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997 to SC or 3.2

rdg496

Member
Joined
21 Mar 2012
Messages
14
Hello all, I have been a very happy owner of a 997 C2s for the past 2 years but am pondering a switch to an older Porsche as a replacement.
I also own a 1967 Alfa GT Junior for sunshine drives so am used to driving an older vehicle.
Given the Porsche is only driven at the weekend I am pondering the switch.
This is partly financial, running/depreciation/Insurance but more due to the fact I really enjoy driving older cars.

Aside from the drop in performance, which I am happy to fore go (Don't do track days) is there anything else to consider ??
The car will not be garaged and will reside on the drive, is that an issue ??
Failing this I may just add another classic but that also brings the 912 into the equation, still a great driver but with more timeless looks IMO.

Thoughts, positive or negative appreciated.

Cheers.
 
Recommended but I'd keep it in garage if you can. They rot for fun. Performance wise for an old car they can really shift especially the 3.2C.

:thumbs:
 
You will pay for a good one that is restored , b pillars done etc , i would go for the slightly more modern 964 1989 to 1993, better brakes , steering and chassis etc but retaining the classic looks , rock solid , i use mine every day , just keep them well serviced and they run for ever .
 
In my heart THE classic look is the impact bumper cars. While the 964 sorted some things out and had a better engine and spec, it's still a 3.2 shell with plastic bumpers, and it's rusting, not nearly as much as 3.2's yet I grant you, that's because the metal is not as old.

I'd go 3.2 G50 over 964 all day long if you can afford a good one or afford to make one good, and that's the rub, it's a car where you need to search 'prices highest first'.

So as nobody gets all upset, there is nothing at all 'wrong' with the 964, it's a car 'from a time' and it's bang on that era, A time where Ford and the like were taking black bumpers and trim off cars, adding plastic and spraying everything body colour, we all remember that period of time, I'm not being cruel and it's not my 'opinion', it actually happened!

Every car maker was doing it, there were no real new models, VW were doing it, Vauxhall, Rover, Peugeot, every manufacturer in the late 80's and early 90's was taking the previous model's body shell, smoothing it off with body coloured plastic, new wheels, new engine (if you were lucky) then rolling it out as a new car... And on council estates up and down the country people were playing catch up, changing wheels, spraying bumpers with halfords spray paint in an attempt to make their Sierra look like the 'new' model... Even a few 3.2's were body 'updated' to looking like 964's.

God remember that time???? The 'colour coded' stuff on autotrader??? We are lucky any original cars survived...
:grin:

So today? People want the first Golfs, the Original black bumpered hot hatches of the day, the impact bumper whale tailed 911 that everyone wanted.

Trouble is, most 3.2's now have the capacity to fit though the middle of an egg timer...
:sad:
 
Thanks for the input. If I take the plunge I'll certainly go for the best example within my budget. If it was a second car I'd potentially look for a car that needs work (Priced accordingly of course) and have the work done myself but as I intend to use it as my main car for weekend use I will buy one where the work has already been done.
Ultimately if I fail in finding THE one (Which ever model that is) I'll just stick with what I have, I've loved owning it and I can always drive the Alfa for summer fun.
The prices certainly have shot up over the past 12-18mths, a nice 912 as another summer drive I think just too pricey for me to justify.

I'll do some reading, chatting and searching and see what comes up.

Cheers.
 
You certainly can't go wrong with a nice 911SC.
I've got one that I bought as a weekend car but I find myself using
it all the time-they are lovely to drive. Definitely more interesting and
iconic than a 997.....mine's guards red with a flat engine lid and often
when I'm out and about other motorists give me a thumbs up and at the petrol pumps often folk will compliment it- no one has ever paid such a
compliment when I'm out in the 993 or a more modern car.
I wouldn't feel comfortable buying one though and leaving it parked outdoors
all the time- they really need a garage else the B pillars/kidney bowls/headlamps will soon rust.
Sadly you are now looking at well over 20k for a decent SC-obviously though you shouldn't face the depreciation associated with buying a recent model.
It may be worth keeping an eye out at some of the lesser known auction houses like Anglia Car Auctions-in their classic car auctions I've seen some nice air cooled 911's go for a reasonable price.
 
If garaging is a must it throws a spanner in the works a bit......Car cover parked on a drive is the best option I have.....not advisable ?
 
rdg496 said:
If garaging is a must it throws a spanner in the works a bit......Car cover parked on a drive is the best option I have.....not advisable ?

you're better off sticking with the 997 if it has to be kept outdoors - moisture is their enemy with old rubber seals etc which let it in everywhere on an old car.
 
Hi,

The 964 is most certainly not a 3.2 with plastic bumbers, it's a different animal altogether.

I have owned all 3 of the cars you are interested in and in a nutshell:

The SC is a fantastic little car especially the 204bhp of the later cars, it's nimbler and more willing to rev than the 3.2 Carrera which does feel heavier by comparison.

The 3.2 with G50 benefits from hydraulic clutch and even though the power is up on the SC it doesn't really feel like it because of the extra weight, but what it does feel is bombproof.

What you get with a 964 is modern suspension, ABS and an the old shape and an engine in it's final 3 decades of development. Porsche don't go backwards.

As with all old cars, the older you go the more likely you are to have problems with tin worm but what you get with any air-cooled 911 is membership into the uber-cool club, but then you can always get that with a VW Bug.

Good luck,
Paul
 
clarkycat said:
it's still a 3.2 shell with plastic bumpers

That's like saying the 911 is a souped-up Beetle. When I upgraded years ago from my (really good) 3.2 to a 964 it was like stepping out of the stone age into the modern age. The suspension, engine, gearbox and brakes were vastly improved. It was a whole lot faster than the 3.2 and much more stable at autobahn speeds. The only comparison is maybe the shape. When I started racing and working on them it became apparent that they were worlds apart.

The 3.0 SC is a lot of fun and I agree you can't go wrong with a good one. They do require tinkering and sometimes bigger work because of their age but that has never put me off from owning an older (or newer) Porsche. They're easy to work on.
You'll be surprised how quick the SC is in the right hands, even the 180hp version.

The 3.2, even though faster than the 3.0, always feels slower to me than an SC. It is heavier and it feels heavier, especially the G50 version. It also lost a lot of throttle response when they introduced the Motronic fuel injection. Which by the way I'm a big fan of because it's so trouble-free compared to the SC's CIS system (and more economical). I believe the 3.2 must be the cheapest 911 to own and maintain and also the most reliable of them all.
 
I sold a 1987 3.2 Carerra that I had owned for 17 years in 2012 & used the money towards a 997 C2S. I miss the 3.2 & would love another air cooled 911.
Every drive in the 3.2 was an event & it may sound cliched but it had so much soul. When I bought the car it was my everyday driver but the drives became few & far between.

The 997 is bullet proof has some soul & I would even drive it in the snow (as I did with the 3.2 when I got it).
I enjoy having a 911 as my everyday car but IMO the 997 could never stir the soul the way an air cooled 911 could.

The choice is yours, do you want 911 enjoyment everyday or a deeper indulgence once in a while?
 

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