elan turbo vs 911

[stevesharpe]

i am considering changing from my 1990 elan to a 88/89 911 or maybe an early 964,has anyone else out there made this move , and was it the right thing to do? for what reasons ?my budget is 15K max , i realised a boyhood dream buying the elan but have also craved a 911 for 20 years or so.will an 88/89 911 feel a bit dated compared with the lotus ?
i could really do with the extra 2 child seats the porsche has to offer , can't afford to make the wrong move ...any help please

[Scottster]

You won't regret it. No I haven't owned an Elan but have been in one. With a £15k budget you'll get a nice choice of LHD 964s, possibly a very cheap RHD one and obviously plenty of 3.2s. Go for the 964 if you can afford it. The 3.2 will defo feel dated and so will the 964 until you realise that lots of nasty cheap plastic that's nicely moulded isn't the best thing about these cars. the driving experience will be far better than the Lotus (as will the build quality). If you're really worried about that 'dated' feeling (which any 911 up to the 996 shape is going to feel I'm afraid, I own a 1994 993 and that's dated too, but a bloody good car) why don't you consider a 968? You get 'the Porsche' feel, an excelent drvers car (especially the Club Sport) and all the swoopy dash lines to make it feel newer.

Laters

[dom_911]

I have just purchased a 1986 Porsche 3.2 Carrera after having owned a 1990 Elan SE for the last 2 and a bit years. The main differences are the gearbox - you will be amazed at the difference, Porsche one is definitley a throwback to the 60s and 70s (dunno when it was actually designed) - and the handling.

The Porsche feels quicker, but only when you pass 4000 rpm, the brakes are also a lot better and the car feels more stuck to the road with the 17" cup alloys - 255/40/17 section at the back - though not as adjustable or flexible and forgiving as the Lotus. The seats are actually ok in the back and usable for a small person for short journeys.

I do find it hard to get into reverse on cold mornings and the gearbox needs some movement to get it going, but if you start it in gear with the clutch in it's ok. Will it be your everyday car?

If you have any specific questions, let me know. I haven't regretted my purchase, yet, but then I have only owned it for a week. One thing that you will notice is that it does far fewer mpg than the Lotus. 30+ was easy for the Lotus, knock 10 off for the Porsche.

Regards,

Dom