So if I wanted to buy a classic sportscar...

Zascar

A few newbie questions here please guys, I'd appreciate some advice.

For my next car, i am considering getting a classic sports car. I'm thinking a Porsche 911. Basically I could get a motorbike for commuting to and from work and have a nice car for weekends etc.

Some basic questions first.
How old does a car have to be to qualify as classic?
Are there generally restrictions on usage and mileage etc?
Can you import from UK without VRT?

Are classic cars usually money pits or it is viable to use (almost) every day?

Thanks

--amadeus--

Have a look at this, which is a fairly recent thread on teh subject:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055177034

But briefly:

A car has to be 30 yrs old to qualify for classic tax, and thats based on month and year (so a Dec 78 car won't be considered classic for tax until Dec 2008). Insurance is different and cars of 20 yrs (and perhaps younger, depending on teh car, the company and teh driver) will be considered.

For insurance you will have some restrictions. They will vary by policy but in the main you can expect limited mileage, car to be garaged, drivers over 25 and - poss a killer for you - that the classic is a second car and that the insured has a second everydar car (not sure if a bike will be an acceptable alternative).

From teh UK or Europe you'll have to pay a €50 registration tax (rather than full VRT) but there is a rumour that this will change in the budget.

I haven't used a non-classic as my regular car for a long time and I've been through a 67 Merc saloon, 75 911 and currently a 64 Jag. But I don't drive every day. Some cars will be money pits but the money you save on road tax, VRT, insurance, non-depreciation and NCT should allow you to balance the books. Buy as good a car as you can afford and you'll be grand!

And good luck!

MercMad

Zascar wrote: »

A few newbie questions here please guys, I'd appreciate some advice.

For my next car, i am considering getting a classic sports car. I'm thinking a Porsche 911. Basically I could get a motorbike for commuting to and from work and have a nice car for weekends etc.

Some basic questions first.
How old does a car have to be to qualify as classic?
Are there generally restrictions on usage and mileage etc?
Can you import from UK without VRT?

Are classic cars usually money pits or it is viable to use (almost) every day?

Thanks

A 911 makes a very good classic car indeed !

Cars over 30 years old are subjected to ONLY €50 odd VRT at the moment and the Road Tax is €42 or €48 or something, I cant quite recall ! If the car is from outside the Eu then there would be VAT also.

Useage and mileage will depend on your insurance company, most demand another car policy exists in order to obtain classic insurance. Some will insure a 911 as a regular policy but this may well cost more.

Hifive

Zascar wrote: »

A few newbie questions here please guys, I'd appreciate some advice.

For my next car, i am considering getting a classic sports car. I'm thinking a Porsche 911. Basically I could get a motorbike for commuting to and from work and have a nice car for weekends etc.

Some basic questions first.
How old does a car have to be to qualify as classic?
Are there generally restrictions on usage and mileage etc?
Can you import from UK without VRT?

Are classic cars usually money pits or it is viable to use (almost) every day?

Thanks

Hi and welcome to the CC forum,
I'll try and answer some of your questions.
To qualify for the lower tax (€42) and nominal VRT (€50) the car has to be over 30 years old.
Most classic insurance policy's require the car to be over 20 years old and be a second vehicle i.e. that you have insurance on another car. For my policy, (Carol Nash) being a named driver on my wife's policy was enough.
My insurers have a range of options regarding your annual mileage, but they've never asked me for proof of my mileage so I don't think they're too concerned. They do require that the car is garaged over night.
A 77 or earlier 911 should be fine for regular use. most cars benefit from regular use. There are some members here who are using older 911's every day. "Traumadoc" is one who springs to mind.
If you do take the plunge, keep us posted and good luck with what ever you decide to buy.

Zascar

Thanks for your help guys that is reallty usefull. The killer for me is I do not have a garage to store my car. Is this only a prerequestite for some insurance companies? Or, My parents have a garage and I could register it there maaybe? I could get insured as names driver on my monthers car perhaps.

Basically i want a porchse before I'm 30 - I'm 27 now. I've been thinking about getting a Boxter S but for similar or less money I could have a really nice 911 Turbo and not get killed on tax and insurance, plus it would be super retro cool

--amadeus--

Zascar wrote: »

Thanks for your help guys that is reallty usefull. The killer for me is I do not have a garage to store my car. Is this only a prerequestite for some insurance companies? Or, My parents have a garage and I could register it there maaybe? I could get insured as names driver on my monthers car perhaps.

Basically i want a porchse before I'm 30 - I'm 27 now. I've been thinking about getting a Boxter S but for similar or less money I could have a really nice 911 Turbo and not get killed on tax and insurance, plus it would be super retro cool

First Ireland insured my 911 without a requirment for it to be garaged overnight. I have had to insure all my classics on my wifes name though as she has a full policy on our main car (for me being a named driver wasn't enough). There is novalue in lying about where the car is kept, if you say it's garaged overnight and it's stolen or vandalised when parked outside your house at night then you will have violated your insurance terms and will not be covered (they are b*stards for trying to wriggle out, I had a turtourous claim on my Merc). Do you have off street parking?

911 Turbo is a cracking choice but will be damn hard to find. AFAIK the Turbo was intoduced in 75 and between 75 and 77 only 36 were registered in the UK...

Zascar

Wow - thanks good to know. I really have not looked into it that much but it was just a though, perhaps I could find a nice C4S or whatever the equivelent was back then.

RobAMerc

Zascar - I suggest you do alot of homework before buying a classic and particularly a 911

As they are so popular there is a huge amount of bent, clocked and knackered ones out there, with lots to catch the weary out.

I would read as much as possible - talk to as many people as possible and gain lots of knowledge before rushing into anything - classics in general take a fair amount of looking after, a 911 even more so and will be costly when things go wrong.

MercMad

A pre '78 911 Carrera 3.0 would appear to be the best one to go for, better gearbox and rustproofing all included !

PaulK_CCI

MercMad wrote: »

A pre '78 911 Carrera 3.0 would appear to be the best one to go for, better gearbox and rustproofing all included !

Correct, I would aggree that the Carrera3.0 is the pick of the bunch, but not because it had a better gearbox...

The Carrera3.0 was on sale next to the 'standard' 2.7 litre 911 and 911S, and it received the 930 engine that was developped for the 3.0 RS and Turbo engine, but minus the turbo/intercooler and with the standard 915 5 speed box! This box was too weak for the awesome power of the Turbo, so that car got the 4 speed box (and not the carrera3.0). This box was so strong that it could handle 200kmp in third gear! It's still the box to be preferred amongst some of the guys in the Porsche Race fraternity .

The 3.0 930 engine was a stronger and more reliable engine than the 2.7 block, which was in fact a development of of the original 2.0 litre block and had more or less reached it physical performance/reliability limit with it's 2,7 litres...

So the carrera3.0 litre does have the normal gearbox, and it also has the rustproofing.galvanised chassis that any of the other 911's would have had from 74 onwards. This car is definitely a car that is still slightly underrated by the market, but people are picking up fast and it is harder and harder to get a good one, with prices now starting to exceed 25k for a really good car!!!

--amadeus--

What Paul said!

Mine was a 2.7 and it felt incredible but those engines were notoriously weak (though if they have survived until now they'll probably be alright). When I sell the Jag I am looking seriously at getting a 911SC...

I would also agree strongly about reading, reading, reading. 911 model variances are bewildering (did you know for example that 911s sold into California are signifigantly less powerful than Euro spec cars?) so it is vital to know what you are looking at. Buy a crock and it will bankrupt you (I was quoted several hundred euro just to fix a couple of stuck heating vents!!)

Any idea of budget?

PaulK_CCI

--amadeus-- wrote: »

What Paul said!

Mine was a 2.7 and it felt incredible but those engines were notoriously weak (though if they have survived until now they'll probably be alright).

Mind you, even though the 2.7's were considered to be weaker than the previous and later engines, there is no need to over-exagerate: a properly maintained and well sorted 2.7 will still be a much more reliable option than a Mechanical Fuel Injected early 911E or 911S !!! (although I would personally prefer the much revvier "S" engines over the later jetronics, but they are simply not as practical in day to day use!). A lot of the reliability issues (and therefore the bad press) were caused by the fact that the Emission Control modifications on US cars were so badly designed, they were the cause of overheating resulting in warped and pulled cilinder heads... A good European example, or reconditioned US car (whereby the Emission rubbish was dumped! to bring it to European spec) is still a superb engine and certainly not dramatically less reliable than any other 911 engine...

--amadeus-- wrote: »

911 model variances are bewildering (did you know for example that 911s sold into California are signifigantly less powerful than Euro spec cars?) so it is vital to know what you are looking at.

Correct, but this really only comes into play if you're talking "S"'s, CarreraRS's and Turbo's. Especially the 1974 model year US spec CarreraRS is in fact nothing more than a rebadged "S" in Carrera livery... It was simply not possible to bring the 2.7 RS engine in line with emission control, but they still wanted to get the Carrera onto the US Market, so they stuck in the "S" engine, which was a difference of about 35bhp !!!

Dusty1609

What about this?

1977 911 on Carzone

I don't know anything about this particular car but it could be worth a look and will save you a trip across the water.

MercMad

Good info Paul, I'll have to brush up on my 911 stats., but I'm afraid to in case it leads to a purchase, which it inevitably will. I barely escaped two last year !!

Is it the G50 thats the better 'box ?

Also it wasn't only Porsches that suffered from the US emmisions restrictions, in fact most cars suffered due to rushed in legislation !!

galwaytt

fwiw, I've done 911 thing, and left me with mixed feelings. Obviously I'm cured...........cos I just went out and got a 968 not long ago :rolleyes:

Anyhoo, my .02 is this: I drove an SC before I bought my 87 G50 3.2, and, tbh, it was awful. I thought the gearbox atrocious, handling ponderous. Of course, the car I was looking could quite conceivably have been a dog, but it didn't encourage me. Other stories including 1 locally of a 2.7 bought in the UK that had to be, essentially, scrapped because it was a rust bucket, put me off anything pre-'80. Fast forward a bit, and by a long an circuitous route, which started with a phonecall to Autofarm in the UK, and I ended up with this:


Even now, I still think it's gorgeous. And I love it in white. It was also very, very practical. I have two small kids, and I could get the buggy in the boot (at the front, that is.........:D) - and the shopping. It sounded fab, it had a great heater -well, the previous owner had spent about 8k on it - but I'd be lying if I didn't say that even given that it was a particularly good one.........they're still old cars, and the steering was just something I couldn't warm too. Brakes very effective, but curious feeling - all this compared, you understand to what was parked beside it the time - a 2 yr old TT - so it had none of the user friendliness of a modern car.

For classic insurance, a Porsche only needs to be 15yrs old, but does have to be garaged, and has a 4k (iirc) p.a. mileage restriction, and you need to have a full policy in your name for your 'normal' car. It cost me Eur680 full comp, for me and SO.

And then comes the first of the (big) snags. The first, a personal favourite, was the tax. Eur 1343 pa. I did 1400 mls in it in 12 mths, so it was shockingly poor value for money. That's Eur26 per week, used or unused, down the drain, for, well, nothing...........
The second, was, the engine. When I bought it, it had 90-odd k on it, and had an armful of history. However, my use type (mostly occasional, short trips, 1 or 2 days a week), I could safely say, accelerated wear and tear on it to such an extent that after 15mths, that effectively needed a top-end rebuild. If you do not have a nice 20-30 mile run to warm it up every time you use it - don't buy one. The (dry) sump (tank) contains 13l of oil, and it takes a lot to warm it up, and it is an old-school aircooled engine. The bill from Howard Langridge (RIP), would have come to Eur 6k. For me, it wasn't worth it, so I took a hit on it, and sold it to a guy in the full knowledge that the work had to be done. He subsequently did spend the 6k with Howard, and it's in the Kildare area now, somewhere. If you came across it, it's a car that now has had EVERYTHING done to it.............(btw - it was surprisingly economical on juice)

So, I loved the car, warts'n'all, but a combination of Irish bureacracy (tax), and unsuitability (too many short runs), means ultimately, I had to retire the 911 dream......:(

Until that is, I sat in a friends 944 turbo a couple of months ago, heard how much he'd paid for it (peanuts), and I got to thinking.....mmmmmm, (well, you know how it is with cars..........) Long story short - I bought a '94 968. I love the look, it's more modern, it's very civil and sensible (4 seats, hatchback), isn't bad on juice, and (ducking for cover)....with a large 4-cyl, watercooled (and Audi-inspired) design, it's quite happy just to run to school and I don't have to worry about it dropping it's guts out. It has 110k mls on it, and it goes like a swiss watch. Ok, marginally cheaper to tax - Eur 1100 - but I've mentally adjusted to the fact that I'd rather pay that for a car I'm happy with, than struggle with a car I bought just because I can tax it for Eur42 p.a.

You could do worse than a 944/968, and they qualify for classic insurance too - but not the tax - and they're very well put together.

All, as they say, my 0.02

PaulK_CCI

@MercMad: yes, the G50 (87 onwards) is the better gearbox. The 915 suffers from synchro problems on 1st and 2nd...

Superb posting galwaytt, as this really gives an honest and balanced insight in Porsche ownership.

Whenever people come to me asking to find them a nice clean 911, I find I regularly have to talk people through their expectations and their requirements, if only just to make sure people go into 911 ownership with their eyes open! I had to talk seriously to a customer a good few years ago, to put that 1970 911 "S" out of his head, because he was intending to use it for a daily commute from Lucan to Blackrock.... :eek:, which as you say, is barely enough a stretch to warm up the engine, and if there is one thing highly strung mechanical fuel-injected cars do NOT like, it's idling in traffic !!! :rolleyes: (he wanted it anyway, but sold it a year later, but at least I had warned him about the practicality)

So to cut a long story short, as you point out in your post, avoid at all costs getting a lemon, unless you are a very handy person with good contacts in the world of mechanics. Your SC was more than likely a pretty worn and tired example as a good, tight SC is just as pleasant, sharp and precise as the later examples, and I've experienced both ends of the scale . The problem there is that it's just simply very difficult to find clean and crisp early SC's, especially in RHD form , so people would generally go for what is floating around in Ireland, which isn't always a good thing...

Regarding the 'old' feel of a 911, this is really down to your expectations and requirements, and ofcourse to what else you have in your driveway. If you constantly swap between a very modern car and an older 911 (no power steering, etc etc) it would feel a lot older in it's handling, but personally I find that very pleasant because this is really the essence of driving an older sports car, you get the sensation and feeling of being in total control, knowing exactly what the car is doing, feeling every little dip and irregularity in the road, and you get the sensation that your response immediately has an effect on the car.... This is something that I feel is somewhat lost in the later Sports/Performance cars, where all of this is still there, but to go looking for it, you have to do so much, much higher speeds that it's hardly possible unless you're on Mondello...
The downside is ofcourse that all this feeling, sensation and involvement can become tiresome on your normal daily commute into work, so that's why it's important to always ask yourself the sort of questions as above, before you consider going for one...

MercMad

Yes that was a really helpfull post by galwaytt, a bit more insight than usual !

I must admit I hadn't considered the effects of short runs on 13 litres of oil !!

I agree with you Paul about peoples expectations and in fact my 230SL is manual, and I had driven manual cars until then, but it was its lack of PAS that dated the car as the acceleration/braking/reliability was up to mdern standards. The lack of PAS ensured that my wife wasn't over the moon about driving it !

I have built a power steering system to go back into it at some point but for now the Coupe ticks all the boxes, its reliable, refined, has PAS and auto trans so its powerful enough and I can use it/treat it like a modern car with just a touch more TLC which is what its all about !!

PaulK_CCI

MercMad wrote: »

but it was its lack of PAS that dated the car as the acceleration/braking/reliability was up to mdern standards. The lack of PAS ensured that my wife wasn't over the moon about driving it !

A common 'complaint'

By the way, the lack of power steering in a 911 is by no means a bad thing! With the engine in the back an almost no weight at the front, it simply never really needed it. Sure, it's great for parking and stuff, but that's not what that car was built for :rolleyes:. Also the earlier PS systems would filter out too much of the awareness and sensitivity of the road, so that is why Porsche would never fit it as standard in the 911 until later in it's lifecylce.

Now, lack of power steering in an old Merc is ofcourse a totally different kettle of fish

galwaytt

PaulK_CCI wrote: »

A common 'complaint'

By the way, the lack of power steering in a 911 is by no means a bad thing! With the engine in the back an almost no weight at the front, it simply never really needed it. Sure, it's great for parking and stuff, but that's not what that car was built for :rolleyes:.

indeed, I never thought I'd put lack of PAS on my list, but, gosh, there it is !!:eek:

I think you mean it's NOT great for parking, though........unless you're comparing to a gym workout !!

968 is nice, but by no means hatchback-light, though. And you're right about newer stuff, 968 included, requiring higher speeds than maybe you think, before coming into their own. It's one reason why a friend of mine drives a 356 - everything is just as exciting, but happens 60mph lower down the scale !! Kinda like my MX-5, actually !

galwaytt

....speaking of which, if anyone's looking for any 914-6's - there's two locally to me which I believe are for sale - one RHD, one LHD.

Anan1

In terms of engine wear, could two short runs per day be much worse than two long ones? When you think about it, long runs from cold are just short runs from cold with long warm ones tacked onto the end. I can see how short runs might corrode exhausts, but what else? And if i've missed something, could it be compensated for by more frequent oil changes? I often use my 911 for shortish runs, maybe 5 miles. Granted I often take the long way home, but there are times when I just need to get from A to B.

PaulK_CCI

Short runs will wear an engine out quicker, simply because of the fact that if you are doing long runs instead of short runs, you would have been clocking up twice the mileage!!! so in that sense you're engine will be wearing out quicker. The short run in itself is not causing more damage, unless you can't control your right foot when cold, i,e take it over 3000rpm when cold...

PaulK_CCI

galwaytt wrote: »

....speaking of which, if anyone's looking for any 914-6's - there's two locally to me which I believe are for sale - one RHD, one LHD.

PM Sent !!!

galwaytt

most of the wear in these cases is more at the top end. Valve guides and valve guide seals, and work your way back from there........rings. Bottom end etc is good to last, as are OE pistons and barrels.

Other tip: DON'T use synth oil. They were never meant to run on it in the firstplace, and in an aircooled engine, it has larger clearances etc to allow for greater expansion, so will result in more consumption of synth oil. Also, changing to synth from dino after a no of years is sometimes known to cause seals etc to fail........obviously some sort of chemical reaction going on there.

You could run your car on a lighter grade, but still mineral oil - take the info from the handbook for cold climates, perhaps. And leaving it ticking over in the driveway to heat it up doesn't count !!

turbocabrio

I feel i must correct you one one point, the 944 and 968 engines were not audi inspired. a common misconception. the 924 had an audi/vw inspired engine. the 944/968 engines were based on one half of the mighty v8 of the 928.

galwaytt

Whilst I know you feel you must, I feel I must also point out that........I said 'inspired', not copied, based upon etc. And mighty and all as the 928 is/was, it in itself can be extrapolated from a 4-cyl 2.0 engine............which funnily enough, Porsche didn't invent..........LOL !

Put it this way = the engine is closer to an Audi than a 911. That's not a bt thing, btw.........that whole Porsche/Piech/VAG thing is mue complicado.........

Chase Manhattan

Hi all,

Looking for a bit of advise and help.......

Having recently decided that it wasn't 'practical' for me to buy a classic car, I got carried away on ebay and have bought my first classic, a '74 1974 Porsche 911SC for £6000. This includes shipping from New Zealand. From reading the posts, I figure that I have 21% VAT on top of this and a further customs duty of 10%. I'm taking the seller at his word that the car is in perfect mechanical condition, body is rest free and in excellent condition. I have very little experience with old cars, I guess there is only one way to find out!

Looking for a bit of advise on what to do next. I've no garage and live in Dublin city centre, so for the moment, I'm looking at parking the car outside my house

Thanks,
Vincent

Traumadoc

Er be very careful. 6000 is very cheap for a 911 and shipping from OZ is about 3-6K Dollars, the parts themselves would possibly be worth more.

The SC was not produced until 1978 i think. Do you have a link to th ebay page?

I bought a 911 in from Australia 2 years ago paid 10 k euro and had to fork out another 3 k in VAT/duty Shipping was with all my other cars and motorbikes and household stuff ( 2 containers).

Chase Manhattan

This is the link, advice much appreciated


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250203186949

Traumadoc

There seems to be a little disagreement with the last guy he shipped a car to in the US.

But then the car does look nice and is a good price. The alloys (FUCH) are worth over 1500 euro. 2k when you add in the tyres

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Porsche-911-RS-1973-Fuch-6J-x-15-wheel_W0QQitemZ250205494147QQihZ015QQcategoryZ31356QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


I would try to find out how much they sell for in NZ then add i the 3k for shipping -why can he not sell locally?

However do you have any comeback if the car is defective?

Dades

Vincent,

That's a lovely looking motor! I hope it works out.
If the car is anything as described it seems a great deal.

Chase Manhattan wrote: »

Looking for a bit of advise on what to do next. I've no garage and live in Dublin city centre, so for the moment, I'm looking at parking the car outside my house

Given your situation the only thing I can think of would be to try avoid parking on through-roads that see a lot of pedestrian traffic - such as drunks coming home from the pub! A well lit cul-de-sac would be ideal. Otherwise try to park it on a busy road, maybe under streetlights.

G'luck and be sure to report back when she arrives.

Chase Manhattan

Thanks for the advice. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Well let you know how it all pans out

PaulK_CCI

That's some gamble you're taking , really hope it works out for you. You won;t have comeback and taking an owner on his word that the mechanics are fine is a huge risk, especially on a Porsche. An engine rebuild is going to be to the tune of 4k, and then we haven't even discussed worn synchro rings on the gearbox, suspension mounts, etc. etc... Are you not in a position to contact a nearby garage, where the car can at least me marginally inspected, to ensure that it at least is reasonably roadworthy.

Re. outside parking: it's a Targa , so you'd better take the carpets out and let the water run straight through

--amadeus--

I've taken my fair share of punts on cars but hats off to you - cojones of steel!!

Without wanting to sound negative - and I hope it works out for teh best - is there any way that you can pull out?

£6000 = €8000.
+ 21% = €9,680
+10%= €10,648

Versus this Irish car, be on a classic plate next year, ready to inspect and in this country. Or get one in the UK for a bit less, you can fly over and inspect before you buy.

The fact that the guy misdescribed the car as an SC rather than a 2.7, even though he's a trader, isn't good. It all sounds a bit too good to be true...

And that's before you get to your practical issues of on-street parking...

I really hope it works out and best of luck, you're a brave man!

Dades

Qui audet adipiscitur!

(Sometimes!)

Traumadoc

Paul is correct about the targa - they leak. You could probably get one for similar money in the UK when you consider the taxes.

alastair

Chase Manhattan wrote: »

Looking for a bit of advise on what to do next. I've no garage and live in Dublin city centre, so for the moment, I'm looking at parking the car outside my house

Sublet a car space in a nearby apartment development underground carpark. I learned that anything unusual parked on-street in the city centre is asking for trouble. It'll cost around 100 euro a month, but cheaper than the alternative.

Hope the car works out for you - looks nice enough (for a targa!).

galwaytt

Holy Smoke, Batman, that's some gamble..........I hope your experience gives us all cause to restore some faith in human beings...........

I think it's fair to say, we'd all really, really like to see how this works out, and just what it's really like when it lands - when it gets here, maybe Paul would give it a once-over for us??

....still don't get why it wouldn't sell at home though.......it's not exactly easy to import stuff into Aus - I'm presuming NZ would be similar........I'd have thought it'd carry a premium at home....

mmm, this will be interesting...........

Chase Manhattan

I figured it would be exciting to own a porsche - didn't bank on all the excitment leading up to buying it. I don't do the horses so, I'm probably due a gamble! My girlfriend's dad built a tractor, so she reckons a once-over on the porsche will be no bother!

Thanks for all the advice, think I'll just go for it and see what happens. The seller has the car at the shipping company already, so he obviously means business. Will keep you posted when it arrives

--amadeus--

Chase Manhattan wrote: »

My girlfriend's dad built a tractor, so she reckons a once-over on the porsche will be no bother!

Ahhh such confidence!!

Best of luck with it - please let us know how it goes...

galwaytt

Chase Manhattan wrote: »

I figured it would be exciting to own a porsche - didn't bank on all the excitment leading up to buying it. I don't do the horses so, I'm probably due a gamble! My girlfriend's dad built a tractor, so she reckons a once-over on the porsche will be no bother!

Thanks for all the advice, think I'll just go for it and see what happens. The seller has the car at the shipping company already, so he obviously means business. Will keep you posted when it arrives

crumbs, don't say that at a PCI gathering !! :eek:

At home, btw, we have a tractor. And it is a Porsche. An actual Porsche. A 1954 Porsche Super, actually. 3-cyl aircooled diesel.

MercMad

My girlfriend's dad built a tractor, so she reckons a once-over on the porsche will be no bother!

................I expect you would be better off if you DIDN'T have a tractor building friend anywhere near your 911 !

Tractors are basic, 911's are not exactly "run o' the mill"

Hifive

C.M. I say go for it and the best of luck with it.
We all take a bit of a gamble when buying old motors, a lot of which are bought from private sellers, meaning we have no more come back than you do.
Theres' a guy here in Waterford, who imported a 79 Datsun 280zx from New Zealand and he had both fingers crossed when he went to pick it up in Dublin port, only to be pleasantly surprised by the condition. Actually better then described and very good value.
Those early 911's are a nice car especially in black with black interior. That looks like a 2.7 lux and is basically the bottom rung in 911 ownership. Some of the vendors comments are a bit iffy, i.e. he claims it is the love of his life, yet he doesn't know what model it is. He says it is an SC, it isn't. He says it is a 2.7s and there isn't an "S" version of the 2.7L. He's probably just a dealer (his ebay profile confirms this) who wants to make it look like a private sale. Theres a lot of it about!

I think you would want to look for indoor storage though, my old convertible has defied every effort to stop the leaks:mad:
Also, scumbags don't appreciate classics, all they see is the badge and the "have, have not" mentality takes over.

My policy, since surviving serious illness some years ago, has been,
This ain't a rehearsal, and you can't take it with you, so take a few risks now and then and see where it takes you.
Even if it turns out to be a dog, it will be still worth something to some one. So you will probably recoup some, if not most of your outlay.
Good luck.
Regards, Mark.

PaulK_CCI

Hifive wrote: »

He says it is an SC, it isn't. He says it is a 2.7s and there isn't an "S" version of the 2.7L.

Actually that's not true, because from 73 until 75 there WAS an 2.7 "S", but the S wasn't the top of the range model anymore from 73 onwards: this was now the Carrera.

Anyway, it's definitely not an SC as they only came out in model year 78 (from August 77 onwards) as 3.0 litres.

The car is from Sept 74, making it model year 75, and that year the line-up was
911 Targa/Coupe, 150bhp @ 5500rpm, top 210kph/0-100kph 8,5 s
911 "S" Targa/Coupe, 175bhp @ 5800rpm, top 225kph/0-100kph 7,5s
911 "Carrera" Coupe/Targa 210bhp @ 6300rpm, top 240kph/0-100kph 6,3. This last car is extremely sought after, with top prices paid, since the engine is the exact same as the one in the 73 RS Carrera!!!

Hifive

PaulK_CCI;54905393]Actually that's not true, because from 73 until 75 there WAS an 2.7 "S", but the S wasn't the top of the range model anymore from 73 onwards: this was now the Carrera.

Thanks Paul, I bow to your superior knowledge and now sit corrected:)

MercMad

I was looking at my old Merc in the bodyshop on Staurday and beside it was a late 70's 911 Turbo. The owner bought it about 2 months ago, black with black interior, all looked terrific, good paintwork etc..

The only complaint was that the floor was soaking (:eek: ) so they decided to take out the seats and carpets and investigate. The seat bolts were rusted solid which made it a pain to get out, eventually they did but someone had fairly recently glued a new set of carpets in, which ripped when removing. Anyway there was gallons of water on the floor with associated rust.

They tracked the leak to the windscreen and removed same to discover that there was hardly any of the front windscreen channel left along the bottom. The glass was only barely held in !

We reckoned that there was so little metal left in the "A" Pillars that we could literally pull the roof off !!

The result was that the entire dash has to come out to allow parts of the bulkhead to be plated and welded. A very time consuming job !

Of course the guys in the bodyshop took a closer look and discovered rust in a lot of other areas. It seems it got a glossy paintjob about a year ago which covered up everything temporarily !

Anyway my advice is to always get someone to physically check an intended purchase, preferably someone who is familiar with the type of car in question !

The guy who bought the turbo paid alot of money for it and is now facing a serious bodyshop bill !

Chase Manhattan

Porsche arrived in Dublin from New Zealand last week! Customs are checking it tomorrow and all going well it will be ready for collection:)

I've got insurance, (175 with the IVS) so I think I'm ready for the road. (Planning to call into the VRO office while I'm out in Santry). Just wondering what should I do next. I presume after checking for oil, I should be ok to drive it away? Although I'm very tempted to take it on a weekend trip I suppose the sensible thing to do is to get it thoroughly checked out. I've seen the name Barry Whelan crop up on some of the other treads, so I might try and get hold of him. Anything else I need to do?

Cheers,
V.

penfold944

Barry Whelan is probably your best bet alright.... Hope it goes well for you and enjoy 911 ownership

It wont be cheap - but it will be enjoyable ! Have a look at the PCI website - www.porsche-club-ireland.ie

And Galwaytt - I remember that car.. that was very tidy to put it mildly...

rambler924

Hi,
I came across this post on buying from New Zealand too late for our experience to be of any use but it may help somebody in the future. We bought a Datsun 280ZX 3 years ago and had the AA do a pre-purchase check, I think it cost about 85 New Zealand dollars. This was very comprehensive body and mechanical check and a relatively cheap means of insuring your dream don't turn into a nightmare

Chase Manhattan

So far so good (I think!) The car drives well, looks good and the sound of it makes me smile. Hope I'm still smiling after I get it fully checked out.

And yes after the weekends rain, the carpets are now hanging up to dry

penfold944

Chase Manhattan wrote: »

So far so good (I think!) The car drives well, looks good and the sound of it makes me smile. Hope I'm still smiling after I get it fully checked out.

And yes after the weekends rain, the carpets are now hanging up to dry

Yeah... ummm.... they can leak a little

Welcome to Porsche ownership though.. its very rewarding...