I had my first porsche (the ubiquitous brown 4 speed 911 2.7 targa and a 924) when I was 25 and whilst I was still at uni.
In fact I'm still at uni but just work alongside my degrees, so I am familiar with a 10 K budget and running these cars within a reasonable cost.
Firstly, you can run a proper Impact bumper 911, with no rot and no engine or gearbox probs for an annual budget of around £1500, servicing and insurance included. Buy at bad one and you find yourself spending for the next 4 years an average of £5k a year. Ask me how I know...
Secondly, try to start with a numbers matching, period correct vehicle WITH HISTORY to a specification you feel comfortable with. You will chuck all your spare change anyway on that car, so better spend it on a keeper. You will improve that rust bubble, find that correct sun visor, buy a momo prototypo steering wheels, and then you read on the forum you really need superpro bushes and bilstein shockers and gor blimey there is a ducktail on Ebay etc.
I spend too much money on improving my 2.7 whilst I was perhaps better off waiting for the right Carrera 3 that I always wanted in the first place.
Thirdly, there seems to be, under the current market conditions, a watershed divide between the quality of the cars below *edit* 14000 euros and those starting at *edit* 18000ish euros.
If I could turn back time, I would every time go for a turn-key and ready car from a reputable source or seller- the best I could find within my budget. Life is too short to not spend time on the road driving these things, and a bit of tinkering, cleaning, improving etc should be seen in function of the amount of time spend on the road. When petrol runs out and when taxes are getting too expensive, you will have enough time to polish your car
but that's my opinion obviously.
The cheaper ones are sold needing a bit of body work, they might have had "half of a top end rebuild" (actual sale quote I came across), need a clutch within 15000 miles, shockers need replacing within 2 years, there is a third gear crunch that won't go away by switching to swepco gearbox oil and generally they are due for the beginning of an expensive maintenance cycle: you will spend 5K a year.
To illustrate some prices:
top end engine rebuild E3,5K (valve guides etc)
Bottom end engine rebuild E5,5 K
gearbox 2nd and 3rd synchros + rebuild E£1,5K
shockers+ suspension bushes E850
setting up the car: corner weighting and balancing and setting the tracking E150- E270 (8 hours work if all the screws are rusty!)
respray in original colour E3,5 (bad respray under a railway arch ) to 6K (Graham Green, Robert Gant, Tuthhills, Nick Moss)
All the window rubbers: E1k
Tank support panel top + bottom E600
battery tray panel + welding E150
Set of refurbished fuch wheels with the black centre: 6 and 7 x 16: E800 / 1 pair of rear 8 x 16: E750, pair of 9 x 16 E950 more if you want the old style
Set of bridgestone tyres: E440
Pair of SSI heat exchangers: E900
SSI exhaust back box: anything form E350 to E550
B post (door post) repair: from E300 to E600 each SIDE: either Dansk or OEM door panels + welding+ respray
if kidney bowls gone each side add another E300
sanding down corrosive reaction of front alu bumper,+ respray+ front valance and a bit of here and there E250
1 exchange front wing+ new bead + respray: E300 - 600
Front windscreen corrosion repair + respray: E300
oil service: E130
20 000 km service: E370 to E600
brake fluid change : E70
Due to the relative low value of the early 911 and impact bumper porsches for many years, many owners skipped maintenance and used these cars as cheap Porsches. The result it that many cars were not repaired appropriately because owners couldn't justify the expenditure relative to its market price. Secondly, many owners who bought a cheap porsche were interested in living the dream and flip the thing to another cheap porsche owner. There are some real dogs about. Thirdly, you have the elder owner who mothballed his car with a full history but you need to recommission the whole shebang and will need £1,5K to 2,5k to get it reliable and on the road.
Dus, nemen we een 1974 US porsche 911 targa met 150 pk, sportomatic. Aankoopprijs 11000 euro. Nieuwe rubbers, impact bumper brackets, tank support panel + battery tray, 1 doorpost, front windscreen repair met A post, nieuwe boge schokdempers, en alle ophangsrubbers, setje banden, respray, overtrekken van voorstoelen, motor volledige service en nieuwe seals throughout en je geeft meteen 10500 euro uit voor je een meter gereden hebt. waarde van je wagen: 17000 in absolute concoursstaat?
There are fools like me who, irrespective of market condition, fell madly deeply in love with their car and, despite the spending spree of 5k a year, we will do it. If you are up for that, then welcome to the club.
Alternatively, I would really really try to get as good as a 3.0SC or an early 3.2 carrera as possible from a club member who used and maintained their car. Beg, borrow or steal for the money, but better to have some change on improving either the car with goodies or improving your drivers skills on a track instead of having a paper perfect dream broken down in a garage.
Also, I can heartily recommend Peter Morgans "the original 911" and Paul Frere's The 911 story for further reading....
