G body 911 -- will I enjoy one of these in 2024?

No chance in hell do I trade out one of your sport sedans for a much older 911. You have an e46 m3 that may be one of the best cars BMW ever made, is extremely fast, can handle amazing fitting 275 on each corner, has a great transmission, awesome 6 cylinder that revs out like mad. You have an e39 m5, possibly the best m5 ever made as well. No

 No sir you should not downgrade into a moving art piece of a 80s era 911. I too would love an old 911, but not at the price it will cost you given your current car collection.

If you want a Pcar and can't justify 70k on a third vehicle, just grab an older Cayman, Boxster, 996, etc that hasn't risen 10x in value. They will give you a newer version of the same experience and it will allow you to keep your amazing collection intact.

I really enjoyed my Carrera.  It took about two weeks to get comfortable driving but once we broke each other in to fit we were off to a 7 year romance.  For me, the G Body was my childhood poster car.

I had mine on the track, autocross, drove it halfway across the country.  Pretty reliable car, as mentioned you can get pretty much all parts still should something give out.  The scary $$$ stuff is of course the engine and transmission, the rest is generally reasonable.

Learning how to drive at and above the limit was very rewarding.  Tinkering with the thing in the garage was also very rewarding.  However, they might as well have no AC, and the manual steering can get real heavy at lower speeds if you get aggressive with the tires and alignment.  So not the best choice for a fancy date on a hot summer day.

I probably wouldn't pay what they're going for now myself, but IMO the only way you're going to be disappointed is if you expect speed or if you pick up a basketcase.

In reply to David S. Wallens :

I've driven multiple 915 cars, from a late 60s one that was only held together by whatever bondo hadn't flaked off yet to a couple of SC. I can see the point you're making and personally I'm comfortable with driving either. And yes, the 915 is probably more traditional, but the G50 makes it feel a little less overgrown 1960s VW Bug .

The one I really want came from the factory with a four speed anyway, but I'm not sure I'll ever be able to afford one, at least not without selling most of my other cars.

Olemiss540 said:

No chance in hell do I trade out one of your sport sedans for a much older 911. You have an e46 m3 that may be one of the best cars BMW ever made, is extremely fast, can handle amazing fitting 275 on each corner, has a great transmission, awesome 6 cylinder that revs out like mad. You have an e39 m5, possibly the best m5 ever made as well. No

 No sir you should not downgrade into a moving art piece of a 80s era 911. I too would love an old 911, but not at the price it will cost you given your current car collection.

If you want a Pcar and can't justify 70k on a third vehicle, just grab an older Cayman, Boxster, 996, etc that hasn't risen 10x in value. They will give you a newer version of the same experience and it will allow you to keep your amazing collection intact.

Having owned both an e46 M3 and and an e39 M5, I have to agree. I grew up around G body 911s thanks to an uncle and they are neat cars (and very nostalgic for me) but I don't think I'd give up either of what you own right now to get into one.

Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) said:

Disappointed.  I came here thinking you had an emergency with your Cutlass or Regal.

The car hobby has turned into backwards land.

G-bodies are Porsches.

Mercs are Mercedes, not Mercury.

Coupes have 4 doors.

Electric cars have "Turbo" badges.

I'm going to go lock myself in my shop and be a grumpy old man.

In reply to BoxheadTim :

Yeah, a Turbo is money. 

With AC 911s, the 915 makes you work for it.  In my experience it only shifts right when you drive the hell out of it.  The G50 totally changes the experience and makes it feel a lot more like a normal car around town.  Whether that's a good thing depends on what you want out of the experience.

Agree with the others - you already have two hero cars.  I love old 911s, but they're priced out of the value proposition (for me.)  I really wish I had pulled the trigger on one when they were well under $20k.

In reply to BoxheadTim :

When I drove a 911 SC, that's exactly what I felt.  This thing is an over grown, better performing VW Bug.  It just didn't do anything for me.  Years later when I drove a 964 I was impressed with its performance, although the ergonomics were basically the same as the SC...

Appleseed said:

Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) said:

Disappointed.  I came here thinking you had an emergency with your Cutlass or Regal.

Yup. This is a G body.

or some type of 911 powered G body was my thoughts

docwyte said:

In reply to BoxheadTim :

When I drove a 911 SC, that's exactly what I felt.  This thing is an over grown, better performing VW Bug.  It just didn't do anything for me.  Years later when I drove a 964 I was impressed with its performance, although the ergonomics were basically the same as the SC...

Agreed. I didn't think the 964 or 993 lived up to the hype either. There is way too much hype with 911s in general. 

amg_rx7 (Forum Supporter) said:

docwyte said:

In reply to BoxheadTim :

When I drove a 911 SC, that's exactly what I felt.  This thing is an over grown, better performing VW Bug.  It just didn't do anything for me.  Years later when I drove a 964 I was impressed with its performance, although the ergonomics were basically the same as the SC...

Agreed. I didn't think the 964 or 993 lived up to the hype either. There is way too much hype with 911s in general. 

I'll politely disagree with this one. Having owned a 993 Carrera for many years, it was an incredible car.

In reply to dyintorace :

The other day I went for a ride in my friend’s 993TT. It’s the legacy and charm of my 3.2-liter Carrera but with with double the power, six-speed gearbox, two turbos, etc. 

In reply to David S. Wallens :

Slippery said:

In reply to David S. Wallens :

And they look so good in Arena Red!

Pics of the BMWs for fun. I think I'm coming to the conclusion as well that the 911 needs to be an addition rather than a replacement for either of these. It will happen, but I should probably work on my space issues first. Next house is in the 1-2 year plan. I will bump this thread with more pics :)

House??? You need a garage for this, not a house. Unless you buy one that doesn't run and put it in the den.

ShawnG said:

Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) said:

Disappointed.  I came here thinking you had an emergency with your Cutlass or Regal.

The car hobby has turned into backwards land.

G-bodies are Porsches.

Mercs are Mercedes, not Mercury.

Coupes have 4 doors.

Electric cars have "Turbo" badges.

I'm going to go lock myself in my shop and be a grumpy old man.

Right?  Pepperidge Farm remembers.

dyintorace said:

I'll politely disagree with this one. Having owned a 993 Carrera for many years, it was an incredible car.

Same - it's like a factory restomod. Same great shape, same wacky ergonomics, modern suspension and drivetrain.

dyintorace said:

Slippery said:

In reply to David S. Wallens :

And they look so good in Arena Red!

Very much. Now picture that car on some BBS LMs. :) 

Threads like this had me looking at 993 911's again and becoming disappointed. I wish there was a way I could test drive one without committing 70k+ to an accessory for me.

I haven't driven an air-cooled 911 in over 20 years, but they didn't impress me at the time. I fully admit that I never had the chance to really get to know them or push them, so maybe they become more special as you do. The whole car world seems to love them, so I assume it's probably just me. But they have become stupid expensive, though.

OTOH, you have an E39 and and E46, which in my opinion are the last great BMWs. I had an E46 ZHP for a while, and it was a sublime driver. I can only imagine how good a modded M3 is. 

RyanGreener (Forum Supporter) said:

Threads like this had me looking at 993 911's again and becoming disappointed. I wish there was a way I could test drive one without committing 70k+ to an accessory for me.

I looked at 993s back when they were “only” $25k. Wound up with the G-body instead (less money!).

Slippery said:

In reply to David S. Wallens :

Poster on my wall from the Detroit Autoshow that year with this car/colour. "Kills Bugs Fast."

David S. Wallens said:

RyanGreener (Forum Supporter) said:

Threads like this had me looking at 993 911's again and becoming disappointed. I wish there was a way I could test drive one without committing 70k+ to an accessory for me.

I looked at 993s back when they were “only” $25k. Wound up with the G-body instead (less money!).

Yeah well, pretty much any 911 made before 1999 is 60k+ easy right now. Such a bummer. I blame myself for not being born earlier or making more money quicker.

Drove ours tonight.

It’s still magical.