I'VE OWNED THIS CLASSIC 911 CABRIOLET FOR 16 YEARS – HERE'S MY HONEST REVIEW!

🔥What’s it actually like to own a 1988 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2 Cabriolet in 2026? Not a press loan. Not a weekend drive. Real open-top ownership — real numbers, real soft top maintenance reality, real driving impressions from someone who also owns a current Porsche 991 and a 911 Turbo S.
In this honest owner ride-along, we ride along with Kurt, a PCA member and experienced Porsche enthusiast who chose the G50-equipped 1988 Cabriolet specifically for the open-air amplification of the air-cooled experience. He’s going to tell you exactly what it’s like: the top operation, the electric latch reality, the unassisted steering and brakes, the oil management, and everything the YouTube reviews skip.
 🎥 Watch This Next: https://youtu.be/Rw772o5HXjE

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#Porsche #911 #AirCooled #PorscheCarrera #Carrera32 #Cabriolet #ClassicPorsche #911Cabrio #PorscheOwner #G50 #AirCooled911 #ClassicCar #PCA #Porsche911 #Convertible 

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📋 CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS 
0:00 Introduction – 16 Years With an Air-Cooled 911 Cabriolet
0:20 Meet Kurt: PCA Member, Long-Term 911 Owner
1:13 Why This Is Kurt's Only Porsche – And Why He's Never Sold It
2:05 How Kurt Found This Survivor 911 at a Power Sports Dealer
3:25 What "Survivor Car" Really Means – Original Paint, Interior & Engine
4:03 Research Before Buying: Why the G50 Carrera 3.2 Is the Sweet Spot
4:48 Buying Without a PPI – Was It a Risk Worth Taking?
5:22 Why He Chose the Cabriolet Over the 930 Turbo
6:29 1988 Production Numbers: How Many Cabriolets Were Actually Built?
7:18 Original Paint Reality – Why Only 5% of These 911s Still Have It
8:06 Build Quality Deep Dive: Door Thunk, Chip Protection & Panel Condition
9:24 Manual Soft Top Operation – Is It Really a Disadvantage?
10:09 Plastic Rear Window, Maintenance & Cold Weather Tips
11:37 Wind Noise, Weather Sealing & Top-Up Cabin Experience
12:21 Soft Top Maintenance Routine – What Kurt Actually Uses
12:52 Paint Care on a 37-Year-Old Porsche
13:13 Performance in 2026: Does 217 HP Still Feel Like Enough?
14:36 The Air-Cooled Flat-Six Sound – Why It's Still Addictive
15:40 G50 Transmission Noise: Real Problem or Overblown?
16:11 Unassisted Steering & Brakes – The Analog Driving Connection
17:05 911 Tail-Happy Handling: Kurt's Real-World Close Call
17:42 One Track Day at Shannonville: Brakes, Handling & Lessons Learned
19:02 Road Trips in an Air-Cooled 911 – How Far Is Too Far?
19:41 Luggage Space, Frunk Reality & Weekend Getaway Practicality
20:24 The Ultimate Use Case for This Car
21:01 Reliability Over 16 Years – Has It Ever Let Him Down?
21:06 Real Ownership Costs: Annual Maintenance Budget Breakdown
22:00 Top Up vs. Top Down: Does It Actually Change the Driving Dynamics?
22:50 Five Round Gauges vs. Modern Digital Dashboards
24:13 Heating System Reality – What Works, What Doesn't
24:54 Air Conditioning Warning: The Asthmatic Gopher Story
25:12 Oil Management on a Dry Sump Air-Cooled Engine
26:32 DIY Maintenance: What Kurt Does Himself vs. Takes to a Specialist
27:27 Working on a Vintage 911 vs. Classic Mercedes – How Do They Compare?
28:33 Rust & Corrosion: The Real Problem Areas on Cabriolets
29:13 Like & Subscribe – More Honest Owner Ride-Along Reviews
29:19 Insurance Costs: Hagerty Classic Coverage Breakdown
30:02 Purchase Price Then vs. Market Value Now – The Numbers Are Wild
31:09 Finding a Porsche Specialist for Vintage Air-Cooled 911s
32:18 Engine-Out Services: What Requires Full Removal on a Carrera 3.2
33:01 Winter Storage: Kurt's Controversial Porsche-Purist-Offending Method
33:17 Oil Changes & Valve Adjustments – What Actually Gets Done
34:02 Most Expensive Repair in 16 Years of Ownership
34:35 Surprising Parts Costs: The $130 Gear Shift Lever
35:15 After 16 Years – Has This Car Earned a Permanent Garage Spot?
35:26 Expectations vs. Reality: What the 911 Delivered and What It Didn't
36:26 Heel-and-Toe Driving & Kurt's Pedal Upgrade Mod
38:02 Cabriolet vs. Coupe – The Performance Community's Take
39:02 Public Reaction: Smiles, Thumbs Up & Gas Station Conversations
39:24 Three Things Kurt Loves Most About This Car
41:19 Buyer Warnings: What YouTube Reviews Don't Tell You
42:28 Who Should Buy a Vintage 911 Cabriolet – And Who Absolutely Shouldn't
43:15 Outro – Check Out the 718 Spyder Comparison Video

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:04

So, has this car ever let you down? What did I tell you? It's the equivalent of an asthmatic gopher blowing over an ice cube. Let's talk about money.

SPEAKER_01 0:11

A car like this with original paint and the G50 transmission going for a round. Porsche purists are gonna hate me. Kurt bought this amazing 1988 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2 Cabriol8 16 years ago. He's owned numerous performance cars, but it's the only Porsche he's ever owned and has never let it go. In this video, we're riding along with Kurt as he shares exactly what it's like to live with an air-cooled, open-top 9-11 from 1988. Kurt Rivers we're discussing his complete ownership experience for why this is the one portion of the performance mode in his garage to that soft top reality of a 37-year-old Porsche to the real ownership card that most reviewers don't even mention. Kurt is a Porsche Club of America member of PCA whose track is Porsche, whose garage currently includes a vintage trans and Survivor and several Mercedes sedans and performance cars. He also runs Kurtsky's Garage YouTube channel, which I'll link to in the description down below. Alright, Kurt, so you've owned a lot of uh fast cars, you've had performance cars. How is it that this is the only Porsche you've ever uh purchased?

SPEAKER_00 1:24

Well, and you've got a vintage air-cooled 9-11. Do you really need anymore? Yes, you do. Um I think it's it's you know, in that respect, it's kind of a just a simple cost thing. Um new Porsches, as you know, they're they're certainly not cheap cars. No. And a Porsche, since I use my car mostly for business, going to see clients and whatnot, pulling up in a modern Porsche probably is not the right vibe. It tells people you're very successful. No, it does not. It tells you you're gonna overcharge them. So um I drive Mercedes instead, so you know, it probably telegraphs a similar message, just not to the same degree. But Kurt, you have owned this car for 16 years. I have, yes. Have you ever come close to selling it? No. And honestly, unless I was financially in a really bad place, I don't want to sell it. I just love this car, it has a lot of special meaning to me, and it's gonna be uh a long term. So you found this car in a very unique way. Can you tell us about that? And I passed by a Power Sports dealer, and this car was sitting in the parking lot without a license plate on it. And I thought, well, that's mighty interesting. I'll bet someone traded that car in. So after I did my errand getting the stuff for the hot tub, I went back and said, Hey, is that 9/11 for sale? Yeah, we just took it in this morning. What do you want for it? X said, Great, I think I want that car. I'm gonna come back with uh with my wife and we'll test drive it, and you'll probably have a sale today. And that's precisely what happened. So, you know, that was it. And I lucked out. This is as you mentioned, it's an 88, it's a G50 transmission, so you get the the nice jetrag tranny, you get a hydraulic clutch, super easy car to drive. Uh, the car was originally from Florida, then made its way to BC, then to Collingwood, and then into Barrie. It's you know, pretty short uh ownership history, quite frankly. And I just really lucked out with it. It's a great car.

SPEAKER_01 3:25

So this is what's classified as a survivor car. What does that mean to use survivor car?

SPEAKER_00 3:30

So it's largely original, like all the paint on this car is original. Uh, original leather upholstery, you know, original stereo. The engine has not been replaced or torn down. The car is just actually coming up on a hundred thousand miles, so it's probably due for a top-end rebuild. Um, so really we're just dealing with replacing of consumables, your tires and brakes and whatnot. But otherwise, all the major stuff, it's original to the car.

SPEAKER_01 3:56

So, did you do much research on on you know uh Porsches in general before you pulled the trigger on this car?

SPEAKER_00 4:03

Absolutely. These air-cooled 9-11s, this was sort of my poster car as a child, probably more specifically the 930, the OG turbo. Right. Um, but I read countless books, which I still have, and uh, you know, it's a great reference, you know, the various buyer's guides and you know, tons of internet research, and I really had an idea that the G50 car uh would be better. The Carrera 3.2 would be probably the best choice of melding classic handling, and it and I'll use I'll frame that in a positive way, you know, with with modern drivability, relatively modern fuel injection, it's reliable. So it was just it was a happy spot for me. And here it is, it just came up, it was perfect.

SPEAKER_01 4:48

So, what I find interesting was that you you found the car and you basically bought it on the same day. So you didn't do any pre-purchase inspection, you didn't take it to a mechanic. No. Why were you relatively confident that this was going to be a good car?

SPEAKER_00 5:00

I drove it, felt right, everything felt tight on it. It went forwards, backwards, left, and right, didn't smoke. Okay, we're good. After doing so much reading and knowing what to look for, this car was just it was just the way it was supposed to be. So sometimes when life hands you something, don't delay, take it.

SPEAKER_01 5:22

Good for you, good for you.

SPEAKER_00 5:23

Obviously, it paid off. Specifically looking for a cabrio? You know, uh originally I was looking for a 930, you know, the 911 turbo. Sure. Found one that was in excellent condition. It had lots of performance enhancements and goodies and whatnot. And something we just said, it's not really what you want. And after reading a lot about the uh the original turbos, unless you're on boost, it's it's just it can be a pretty uh uh docile experience, I guess. So a naturally aspirated car would give me a little bit better balance, and the targa doesn't super appeal to me, so the cabrio was a great, acceptable choice. As I said, I love it. You know, I think the aesthetics top up or top-down are great. And you know, where we live in Ontario, you know, just like what we're driving through right now, there's lots of beautiful B-roads to drive on, and that with a top-down and hearing the flat six air cooled motor. Oh, this is it's just the perfect combination for here.

SPEAKER_01 6:29

Oh, for sure. And you know, I it was interesting to find that uh in in 88 there's about 3,700 Cabrios built to 6,000 coupes. I was amazed at what a large percentage of uh Cabrios that that was. So obviously it was a very popular choice.

SPEAKER_00 6:45

The Cabriolet, it was actually supposed to be part of the 9-11 range when the car debuted, or well, it was Paris Auto Show in '63, but came out in production in '65. And there was concern over the US eventually, you know, doing away with uh convertibles due to safety laws and whatnot. So that was the genesis of the target. But this car in Cabrio, I believe, came out in about 1982. So there were a lot of years, you know, to have a G-Series impact bumper car with a Cabrio.

SPEAKER_01 7:18

Now you mentioned earlier this car is original point, original paint. Yes, again, I was really uh amazed to find out when I was doing my research that pretty much there's only 5% of the cars from this era still have original paint. Why do you think that is?

SPEAKER_00 7:33

I think uh a lot of these cars, if you get a little, what's the expression, ham fisted with them, um, you're gonna get into trouble and have some dings. So, or spin out or total the car completely, you know, if you're not careful. And I tend to think with the cabriolet, the kind of person who would buy it wasn't searching for absolute performance, you're not gonna track this car. Uh so I think the odds of a cab being in maybe better shape or good original shape might be a little bit higher just given the nature of it and what it's really meant for.

SPEAKER_01 8:07

So, what when closing this door, that that Porsche door thunk, how does that compare to the Mercedes-Benz door thunk with the rest of your fleet?

SPEAKER_00 8:16

Well, it it depends which era of Benz we're talking about. I have a 1990 S class, a 300 SEL, the the infamous or or very famous rather, W126. The door thunk is very similar. Uh, it's an incredibly positive latch sound. Uh, and I think the only car now that would do that would be a G-Wagon, but it's the same sort of ancient mechanism.

SPEAKER_01 8:39

One of the things I noticed when uh doing the photo shoot of this car earlier was that that chip protection along the bottom of the car, all the way around, is still totally intact. And I know that if the car has ever had any bodywork done, that's usually the first thing that goes. Now, again, I noticed uh, and again, getting back to the original paint, yeah, that there's virtually no stone chips on the front of your car. And again, I'm I'm I was shocked to see that. Any idea why that might be?

SPEAKER_00 9:05

I don't know. I mean, the car sits low enough. You can see in the uh the shots you took and the video footage, like it's a low car. Uh there are there are a couple of stone chips on the hood. Actually, from my standpoint, I'd be more concerned about chips on the headlights, uh, but even those are in very good shape.

SPEAKER_01 9:22

So the convertible top on this car is not automatic, it's it's manual. Yes. Is that a concern for you?

SPEAKER_00 9:31

There we go. Tops down. Absolutely not. Uh, you know, I I think when you when you buy a hot car or a luxury car when everything is new, you know, you you get to show off all the little bits and bobs and and things. But when when a vehicle gets old enough to be in the classic range, the more stuff that's manual that you don't have to worry about, that's not a disadvantage anymore. That's an advantage.

SPEAKER_01 10:00

Yeah, that's right. Something mechanical is a whole lot easier to fix than something with a bunch of servos and motors, right? Exactly. And it saves weight and yeah. So tell me a little bit more about that back window.

SPEAKER_00 10:11

I believe it's zippered in plastic, is that correct? Yes, that's correct. Uh, as far as I know, all of the cabriolet tops had a plastic window. Nothing wrong with that. It's good quality plastic. Uh, apparently, in cold weather, you're supposed to undo the zip and drop the window first, and then you know, you can put the top down. In warm weather, which is really the only weather I drive this car, you could just drop the whole top, and you don't have to worry about the plastic window. It just sort of folds down the way it's supposed to, and no worries.

SPEAKER_01 10:42

And you would think too that if you had to replace that plastic rear window because of cracking or yellowing or scratches of that kind of thing, it'd be relatively easy to do as opposed to replacing the whole top.

SPEAKER_00 10:53

I would think so. I mean, fortunately, I haven't had to deal with it. The car is, you know, it's always garage capped, so the UV um damage is quite mitigated. So, as far as you know, this car has the original Hearts cloth convertible top? To the best of my knowledge, I certainly haven't touched it in 16 years. And does it is it weatherproof? Is it does it leak? Yeah, no leaks. I've in all the time I've driven it, I've only been caught in the rain once. You know, I'm I'm super careful about when I drive it. I don't mind driving it, but if it's bad weather, I'll take another car. I don't want to risk anything happening to this. But the one time I was caught, hey, the windshield wipers work, that was amazing. The top didn't leak, that was great. So no, everything was good. What about wind noise when you have the top up? Is there whistles? It's it's not so much that there are whistles. The top, though, is not insulated, so if it it'll bang around a little bit, you know, against the the various mechanisms, the metal uh parts, but you know, no no whistles. The the weather stripping around the windows and whatnot, it's actually pretty good.

SPEAKER_01 11:59

Yeah, and and I noticed that when we were putting the top up and down, um the back window is quite large, so it probably wouldn't feel that claustrophobic in here.

SPEAKER_00 12:07

No, not at all, not at all. I mean, I think in terms of daylight, the target probably has the most of it because of the the wraparound effect, you know, around around the sides, but no, there's no problem with this at all.

SPEAKER_01 12:21

What about maintenance on the on the top? Is there any specific maintenance routine you have for the top?

SPEAKER_00 12:26

Every once in a while you should, you know, take something to condition the seals, um, I guess at the top of the header panel and around the windows. What about the cloth itself? Just a cleaning with uh you know nothing too uh aggressive. I use a Grios garage. They have a citrus-based cleaner. The exact name of the product escapes me, but that's what they recommend for convertible tops, and that's what I use.

SPEAKER_01 12:52

Yeah, and uh in preparing for today, I noticed you mentioned that you had waxed the car. Is that typically how you maintain the paint?

SPEAKER_00 12:59

Yeah, a wash and a wax. Um, again, the car doesn't get used in in clement weather, so there's less washing and more dusting, but I definitely make sure everything is kept clean one way or the other.

SPEAKER_01 13:13

Let's talk about performance of this car. So on paper, you know, by 2026 standards, the what is it, 217 horsepower, something like that? Something like that. 6500 RPM red line. Um does it perform? Does it feel like a performance car to you?

SPEAKER_00 13:34

In a world of 450 horsepower, Mercedes being like my my S-class, that car is effortless thrust and like it it's a little mind-bending. This car, no. I mean, you you don't drive this car if you want to be super fast. This car is fun, it it brings joy. It's just a super fun car. Um, does it handle? Will it will it go down the road nicely? Sure. Does it have amazing thrust? No. Um in 1988, this was not exactly even then the fastest car, but for a convertible, I think the 0 to 60 time, it was in the low sixes, which I think was still pretty respectable.

SPEAKER_01 14:18

Oh, I would definitely think so. Respectable. And you know what? I think it's still respectable now. I mean, not compared to something with you know 450, 500 horsepower. Yeah. But uh, but yeah, but the other thing is too, there's uh this car weighs how much is the weight? It's about 2,800 pounds. Yeah, so it's pretty light. It is most of those 217 horsepower. What do you think of the sound? The sound of that air-cooled uh engine. This is your only air-cooled car. So uh what do you think of that sound?

SPEAKER_00 14:59

I love it. It's so addictive. I remember um in my late teens or early 20s, I heard one driving through the neighborhood I lived in at the time, and the guy driving it kind of really let it go. And I would describe it as this demonic howl. And that is just so addictive. Uh it's it's probably if there's one thing that gives this car the character that it has, it's that sound. And I just can't get enough of it. Even just sort of putt-putting along like we are now, it's just got an interesting sound. And then interesting morphs into demonic howl.

SPEAKER_01 15:40

So, again, speaking about sounds, one of the complaints about the G50 uh transmission was it's a little bit noisy. Have you noticed that?

SPEAKER_00 15:48

I don't notice, honestly. Um, if it's a loud transmission, it's lost on me, partially because of middle-aged guy hearing, but with the top down, you're getting more wind noise, and I think that would would cover everything. Like we're we're not talking straight-cut gears like uh a Muncie M21, M22 muscle car transmission. Um, so I I don't think it's a problem at all.

SPEAKER_01 16:11

What about the you know, unassisted steering or the unassisted brakes? Um, you know, theoretically you should get a lot better steering feel.

SPEAKER_00 16:19

You do. Um so yeah, the car is no ABS, no traction control, no power steering. There is a servo assist on the brakes, but it's mild. Okay. Um yeah, you feel everything with the steering. Uh, you know, coming up to your place today to do this video and the shoot and whatnot, you know, finding little bits of stone on the road, you feel everything that the tire runs over, you know, whether you want to or not, but it really reconnects you with the act of driving, and I think that's what makes uh this car and and cars that have you know of a similar vintage so special. You're not removed, you are actively involved in the process of driving. And you know, I wouldn't trade that for anything.

SPEAKER_01 17:03

So, what about the the tail happiness, the classic uh about uh 9-11s? Have you ever noticed the the tail being happy on this?

SPEAKER_00 17:12

Yeah, I once I really pushed it into a very tight corner and it broke up broke loose on me. Did you? Um, and the rule of thought, if that ever happens, uh it's likely not gonna end up well unless you can fight fight the urge to lift. Right. I mean, if you lift you you take the weight off the rear and then you're you're in trouble. I just stayed dead on the gas and the car swung about four or five times and then settled. So you have done one track day in this car, right? Yes, I did. Um, I think it was 2012. I signed up for the introduction, the driver education. Right. And because this is a cab relay, and I'm not gonna put a roll bar into it, I was only allowed to do the first day, and that was you know the basic exercises and the skid pad and a slalom and whatnot. And I had an absolute blast with this car. Now, back then there were still a lot of air-cooled 9-11s and you know other vintage Porsches, uh, which you've told me is no longer the case, but you know, at that point it was a little different ball game, but yeah, it was a great time.

SPEAKER_01 18:16

Yeah, I'm sure it was. So, uh, how were the how did you find the brakes? How did you find the steering? Uh how did you find the acceleration when you got to exercises at a lot higher speeds than what you do like driving around now?

SPEAKER_00 18:28

The acceleration, I I feel it's it's ample given the chassis capabilities, like everything is quite safe in that respect. Uh brakes, oh my god, I mean, there's there's no problem at all. Uh it's not a sophisticated system like a modern car, but they're they are just so capable, you never feel like you're gonna get in trouble. And if you want to late break into a corner, you can certainly do it. But from a handling standpoint, that's not the strategy with an air-cooled 9-11 or any 9-11. You got it's it's slow in fast out.

SPEAKER_01 19:02

That was a great experience with this car. What about road trips? I know you you do Sunday drives and that kind of thing with this car.

SPEAKER_00 19:07

Is there any memorable road trip that you've made in this car? Driving to that uh track day was at Shannonville. That was about a three-hour drive. Right. And um, you know, everything went well. It was a lot of fun, a lot of smiles and thumbs up from people. So, was that the longest single drive you've ever had in this car? Taking it to Shannonville? Yeah. Yeah. Um, now to be perfectly honest, if I was going to do a drive of six, seven hours, this would not be the car I would go in. I'd go in my S-Class or my SL500. Um, for that length of time, this car just beats you up a little too much. So, what about space in this car in terms of the frunk and what's available behind the seat? So it's a great car if you want to get away for a weekend somewhere. Soft luggage, you know, the frunk, yeah. I mean, you could put your soft luggage in that. The back seats, they'll fold down, so they they basically make a nice parcel shelf for you know larger pieces of luggage. Uh, but you know, space is at a premium. So you're traveling light in this car, it's it's no GT. So you mentioned the back seats. Have you ever had anybody sit back there? Yes, yeah, a kid once, yeah, uh, who wanted to drive in it, and I think he he couldn't have been more than six or seven years old and it was a tight fit for him. But you know, in theory, you could do it.

SPEAKER_01 20:24

But if you could think of the ultimate road trip with this car or the ultimate way to use this car, describe that to me.

SPEAKER_00 20:31

For a long time, uh, I had a boat in in Barrie at the the Yoke local yacht club, and I lived about 15 minutes away. And I know it's a short drive, but those beautiful days where I wanted to get out for a sale, um this was the car that we'd just go back and forth to the yacht club and back home. And it just fit the vibe. It was a quick tour, it was a lot of fun. Um, you know, maybe the occasional ice cream out somewhere, that type of thing. So, has this car ever let you down? Not once.

SPEAKER_01 21:04

Not once. Well, that's touch wood. I get the feeling you're pretty proactive with maintenance and uh things like batteries and oil changes and that kind of thing. So, what does the maintenance schedule on this car look like?

SPEAKER_00 21:14

In all fairness, I've only put 8,000 miles on it in 16 years of ownership. So there's not a lot of preventative maintenance. You know, I've done I've had to do front wheel bearings. I did that myself, I think that was seven years ago, something along those lines. Um, you know, you start to get the front end hum, and you know, that's that's when you got to do the job. Um but in terms of a yearly bill for it, it's oh, the things I do are so sporadic, I couldn't even give you a year, it's just as they come up. But if I had to throw a number, maybe you know, if you budget it a thousand bucks a season and you don't do anything, maybe you have a two thousand dollar bill, you know, the the next year. Tires though. Those will add up, but these are only 16s.

SPEAKER_01 22:03

So, how does the car feel different with the top up compared to the top down?

SPEAKER_00 22:06

The top, uh, you know, unlike maybe a hardtop convertible, there's no structural capability at all with the top. It's just, you know, it's cloth with some some steel supports. So as a result, there's really no difference in the dynamics of the car. Louder with the top up or with the top down? Depends how fast you're driving, Gary. I guess, I guess, I guess. I wouldn't say it's that radically different. Um, you know, with the top up, you're gonna get obviously less buffeting at speed, but you've got the noise of the top not flapping in the breeze, but it's it's gonna get active on you. Uh, it's probably marginally, marginally more quiet uh top up, certainly a little easier to have a conversation. Although we're well, we're not going fast, but you know, we have no trouble hearing each other.

SPEAKER_01 22:52

So no, no, that that's for sure. So when you gaze at this instrument panel with these five uh beautiful round gauges that this car is actually known for, yes, um, how pleasing is that compared to you know your modern S-Class or other cars now have the digital dash, the configurable I can't even say that word, configurable. That's the one, that's the one. And uh and that, how like not just nostalgic, how pleasing is this look compared to that look?

SPEAKER_00 23:21

I wear an analog, a Swiss analog watch. Um, I like I like analog in general. I mean the tack I've got tilted so you know the red line's basically at high noon, so I don't even have to look at it. I just you know, where's the needle? I know. Um, the steering wheel obstructs some of the views, but I've never found that to be that big an issue. You know, attack and speed or what you're looking for. I can see the oil pressure at a glance, the tank level, both fuel and oil at a glance. I don't care about the clock. Um, but I just really like the feel of instrumentation. Um, I prefer that to a screen. You know, I sit in front of a computer doing what I have to do to make a living often enough.

SPEAKER_01 24:13

So, what about the heating system? Now, I I realize I realize this is a three-season car. Yes, it's not a car for the winter. Uh in terms of how you use it, three seasons of the year, is is the heating adequate?

SPEAKER_00 24:26

Actually, kidding aside, the how you interact with the HVAC systems on this car, that's pretty archaic. But the heat itself, it's um it's toasty. I mean, in dry it's a little cool right now. I put the heat on somewhat, and you know, we're quite comfortable. I think the coldest temperature I've had this car in has been around eight or ten degrees. And yeah, put the heat on and no problem, none. And what about that awesome air conditioning system on those 30 plus Celsius days? What did I tell you? It's the equivalent of an asthmatic gopher blowing over an ice cube. One ice cube. One ice cube. Uh, yeah, don't even worry about it. If you have to think about air conditioning, if the day's like that, don't take this car.

SPEAKER_01 25:12

So, what about oil management in a car like this? Like, do you find that uh you know you you have to top up the oil uh fairly regularly, or tell me about that old.

SPEAKER_00 25:21

Sure. So this car, like all air cooled, it's really air-cooled and oil cooled, it's a dry sump lubrication system. Uh the total capacity, I think, is somewhere around 13 liters. Wow. Yeah. So I have uh a gauge here that shows the oil level, and on startup, it doesn't it doesn't come up until a little bit of pressure builds in the system. Uh but if that oil gauge starts to be, you know, constantly living at say one the bottom third of its travel, yeah, at a liter at that point in time, you know, these cars they they mark their territory, they leak. So you notice it a little bit when you move it from a spot where it sits in the garage? Yeah. And and I think too, at the age this car is at, um, not not uh year-wise, but mile-wise, you know, the the valve guide seals, they get a little crusty and they allow some some oil to come through and combust. So when this thing sits for a long time, when you start it, you'll get a puff of smoke off out of the tailpipe. It didn't today, which is really cool, uh, but that's very typical when when it sits.

SPEAKER_01 26:30

Yeah, so going back to maintenance and that, so you do almost all the maintenance on this yourself, correct? As much of it as I can, yes. Yeah, and uh so uh what have you had to go to a specialist for?

SPEAKER_00 26:43

So when I did that track day, I had to have the car, you know, the safety certification. So at that point in time, you know, they didn't they did the oil change for me. Oil changes are just they're a nuisance for a DYI mechanic. That's one thing, just let the pros do it. They they they can manage the recycled oil and you know they they could deal with all the garbage from that. Um, but yeah, that technical inspection with the oil change, he found a couple of other things. He installed a fire extinguisher, right? You know, that kind of stuff. Um, otherwise, like I the cruise control wasn't working when I got the car. I fixed that. Um, there were a few other small items, but you did the front wheel bearings? I did the front wheel bearings, yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 27:26

So how do you find working on this car compared to uh Mercedes-Benz of the 80s or early 90s?

SPEAKER_00 27:33

So, in terms of the technology level, it's very similar. I mean, this car has Bosch. I'm not sure if it's it uh maybe it I don't think it's Kjuctronic. I think it's one level newer, I think. Uh Mercedes had their own CIS system that Porsche sort of abandoned uh earlier. But in terms of how the cars are put together, how you take trim panels off, that kind of stuff, it's a similar manufacturing methodology. It's nuts bolt screws, not much in the way of clips, not like a modern car, any modern car. And everything here is so much easier to get into. Uh, you know, you remove one piece of trim, and you know, there's all the stuff you need to work on for that job. You're not hunting around looking for you know different modules or you know, a fuse box that's hidden in some obscure part of the car. You know, it's it's very clear with these.

SPEAKER_01 28:33

So, in terms of uh corrosion, I understand there's a couple areas that these are prone to corrosion. The well around the uh convertible top and the bottom of the of the sills. Um, not at all. Anything at all?

SPEAKER_00 28:49

No, not at all, not at all. And I I really attribute that to the fact that um uh there we go, that the car isn't taken out in inclement weather, and I don't wash it that often. It's more dusting. I mean, the more you wash it, the more water sits somewhere.

SPEAKER_01 29:07

And by the way, if you're enjoying this video, please hit like and subscribe. I've got lots of uh uh more ride-along performance car reviews just like this one, and you can definitely check those out. Let's talk about money. Okay, always a fun topic, yeah. So, um, any idea how much you pay a year for insurance to run this thing?

SPEAKER_00 29:26

Yeah, so this car and my 74 Trans M, they're on uh a Haggerty plan. Oh yes, and I believe the insurance premium is about 650 a year for both cars. That the Trans M is that's both cars combined? That's both cars combined. Uh the Trans M has a higher insured value. It's it's a 13,500-mile survivor. Uh so I think the premium would be about two-thirds for the Trans M and one-third for this, you know, give or take. So, you know, a couple hundred, two hundred and fifty bucks. That's fantastic.

SPEAKER_01 30:03

And uh, so okay, and uh so you willing to share how much you paid for the car 16 years ago?

SPEAKER_00 30:09

Yeah, I I'm going by memory, but I think it was I think it was 185 Canadian, right? Uh with tax it was just just a little over 20,000.

SPEAKER_01 30:20

Yeah, so that's about 16,000, 17,000 US in around uh that range. Yep. And uh and if we check and bring a trailer and places like that these days, Auto Trader looks like the car like this with original paint and the G50 transmission are going for around 60,000 US.

SPEAKER_00 30:38

I actually saw an a triple black car like this, or it was black exterior. Yeah, I think it was triple black. Um, it was on Facebook Marketplace and they were asking 65 Canadian, and you know, typical reaction, some thumbs up, a a heart, and one laughing emoji.

SPEAKER_01 30:55

As I mentioned earlier, like less than 5% of the cars of this era still have their original paint, right? So there could be a lot of uh a lot of range within those cars. Yeah, absolutely. So uh in terms of conditions, so the condition would definitely uh make a huge difference. If you had something go wrong with this car that you weren't able to handle yourself, or something that you just couldn't figure out yourself, um, do you think there'd be any difficulty finding a Porsche specialist that could deal with the 9-11s of this vintage?

SPEAKER_00 31:27

I don't think it would be difficult at all. I can think of a couple in this area uh that could do it. And quite frankly, so there's two things trying to diagnose the problem. There's probably enough out there in the internet and the forums and whatnot. There aren't that many unusual problems with a car that's this fairly simple. Exactly. So you could probably say, uh-I can say with like 90% certainty it's this. But if this means, well, I gotta pull the engine and rebuild the top end, okay. Uh I'm not gonna do that.

SPEAKER_01 32:02

No, no, of course.

SPEAKER_00 32:03

Of course not. I I might, if I had a shop set up for it, I would probably consider dropping the engine, but then it's like, okay, I gotta ship the engine somewhere. Oh, what a convenient package, the car itself. Just don't do it.

SPEAKER_01 32:17

You're talking about dropping the engine. I always thought there were certain services that required dropping the engine in this car.

SPEAKER_00 32:24

Probably. I would imagine it would be like a Ferrari of you know most vintages. Like if you've got to do cams or something, like you know, cams, cam timing chains, probably that's an engine out thing. I know at one point in time the big upgrade to get to this level of car was the uh they called it the Carrera chain tensioners, it was an oil pressure thing. You could do that with the engine in situ, uh, but I I would tend to think if you're gonna get into much more of a timing, that's probably an engine out. And when the engine's out, then you get into the well, while it's out, why don't we do? Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 33:01

We live in Canada here, you live in Canada, you don't drive this car in the winter because of how much snow we get. So talk talk to me about what's it take to prepare this car for winter storage.

SPEAKER_00 33:10

Poor purists are gonna hate me.

SPEAKER_01 33:12

Uh oh.

SPEAKER_00 33:12

Oh, I disconnect the battery. Yeah. That's it. That's it.

unknown 33:17

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 33:18

So do you change the oil after you put it back on the road? Did you change the oil before you put it away?

SPEAKER_00 33:24

What do you do? It's it's after when the car gets going. I mean, there's no point changing oil before it sleeps. At least I don't think so. Have you had to have the valves adjusted? Nope. It probably should be looked at, and I'm not sure that's something I would I don't know. If I had a a stretch of time where I could do it, or it was a winter job and I had a heated shop, I'd do it. It wouldn't matter. But I've got so little time, we have so little time to drive them when the weather's nice. Yeah, I don't want to have it off the road for a month while I'm messing around doing a valve job. So, what's the single most expensive thing that's happened to you with this car? There hasn't been one. Wheel bearings? Oh, $100 worth of parts or $150 worth of parts. Uh I think the most expensive thing, uh, the tech inspection, because a number of little mechanical things were addressed, no big deal. And when I got the car, uh there were a number of details that weren't with the car. Like I wanted the original factory air compressor kit, right? So I sourced all of that through a company called Nina Part in Tottenham.

SPEAKER_01 34:35

Um any part that stands out in terms of a part that you had to buy for the car that you thought it would be this amount of money, and then all of a sudden it was this amount of money.

SPEAKER_00 34:44

Anything like that? The gear shift lever. How much could a black gear shift lever cost? Well, if it's a Porsche black gear shift lever, I think it was 120 or 130. Maybe I got hosed on that, I don't know. Um was that a new one or was that a it was a new one. Oh wow. It it the car came with this really funky but horrible for the car, Momo, black and red. They tried to match the color of the interior between the seats and the dash. You know, fair enough, but it just didn't suit the style of the car. So after 16 years, you feel this car has earned a permanent place in your garage? Yeah, I would say so. Um it I honestly would have to be at Financials death door before I would part with this car.

SPEAKER_01 35:26

Before you bought this car, like we talked about earlier, this is your first Porsche. Yeah. And uh so you had certain expectations from what you were gonna get from this car. Was there anything that that has been different than what you thought it would be, either good or bad?

SPEAKER_00 35:39

I think all of the good stuff is there, the pure enjoyment, the connection to the actual act of driving. The actual act of driving, you know, that connection, all good, all positive. Um, in terms of downside, it I'm really hard pressed to think about anything pertaining to this car or the experience of driving it that's a negative. You know, if you if you come into this type of car, what gear am I going for? There we go. Um, if you come into this kind of car expecting modern car accroutrements, forget it. Like this isn't it. This car strikes a perfect balance between modern reliability with you know Bosch fuel injection, etc., with a classic Porsche driving experience.

SPEAKER_01 36:26

Um, getting back to driving and driving dynamics and things like that. Can you heal and tow in this car with down shifting? Yeah. Yes. And uh but you've had to make some modifications to be able to do that comfortably, is that right?

SPEAKER_00 36:36

Yep, that's correct. So I think the second, yeah, the second year I had it, I used to buy my car Christmas presents. But what uh what I did was order parts uh from Renline from Pelican Parts, and uh I upgraded the pedals. So Portia, for whatever reason, had a very inexpensive plastic accelerator. Uh yeah, sure, it does the job, but it's not aesthetically interesting, nor can you do anything particularly fancy with it. So I I added an adjustable accelerator pedal, and you can add little anodized aluminum strips to make heel and towing a little easier. Um, so did that and upgraded the clutch and brake pedal to match, and then added a red line dead pedal. That dead pedal made a huge difference in just being able to, well, like I'm sitting here now, to rest, rest my foot. That makes it a lot more comfortable. I'd highly recommend that, regardless if you have a targa or cabrio or a coupe. That's a good investment. And that wider accelerator pedal made it easier to heal and tow, right? Yes, and like the pedal box on this car, it's very tight. I can't wear regular street shoes. I've got driving uh shoes on, right? Uh so you want to do everything you can just to get your feet to be able to dance on the pedals.

SPEAKER_01 38:02

Yeah, no, makes sense. So in the Porsche community, especially the air-cooled side of it, they uh kind of view the cabrios as kind of like the the more leisure uh Porsche, less performance oriented. What do you think about that?

SPEAKER_00 38:14

Well, they're probably right. I mean, I've never driven a G series coupe, so I have nothing to definitively say, yeah, you're right. But if you uh if you think of that classic example with a margarine container with the lid on, and you can't really rock it back and forth, and you take the lid off and you can squeeze it, well, sure. You know, the coupe is gonna have more structural rigidity. But really, the main point of rigidity in these cars is the sills that carry the the hot air, you know, up to the front of the cabin. Like they're multi-skin uh metal. That's really where you get the structural rigidity. Have you ever noticed cowl shake in this car? Very, very small amounts, and it's on pretty pretty significant bumps. So it's nothing that would be out of the ordinary.

SPEAKER_01 39:02

Alright, let's talk about uh how the public uh views this car. So you're when you're out and about in public stopping to get gas or things like that, do off people often come and talk to you about the car?

SPEAKER_00 39:14

Not so much now. I I find that people, unless they're car people, uh, kind of keep to themselves, but I get a lot of smiles and thumbs up, and you know, that's all cool. I'm happy with that.

SPEAKER_01 39:24

So tell me, three things that uh you love most about this car. Not that it's a classic, but just three things about this car that you love the most.

SPEAKER_00 39:32

Okay, so first of all, um I bought this car with money that I inherited from my maternal grandmother. She passed three months shy of 100. So this car is a very special emotional connection for me. And that that alone, that could be like one, two, and three. But that's uh that's number one. Um, number two, and I've said this over my entire time owning this car. Whatever mood I'm in, I get in this car and I'm smiling within a couple of minutes of driving it. Oh, that says a lot right there, doesn't it? It does. It doesn't have to be a hyper-aggressive car. No, it's just it's it's the experience, it's a different mindset being in this very analog car and you focus on the driving. So that's um that's a big, big plus. And you drive a lot for work, right? Yes, I'm not sure. So this is a big difference from the cars you drive for work. Is it ever? It's it's night and day. Um, I I wouldn't drive this for for work, you know, for a number of reasons. Uh, you know, if you're going from meeting to meeting and doing long distances, you know, the the Mercedes is is or just an automatic, comfortable car is kind of the way to go. But for leisure driving, oh, this this is it. And and point number three, uh, it's it's really it's got to be mentioned, but it's not something I really think about, and that's the the financial aspect of this car. Like I'm I'm sitting with a lot of positive equity on it, which is it's nice. Um, it's probably well, that of my transam, I I I'm in the same situation with, but it's uh it's nice to be in that uh in that position with a vehicle because it doesn't happen too often.

SPEAKER_01 41:19

So, what would you uh warn a potential purchaser about buying a car, a Porsche of this era? Um what would you warn them about uh that that may not that most people may not know about or they may not see in other YouTube reviews?

SPEAKER_00 41:34

So I I think we we talked about uh a few of them, like you know, corrosion issues and and whatnot. You gotta have your head around you with that. But you know, in that respect, it's probably no different than buying any other 40 to 45-year-old classic. If it was, you know, this car or you know an R107 Series Mercedes or an Alpha or you know, whatever corrosion is is the problem. Uh, and the other thing I would say is do your homework, make make the research part of the whole enjoyable process of stepping into ownership of a vehicle like this. Uh, whether it's you know talking to people at the Porsche Club, buying books, yes, you can still buy books, it doesn't all have to be on the interweb. Um matter of fact, getting some decent books is just you know, I think that's something that uh can be uh could be quite enjoyable, the pursuit of that. So yeah, do your research, make sure you get the car that you want.

SPEAKER_01 42:32

So, what kind of person should buy one of these, and what kind of person should definitely not buy one of these?

SPEAKER_00 42:39

Uh this to me is like the uh the Swiss watch versus the Apple Watch debate, and you can almost sort of categorize that. If you're uh a lover of all things digital and new and shiny bright objects, please don't buy one of these. Please don't. Like, just don't. Just don't. If you really have a deep appreciation for all things mechanical and just like this thing's like a little jewel. If you appreciate that, if that's your vibe, your jam, this type of car is definitely for you.

SPEAKER_01 43:15

Now, often someone that's interested in a vintage 911 Cabrio Lake could also be interested in something a little bit more recent, like my 718 Porsche Spider. Click here for that video, and I'll see you there. Any questions or comments? Add them down below. I read everyone.