I am looking to buy a used 911, but am curious about the difference
between the air-cooled older models vs. the new water-cooled engines.
I know a lot of Porsche "purists" believe the older air-cooled models
are the only true Porsches, but I wanted to hear some opinions on what
people think is the best way to go before purchasing my first Porsche
(I'm still two years away, but want to start doing research and test-
driving soon). I'm probably looking for a model between 1998 and 2004,
putting me on the cusp between the switch-over in air vs. water - has
anyone had experience driving both? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

I'm also interested in hearing what people think is the #1 thing to
know before getting a Porsche for the first time (a used one). Is
there any one great piece of advice that people were told or have
learned that they'd like to pass on?

Any help would be appreciated - thank you.

-Dan

what color combo are you seeking, cab or coupe, tip or man., carrera or
turbo?





<dchorney (AT) gmail (DOT) com> wrote

<dchorney (AT) gmail (DOT) com> wrote


A lot of Porsche purists think the only real Porsche is a 356! What I have
to say is mostly opinion, I've never owned a water cooled 911, but I've
owned air cooled ones, and have driven many water cooled 911's. The oldest
911's I've driven (owned) were 1974's. I've driven most every year since
then up to 2006. The new ones are much more sophisticated, comfortable,
faster, better handling, but they all drive like 911's. The DNA is there in
every one.

If I were buying a recent 911 I'd surely go with the latest one I could
afford. As far as 'air' vs 'water', in my opinion with increasing demands
from more HP, accessories like air conditioning on virtually every car, more
weight, etc, it all became more difficult to manage with air cooling. Oil
temp in the air cooled cars varied widely depending on load, and that can't
be great for any engine. I 'believe' that water cooling contributes to a
more stable temperature operating range.

In any case it's very important that you have the car inspected thoroughly
by someone who is expert in Porsche repair/maintenance. It doesn't take
much for an overlooked problem to translate to many thousands of dollars in
unexpected repairs.

If you're in the US Porsche Club of America is a great resource for finding
anything Porsche related. I'm sure there are good clubs in most countries.

Good luck with your search, there is nothing like a 911. As they say,
"there is no substitute."

Alan

"Guru" <Guru (AT) nospam (DOT) net> wrote

:
: Alan's advice is pretty much on target: The older cars are "older cars"
and
: if you're into classics and will accommodate their eccentricities and
aging
: replacement needs, so be it. However, if you want the benefit of the most
: modern engineering, then you buy the latest model you can afford.

I'm looking at a '79 VW beetle cabrio for my son (who totaled a Honda Civic
in a slow speed roll-over) and noticed that not only is it air cooled but
the motor is behind the rear axel.. looks similar to the motor in our 996..
there is a reason for that. is oil an issue for a 1.3liter VW motor?
(makes a whopping 50hp, I believe)

<dchorney (AT) gmail (DOT) com> wrote

wide back end and the turbo look. I did not like the first years of the
water cooled cars simply because of the design with the straight sides.
When they added the flares again I thought the cars looked great. As most
experts will agree, always buy the newest Porsche you can afford. As for
me, I like certain body styles, and will probably keep my older SC forever,
although more power and the reliability of the water cooled models would be
nice. The controls and trannys in the newer models are also much better.

"Sheldon" <sheldon (AT) XXXXXXXXsopris (DOT) net> wrote

i tried yesterday 2006 997 S Coupe with 12K miles - and as i presviously
tried some old air cooled ones I cannot really see how it can be compared
to each other. It is much more capable car. Only sad thing - dealer wants
54K for car with KBB value of 45K.

Plus dealer keeps telling horror stories into how much I will pay if I get
used 2006 997 with 30K-40K miles on it. I still believe that it may be a
better deal to get reasonably clean used one with 40K miles for its KBB
price with pre-purschase inspection done, of course, then possible invest
5-7K into some repairs if needed than to shell out 50-55K to dealer just
based on his stories of quality of pre-sales work at Porsche dealership.

Actually coming to this I have a question to ask - what exactly is covered
by regular 100K miles extended warranty? Is clutch replacement/repair
covered by it? Any engine related work?