need advice on driving a late 60's 911/912 as a daily driver

[Burbank66]

I live in Southern California, and want to purchase a late 1960's/early 70's 911 or a 1965-1969 912 as a daily driver.

What advice can anyone offer? Is one of these two models known to be more reliable than the other? What kind of mechanical issues should I take into consideration? Is owning one of these two cars too expensive, (in terms of mechanical repair cost), to consider as a daily driver?.......I drive about 7000 miles per year on average....finally, what resources should I be researching prior to buying one of these two cars?

Thanks in advance for any assistance you can offer.

[Rescue912]

Go for the 912 ... of course, I am a little biased

Check out Dave Hillman's site - he did exactly what you are wanting to do...

http://www.hillmanimages.com/912/
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[Geoff Webb]

Well, you have found a friend. I always wanted a 356 (my neighbor had one when I was in highschool), but now way outta my price range. The early 911 and 912s are the same car but with a different engine. I considered the early 911, but also pricey. I was in your shoes several months ago, did the research, and now the satisfied owner of a 1966 912. It is a neat car to drive--not very fast, but fun...quite enjoyable. It is my daily driver (along with my Westy) but I only drive a short distance to work and do not have to use the freeway. Be prepared to take things up a notch or two when considering expenses. I have been told that a standard engine rebuild is about 5k. In the 2 months that I have owned the car, the one thing I can tell you for sure is that the seller was right: It is frustrating to drive a Porsche in S. California because of all of the damn traffic. Just when you are feeling good in 3rd gear...there is a stop sign or slow car or a red light--even on the long stretches! I have actually woken up at sunrise on the weekend just to drive the car without hassle.
Best of luck. That guy Dave has a cool 912 site, although I have to disagree with his choice to mount one of those little steerig wheels on his car--they don't look quite right on the early 911/912s.

[Burbank66]

Thank you both for your invaluable advice; I now feel comfortable moving forward with the 912 purchase. I sense that the ownership of a Porsche means joining a community & I look forward to being part of a community that appreciates the heritage of such a great classic car.

Here is a great 912 site I came across while doing research. If you are not already familiar with the 912 registry in Great Britain, here is the link:

http://www.912register.co.uk/welcome.html

Here is a link to a great bookstore specializing in books on automobilia; if you are looking for any type of auto-related books then chances are that this store offers it or can get it for you:

http://www.autobooks-aerobooks.com/

[rebus]

let us not forget the Maestro...
HCP RESEARCH - The Maestro's Porsche 356 & Porsche 912 Problem-Solving Site
http://www.hcpresearch.com/

Dave Hillman's site convinced me to go for a 912 and I'm very happy with my 1969.

I wanted a daily driver. Which meant a 356 was out, too expensive (for me) to risk in parking lots, etc. So I was looking early 911/912. The two big cost considerations for me were gas mileage and replacement parts. Where mpg was concerned, the 4 cylinder, lighter car was the obvious choice.

Where 912 parts are different from the 911 is in the engine and the 912 tends to be cheaper (although still expensive by VW standards). Compare the cost of spark-plug wires between a VW Type 1 engine, a 356/912 engine and an early 911 engine to get some idea.

Reliability and mechanical issues... be very thorough about checking the engine when shopping for a 912. The car looks identical (almost) to a 911, so some 912 owners pushed their engines a little harder than maybe they should have.

Thanks for mentioning, www.912register.co.uk, I didn't have that one in my arsenal. Here's a few other sites I would suggest for 912 info/help...

http://912registry.org/
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=11
http://912sig.pca.org/tan_912.htm
http://www.912.nl/

In your area there should be plenty to choose from, so drive a bunch of them for me! Enjoy the search and good luck. Just know that when the Porsche bug bites, IT BITES HARD!

-rebus

[Bub]

I had a 60' S-90 a few years back that was my daily driver for years..wow..how the f%^k did I DO that?
A 356 can be a daily driver, but hard to do if you're over 22 years old and in todays economy, A 914 is an AWESOME daily driver. 35mpg, all the gearing you could want, great heat, good comfort. I've been driving one now for 4 years straight.
I have a 68' 912 that will take it's place just because I'm ADHD and can't leave well enough alone. I drove the 912 quite a bit last year, but the maintainence is more costly. And IF (just saying IF) anything in the engine breaks you're up a creek. Get out all your credit cards. And with my 912 engine flawlessly rebuilt, perfect carbs, pointless ignition, it still didn't have quite the pep and power and didn't run as well and as reliably as my 1.8L 914 does.
SO? What do you do?
My solution is a 68' 912 with a 2.0L 914 engine, and 914 top gears in the tranny. Haven't driven it yet, but I'm absolutely SOLD on the reliability, economy, longevity of the Type4 engine compared to the 616.
And don't get me wrong, the 616 engine's are a work of art, and make for a great driver- but compare the points I did and forget 'originality' and you almost have to come to the same conclusion.
It's a thing to consider if you can't find a great car that runs great...maybe you can find a great car and build and engine and make it run great.
Bob O

[porveedub]

I daily drove a 68 912 for abour 6 years. It had a 1720cc motor and I never had a problem with it. I should have never sold that car.

[volksworker]

The 912 is an excellent choice. A 66,67 912 with the 1750 cc kit, a cam and a pair of preformance carbs {I use dellortos} will outperform the same year base model 911 due to the 911s increased weight. The stock 1600 cc 912 motor which is the same as the super 90 c motor makes 102 hp stock but you have to drive like a man to use it, Revs must be kept up to at least 3000 rpm..............a 5 spd is necessary,the 4 wont get it done. It also is less rear heavy than an 11 so it handles much better, It will smoke any 85 hp 914 1.8. A stock 1600cc 912 properly tuned will smoke any stock 914 ever built easily....[except the six]...and there is no doubt whether its a Porsche or not. Yes the 911 has a torque edge but the cost is prohibitive....Im a parts guy so I know..........I get 30 mpg on the freeway and dyno out at 125 hp..........5 more than the 67 911 base model which If I remember makes 120hp. No offense but no one should bastardize a nice 912 with any other motor. The motor is what makes it a Porsche.the high revs , crazy high end and the smoothness. A nice unmolested original color 912 sells for 10,000 right now. Yes there are rust buckets and demo derby specials out there for 3500 but you get what you pay for. The type 4 914 motor is a valve seat eating piece of junk.........at our shop we are filled with 914s and late buses...by far the most common guests of the largest vw shop in Phx where I work. The 2.0 liter 914 motor with real 2.0 heads was ok but still only made 95 hp...and only in 73 in the US. The 2.0 heads crack and lose seats like all type 4 stuff. A good 912 motor will go 100,000 no problem if properly rebuilt. A type 4 wont make it to 50,000 without valve seats. If you want a 2.0 liter 912 buy a one year only 76 912e............and any stock 912 will smoke it too..........now of course the mid engine 914 will outhandle all the 911s and 912s ever built.............ok thats enough.Im out of hand.........By the way top speed on a stock 912 was 119 mph.........they are fast.....not quick

[jbhowat]

Wow. Lots of type 4 hating going on there. Hmmm... Oh well...... You seem to forget to mention the cost of parts. It'd be real easy to build a fast type 4 engine, its gonna cost a lot more to build or rebuild the 1600 to compete. Oh well....
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