356 vs Jag XK150
Discussion
Hi
I am contemplating adding a classic to my stable and can’t seem to decide between rhose 2. I love their shapes and their heritage.
Does anyone here have experience with either of those cars? What are they to own in terms of relative reliability (I know they’re 60y/o car), cost of ownership etc…
Although I am not super handy, I can do the little odd job on a car (I also own a series 2 Landy and do most of the work myself) and would like to do the odd job on that 356/XK150 as it helps bonding with them.
I realise that people on this section of the forum might have a preference for the 356, but that’s OK. I am after owner’s views and experiences.
I am contemplating adding a classic to my stable and can’t seem to decide between rhose 2. I love their shapes and their heritage.
Does anyone here have experience with either of those cars? What are they to own in terms of relative reliability (I know they’re 60y/o car), cost of ownership etc…
Although I am not super handy, I can do the little odd job on a car (I also own a series 2 Landy and do most of the work myself) and would like to do the odd job on that 356/XK150 as it helps bonding with them.
I realise that people on this section of the forum might have a preference for the 356, but that’s OK. I am after owner’s views and experiences.
Don’t own a 356 but have a couple of mates that do and have got very close to buying one myself. I’m lucky enough to have sampled an A,B and SC and a Speedster. SC is plenty quick enough and will happily keep up with modern traffic, it’s pretty close to an early 911 as a driving experience.
They’re very reliable and drive incredibly well. Obviously the early cars are the prettiest but the later cars are better cars to drive…gearboxes really evolve through the different series…it is like a wand in an A and very rewarding when you get it right.
Bodywork is expensive as I am sure you know it is a unibody construction which makes refurb difficult and expensive. I’d be wary of a RHD car that claims to be original (unlikely in our climate) and also if one has been restored I’d get it checked very carefully. I’d probably get one professionally inspected to be honest…my choice would be Andy Prill at Prill Porsche.
I’m told better to drive than the XK’s but I’ve never even sat in an XK so can’t comment. They’re beautiful cars without a doubt.
Wonderful cars
They’re very reliable and drive incredibly well. Obviously the early cars are the prettiest but the later cars are better cars to drive…gearboxes really evolve through the different series…it is like a wand in an A and very rewarding when you get it right.
Bodywork is expensive as I am sure you know it is a unibody construction which makes refurb difficult and expensive. I’d be wary of a RHD car that claims to be original (unlikely in our climate) and also if one has been restored I’d get it checked very carefully. I’d probably get one professionally inspected to be honest…my choice would be Andy Prill at Prill Porsche.
I’m told better to drive than the XK’s but I’ve never even sat in an XK so can’t comment. They’re beautiful cars without a doubt.
Wonderful cars
Rivarama said:
Hi
I am contemplating adding a classic to my stable and can’t seem to decide between rhose 2. I love their shapes and their heritage.
Does anyone here have experience with either of those cars? What are they to own in terms of relative reliability (I know they’re 60y/o car), cost of ownership etc…
Although I am not super handy, I can do the little odd job on a car (I also own a series 2 Landy and do most of the work myself) and would like to do the odd job on that 356/XK150 as it helps bonding with them.
I realise that people on this section of the forum might have a preference for the 356, but that’s OK. I am after owner’s views and experiences.
Melvin Spear is your man,he has both,runs the 964rs register for pcgb,he is london way.I am contemplating adding a classic to my stable and can’t seem to decide between rhose 2. I love their shapes and their heritage.
Does anyone here have experience with either of those cars? What are they to own in terms of relative reliability (I know they’re 60y/o car), cost of ownership etc…
Although I am not super handy, I can do the little odd job on a car (I also own a series 2 Landy and do most of the work myself) and would like to do the odd job on that 356/XK150 as it helps bonding with them.
I realise that people on this section of the forum might have a preference for the 356, but that’s OK. I am after owner’s views and experiences.
58/59 A is the coolest and a reasonable driver,the early gearboxes if set up correctly are a dream to use.
Steve Winter of Jaz knows the gearboxes well,and mike smith is your friend with all things 356.
Unfortunately how big is your wallet comes into play when buying and running along with a pro that really understands/knows the cars,lots of matching number restamped engines etc out there.
Good luck.
A very interesting conundrum. Last year I was having thoughts of adding an XK coupe to the stable. XK120 probably to small for me. So I thought about XK140, very good looking and then thought about XK150 as its the roomiest. I have shelved the idea for the moment and may revisit at some point in the future. Like all these old cars rust and how they have been maintained over the years is the key. I have not driven one by the way.
I have however owned a 58 356A coupe getting on for four years. I absolutely love it. I was offered my car by a very good friend and I said yes subject to driving it. I had never been in or driven a 356 prior so at 6'2" I wanted to make sure I fitted. Yes I do and very comfortably so. The seating position is perfect just like an early 911. The A has a shorter windscreen and I love the chopped roof feel about it. I love the dials and the haphazard white knobs and the painted dash. It drives far better than I imagined any 66 year old car ought to. With lovely steering feel and good brakes even though they are drums. C's got discs all around but I am told that in truth a properly adjusted drum brake set up works equally as well. If you were going to hoon it around which I guess is unlikely discs would be a better bet and there are aftermarket brake disc conversions. On spirited drives I have never felt any brake fade and an A coupe weighs around 800kg which helps.
Reliability. I have put around 9000 miles on the car. Touch wood it has never let me down. It will cruise all day at 70 to 75mph gps speed very happily. 70mph is 3300rpm. It has an 11 gallon tank and on a run returns around 40mpg. Good range. The 1600cc engine is surprisingly torquey. I can get a full size suitcase and a carry on case on the rear seat area which is plenty plus stuff thrown on top of necessary. The previous owner did less than a 1000 miles in his 11 years of ownership and as we all know cars don't like sitting around. So in my time I have rebuilt the fuel petcock, stripped and cleaned and new gaskets on the carburettors, rebuilt the fuel pump, new front and rear crankshaft oil seals all because of leaks. I have also fitted a 123 distributor that has provided a little more bottom and mid range torque and although not difficult to start it fires up quicker. The A gearbox works fine but you need to be precise with it. I heel and toe on the down shifts which helps the synchro's out.
Having joined the 356 clan I have met many other 356 owners. What a great bunch of people, just like Mel mentioned above. Mel owns a beautiful XK as well. Some like me are relatively new to the mark and others have owned for many years. Honestly they do get under your skin and would thoroughly recommend one. Every year they hold a 356 International meeting. Netherlands in 2022 140 cars present. Munich last year 240 cars present. Estoril this year.
Down side. Well I can think of only one really. If it is raining hard you will mist up. There are no fans to blow air onto the front screen. So ideally crack the windows a little and keep a microfibre towel next to the seat by the door to wipe the screen. On the way to Munich last year we had torrential rain for a good 2 hours or so and the microfibre towel was well used. I did try rainex wipes on the screen and it seemed to work for a while. I will try rainex fluid before Portugal which may work better
I have however owned a 58 356A coupe getting on for four years. I absolutely love it. I was offered my car by a very good friend and I said yes subject to driving it. I had never been in or driven a 356 prior so at 6'2" I wanted to make sure I fitted. Yes I do and very comfortably so. The seating position is perfect just like an early 911. The A has a shorter windscreen and I love the chopped roof feel about it. I love the dials and the haphazard white knobs and the painted dash. It drives far better than I imagined any 66 year old car ought to. With lovely steering feel and good brakes even though they are drums. C's got discs all around but I am told that in truth a properly adjusted drum brake set up works equally as well. If you were going to hoon it around which I guess is unlikely discs would be a better bet and there are aftermarket brake disc conversions. On spirited drives I have never felt any brake fade and an A coupe weighs around 800kg which helps.
Reliability. I have put around 9000 miles on the car. Touch wood it has never let me down. It will cruise all day at 70 to 75mph gps speed very happily. 70mph is 3300rpm. It has an 11 gallon tank and on a run returns around 40mpg. Good range. The 1600cc engine is surprisingly torquey. I can get a full size suitcase and a carry on case on the rear seat area which is plenty plus stuff thrown on top of necessary. The previous owner did less than a 1000 miles in his 11 years of ownership and as we all know cars don't like sitting around. So in my time I have rebuilt the fuel petcock, stripped and cleaned and new gaskets on the carburettors, rebuilt the fuel pump, new front and rear crankshaft oil seals all because of leaks. I have also fitted a 123 distributor that has provided a little more bottom and mid range torque and although not difficult to start it fires up quicker. The A gearbox works fine but you need to be precise with it. I heel and toe on the down shifts which helps the synchro's out.
Having joined the 356 clan I have met many other 356 owners. What a great bunch of people, just like Mel mentioned above. Mel owns a beautiful XK as well. Some like me are relatively new to the mark and others have owned for many years. Honestly they do get under your skin and would thoroughly recommend one. Every year they hold a 356 International meeting. Netherlands in 2022 140 cars present. Munich last year 240 cars present. Estoril this year.
Down side. Well I can think of only one really. If it is raining hard you will mist up. There are no fans to blow air onto the front screen. So ideally crack the windows a little and keep a microfibre towel next to the seat by the door to wipe the screen. On the way to Munich last year we had torrential rain for a good 2 hours or so and the microfibre towel was well used. I did try rainex wipes on the screen and it seemed to work for a while. I will try rainex fluid before Portugal which may work better
SRT Hellcat said:
A very interesting conundrum. Last year I was having thoughts of adding an XK coupe to the stable. XK120 probably to small for me. So I thought about XK140, very good looking and then thought about XK150 as its the roomiest. I have shelved the idea for the moment and may revisit at some point in the future. Like all these old cars rust and how they have been maintained over the years is the key. I have not driven one by the way.
I have however owned a 58 356A coupe getting on for four years. I absolutely love it. I was offered my car by a very good friend and I said yes subject to driving it. I had never been in or driven a 356 prior so at 6'2" I wanted to make sure I fitted. Yes I do and very comfortably so. The seating position is perfect just like an early 911. The A has a shorter windscreen and I love the chopped roof feel about it. I love the dials and the haphazard white knobs and the painted dash. It drives far better than I imagined any 66 year old car ought to. With lovely steering feel and good brakes even though they are drums. C's got discs all around but I am told that in truth a properly adjusted drum brake set up works equally as well. If you were going to hoon it around which I guess is unlikely discs would be a better bet and there are aftermarket brake disc conversions. On spirited drives I have never felt any brake fade and an A coupe weighs around 800kg which helps.
Reliability. I have put around 9000 miles on the car. Touch wood it has never let me down. It will cruise all day at 70 to 75mph gps speed very happily. 70mph is 3300rpm. It has an 11 gallon tank and on a run returns around 40mpg. Good range. The 1600cc engine is surprisingly torquey. I can get a full size suitcase and a carry on case on the rear seat area which is plenty plus stuff thrown on top of necessary. The previous owner did less than a 1000 miles in his 11 years of ownership and as we all know cars don't like sitting around. So in my time I have rebuilt the fuel petcock, stripped and cleaned and new gaskets on the carburettors, rebuilt the fuel pump, new front and rear crankshaft oil seals all because of leaks. I have also fitted a 123 distributor that has provided a little more bottom and mid range torque and although not difficult to start it fires up quicker. The A gearbox works fine but you need to be precise with it. I heel and toe on the down shifts which helps the synchro's out.
Having joined the 356 clan I have met many other 356 owners. What a great bunch of people, just like Mel mentioned above. Mel owns a beautiful XK as well. Some like me are relatively new to the mark and others have owned for many years. Honestly they do get under your skin and would thoroughly recommend one. Every year they hold a 356 International meeting. Netherlands in 2022 140 cars present. Munich last year 240 cars present. Estoril this year.
Down side. Well I can think of only one really. If it is raining hard you will mist up. There are no fans to blow air onto the front screen. So ideally crack the windows a little and keep a microfibre towel next to the seat by the door to wipe the screen. On the way to Munich last year we had torrential rain for a good 2 hours or so and the microfibre towel was well used. I did try rainex wipes on the screen and it seemed to work for a while. I will try rainex fluid before Portugal which may work better
Brilliant thank you. I have however owned a 58 356A coupe getting on for four years. I absolutely love it. I was offered my car by a very good friend and I said yes subject to driving it. I had never been in or driven a 356 prior so at 6'2" I wanted to make sure I fitted. Yes I do and very comfortably so. The seating position is perfect just like an early 911. The A has a shorter windscreen and I love the chopped roof feel about it. I love the dials and the haphazard white knobs and the painted dash. It drives far better than I imagined any 66 year old car ought to. With lovely steering feel and good brakes even though they are drums. C's got discs all around but I am told that in truth a properly adjusted drum brake set up works equally as well. If you were going to hoon it around which I guess is unlikely discs would be a better bet and there are aftermarket brake disc conversions. On spirited drives I have never felt any brake fade and an A coupe weighs around 800kg which helps.
Reliability. I have put around 9000 miles on the car. Touch wood it has never let me down. It will cruise all day at 70 to 75mph gps speed very happily. 70mph is 3300rpm. It has an 11 gallon tank and on a run returns around 40mpg. Good range. The 1600cc engine is surprisingly torquey. I can get a full size suitcase and a carry on case on the rear seat area which is plenty plus stuff thrown on top of necessary. The previous owner did less than a 1000 miles in his 11 years of ownership and as we all know cars don't like sitting around. So in my time I have rebuilt the fuel petcock, stripped and cleaned and new gaskets on the carburettors, rebuilt the fuel pump, new front and rear crankshaft oil seals all because of leaks. I have also fitted a 123 distributor that has provided a little more bottom and mid range torque and although not difficult to start it fires up quicker. The A gearbox works fine but you need to be precise with it. I heel and toe on the down shifts which helps the synchro's out.
Having joined the 356 clan I have met many other 356 owners. What a great bunch of people, just like Mel mentioned above. Mel owns a beautiful XK as well. Some like me are relatively new to the mark and others have owned for many years. Honestly they do get under your skin and would thoroughly recommend one. Every year they hold a 356 International meeting. Netherlands in 2022 140 cars present. Munich last year 240 cars present. Estoril this year.
Down side. Well I can think of only one really. If it is raining hard you will mist up. There are no fans to blow air onto the front screen. So ideally crack the windows a little and keep a microfibre towel next to the seat by the door to wipe the screen. On the way to Munich last year we had torrential rain for a good 2 hours or so and the microfibre towel was well used. I did try rainex wipes on the screen and it seemed to work for a while. I will try rainex fluid before Portugal which may work better
Any recommendation on best place to source one? There are very little stock on PH/AT/C&C etc… any tips would be appreciated.
For the same price, I am also considering a pre-73 911 - a T most likely. Any thoughts on those?
Rivarama said:
Brilliant thank you.
Any recommendation on best place to source one? There are very little stock on PH/AT/C&C etc… any tips would be appreciated.
For the same price, I am also considering a pre-73 911 - a T most likely. Any thoughts on those?
Are you looking for a right hand drive car ? Any recommendation on best place to source one? There are very little stock on PH/AT/C&C etc… any tips would be appreciated.
For the same price, I am also considering a pre-73 911 - a T most likely. Any thoughts on those?
The total production for the 356 from 1950 to 1966 was 77,117 cars of which there were somewhere between 2,000 and 2,500 right hand drive cars produced. Steve at Jaz has a couple of very nice cars for sale https://jazweb.co.uk/porsche-car-sales/
Speak to Paul Smith of PRS https://www.prs356.co.uk/ they often have cars for sale or might know of a good one.
Whatever you decide have the car inspected by either Steve Winter or Paul Smith before you purchase it.
A complete restoration on a very rusty car is going to cost you well in excess of £200,000 so buying a good one is of paramount importance.
A good friend might be selling his very nice B lhd white coupe and will gladly tell you his story with regard to Mr Prill.
If you are going pre-73 911 I would always be inclined to buy the S or a good E. If you end up needing lots of work done the S is where the value is and therefore less chance of being underwater in the car financially as a T,E or S all cost the same to restore etc.
I've already answered your question in the Jaguar thread. The really easy solution is to buy both cars they are both fantastic and you'll have a car for every purpose.
If you decide you want to look more closely at 356s I can definitely endorse the recommendation for PRS. My wife just bought her 356 SC from them. The car is brilliant to drive and they are very happy to provide advice and support. It was clear from the cars in their workshop that 356 owners really trust their knowledge and experience.
We bought this car and it drives really nicely in modern traffic I don't think we would hesitate to take it to Europe on a longer distance tour.
If you decide you want to look more closely at 356s I can definitely endorse the recommendation for PRS. My wife just bought her 356 SC from them. The car is brilliant to drive and they are very happy to provide advice and support. It was clear from the cars in their workshop that 356 owners really trust their knowledge and experience.
We bought this car and it drives really nicely in modern traffic I don't think we would hesitate to take it to Europe on a longer distance tour.
A993LAD said:
I've already answered your question in the Jaguar thread. The really easy solution is to buy both cars they are both fantastic and you'll have a car for every purpose.
If you decide you want to look more closely at 356s I can definitely endorse the recommendation for PRS. My wife just bought her 356 SC from them. The car is brilliant to drive and they are very happy to provide advice and support. It was clear from the cars in their workshop that 356 owners really trust their knowledge and experience.
We bought this car and it drives really nicely in modern traffic I don't think we would hesitate to take it to Europe on a longer distance tour.
Great looking SC, congratulations and enjoy If you decide you want to look more closely at 356s I can definitely endorse the recommendation for PRS. My wife just bought her 356 SC from them. The car is brilliant to drive and they are very happy to provide advice and support. It was clear from the cars in their workshop that 356 owners really trust their knowledge and experience.
We bought this car and it drives really nicely in modern traffic I don't think we would hesitate to take it to Europe on a longer distance tour.
Rivarama said:
Brilliant thank you.
Any recommendation on best place to source one? There are very little stock on PH/AT/C&C etc… any tips would be appreciated.
For the same price, I am also considering a pre-73 911 - a T most likely. Any thoughts on those?
You’ll probably get better value in terms of quality of car buying a 911 T/E over a 356. A friend bought a very good T about 18 months ago which he loves, thinks it is a hugely under rated car. Bought it because of the condition/how original it was (it was under £100k). He’s owned plenty of Porsche’s of this era and owns a 356 A.Any recommendation on best place to source one? There are very little stock on PH/AT/C&C etc… any tips would be appreciated.
For the same price, I am also considering a pre-73 911 - a T most likely. Any thoughts on those?
Yes a T or a E costs the same to work on an S but if you buy a good one especially in terms of bodywork that shouldn’t be an issue. Williams Crawford had a yellow 30k mile 911 E for sale for about £100k for several months last year…took quite a while to shift. The T’s and E’s are not loved but are still great cars.
https://www.williamscrawford.co.uk/showroom/porsch...
A 30k mile S would be double that.
Personally would avoid a later MFI car as they’re expensive and difficult to work on and there isn’t a long list of people in the UK who do a good job with them. The one’s you would want to work on them normally have a queue several months long.
Oh and you’ll find bad stories about every Porsche specialist. Take them as you find them.
I have 3 pre A's sitting in my building that belongs to a friend of mine who restores them for a living. Mechanically they look about as simple as a VW bug. They can rust though. His day job is pretty much removing the bottom 5 inches of these cars at the spot welds and spot welding new metal.
Rivarama said:
The more I spend time looking at F body 911 the more I am tempted to go 911 T/E (the S being over my budget)
As I said above you can buy very good original/unrestored cars for pretty close to what a restored car would cost. Given original cars are so rare I have no idea why the market doesn’t price these cars with more of a premium “they’re only original once”As said above caveat is you need to check a car throughly for rust. Bodywork is expensive to deal with and the good people have months of work before they could get to your car.
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