Originally Posted by Mister Moo (Post 1791054)

Lets leave the tits behind and go right to nuts and bolts. Supercar engines don't come cheap - nifty alloys, insane tolerances, Fuchs wheels and titanium lugnuts all come at a price. And, like anything else over a 40-year run, there are 911's and then there are 911's; some models had problems built in, most not. Within the daily-driving community mechanically informed owners see engines go 300K or more between top end jobs. Double galvanized air-cooled Carreras with Getrag tranny (1984-1989 air/oil cooled 3.2l) are justifiably legendary for solid coachwork, tough engines, bulletproof clutches and magnificent transmissions.

The typical ways to break these older motors are: let them sit undriven in the mistaken belief they're sacred; failure to drive a warmed engine regularly to redline; repeated failure to achieve required operating temperatures before exceeding 3500rpm; and failure to use oil with high levels of zinc and phosphorus additives. The last three items, often ignored by uninformed owners, are killers on valves and valve guides. 14-quarts of 20W-50 in these so-called "air" cooled engines demands at least 15 minutes of low rev driving to protect the tolerances that squeeze big horsepower out of small, lightweight displacement - this is a long wait for a nincompoop. While the reliability of the mills is solid with owners who read the book, a lot of morons will drive the engines to a costly and premature failure. I don't see Porsche failures because they're German but, rather, because owners fail to know their vehicle.

When rebuild time comes around there is good new$ and bad new$ for old Porsche owners.

The bad news - sexy alloy parts are not especially cheap. And if you are going to hire Werner over at Das Porsche Haus (or worse yet a dealer) to do the 15,000 mile tuneup it turns into a $1000 WTF deal. :sl

The good news - those sexy alloy parts don't often fail. Older air-cooled cars were made simply for regular spirited driving on no-limit highways, unimproved roads and track. They allow for a car owner/hobbiest to drop and engine and rebuild without need of a lift. The old fuel-injected air-cooled flat sixes are easy to repair with little more than standard tools, a couple of jackstands and a floor jack.

If a prospective buyer reads the owners manual and enjoys automotive hobbycraft I'd say the scare value of engine work (or recurrent engine failure) is as legend as it is wrong. A once per 15,000 major tune is a six-hour job that costs a couple of hundred bucks if you do it yourself.

The older Porsche is reliable and, wisely owned, not especially expensive. And unlike the new rice burners that easily outrun the older 911's, their value continues to increase.

Originally Posted by hazydat620 (Post 1791419)

....... over thirty is classic right?

Originally Posted by MACS (Post 1790944)

Meh. I prefer my baby. 328 hp, Monaco red seats, and Japanese reliability. When that thing goes tits up (and it will, it's German) bust open the wallet.

Of course, my opinion is MY opinion, and worth just about :2.

Originally Posted by hazydat620 (Post 1791419)

don't know if this would be the place but, for you guys who like engine p*rn, here's the 76 Datsun 620 broke down in the rebuilding stage, were it still is. over thirty is classic right? and a weber carb makes it a muscle right, right?:sh
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8202/8...80a78c460d.jpg

Originally Posted by milhouse (Post 1791445)

... and there is alway the guy who comes along to rain on somebodys parade. :tu

Did you really just compare a glorified nissan to a porsche?:sl

Originally Posted by Mister Moo (Post 1791478)

In all fairness, the "glorified Nissan" with red seats and spindly wheels (along with any number of Subarus or Hyundais) will probably outrun my antique.

Originally Posted by mmblz (Post 1791481)

"fast acceleration" still doesn't make it a sports car, muscle car, or custom :D


Love your Porsche! Maybe someday, many years down the road, for me...
In the meantime I love my 98 BMW M Roadster - at least during the summer ;)
No pics. It's black. Use your imagination / google.


I can handle some of the ricers for you and then we can have a cigar.

Originally Posted by Mister Moo (Post 1791478)

In all fairness, the "glorified Nissan" with red seats and spindly wheels (along with any number of Subarus or Hyundais) will probably outrun my antique.

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Originally Posted by poker (Post 1791495)

Im with you. My '05 M3 hasn't been driven in some time but were restoring back to original in preparation to ship it to Thailand.
http://i401.photobucket.com/albums/p...r/1024x768.jpg

Originally Posted by mosesbotbol (Post 1791482)

Is that a sandblaster in the background?

Originally Posted by mmblz (Post 1791481)

"fast acceleration" still doesn't make it a sports car, muscle car, or custom :D

Originally Posted by poker (Post 1791495)

Im with you. My '05 M3 hasn't been driven in some time but were restoring back to original in preparation to ship it to Thailand.
http://i401.photobucket.com/albums/p...r/1024x768.jpg

Originally Posted by mosesbotbol (Post 1791515)

Have you shipped cars there before? Is it already owned by a Thai as personal property in USA. I have done car exports to Switzerland a few times, so just curious. How is the homologation process go in Thailand? I thought they were RHD?

Originally Posted by poker (Post 1791518)

Nope, I have never shipped a vehicle to Thailand before. Being that my wife is a Thai citizen I dont think it makes a difference on that import duty & taxation.

Originally Posted by kgoings (Post 1822756)

Here is my 68...that I no longer have :(

My next project will be a 67 GTO or a 73 Charger