Advice on 911 3.0sc

[Matthew Hawriliw]

Hello,

I've been looking for a porsche forum and this seems to be the most knowledgable so i was wondering if any of you guys can help.

When i finish uni next year i will be looking at buying a car. I've had a look at the BMW's and jap performance cars etc, but have found that 911 3.0sc's are within my price bracket of around £10k. I got a classic car Insurance quote for under £1000 which suprised me considering i will be 21 when i buy with no NCB.

Obviously i want to do a bit of research and i suppose this is the best place to ask a few questions.

Firstly, if i'm senbsible about my purchase, i.e get a mechanic to check the car over, will £10k buy me a reliable car that will last me a good few years?

Secondly, i know that parts for a porsche are not going to be the same price as a ford, but are there places that sell used or cheap parts, if so has anyone got any links?

Thirdly, how mechanically complex are 911's? Will my local garage be able to fix it without any problem?

And Finally, would a porsche specialist service the car for a reasonable price? Autobahn of Coventry is only down the road, has anyone dealt with them and if so has anyone got any typical quotes from them.

Thanks for your time, look forward to your replies.



Mat.




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[Matt]

Hi Matt,

Classic car Insurance doesn't take NCB into account, but you normally need a daily driver car as well??

I went through a similar search to you, looking for a decent 911 for less than £10k, the good news is it can be done. I've used it as a daily driver for 1 year, and it has proved totally reliable and a lot of fun!!

If you don't know much about mechanics then definitely get a mechanic to check any possibilities over, try and find one who can inspect the body as well, because the bodywork (rust and/or crash damage) can cause more problems than the mechanics on an old Porsche. Always have a reserve fund for any unexpected repairs, e.g. engine/gearbox even if a mechanic has inspected the car, due to its age.

Porsche parts, especially for older 911's are reasonable in price due to the number of them that are still running (hence a big market). Go to the links page from this site.

Mechanically 911's are simple (e.g. aircooled means no head gaskets) a lot of people do little jobs themselves, but if I was going to take mine to a garage for anything I would take it to a Porsche specialist (but not a main dealer!!) rather than any local garage, because the specialist knowledge can be invaluable.

A service at an independant specialist will be about £300, not as cheap as a Ford, but when you take depreciation into account a good Porsche can work out cheaper to run.

Best advice I can give is go and look at as many as possible, don't buy the first one you look at, and try and find one that hasn't been modified (except on a 3.0sc it should have the timing chain tensioner updated to a 3.2 item and a blow off valve fitted to the airbox).

Good luck,

Matt.




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[WillD]

Hi Mat.

As Matt has said look at as many as you can. Good places to look are in the magazine "Porsche & 911 World" and join Porsche Club Great Britain where you will gain access to "Cars for Sale" in "Post" publication and I think on the website.

Definately use a Porsche specialist for servicing etc.

I had an SC about 3 years ago and loved it I was the second owner in 19 year the previous owner having picked it up from the showroom 18 years before. The only problems I had with her were the heating (flaps) and heat exchangers and exhaust boxes needed replacing - 100,000 miles !!!

Good luck and hunt around

Will










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[Matthew Hawriliw]

Firstly, Cheers for the reply guys. Sounds promising.

I originally thought you needed a daily driver to get classic Insurance, but according to this site you don't.

http://www.lancasterinsurance.co.uk

I am looking to buy in about a years time, but i thought i would ask questions first so i get my head around things and get enough knowledge not to buy a shed.

I have also realised that depeciation is non existant on classic porsches so the car may actually work out cheaper to run than say a bmw 328 etc.

Autobahn is also up the road from me. Will go and check it out sometime this week.

Thanks yet again.






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[Danno]

Hey. someone in the same boat as me! looking for the very same thing was also thinking of checking out Autofarm. Let us know how you get on.

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[Carrera]

Autobahn/PCT is a good place to go and check out. Servicing there is very good, I had my car serviced there. The guys know what they're doing. Can be a bit expensive though. There is another specialist called Autohause Workshop also in Coventry, they used to be with Autobahn before they moved. They might be a bit cheaper.


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