Some quick noob questions...

Zascar

Hey guys, would appreciate some quick advice here. I'm contemplating buying a classic Porsche 911. I drove one a while back and it was lovely. Something like this maybe: http://www.carzone.ie/search/Porsche/911/3.0-02DR/201134204077612/advert?channel=CARS - so I have a few questions...

In thinking what car to buy next I was looking at a range of modern sports cars, some with with big engines, but it pains me to be shafted for €1,500 a year on road tax. Not on classics though . I also ride a motorbike day to day so do very few miles in the car, so restricted mileage on a classic is no problem. However, I was told you cannot use it as your main/only car, it has to be a second car, is this true? I understand it has to be garaged - is a secure underground apartment carpark ok?

Another thing I need to think about is running costs etc. I assume it would not depreciate all that much being that old - however can they be money pits for repairs and maintenance?

Any comments or advice appreciated.
Thanks

bijapos

Zascar wrote: »

However, I was told you cannot use it as your main/only car, it has to be a second car, is this true?

Not true, you can have it as your only car. It will probably mean higher insurance.

I understand it has to be garaged - is a secure underground apartment carpark ok?

It doesn't have to be garaged, but if it is it will help with a lower insurance quote. Undergrounds are fine, speak to your insurer.

Another thing I need to think about is running costs etc. I assume it would not depreciate all that much being that old - however can they be money pits for repairs and maintenance?

Classics can be money pits. 911's can be huge ones though a well looked after one will give you little trouble.

I've had 2 911's, a 1982 911 SC and a 1968 912 (911 with a 4 cyl. engine). There are a lot of things to look out for, accident damage is probably the biggest one, there are only a few that have not seen the wrong side of a ditch.

The other problem is that like every other desirable sports/luxury car there comes a time when they are financially appealing to someone to buy, yet those people cannot afford to service the car properly and may have trashed it as well.

Thye easiest thing is to find someone who is experienced with the model that you are looking for and get them to go with you to look the car over. The money you spend on a mechanic will be worth it in the end, a bad 911 will cost you a fortune long term. Join a club as well, good for contacts and parts.

The 911 though very rewarding to drive is a crude beast, handling in the wet is awful and mistakes are hard to correct. I found the 912, though slower, to be a better balanced car and would recommend one as its far more forgiving to drive.

Zascar

Thanks for the replies. So basically I have to put a lot of effort into finding a good one, get expert advice, and then maintain it well when I have it. The way I look at it, is if I was to buy a Boxter or similar, it would cost me €1500 a year on road tax, and then somewhere around €1,000 for insurance. If I buy a classic, it will only be a fraction of that, so I can spend the rest on maintaining it well. Should I think about bringing one in from the UK? Am I correct in saying there will be no VRT? How old does a car have to be to make it classic? I've read, 20, 25 and 30 years old. Is it 30+ that you get the €48 tax? The more I look around the more I like the one I linked to in the first post! Where are some other good places to look online?
Thanks

macplaxton

Zascar wrote: »

Should I think about bringing one in from the UK? Am I correct in saying there will be no VRT? How old does a car have to be to make it classic? I've read, 20, 25 and 30 years old. Is it 30+ that you get the €48 tax? The more I look around the more I like the one I linked to in the first post! Where are some other good places to look online?
Thanks

So many question. So many answers in the CLASSIC CARS CHARTER

bbsrs

Is it normal the wipers on an early rhd 911 are the same as LHD wipers?

macplaxton

^^^^ strange place to post this question Could you not start a new thread?

Anyway, perfectly possible. Quite a few continental cars up to the early 1980s had LHD wiper sweep on the RHD version of the same car.

bbsrs

macplaxton wrote: »

^^^^ strange place to post this question Could you not start a new thread?

Anyway, perfectly possible. Quite a few continental cars up to the early 1980s had LHD wiper sweep on the RHD version of the same car.

Not strange i clicked on the carzone link had a look at the car and noticed the wipers and for the thread starters benefit i asked the question in case the car had been converted from lhd to rhd and he wasn't aware . now I know thanks for the info

macplaxton

My mistake Apologies.

Here's some examples of "LHD" sweep on RHD cars:






And a couple of old British cars: