Talk me out of this please (ratty old 911 content)

I've got the opportunity to trade my 90k mile 1997 Boxster for a truly awful 1983 911SC Cabriolet...and I'm seriously considering it.

The Boxster is fun to drive and I appreciate the real heat & A/C. However, I don't use it as a DD, and the longer I have it, the less it's worth. The larger issue is, though, that compared to the 911s I've owned ('67, '72, '84 Carrera and a '76 912E if that counts) the Boxster somehow feels less special, more like 'just a car.'

I had no plans to sell the Boxster at all, but this really ratty 1983 911SC Cabriolet with a horrendous Strossek-style fiberglass body kit found me. Part of me really wants to 'save' that old 911 and to return it to the stock bodywork.

Boxster pros: real heat + a/c, can use as DD if desired, doesn't beat the crap out of me on long trips, wifey likes it, if I want to HPDE all I need is a factory hardtop. Easier for me, as an amateur, to drive quickly and autocross. It won't rust.

Boxster cons: I hate OBD II, it's red, and the refinement I enjoy is also what makes it a little antiseptic compared to an old 911. It's still depreciating.

911 pros: CHEAP!, black/black/black (my favorite), that incredible sound 911s make, the telepathic steering, and that sound. No rust. Everything I do to fix it up and/or return it to stock will increase it's value.

911 cons: it's a convertible so no HPDE, feeble heat, no A/C, wifey won't ride in it, crappy shifter, high mileage, this particular one needs LOTS of bodywork to be put back to stock and has cheap all-vinyl 924 seats in it.

I know the obvious answers are

1. sell the Boxster and get a nicer 911 than the one offered to me. Can't do that for a lot of reasons (it's personal).

2. Miata.

So, what sayeth you wise GRM readers?

Easy button: http://saskatoon.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-classic-cars-1979-Porsche-911-SC-W0QQAdIdZ207119105

Nice car, belongs to a friend of mine.
Its only money, after all.

M030 wrote: Boxster pros: real heat + a/c, can use as DD if desired, doesn't beat the crap out of me on long trips, wifey likes it, if I want to HPDE all I need is a factory hardtop. Easier for me, as an amateur, to drive quickly and autocross. It won't rust.

As someone who has sold a perfectly good car to buy a crappy POS more times than I want to admit, that's a pretty good list of 'pros'.

...Or consider my crusty old 911 (85 targa - shameless plug). Crappy paint, straight body, 3.2 runs strong - but will need syncros in the forseeable future...targas are ok for hpde - at least nasa midwest. It's now in FL and I've put maybe 500 miles on it in the last 2 years.

As a 911 owner, the words '911' and 'bodywork' in the same sentence scare me.

And the "convertible".... I'd hold out for a tin top.. or spend the $19k for that sweet one in Canada.

I think you've lost your mind to even consider this.

You asked.

I know it's an 83, but I'd be concerned that a car with a fiberglass body kit may have started it's life as a Targa. Of course, Porsche even gave their blessing to Cabrio conversions for a few years, but if I wanted a Cabrio, I'd hold out for the real deal.

I'd only consider a project 911 if it had perfect mechanicals, as in "new" engine and transmission and zero rust.

Run away.

In reply to spitfirebill:

I did ask. Thanks for givin' it to me straight.

I think I'm sufficiently talked out of it. I'm not trading Porsches.

Here's a similar thread:

http://www.924board.org/viewtopic.php?t=32477

Basically reached the same conclusion.

I would suggest a ratty 911 if you weren't planning on keeping the engine (or were starting with a 912) since you'll likely be swapping in a different motor. The rest are relatively common parts (transaxle excluded of course)

[slap] You know better. Never trifle with a 911 that you know needs body work. Can you imagine the things you don't know yet?

This is the only 911 I would consider over a Boxster. 911s suck. Unless you add 19....(do the math, you will get it)

You KNOW what you want: a project 911 to play with. Obviously you want one. Do daily e-bay search under project vehicles. There was one a couple of hours ago... And yes, current 911s are much more powerful, but feel more like appliances than the early ones. The early ones kept you involved in DRIVING not piloting...

Sell DD-that-is-not-Boxster, buy ratty 911, keep Boxster and use as DD. Problem solved, and you'll make your Boxster happy too.

Solid advice, Jay. Thanks.

Now WTF do we do about the "ping_2012" canoe?

Awwwwww. I was kinda hoping you guys would talk him into it. Cooler heads prevailed.

I have always wanted a 911.

actually, the crappy 924 vinyl seats were originally sourced from the 911 parts bins ...

~~~~~ducks~~~~

pirated from the "terrible rabbit" thread

So, now that you're not buying it, at least post a photo of the car.

911 pros: CHEAP

[slap #2!] No such thing!!!

The 911 has soul, that's all I got.

and as Billy Joel once said, "It's all about soul!"

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: [slap] You know better. Never trifle with a 911 that you know needs body work. Can you imagine the things you don't know yet?

As a bodyman, a 911 needing bodywork is about the only way I can afford to buy them. In fact, after my expereince, I'd rather buy on that was advertised as needing bodywork before one that says it's in perfect condition, as "perfect" is often hiding something.

I know a thing or two about 911 bodywork:

Not afraid of bodywork, like on my Fiat:

http://home.comcast.net/~cvetters3/fiat_spider.htm