What’s It Like Living With an Air-Cooled Porsche 911

[@barryscott990]

Great video. I had a black on black 85 Carerra whale tale from 2004-2019. Modded the suspension myself, autocrossed it and ended up with 9” Fuchs on rear. It was a bad ass car. But it was small, I got into another hobby, and I sold it. I should have never sold it, would be worth 2-3x what I sold it for. But we are just caretakers of things. I loved the time I spent with it

[@seneca175]

Yep, you never should have sold it. A ‘85 911 never loses its price if well maintained. You can always buy a new one, or one that needs to be revived, a pleasure for working at it and an imense reward when driving it when it is finished.😉

[@kondor99999]

I was surprised when I discovered that I actually preferred driving a 944. Much more modern feeling, the AC works great, and the small (theoretical) performance difference was unnoticeable on the road. Now have an 86 944 with 28k miles. This era of car was wonderfully simple.

[@genesmith4019]

That’s great And some folks prefer lotion and tissues too!

[@hunterv8847]

The first and only aircooled 911 I've ever driven is the 1980 911SC I currently own. I daily it from the time to the snow melts until the time the roads get salted and I wouldn't have it any other way (except for working AC). Aircooled ownership is a blast!

[@looveruk]

Nice vid, I can completely relate to the retro need to own one. My late father had a new SC and 3.2. He died in 1985. But off the back off that I always wanted to own that air cooled sound and analogue car. I owned many many Porsches in the meantime right up to dealer purchased exotics. I managed to buy my 3.2 Carrera 3 years ago. And they are unique, an utterly mechanical car. Needs 11 litres of oil. Not fast by today’s standards, but rewards good driving

[@two2pedal289]

Very nice 911 and video. In 76-77 as a 16yr old with a dream job of parking the worlds finest rides at a posh club in Miami. Using a back parking lot far from the front door allowed boys to be boys and the new air cooled 911's of the day were awesome. The rumble of that flat six and the mechanical sound of the valvetrain, the squat of the rear end, the torque as you grabbed second.... Been in some fast cars but the 911 is the coolest!

[@andyd5492]

A friend of mine has let me drive the several of the Porsche 911's he has owned. The front fenders keep you so focused forward while you are driving.

[@andyreid8098]

So happy that you still love the 911 David and happy I sold it to someone who loves it. Was that really that long ago you got it from me?

[@Joker-ig8im]

Do you miss it or do you have another beauty in the garage?

[@andyreid8098]

@@Joker-ig8im so many since then from Astons to Ferraris and a few Porsches and BMWs as well. Currently have 5 BMW cars and a 86 Carrera coupe

[@Joker-ig8im]

@@andyreid8098 BMW will always have a place in my heart as a 1982 733i was my second car in high school back in the late 80's. Mandatory Alpine Tape Deck and 6by9's included. I taught myself how to drive in my first car, the poor man's 911, 1972 Karmann Ghia.

[@zonoscopePictures]

You drove Jeff Lane’s 911 !! His museum is insane . Love that place

[@VuNguyen-PCA]

Well said my friend!

[@david37203]

Did you change the whale tail for a Duck Tail spoiler? I read your the article today in my latest edition of CM. Well written. I thought Lane Motor Museum was in Nashville. Maybe I read that wrong. Where you purchased it. I love these cars! God bless

[@andyreid8098]

Yes when I sold it to David it had a factory turbo tail. He added the ducktail

[@zonoscopePictures]

The Lane Motor Museum is in Nashville, and is totally worth a visit. Their Tatra collection is outstanding

[@tobysbreathisverybad]

Love that you have a roof rack.

[@hopefulharry]

nicely summed up !

[@markalbert9011]

If you enjoy a lightweight extraordinarily responsive car with AMAZING driver feedback then an early 911 is for you. If don't appreciate what light weight does for the driving experience then buy something else. Plenty of cars that have great specs but are ponderous cars burdened with hundreds of pounds of technology to "enhance" the driving experience for people who can't drive.

[@brianz426]

Great video, I feel the same about my ‘88 Carrera. Your articles about your car and the purchase are what initially inspired me to buy my car back in 2017. Thank you. My late teen early 20’s children also love it. I’ll never sell it.

[@robertbrooks1598]

I had a 1983 SC in that same color, with a turbo tail and 7s/8s. Had I known then what I know now, I never would've bought that car. I've been driving manual transmission cars since the late 70's, and without a doubt, the 915 transmission in that car was the absolute worst transmission I've ever owned. A class-action lawsuit should've been filed against Porsche for head stud failures on that generation of 911, I had 6 of mine break before 100K miles. OEM parts are ridiculously overpriced as well. If I had gotten the next gen 911, with the 3.2 engine and G50 trans, there's a good chance I'd still have that car, since the 3.2s supposedly came with turbo head studs (which solved them breaking prematurely), and the G50 trans was smoother than the 915.

[@tylerdred]

Cool video. I’ve got an ‘83 SC! What kind of roof rack is that?

[@ClassicMotorsports]

Thanks, it is a Thule Roof rack. You can see all the details here: classicmotorsports.com/project-cars/1984-porsche-911-carrera/how-put-bike-rack-air-cooled-porsche-911-project-p/

[@sununtaschnittker6469]

I have owned probably 2 dozen 356, 912 and 911's including a 1982 930 Turbo up to a 1987 Carrera Targa, Guards Red of course. Loved them all but NONE of them had decent a/c or any kind of decent heat or windshield defrost capability short of killing me with carbon monoxide and even then you couldn't get windows to clear up or have decent heat on a very cold morning and once I hit a deep water puddle in the rain and the whole inside of the car instantly filled with fog, insane. The G50 of the 1987 Carrera was like shifting in molasses when very cold, much worse than the 915 transaxle.

[@genesmith4019]

Two dozen wrecks lol

[@anthonyfunderburk7871]

Air cool life 😎

[@GarthGoldberg]

I sold my 1987 Carrera in 2005 for $14.5k. Only one guy came to look at it, and he was from Germany and shipped the car back there. If I still owned it I would have invested another $10k in maintenance and renovation, and another $20k in insurance and registration. And the A/C still would not have been adequate for life on the East Coast where I now reside. The Air Cooled cars were great in their day, but their best days are passed.

[@NewpsBeach22]

You could not be more wrong. I have an ‘81 Turbo and it’s amazing. You put in an electric a/c that is now available and it’s climate controlled like a 2024 car. Easy. And you still get all the thrills. Also, the prices back me up. If their best days were behind them, the prices wouldn’t be anywhere near where they are. You should have kept yours.

[@overbuiltlimited]

As the kids say, that's a lot of 'cope' you got there. I just got my 3.2 (now 3.5L) back from Rothsport. ITB's, short gears, lightened flywheel, LSD, etc. I've owned a lot of hot cars in my life, but nothing touches how fun this little 911 is. It absolutely rips! I had a couple Ducati's that were up there on the fun scale, but they are a different animal. Oh, I live in S. Florida and the car has no AC. The car is so fun it doesn't even matter.

[@timmusick9875]

If you don't mind, how much is an instaled electric A/C ? Is that the unit from the UK?

[@TM-ud1ij]

I am writing from Germany. I have a fully restored rare white/brown 1985 Porsche 911 G Model from Dallas. I love this car more than anything and it has become invaluable. I am often approached in traffic and collect likes like i change the underwear😄 Greets from Frankfurt

[@farcere]

@@NewpsBeach22 Worst car for the price they are

[@kevinbodman1011]

Great car.

[@pierremartin9048]

Excellent

[@speedvaxer]

just needs H4s!

[@fcf8269]

You could get SCs for like 10-15K in OK shape in 2010s; but these days good luck finding anything below 30K. The cost to maintain one of these old ones, unless you know how to do it is prohibitive, if you use it as daily driver. They need constant adjustments and care, as they are like clocks. Specialized mechanics ask you 100+ per hour just to work on it, so better learn how to do the work yourself, if you don't have a large wallet. Parts are easy to find but expensive... Again, this is not a car like others where you can enjoy it at a modest price... This is a car that has been over-inflated in terms of costs so everyone can make a huge profit out of it in terms of aftermarket sales. Which is sad... There is a difference between classics and artificially gate cars just to make them inaccessible to create a sort of magical aura around them.

[@zonoscopePictures]

Yes, they are expensive . They are hand built cars made in Germany, which means they were very expensive when they were new. But, they aren’t that hard to maintain if you are motivated to work on it yourself. Half the fun is knowing how they work and if you drive a decades old car you will learn that things wear out or break (does your 911 have the original fuel hoses? 😮).

[@fcf8269]

@@zonoscopePictures The issue is not much in the repair per se; but in the way in which the car is put together. If there was more space to work as the engine bay was larger, or the various parts were not in very tight spaces, then it would be better. Mine got almost everything replaced with time... The only original parts left are the main body, the interiors and glass, rims, panels and the engine. Most of the rest has been swapped or replaced as seals and hoses end up degrading anyway; the rest if can be rebuilt, like the transmission or the injector or the other electric parts that are out of production. I may see the fun in working on the car, but I see more the fun in driving it; and when I got no more time to fix it and I was paying more to fix it than time spent driving it for fun, understood that was time to get rid of it. Also the whole speculation going around anything with that brand is insane sadly; as if you expect that since it was expensive to start with, has to be expensive even after that it becomes an old car (before it gets to the "classics-retro" status). When I got my 911 it was just considered a used luxury car; and they would ask you an arm and a leg for parts and service. But nowadays prices are ridiculous...

[@ravenmaster6364]

couldnt put it any better myself and i dont even own a 911 or a porsche for that matter 👍

[@robertsvareid1451]

Nice :)!

[@paulchoi1461]

If you are not a car guy would not understand. Throw out all logic and rationality. This stirs the soul

[@john2ndname]

As a porsche owner it sounds like you are due for a valve adjustment.

[@LtDan-ov6bf]

👍

[@FriendM2010]

Was? My fatass WB with under 50k miles still is, always will be! Lets Go!

[@LLC4145]

What’s up with the eyebrows?

[@LLC4145]

Nice bike rack although he doesn’t look much like a biker.

[@davidcchi3373]

An engine rebuild at 130k miles on such a low HP car is OK? That’s laughable. Stop,making up excuse . I love them too, but let’s get serious. How much is an engine rebuilt on these ?

[@andyreid8098]

The engines on these car routinely go about 150k miles or more on a top end. A top end, pistons, cylinders,and heads runs around 10 to 12k. A full split case rebuild could cost as much as 20k but will then easily cover 150k miles and if the correct and best quality parts, ARP studs and such are used they can cover more than 200k with only regular service needed

[@ronbelanger4113]

I have a 77 with the 2.7 mag cases. Close to 9K just in parts for a rebuild. Machine shop services are required as well.

[@NoPrivateProperty]

does anyone recognize the insanity of the logic of identifying as caretaker for perishable commodity but neglecting responsibility for the natural world? the automobile is a scourge of humanity

[@amandastevenson4948]

Why???

[@pashkaS54]

The diesel truck that delivers your trinkets off Amazon does more harm than a classic car that gets several thousand miles per year at most.

[@rdargenio]

Nice hammer and sickle, the symbol most representative of repression of the human spirit and many many lives lost due to disobedience.

[@NoPrivateProperty]

@@rdargenio 9/11 was a demonstration of what rest of world thinks of USA. justifiable universal hatred. you're delusional

[@romulus_]

you're doing no favors to your cause, which is also a lost one. turns out being insufferable and sanctimonious doesn't change minds.

[@shaheene3510]

Great video brother! anyway i can get your email? would love to send you something!