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Hello all,
Just joined and trying to educate myself before I jump into ownership of a used Porsche. Currently on an all expenses paid vacation to Afghanistan courtecy the US army . Flying Dust Off missions. I'm an older guy (50) and considering a 69 911s. Looking for something that I can tinker on but don't want to wade into the alligator pond without checking things out. Please feel free to provide opinions, pros, and cons of this choice and or other choices. Concerned with availability/cost of parts etc. as well as what performance parts would be available. Not looking for a fire breathing dragon, just something fun to drive and work on. Thanks in advance for your sage advice.

Well, owning the average '69 911 would probably be better than being in Afghanistan, but probably only by a bit.

You either buy a really good one in good condition and "tinker" constantly to keep it in good shape (you are old enough that you probably know how to fiddle with carbs to keep them in tune and synchronized, etc) and in repair, or you buy something cheaper and live with "the car form hell." Also keep in mind that with just about all old classics, the idea is better than the reality. A '69 911 is an old car, that can't accelerate, brake, corner, or be nearly as safe to drive as any good modern sedan high-end sedan, and yet has higher maintenance needs. This doesn't keep me from lusting after and owning a few classics but it does mean I never count on them as anything but a toy.

Thanks, you bring up several good points, short of turning a vintage porsche into a race car my wife's 330xi would handily out perform a 69 911S. Yes, whatever I get will be a toy I just don't want to pick the one model that was know for being a hangar queen. I'm a sucker for cars from the sixties. As for Afghanistan aside from living in a tent, eating crappy food and walking 50-100 yards to take a shower etc. I'm having the adventure of a lifetime. Strapping a Blackhawk to your butt's a pretty sweet way to experience the stan!

The really early 911's are a lot of fun, but obviously limited in performance like Lee said. You want to find the best example you can and go from there. Nothing is as expensive as a cheap Porsche, and there will be plenty of things to tinker with on a good one. Parts are getting to be pretty expensive on the older stuff (especially with the value of the dollar right now, I have seen general Porsche prices go up about 50% over the last year...that's staggering). Don't rule out an SC either, 1978-83 were some really good years mechanically.

Thanks Doc, Hard to believe that in this economy Porsche values are going up so much. Doesn't the 78-83 SC come with AC? That would be definitely be a plus living in Sacramento area.

Yes, the SC had AC. It was a decent system coldness wise, but you want to upgrade the fan blowers so you can get some decent flow out the vents.