Which 911?

[TommyW]

Originally Posted by Atmo

I've owned a few 911's but the air cooled cars, and especially a '73 S, required total focus but were the most memorable and exciting physically and mentally. Luckily I never crashed, but there was this one night in the rain...

Yes id say my ‘73S was my favorite 911 i owned. Rain?? Well there was a night in Hawaii in my ‘73 914 2.0 that didn’t end well...

[daiheadjai]

I'm quite a few dollars away (and probably years too, given the age of the kids) from a 911, but I keep hearing/reading that the gearing is too tall to properly-enjoy the car (e.g. getting to wind it out, hear the engine and shift, within legal speeds).

Is this really a thing?
Took a look, and found there were some rare (and expensive, or potentially-unreliable) options to shorten the gears/change final drives.

Also - how much of a stretch would it be to try and pass a 996 as a "family car"?

[serialk11r]

If I really wanted a 911...

I would get a 996 and put in a Toyota or Honda 6. I like the 996's smaller size and a Toyota or Honda V6 is lighter and more reliable than the M96 garbage. You can modify them for cheap to get more power and higher revs, and they're cheaper to replace/rebuild compared to a GT3 engine.

GT3 would be nice but they're so hard to find.

[Capt Spaulding]

I've always lusted after a 911. I've also lusted, at times, for a pretty, young, mistress. I'm at a point in my financial life where I could probably afford one of them, but not both. I'm also at the point in my chronological life, where my ability to enjoy either the way my younger self would have wanted is not what it used to be.

The ROI on the mistress is almost certainly negative, so she's out. The 911, is not as clear. I can probably afford the GT3 I'd love to have, but I have a very strong suspicion it would not generate enjoyment proportional to its costs of ownership. I love the noise of NA Porsche 6s, but that requires a place to air them out. I don't have that.

The BRZ sounds nothing like an NA Porsche 6, but it lets me push a lot of other buttons that I suspect are out of reach in a GT3 without doing things that are both unwise and "go straight to jail" illegal. So, spending the money going to the theatre with my wife and driving the BRZ to see the kids and GKs and other things, seems to make a lot more sense. I have a BlueRay copy of Le Mans so I can enjoy sex dripping Porsche noises without getting arrested. Good for any and all of you who are able to safely access the performance of either car or mistress.

[EAGLE5]

993 GT2 is out of price range by a wee bit.

[EAGLE5]

Also, the 993 generation is probably my least favorite. It has that rounded look that just screams 1990s, all in a bad way. Because the 90s sucked. The 964 is nice. I like the 996 because it's the least loved of the 911s, but also because it's watercooled and modern without being as wide as the newer cars. That's the problem with the 997. They're all 71" wide or more. The 996 was the last generation under 70" in width. That actually knocks the GT2 996 out, since it's 72" wide.

A 964 narrow body with the turbo or other Singer-style mods would be a blast. Pre 964 has torsion spring suspension. No thanks.

[Sapphireho]

Originally Posted by EAGLE5

Also, the 993 generation is probably my least favorite. It has that rounded look that just screams 1990s, all in a bad way. Because the 90s sucked. The 964 is nice. I like the 996 because it's the least loved of the 911s, but also because it's watercooled and modern without being as wide as the newer cars. That's the problem with the 997. They're all 71" wide or more. The 996 was the last generation under 70" in width. That actually knocks the GT2 996 out, since it's 72" wide.

A 964 narrow body with the turbo or other Singer-style mods would be a blast. Pre 964 has torsion spring suspension. No thanks.

Yea, I didn't care for the look of the 993 either.

Nothing wrong with torsion bars. I have trick hollow bars on my '77 s targa. They respond pretty nice.

The only water pumper 911 I've ever drove was my friends Gt3. I don't know which year it is, but has every buzzer and whistle, including the fancy outrageously expensive brakes. Giant car. Real easy to go fast. The paddles take some getting used to.

[Irace86.2.0]

For me, it is a toss up. The older models have fenders that just hug the hips, but the interiors are dated and fugly. I like the 992 interior and exterior styling, but the rear looks too high and bulky. The perfect 911 for me doesn't exist.

The perfect 911 would be an understated, GT3 touring with a manual. It would have all the new 992 interior and exterior styling and features, but it would exist on the proportions and dimensions of a 996 C4S with narrow front and wide rear, but it would be RWD only and mid-engine without any rear seats.

[Captain Snooze]

Originally Posted by Capt Spaulding

I've always lusted after a 911.....

I enjoyed reading that post.

[JD001]

997.2 GT3 RS, 996 GT3 RS, 991 GT3 Touring and an early mid 70s S...

[daiheadjai]

Originally Posted by Irace86.2.0

For me, it is a toss up. The older models have fenders that just hug the hips, but the interiors are dated and fugly. I like the 992 interior and exterior styling, but the rear looks too high and bulky. The perfect 911 for me doesn't exist.

The perfect 911 would be an understated, GT3 touring with a manual. It would have all the new 992 interior and exterior styling and features, but it would exist on the proportions and dimensions of a 996 C4S with narrow front and wide rear, but it would be RWD only and mid-engine without any rear seats.

Are you saying "engine-swapped Cayman"? Because that's what I'm hearing!

[Irace86.2.0]

Originally Posted by daiheadjai

Are you saying "engine-swapped Cayman"? Because that's what I'm hearing!

Caymans just don’t have the quality or road presence. The rear isn’t the same. The lines are wrong. The rear fenders go up and are not as wide, nor do they hug the tires. Caymans just aren’t in the same class. With Caymans, I glance at them. With 911s, I stare.

[daiheadjai]

Originally Posted by Irace86.2.0

Caymans just don’t have the quality or road presence. The rear isn’t the same. The lines are wrong. The rear fenders go up and are not as wide, nor do they hug the tires. Caymans just aren’t in the same class. With Caymans, I glance at them. With 911s, I stare.

Those hips don't lie

[Capt Spaulding]

Years ago on the TV show "Designing Women" Delta Burke's (of all people) commented on another character, "She's got a butt you could serve tea on." For some reason the Cayman reminded me of that.