I had to splurge quite a bit 6 months ago for dipping my toe into my first 911 ownership with the 997.2 purchase as many of you know. Although it has been a very difficult decision for me from a financial standpoint, (after quite a bit of research) I have decided to spend another 20K to get the last of of the 911's that have the classic appeal that could be traced back to it's origins: A Carrera 3.2. I have found two cars that I like. Both these cars are being PPI'ed next week at my expense both have different trannies. One in Memphis and the other in Cleveland. Before I spend money on airtravel to check out these cars, I really want to drive a 3.2 with the G50 tranny (model years 1987-89) and a 915 tranny (1984-87) so that I can pull the final trigger or even know how to tell if their gears are shifting the way it should. I can't do that without knowing how a well kept 3.2 drives. I just joined the PCA last week (big mistake should have done that few months ago). Ya, I can wait for the next meeting but these two cars are very decent cars low mileage cars with some specs/features that match my choice..Guards red, coupe, low mileage, pelican enthusiasts.

I wish I could find someone in washington state or Oregon who will let me drive a G-50 Carrera 3.2. Do any of you know someone who will let me drive their baby with them as a passenger. I promise that I will treat their tranny with care and respect and know and have driven several cars with trannies that need gentle shifts/long throws. In return I will let them play with my baby ....(not that PDK will interest a purist). Sorry 997 section is my home on this forum and that is the reason I posted this thread here. I am going nowhere on the classic porsche section. I have also requested rennlisters.

 

Sounds exciting. I have never driven the car but i must say that i recently found myself looking at 993 Turbo's on auto trader. I did have one and to this day miss that car.

Good luck on the car search.

 

I would suggest posting in the Northwest section of this site, a lot of Washington people on this forum with different cars.

Good Luck.

 

I'm not sure that I understand the question/problem here, but it seems to me that you have a better chance of diagnosing the state of the transmission (and the rest of the car) by carefully selecting the individual who will do the PPI. A quick ride in an 80's vintage car or two will not inform you about the proper feel of the transmission. There is well enough (acceptable) variance in these cars that I would rely on someone who has driven dozens or hundreds of these cars to comment on their condition.
If however you are asking whether you'd prefer a 4-speed or a 5-speed, that is another question. On that, I'd consider the overall condition of the car (no two are ever the same) as a means of informing you of your choice and simply accept the transmission that comes with the package.

 

Head over the Rennlist. There is a much larger group on the classic boards there. Hopefully I am not breaking any rules by mentioning this.

 

Congrats on your pending purchase! One of the best mods I ever made to my 997.2 C2S was a 1987 Targa -- love it! The only problem -- modding the mod

Agreed Rennlist has much more information on the 3.2 cars and there was a very recent thread on G-50 versus 915. Agreed you need to drive b4 you make a decision between those.

Enjoy!

 

I've owned 2 911's from that period - I would suggest the G50 is the better trans. I would also note that these cars go through the OEM valve guides, a problem that is often not picked up in ppi, as a leak-down test is the best way to evaluate the condition of the valve guides. If they go bad, you will start fouling plugs under hard acceleration, eventually "melting" the plug tip (think new top end and lots of $$$). I also had issues with alternators that would go into a heavy-charge condition and cook the battery(new alternator, belt, battery)...the battery is right next to the air-cond. inlets, which got an egg/acid smell into the vents that I could never completely eliminate. The cabriolet tops are complicated and expensive to replace, and when the top material starts to go, it seems to unravel pretty quickly ($$$).

Still, I have a warm place in my heart for these cars, but they can be very expensive to own - buying them is the "cheap" part.

Best of luck with your purchase!

tim