ear the end of May, in an attempt to improve my vehicular status, Molly started thumbing (clicking) through the online classifieds and noticed that the 80's used Porsches were affordably priced. We were surprised. We immediately scheduled an appointment to inspect a reasonably priced black 83 SC to see what condition it was in. Standard Porsche 911s from the years 1978 through 1983 were called SC. This car was very beautiful, the glossy black paint was gorgeous. I had just enough saved up in my car fund that I could actually walk away with it if I wanted to. The realization that it could be mine was very exciting. Afterall, as I soon discovered, I was not alone in my dream, many people still covet the idea of someday owning a 911. Well, I highly encourage them to pursue that dream, like us, they may

be surprised with the outcome!

A Friendly Face

Our first 911 candidate left me slightly torn. The car was nice, but it had an older feel than I was expecting. It was also our first introduction to the commonly accepted notion that all Porsches leak oil. I couldn't help but ask myself: "how can you be so snobby and look down at a Porsche?!!" To put things in perspective, we lined up another prospective 911 and visited it the very next day. This time we looked at a 90 C2. The C2s were made from 1989 until 1994(?). Although this car was much newer, I was surprised to see that it did not look that much different. The interior still seemed very spartan, however the overall car did feel more modern. The modern feel of the C2 was more comfortable than the SC, but it was not nearly as well cared for. Oh, and it was a Targa (it had a removable top)! Driving with the top off was thrilling. If not already, we were sure to be hooked soon.

The Business Side

Our next candidate helped us realize the particular vintage Porsche that we were looking for. Without skipping a beat, we scheduled another visit the next day, three in a row! This time our prospective purchase was an 85 blue Carrera, once again a Targa. We immediately loved this car. It was a nice blue, it seemed in better shape than both the other cars. It did have 185K mile, but what did we care? We were smitten. We didn't want a modern C2, the mid 80's Carreras (84 through early 89) were just right. We liked the body style best, real bumpers, simple but comfortable interior, smooth lines. We knew for sure that if we didn't buy this car, that we would buy another Carrera.

To reaffirm our new found conviction, we scoped out two more 911s over the weekend, a Carerra with a horrible paint job and a C2 which kept stalling on us. This experience petrified us. Is that what we were in for? The 85 Targa kept returning to the forefront. We gathered our thoughts and decided to schedule the Targa for a pre-purchase appraisal first thing Monday morning. Now that we were getting serious I would need an opinion that was not blinded with Porsche envy.

She Purrs VEEEery Nicely

turned to my coworker Filippo, bimmers.com site maintainer). Filippo's advice was simple and steadfast. I would come to appreciate his guidance more as our search progressed. He told me to be patient, to take my time and that I would know when I would have found the right car. He also mentioned how good Ham, the T.A.G. Motor Werks mechanic was. Ham is a close friend of Filippo's, his expertise is in aircooled 911s.

On the way to the appraisal Molly learned why Targas are sunny-day only cars, ...drip drip. The appraisal uncovered many other problems. It turned out the car had at one point even fallen off a lift. This dose of reality was a little more than we were prepared to stomach. We began to have doubts about whether these affordable Porsches really were affordable.

Despite our setback, our search would now be narrowed down quite a bit. Neither of us liked the integrated bumpers of the C2s, which along with the SCs tend to be plagued with mechanical problems. Also, the SCs were just too old looking. Our generation was the Carerra's generation. Some time passed until we finally found a very nice black 85 Carerra from someone who actually knew something about his car. Our searches had paid off, there were affordable Porsches after all. Now that we had in front of us a car that we should have been happy with, I was still not ready to buy it. I realized that I didn't particularly want a black Carerra, but more importantly, that I really didn't want a black interior, I felt it was depressing. This turned out to be difficult for me, I was now being very picky. Would I be an fool to turn this car down? Did I really expect to find something better?

The Cockpit

didn't have the right feeling and I thank Molly for her patience with me. While I knew that she was dissappointed that I was not satisfied, she told me not to worry, that I should wait for the right color. So, after visiting a burgandy disaster I felt like I would never find the right car. But I knew that I didn't want a nightmare, Filippo was right I would know when it was right. I think that I had to wait another 2 months until I got another hit. This time it was a blue 87 Carerra. The body was good, the best I had seen yet. The interior was also very good. The only caveat was that it seemed like the seller wasn't really too interested in selling it, he didn't even offer me the opportunity to take it on a test drive!

I came into the office a little torn the next day. I called the seller's mechanic and he seemed to believe it was still in good shape, but then again, ...this was his mechanic. Up, ...down, ...up, and then the call to Ham, Filippo's 911 expert. He warned me to STAY AWAY from the car, since it had been raced. Feeling very dissappointed I went to Filippo again, he set me straight. He reminded me that buying cars is weird and he told me to ignore the human factors. Ham hadn't even seen the car, I thought it was pretty good, I should bring it to Ham and get the facts... I did.

...In Case Things Get Too Hot In The Back Seat

am had a list. But the list wasn't bad, mostly normal stuff. He felt that it was in good shape, he even told me that there was no need for a leakdown test! This was a dramatic departure from his previous stance. He still didn't like the fact that it had been raced, but he couldn't give me a solid reason not to buy it. I think he liked the car and was happy that I had a good find.

I called up the owner and bought it a week later. Once I got it, there was not doubt, this was a great car! I really got what I wanted. It is a beautiful midnight blue with a blue interior. The paint is awesome, it glows! Ham tuned it up and it runs great. The 87s, 88s and early 89s were ideal, favored by many serious enthusiasts. It is simply the best year for what I wanted, the 87s have the G50 transmission which was the last sorely needed 911 upgrade. I am glad that I was patient enough to wait. In the end, I knew when I had found the right car.

These Fold-Down Back Seats Are GRRREAT!!