pull away at the lights without stalling[:D]
 
The jump from a 2002 to a 70S will be 'interesting'.
In all honesty you 'may' be better off with a 2.4 T, T/E or E..the 2.4 engine does have better day to day manners than a 70S engine, plus the T or E cams are more suited to town driving.

Bear in mind also the 70 had a 901 gearbox with a dogleg first.. great for the open road but another interesting variation when town driving.

As for daily use and demisting....well its an older car, you will need to stay on top of the condition both mechanically and in terms of body work, regular waxoyl etc etc...and the FogX equivalent of RainX certainly helps as does making sure the heat exchangers, air blower and heater boxes are all in tip top conditon. A heated screen sounds like a good one...

Remember they were designed with daily use in mind and by the time the 2.4 engine came out driving in the US was pretty much as bad in town as we have it in Europe....so don't be put off by the traffic.

Creature comforts wil be very much less but the experience will be fantastic...

In all honesty you may find that a ex-California 2.4TE (T cams but Jetronic ignition) with 'fatory' AC is a the best bet....a bit more powerful than a T with injection and ideally suited to daily use...or if you can if it an equivalent E...
 
my 2.4S HATES traffic. If the engine has been kept below 3500rpm for any length of time it starts banging & popping. The 'S' engine craves the open road and constantly begs to be kept in the 4500 - 7000 rpm range... which IMHO makes it so much fun [:D]

BTW, I'm lucky living in North Yorkshire. My idea of 'traffic' is more than 6 cars queing at the cross roads in my local town [;)][:D]

Personally I would have the early 911 for weekends & those sunny days ( keeps the experience of driving an early car special) + have an old golf / saab etc for daily running about. Early 911 do rust, even my 2.4S which hardly ever sees rain has just had a 'bubble' appear [:mad:]
 
ORIGINAL: Spizz Oil

Having had a couple of "modern" 911s, I am lusting for a an early one. I would love an early 70s S. Is this a reasonable day to day proposition - or am I mad?

Spizz
On balance I think you are mad to consider one of these as a day to day car. I have a 73E and here are my reasons

1/ These cars rust at the slightest hint of moisture. Using it everyday, during say the winter, will cause it to rust in front of your eyes.
2/ These cars hate sitting in traffic. They like to be driven hard.
3/ They are really boring to drive on the motorway.

I don't want to put you off buying one because you really should get one as they are so much fun but IMHO you should have it as a good weather second car.

Ian.

 
My 2.4T with CIS is as driveable as any modern car around town or in traffic, but I wouldn't subject it to everyday use. Whilst it really needs a top end rebuild to stop it smoking on tickover, it still pulls very strongly from very low revs (helped by the fact that it is short geared by modern car standards). Anywhere above 1,000 rpm and with just a toouch of the throttle, the car will pull cleanly in any gear. From around 1,500rpm in 5th = 30mph (so it really is short gearing) it will gather speed uphill if the gradient is not too steep (and you only apply the throttle lightly).

Come 5,8000 rpm or so and you are wasting your time holding on to a gear for more speed - I guess that's the penalty for such a strong bottom end performance. If you want a rev happy motor, go down the 'S' route, if you want torque, get a T. An 'E' offers you the middle ground.

I really do enjoy driving mine - it's even fine on the motorway - but I'd be concerned about the onset of rust if driven in all conditions. I previously had a 1988 3.2 Carrera that I drove everyday for two years (25,000 miles) and even that showed signs of 'wintering' despite my best efforts to keep the underside clean.

Whatever you do, get one!
 
For many years, from the early '80s, I ran a 911 as my only everyday car doing about 15-20,000 miles pa and upgrading to a newer one every couple of years. We currently have a 996 and 987S for day to day use.

However, the classic air-cooled 911s are deeply desirable and I've held on to a couple (73RS and 88CS) that really are extremely enjoyable and rewarding to drive. These are cars to own for ever, the modern cars are consumer durables.

The best advice I could give would be:

1. Seek out the very best example you can find. This will take time and will be costly, but the best cars are the ones that will be the nicest to live with and the best investment. I would not advise any kind of 'project'. Get lots of advice and buy a car you can enjoy from day one.

2. Accept that older cars need a bit more time and sympathy and provide greater mechanical involvement.

3. Use it regularly, but choose the days and journeys that suit you and the car best

4. From the pre-impact cars, I like the 2.4E. But, a later G50 3.2 Carrera is a very good mix between modern and classic and could be used everyday. Nice examples are getting hard to find. If you don't need the rear seats, consider the Club Sport - rare and fantastic and very well made. Have you got the Tony Corlett book - Last of the Evolution?

5. Remember that you are probably suffering from 'sunny day syndrome'. Classic cars always look more attractive when the sky is blue. But, choose wisely and you have a car for life, and one to hand on to the next generation.

Good luck
 

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