Notices
911 1964- to current Porsche 911, from the air-cooled days to the current 997
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:

3.2 as a DD, Opinions?

Old Jul 8, 2008 | 02:41 PM
  #1  
vivaleduc's Avatar
Thread Starter
|
Banned
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 24
From: usa
Rep Power: 0
vivaleduc is infamous around these parts
....

....
 

Last edited by vivaleduc; Jan 4, 2009 at 11:15 PM.
Old Jul 8, 2008 | 02:51 PM
  #2  
dferg476's Avatar
Registered User
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 269
From: Richmond Va
Rep Power: 30
dferg476 is infamous around these parts
You would have to be pretty raw. They get a little uncomfortable after a while, and forget about any storage. Mine was fun to drive on weekends and random days during the week, but I would not like it too much as a dd.
 
Old Jul 8, 2008 | 03:17 PM
  #3  
Porscheboy16's Avatar
Registered User
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 2,836
From: .
Rep Power: 141
Porscheboy16 is a glorious beacon of lightPorscheboy16 is a glorious beacon of lightPorscheboy16 is a glorious beacon of lightPorscheboy16 is a glorious beacon of lightPorscheboy16 is a glorious beacon of lightPorscheboy16 is a glorious beacon of light
If you can keep your AC working, it makes a great DD.
 
Old Jul 9, 2008 | 10:37 PM
  #4  
DHinkle's Avatar
Registered User
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 853
From: Tennessee
Rep Power: 68
DHinkle has much to be proud ofDHinkle has much to be proud ofDHinkle has much to be proud ofDHinkle has much to be proud ofDHinkle has much to be proud ofDHinkle has much to be proud ofDHinkle has much to be proud ofDHinkle has much to be proud ofDHinkle has much to be proud ofDHinkle has much to be proud of
Depends on commute and climate; I drive my Club Sport almost daily during the summer.
 
Old Jul 10, 2008 | 07:45 PM
  #5  
Pipes's Avatar
Registered User
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 286
From: Oxford, Maryland
Rep Power: 31
Pipes is infamous around these parts
I guess I don't understand why anyone would be concerned about driving a 3.2 for an everyday driver. I have owned my 87 911 since it landed off the ship in America and I have 219K miles on it. The heater will blast your butt out of the car in the winter and the A/c when properly charged will chill your snot. You must have other issues that concern you than the climate controls....
 
Old Jul 11, 2008 | 07:08 PM
  #6  
flatsixnut's Avatar
Registered User
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 973
From: Tampa Bay Area, Florida
Rep Power: 61
flatsixnut is infamous around these parts
The only concerns I would have is that the car wont even get warmed up in two miles. That will be ok as long as you keep the revs below 4000. Never rev one of these past the 4k mark until the engine has reached normal operating temp. The same goes for checking oil levels...the car has to be warmed up to check the stick acurately.

These cars are hardly too raw to drive as a daily driver. Unless you have too many speed bumps in route. I live in Florida and I never use the AC or the heat or the radio for that matter.
 
Old Jul 12, 2008 | 05:51 AM
  #7  
Pipes's Avatar
Registered User
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 286
From: Oxford, Maryland
Rep Power: 31
Pipes is infamous around these parts
The car's ride can be as hard or as cushy as you want, depending on the stiffness of your struts and sway bars. I have rally sport struts and extra heavy 930 sway bars on my 911 but it still rides nice on paved roads. I also agree about Flatsix's comments regarding the oil, if you don't get your oil up to normal operating temps, condensation will form in the oil system and that can cause oil foaming and other problems with your engine internals.
 
Old Jul 12, 2008 | 12:34 PM
  #8  
RoadWarrior911's Avatar
Registered User
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 2
From: NC
Rep Power: 0
RoadWarrior911 is infamous around these parts
Mine is a DD with a 20 mile one-way commute. I wouldn't DD a 911 for a 2 mile drive. For me, it's a near perfect car for driving to work if you aren't in bumper to bumper traffic. In all the time I've been commuting with mine, I have yet to see another car I'd rather be in.
 
Old Jul 31, 2008 | 05:30 PM
  #9  
ncseahawk's Avatar
Registered User
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 13
From: valrico
Rep Power: 0
ncseahawk is infamous around these parts
Mine was a daily driver for years. Now has 169K and still not opened.
 
Old Aug 4, 2008 | 08:37 AM
  #10  
Turbo G's Avatar
Registered User
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 12
From: Tucson AZ
Rep Power: 0
Turbo G is infamous around these parts
I think it would be a great daily driver for an enthusiast. Of course I could drive an Elise as a DD....
 
Old Aug 24, 2008 | 09:03 AM
  #11  
cibergypsy's Avatar
Registered User
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 578
From: Florida
Rep Power: 44
cibergypsy is a jewel in the roughcibergypsy is a jewel in the roughcibergypsy is a jewel in the rough
Originally Posted by vivaleduc
my biggest concern are the AC and the heating systems. that's the main reason that i'll stay away from the earlier cars (plus they will prob have more mechanical issues based on age alone).
I have a 1987 3.2 Carrera in Grand Prix White with tan interior as a daily driver. I purchased and installed the complete Griffiths A/C upgrade system for the car and have not looked back since. The A/C is super cold and I live in Florida - even in Summer I find myself with the A/C turned down one position from maximum. The system adds an additional two condensers with fan on the rear, driver's side wheel well and has guards to protect it from rocks and other debris.

As I said, I drive this car daily and have put 20k miles in the last year with no issues. The only other concession to comfort I've added is an iPod ready Alpine CD receiver.

If you want a 3.2, buy an '87 or later and stay away from the '84 to '86 cars with the inferior 915 transmission. I used to own a 1984 Targa and will never consider one again that is not G50 equipped and a Coupé - Targas are a nightmare if you live in a rainy area like Florida.

My car is also my track car for DEs. Some of the upgrades I made are: Weltmeister bump steer kit, front and rear sway bars, thicker torsion bars, Pagid brake pads, stainless steel braided DOT brake lines, Fabspeed dual outlet muffler with "Euro" pre-muffler, 930 sized 16" original Fuchs alloy wheels color coded since my car came that way from the factory, sports shocks, Autothority chip and a few other things that I know I missed here. It came from the factory with the front and rear spoilers and with option 220 - limited slip differential. I bought it with 68k miles a year ago and took the engine out to put new seals, sensors, clutch and a fuel line that was old. I installed but later removed the Fabspeed carbon fiber look airbox because it was too noisy and did not add any more power.

I am now looking into putting a Turbo tie rod kit to enhance the steering. By the way, I also own a 2006 X51 Carrera S and, while that is a great car, there is something special about the 3.2's character that cannot be replicated by the newer cars and a sense of intimacy becuase there are many things that can be done by oneself that cannot be done in the newer cars - more of a connection if you can say it that way.

Good luck, buy a good one and do the A/C upgrade first, then worry about the rest. The website is http://www.griffiths.com/porsche/
 
Old Aug 24, 2008 | 09:09 AM
  #12  
cibergypsy's Avatar
Registered User
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 578
From: Florida
Rep Power: 44
cibergypsy is a jewel in the roughcibergypsy is a jewel in the roughcibergypsy is a jewel in the rough
By the way, vivaleduc, once I sorted the mechanical aspects of the car, i.e. clutch, fuel line and seals a year ago, I haven't had any issues at all! No breakdowns, period! This is a very reliable car and can be driven daily. Just have the yearly maintenance done with the oil change and valve adjustment and you're good to go! I did the seals and other things because I needed to replace the clutch and was going to pull the engine out anyways. Otherwise, I'd say to wait until you need to pull the engine out to do that work. I don't have any oil leaks yet but I am sure they will come, as this is a normal thing for these cars, maybe from the oil return tubes and even that is no big deal when now you can upgrade them to the collapsible ones.
 

Last edited by cibergypsy; Aug 24, 2008 at 09:11 AM.
Old Feb 25, 2010 | 11:08 PM
  #13  
neuroguru's Avatar
Registered User
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 113
From: Home
Rep Power: 22
neuroguru is infamous around these partsneuroguru is infamous around these parts
Did it with my '88 Coupe in the Bay Area. Never used A/C and rarely needed the heater. That's what happens when you live in paradise. Oh well, not so in Phoenix.

As for comfort - the 87-89 Carreras have the wonderful polyadjustable electric seats and the smooth hydraulic clutch. I do recall my 993's clutch pressure was even less than the 901's. It made commuting in LA a bit less of a chore than driving a 901.

If your commute is bumper-to-bumper and you're sucking exhaust, maybe something quieter with more creature comforts and kickin' A/C like a 996 or 997? But, then those liquid-cooled demons are blasphemy ...it's like driving a Lexus.
 
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
cdrik915
New Member Introductions
6
May 14, 2019 11:15 AM
vividracing
991 Turbo
23
Oct 2, 2015 02:23 PM
TOGWT
Detailing
0
Sep 27, 2015 06:09 AM
bnreed3
Boxster / Cayman
2
Sep 24, 2015 09:04 AM


Thread Tools
Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:
You have already rated this thread Rating: Thread Rating: 0 votes,  average.


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 10:29 PM.