If all future repairs are in the hands of your trusted mechanic, my advice would be to save and buy a fresher 911. Spend the money on the front end instead of investing in rehabilitation of something tired at today’s rates. If you were a mechanic, had the space, tools and resources? Then maybe but even then every component in the car is old, every ball joint, every engine mount, it’s like a cable knit sweater car and you don’t want to pull the thread.

 

Very much agreed with @Boristhespyder - Buying an older 911 is tempting, to be sure! But having asked a very similar question of a dear friend and car collector years back (who owns multiple old 911s), there seem to be plenty out there where they're just not in the best shape and are still expensive. P-car values are driven by demand.

If you want something to wrench on yourself, sure -- that's fantastic. But older P-cars will surely require maintenance and upkeep -- as many parts (rubber, hoses, etc.) simply age out over time even from just sitting.

Regardless, I always stay away from salvage titles FWIW. The cars wind up being more difficult to resell on the other end.

As I said, I think buying a vintage car (911 or not ) is great fun and everyone petrolhead should experience it if one is excited about it. That being said, having done both (one of which I've owned for ~30 years and became vintage), I've learned that one will either pay now, or pay later. There's a reason why old 911s are expensive. If the passion is there, go for it -- but just know what you're getting into.

 

Only do this type of thing with a family heirloom car or if you want a project and are doing the work yourself and enjoy the process. Otherwise you will likely pay a lot more than the car is worth. The general rule is buy the newest and best one you can afford.

 

Thanks Boris. Long time voice of reason!

 

Why did you sell the Cayman? Every time I pick up the Panorama magazine it’s rife with people unhappy with the bloat they perceive in the 911 now. My car is smaller than small but you know you are in a sports car when you are in it.

PS Hey if you really mean it about no AC or stereo maybe consider a well cared for 987.2 series? You could find an old one of those for way less. You could strip out the weight by removing AC, the radio, door panels if you got it in you, in short you could make a public highway personal RSK ish car for way less.

 

For example, this one really speaks to me. I'd fly to Michigan to drive it home. Other than it's overpriced by maybe $5000, this is even more than what I'm after. Please let me know your opinion, you'll need to skim his writeup. 2003 Porsche 911 for sale

 

It looks incredibly clean in the photos, you can tell it’s been looked after. I can understand the draw, I like that design better than the 986 lighting configuration. If it runs nice for several years then it’s not much different than any other luxury hobby. A golf membership and club fees for a few years will be close in cost.

 

Beautiful car. I love black but cannot own a black car. So much work. Good luck.