While the comparison rarely makes sense in reality, as we continue to see prices for early 911 Turbos escalate I always wonder how often they are viewed relative to a modern Turbo, which even in their most basic form exceed $150K. A new 911 Turbo clearly will have much more power, be much more refined, more luxurious, and come with a wide array of comforts and conveniences that an older Turbo will not. Add to that the basic psychology surrounding purchasing a new versus a second-hand car and, as stated, the comparison begins to make less and less sense. We’re generally dealing with very different buyers, shopping with a very different purpose. Still, I can’t imagine there aren’t some buyers who might consider, even if only briefly, whether new or old is the best option. So, what about character? Are the many rough edges of an older Turbo, those rough edges that made these cars unique even amongst the rivals of their period and which have been largely covered over in the new Turbos, worth the potential headaches and inconveniences that will come with a high-strung vintage vehicle such as this? It is these rough edges that give many cars their personality and make clear to any driver exactly the sort of machine he or she is piloting. Of course, we can ask this of almost any car, but when a second-hand car begins to easily slip into six-figure pricing, they become a much tougher sell for those actually desiring to drive the darn things. There’s too much potential value tied to keeping these cars in the best possible condition. That tends to put us with the choice of a new Turbo, whose value will plummet but which can be driven without much of that concern, or an older Turbo which could increase in value but may have to spend its life locked away in a garage in order to insure that value. As I continue to see newer Turbos on the road and write about older Turbos for sale these digressions keep coming to mind. Maybe if I came across a 930 on the road I could achieve some clarity. So, here we have one such example of an early 3.3 liter Turbo: a Black 1979 Porsche 730, located in Georgia, with Tan interior and 49,357 miles on it.
