Porsche 911 enthusiast question?

Question

Almost four years ago I almost bought a Porsche Targa (can't remember its' year as I looked at so many). In any case, the deal fell through after I had it PPI'd and had a death in the immediate family. I have ALWAYS wanted one though, and mean to purchase one in the near future. Back then I was helped a lot by guys on Pelican Parts forum, got advice, etc. Now, my BF knows how to work on domestic cars and on Volkswagens. Questions are:

How difficult will it be for him to maintain? Are they easy to work on (I love to work on cars too)!!!

What 911-specific questions should we be asking before we actually go see one (remember they are hard to come by and before traveling I want data).

Anything other suggestions you can offer?

Thanks!!!

Answer 1

The older 911s are quite easy to work on, with alot of work becoming more difficult as you move towards the newer cars (where the current ones, you can't even access the engine very easily).  Assuming you are talking about the "classic" pre-993 Targa, most basic work is something you should be able to do yourself if you have some basic skill.  The oldest cars will require the most work due to their age, and that technology has allowed many routines to be shed... but the odler cars are also blessed with very open empty enigne bays.

The most common mistake people make when working on an older 911 is with the oil... 1) there are 13 quarts, when changing it, make sure you have a large enough drainpain!  2)  it's a dry sump, so when you check the oil level, make sure the car is running and warmed up (and if not, realize that the smoke pouring from the back will be a result of the oil having been overfilled due to adding oil after ready the "empty" result when the engine was stopped).  For anything beyond basic maintainance, there are some good resources out there (the Bentley books are especially good if you happen to get a model they cover:  911SC, 3.2L Carrera, and 964).

As for specific issues with different cars:  the main issue for a Targa will be the condition of the targa top.  They can be quite costly to have redone, and finding one in good condition that doesn't leak or have problems is a major plus.  Any older 911 should be closely checked for signs of rust.  Otherwise, the main issues will depend on the specific model.

964:  I recall there being issues with the flywheel on some models, and some oil leak issues... though both of these were caught fairly early on and I'd not expect you to find any cars currently out there where this wasn't fixed.  Have heard some valve guide issues popping up with these cars as well... though hard to say if this is just normal wear and tear or anything else (a PPI should catch this).

3.2 Carrera:  The G50 equipped cars have shown valve guide issues as well (the 915 cars as well, though much less common in my experience).  These G50 models sometimes have issues with the helper spring as well (makes the clutch quite hard to depress).

911SC:  There are a few possible issues here:  The exploding airbox tops the list, where it's possible for a backfire to cause the airbox to blow!  Fix is easy though, there should be a small pop off valve installed to the airbox.  These cars also originally came with rubber centered clutches... unlikely you'd still find a car with the original clutch, but if so, you'd want to replace it.  The 911SC was also the last of the cars without the hydraulic chain tensioners - it's desirable to have these retrofitted here, or on any of the earlier cars.

2.7 911:  While all of the cars mentioned so far are quite reliable and are well known for their reliability, the 2.7 has a bad reputation!  Though with a few issues addressed, it should be as reliable as any of the others.  The key fixes are the use of either racewear or divilar head studs (along with the engine rebuild) and the install of the 11 blade cooling fan.  Any car of this era should have a well documented engine rebuild with the proper upgrades before even being considered as a potential purchase.  The 1974 models suffered less from these issues, as some of the heat related problems they suffered was a direct result of the use of thermal reactors for smog regulations (and the '74 was never equipped as such... and many '75s were not as well).  It's also likely you'll find many of the '76-77 cars with the reactors now removed as this item will not appear on the check list for most states inspections (and they don't seem to improve the likelyhood of the car passing emmisions).

As you move back past this (pre-1974) into the longhood cars, issues will more often focus around finding parts and things like finding a mechanic that really understands the mechanical fuel injection (if you happen to be looking an an MFI equipped car).  Though if you are looking for one of these early cars, options will be few (and even fewer and much more costly if you are looking for a soft window targa).

Answer 2

thake it from me a old porsche is a money pit.