1980's 911's, tell me about them please.

I had 2, a 1968 912 (4 cyl) and a 1982 911 SC. Nice cars, but a bit agricultural by todays standards. Economical enough, easy to do minor repairs and maintenance yourself and bulletproof reliability as well. Not the best to drive as they are tail happy especially in the wet and a lot nosier than todays cars.

What to look for? In a word: Everything.

As one od the more desirable performance cars there comes a time when they are cheap enough for some people to buy but they dont have the cash to run them. i.e service and maintain them preoperly. They are often trashed from cold, which is something they dont like. They are often involved in serious accidents, partially due to their unforgiving nature and repairs can be anywhere from professional to botched. They have huge potential to be money pits.

They are often modified, not just the engine but the bodywork is often changed to make them look younger and this is not desirable as original cars will be worth more in the future. As we know, some modifications are good, some bad but the more original the better.

There is far too much to go into here, get a book or three and read up on buying a used one. I recommend a short book like the one below, if it doesnt put you off there are far more detailed ones around.

Neilw wrote: »

I'm in the States at the moment and could ship one home if needed, I'd be exempt from vat, duty and vrt.

You have to own the car in the US for 6 months to be VRT exempt. If its over 30 years of age it is only €200 VRT which is payable.

I think you need to pay VAT as its being imported into the EU but you should really check this up with Revenue here.

Before you potentially stick €15-20,000 into one you should do a lot of research, you could start by buying a book like this one below or by talking to 911 owners. If you dont know anyone go to a 911 meeting and get chatting, there should be loads of them in the States.

Bring a 911 mechanic or expert, it will be worth the money if it saves you buying a dud, as I said they can be money pits.

Btw Ireland has some pretty good deals on 911's at the moment due to the recession.

Neilw wrote: »

Something that's 30 ish years old so I can tax it for €52.

You do realise that unless the car is first registered on or before 31/12/1979, it will need to be NCTd when you import it and again every year after that. For that reason alone, a late 70s will be worth more in Ireland than an early 80s car.

Look out for a '76 912E too, a 4 cylinder little brother. The older 912s have steadily increased in value over the last 8 years or so, and I think the E will too.