OT: Porsche Guy or Alfa Guy?

[Steve in SLO]

In the summer of 1987 I was stationed at Fort Ord and used the body shop there to restore the paint on my 1600 and do some minor rust repair. I also had a local mechanic in Scotts Valley rebuild the motor from 1.6–> 2L Ti specs during that time. My mom lived at the top of the Santa Cruz Hills at the time, so I ripped up to visit her often and I took the opportunity to do my best tough guy with a cool car pose. Then it was back to USC medical school in LA via Hwy 1 from Monterey to LA. That was a cool project.
Unfortunately I had to sell the car two years later when I moved to Hawaii to start my internship. Still miss that thing.

[jamesdak]

^ Sweet!

My love for BMWs hasn't ended. Picked up this 340i with M SPORT and Track Packages Saturday.



Guess my answer to the OP is neither, LOL!

[C40_guy]

Whatever you buy, have a full PPI done first so you know what you're getting into.

Also, WRT to the german cars...the least expensive to purchase will typically be the most expensive to own. Buy one that's been properly serviced, owned by an enthusiast, with full records.

Spend some time in representative cars...one will light you up and that's the one to buy.

Boxsters, and to a lesser extent, Caymans, are pretty inexpensive, at least relative to air cooled Porsches and 911s. The later cars had the IMS issue solved (around 2009, IIRC). And none of the watercooled 911 turbos have this issue (different engine design).

Don't expect Porsche prices to drop much... you could buy a clean 993, drive it for 5-10 years and probably make money on it.

I was really interested in a 968, but found that the ergonomics just didn't work for me. I sit too low in that car. 911 and Boxster/Cayman don't have that problem for me.

You also need a good, local, private mechanic. That alone may influence your choice. No good indie for Alfa or Porsche? Pick any year Miata.

[choke]

Heh....I just thought of something.

I took this pic on my way to Eroica CA in 2016.




This was at Eroica CA in 2018.

[C40_guy]

Originally Posted by jamesdak

I was at a BMW dealership Saturday buying a 340i. While waiting I out back in the delivery area I spotted a silver 3.0cs in the back lot. Went to check it out and it was beautiful with a lovely burgundy interior. Looked very mint. So wanted to back out of the deal and get that.

Open a 3.0CS door, lean down and put your head near the door jamb or sill. If you listen carefully, you can hear the tinworm munching their way through the multiple pieces of sheetmetal inside the structure.

Gorgeous cars.

Only for those who never need to balance their checkbook or ask "how much"...

[jamesdak]

Originally Posted by C40_guy

Open a 3.0CS door, lean down and put your head near the door jamb or sill. If you listen carefully, you can hear the tinworm munching their way through the multiple pieces of sheetmetal inside the structure.

Gorgeous cars.

Only for those who never need to balance their checkbook or ask "how much"...

LOL, this one looked restored and showed no sign of rust at all. I do know what you are saying though. My 2002 had rust around the gas tank in the trunk, the tire wells, a bit on the rear pillars by the trunk and the rocker panel fell off one winter when I tapped my foot on it as I sat down to get the snow off. Still loved that car, such a blast to drive.

[C40_guy]

Originally Posted by jamesdak

LOL, this one looked restored and showed no sign of rust at all. I do know what you are saying though. My 2002 had rust around the gas tank in the trunk, the tire wells, a bit on the rear pillars by the trunk and the rocker panel fell off one winter when I tapped my foot on it as I sat down to get the snow off. Still loved that car, such a blast to drive.

I had a VW Rabbit that wouldn't go up on a lift. Mechanic and I couldn't figure out why the wheels were still on the ground, then we looked inside and noticed that the floorboards had ripped away from the firewall and were the only things moving up.

Yikes.

[thirdgenbird]

Anyone here ever own or drive a 190e 2.3-16?

[Mikej]

I vote Porsche, but not those fancy ones.

[joosttx]

Originally Posted by Mikej

I vote Porsche, but not those fancy ones.

That’s a very fancy one

[cgolvin]

Originally Posted by Steve in SLO

In the summer of 1987 I was stationed at Fort Ord and used the body shop there to restore the paint on my 1600 and do some minor rust repair. I also had a local mechanic in Scotts Valley rebuild the motor from 1.6–> 2L Ti specs during that time. My mom lived at the top of the Santa Cruz Hills at the time, so I ripped up to visit her often and I took the opportunity to do my best tough guy with a cool car pose. Then it was back to USC medical school in LA via Hwy 1 from Monterey to LA. That was a cool project.
Unfortunately I had to sell the car two years later when I moved to Hawaii to start my internship. Still miss that thing.

In 1969 we took a summer vacation to Rome, the dollar was strong against the lire and my dad wanted a new car to replace the '59 356 1600 that he planned to give to my brother when he turned 16 (lucky kid, I got bupkis). He took me with him to an Alfa dealer and I thought he had pulled the trigger on a GTV and expected it to arrive after we returned. Instead what showed up was a '64 SC that he owned for 20 years, finally trading it for a '78 Euro stock 911SC. I put a lot of miles on the 356 and it set me on my own Porsche route, including a '73 S (sold shortly after my first kid was born and replaced with a MBZ 300TD -- not quite the sublime to the ridiculous). Still, a small part of me regrets not getting the GTV, still think those are among the most lovely designs.

Beemer drift from your story…as a grad student in Santa Cruz in 1981 I scraped together the funds to buy a '71 2002. Over a few years I had the Malaga paint redone, seats recovered by Ray's in Watsonville, and engine rebuilt by a really good backyard mechanic in Capitola. He took off all the smog gear and put in a dual Weber and I had big fun throughout the Santa Cruz mountains including some hair-raising runs over 17. Sadly, after I had moved back to LA I was slowing down for a yellow light and suddenly found myself careening toward the curb, then upside down and ultimately back on its wheels pointed in the opposite direction. I'd been hit by a stolen vehicle, "suspects armed and dangerous", and there was not a single piece of intact glass in the car. I loved that car, and it gave its life for me. RIP.

[Ken Robb]

Originally Posted by thirdgenbird

Anyone here ever own or drive a 190e 2.3-16?

I had a student with one at a driving school at Willow Springs Raceway. I drove it for 3 laps to show him the "line" and feel out his car for problems. It was probably a better highway cruiser than an M3 but not as quick. The "dog-leg" shift pattern was good on the track but might have been a PITA in stop/go traffic. Obviously was a 4-door vs. 2-door M3 but the back seat was so cramped as to be only comfy for kids. E30 M3s from that era have gotten very expensive. I don't know if one of these M-Bs would be a cheaper alternative if you wanted something fun from the era. I wonder if M-B Classic makes parts for these as available as parts for older BMWs are?

[thirdgenbird]

I’m wanting to find a car that I can take to shows and different events with the family. Potentially multi-state. I’ve got a thing for 80s euro stuff and the 2.3-16 seems to tick most of the boxes at a fairly reasonable price.

Parts supply is one of my concerns. I haven’t done a lot of homework yet. I would hope they are supporting that platform. It’s pretty easy to argue that it’s more historically significant than the M3. It launched the career of Senna, prompted bmw to make a performance 3 series, and really founded the segment.

Ideally, I would import a Euro version with cloth and no sunroof. I’ve got one located. A US market car would likely be cheaper but not as pure...

[redearedslider5]

OP: i've wanted an early 911 for a few years now but gun to my head, i'd take an alfa. the 911 is iconic and certainly for good reason but in my head, that's also what makes them uninteresting. everyone knows what they are and the prices have gotten quite ridiculous. i find alfa romeo 105/115 to be absolutely beautiful and honestly, the novelty has a lot to do with it. you see 911s all the time, you NEVER see an alfa. perhaps there's mechanical reasoning behind that i'll close that with this: i go to my local cars and coffee every month and there's always a bunch of 911s but they never stop my walking. there's occasionally a red giulia though and i always stop to drool for far too long, despite that i've seen it a few times now.

as car things in general go, i'll echo what others have said and say miata. it's cheap to buy, cheap to run, cheap to insure, cheap to fix assuming it'd ever break, and most of all it's fantastic to drive. i've had three and i'm always looking for another one. as someone else said, the aftermarket is virtually unlimited. turbo, ls swaps, suspension options, chassis bracing... you can essentially make it anything you want it to be and it'll be great at it. aside from maybe long distance touring.

for more interesting things, i've found myself enamored with BMWs, particularly 80's era. i currently have a euro market e30 with an s50 swap and an e28 with an ls swap and between the two, they do everything well and are very involving and dramatic to drive. prices of the era have gone up following the insane rise of the e30 m3 but they're still reachable, particularly in comparison to 911s and alfas.

[Tickdoc]

Worked for a guy once who had quite a collection including a first year RS, orange on black. He drove it not frequently but more than I would, and even tracked it. It was amazeballs, and I can't imagine what it is worth today.

Back to the original post though, german cars, Italian bikes.