Since I began driving in 1993, I’ve been lucky enough to have at least one ’60s car in my garage or driveway, and since then, not a year has elapsed that I didn’t regularly use it/them for day trips. I have never been afraid to check the oil and take off on a 400-mile ride if the mood struck, but nothing in my fleet has ever been the “perfect” ’60s car for a day trip. My American cars often get dismal fuel mileage, or they are noisy at speed, or enough engine heat eventually seeps through the firewall on a hot day that I end up driving barefoot with a beach towel on the vinyl seat. It all adds to the fun of the journey, but a Porsche 912 might give me my ’60s fix without the discomfort and fuel cost. Of course, the purchase price is well out of my comfortable range unless I sell a bunch of stuff, but maybe you can swing this one-owner ’69 model on eBay in Monterey, California. It’s priced at a cool $62,500.
The benefit of the well-documented one-owner car is that there are few surprises. This 912 has had one paint job (in the late ’80s) and is fundamentally rust-free. There are no rusted pans, trunk floor, rockers…none of that. It’s factory steel, showing the evidence of 56 years and 125,000 miles on the road (perhaps one day trip at a time).
The engine is Porsche’s solid 1.6-liter flat four with 102 horsepower. The seller has prepared the car for sale by cleaning the fuel tank and lines, and it runs and drives with no unsettling noises or leaks. The narrative implies that the car has been sitting around for a while, however, so it could use a tune up. Porsche’s literature claims that the 912 could get 27.6 miles per gallon, which is in the 90th percentile for ’60s cars in general, let alone capable sports cars. It also had a top speed of 115 miles per hour, so it will cruise at freeway speeds with ease. Perfect for long day trips.
Another benefit of the 912’s architecture is the lack of engine heat and noise on long trips. My only rear-engine experience is driving my ’65 Corvair, and nobody can honestly say that the Corvair experience is a facsimile of the Porsche experience. The 912’s gauge layout is one of the auto industry’s most functional and beautiful, and I can only assume that the seating situation is one-or-two steps removed from that in my compact Chevrolet. Everything is original in here, and it’s in excellent condition (aside from maybe a tear in a seam on the driver’s seat – that may be the camera playing tricks on us).
I’m not an envious sort, but I’ve always had a fondness for ’60s Porsches in general, and the 912 is such a sensible sports car that it would make for a perfect three-season daily driver. The high tide has raised all boats in the Porsche camp, so you’ll never find a bargain, but is $62,500 reasonable for a four-cylinder car? Sellers of others in similar condition seem to be asking similar prices, but this is a little out of my orbit. What do you think?
These were more fun when they were cheap, ,now, not so much. Lets face it, just an upscale Bug. Better looking, ,better performance, etc. But, not worth multiples of one.
Luckily, the seller kept this 912 long enough to reap the benefits of the egotistical ultra rich paying 10 times what these thing’s were selling for 10 years ago.
This can be said about a multitude of classic cars. Have you looked at the classic Bug prices lately?
Car buying 101: If you can afford it and want it, buy it. It’s your money, no matter what others think. This philosophy has worked for me for 50+ years.
Like I said. The seller is smart. Because people will over pay for anything, now days.
@ Big C:
I agree completely- much like the folks who paid a stupid price for my S.F. Bay Area home (of thirty years) three years ago.
What were they thinking?
@ John Eder
Must have been locals
Yes, locals whose money was just as green as anyone else’s. Similar to selling a car, as long as the funds clear the bank, who cares where they came from?
I once bought a running, driving 1968 Mustang GT fastback for $500. That has no bearing today.
The key to finding a car hasn’t changed. First, figure out your budget. Second, find the best option that fits in your budget. Third, put in the work by generating leads and following up on those leads. If you follow these three rules you’ll probably find something you enjoy in short order. That’s a strategy some never figured out and many others have forgotten.
Even in the early-80’s when muscle cars were plentiful and cheap (I live in an area with a mild climate), I couldn’t afford the cars I really wanted, neither could most if my friends, we were lucky, it taught us early on to broaden our horizons.
Steve R
I hear ya – I bought a nice ’61 Vette, 283, 2/4bbl, 4-speed for $1200 in 1974 … those were the days …
Ahh—the “sheep” in wolf’s clothing. Had a late ’69 912 (had the 911T rear brakes) . I was the 2nd owner in ’76 and glad to get rid of it 10 years later. It was slow, handled poorly, front window seal leaked, the gas tank got a hole where they had stupidly used rubber undercoating between it and the trunk floor(brazed it closed), the heater cables broke(poor design). Rebuilt the Solex carbs twice(easy job).
Amazed at the price for these junk goes for now, but I guess some have more money than brains.
Well, I guess the old adage, “If you live long enough, you’ll hear most everything” is true. 912 Porsches “Handle poorly”. Didn’t even see that one coming. Wonder what vehicle might be considered to “handle well”?
🤔
It heard it said that it takes a special driver to get the most handling performance out of a early model Porsche….
It’s true the early 911s and 912s didn’t handle well because they had no sway bars. Once installed front and rear they were virtual go-carts.
As 912s go, it’s the year to have (LWB with chrome bumpers instead of the impact beams the 76 has). To find one that is truly all original metal AND solid is pretty rare. Add in a good color combination and a clean one-owner history and it’s probably as nice a 912 opportunity as one is going to find anywhere. I don’t know if it’s a $62K car, but there is probably someone out there who wants one that badly.
Where is the front plate?
Probably under the back plate. That’s where I kept mine if I wasn’t running it on my car.
Steve R
My girlfriend who became my wife bought a 912 in 1981.It was her daily driver and ran without a hiccup.
Pete Zimmerman at Red Line in Santa Monica, who recommended the car to her, said it was the lowest maintenance car he had ever had in his shop.
I have no idea how many miles are on the car..seriously way beyond the 500,000 miles mark…and we had the engine finally rebuilt about 10,00 miles ago.I have the car now as my darling wife passed away..
Before that we drove Sonoma to LA and back for her high school reunion..We cruiused 101 at 85 and above when the CHP were not around.The car got about 35 mpg on that run.
For those who call the 912 ( 200 lbs lighter than a 911 and 20 hp less than a “T” a hopped up VW have no idea of the colid build and great handling they have..
Presents well. Hope it finds an owner who will baby it like it deserves. My 74 Super Beetle has the same displacement but not even half that HP, so this car is NOT just a tarted up VW but a finely made watch of a car.
Not stock, but you car “tart up” a Bug just fine and dandy. Plus it will cost a small fraction of what a P Car will cost you. Investment? No, but just as fun to drive. Plus it would be fun to shock some P Cars on the street. Just because Grandpa left you a trust fund doesn’t mean you are king of the street, ya know. Entitled rich people are fun to put down.
How about those motivated folks who worked their way through college (or trade school) and had a successful, well paying career or started a modest business (plumbing, construction, welding, Bring A Trailer, etc) that expanded and now are able to enjoy the financial rewards of their labor? Not everyone who can afford what others may consider an expensive car were born with a silver spoon in their mouth. I know numerous people who came from very modest backgrounds who went on to become doctors, engineers, airline pilots, etc. through hard work and commitment to their goals. It isn’t a crime to be successful.
I had a brief career off ramp and ended up working for a Porsche+Audi (remember the signage?) store in the between years. My memory was these were mostly sale-proof. The 911 wasn’t that much more money and we also had the 914 as well as the Audi with its front drive and CIS fuel injection. That may be a warped memory, but I do recall customers being enthused over having fuel injection in a saloon car that could carry kids and groceries. I will agree that from across the lot with aftermarket wheels they could be indistinguishable. Being raised on V8 engines and their torque, I never understood anything road racing able until a local hot shoe took me for a ride around the east side of Coeur d’Alene lake at speed. If it had been less than 25 miles, I might have walked he had scared me so badly. I finally was made to understand, at the cost of my dignity. I also immediately enrolled in driving classes.
The 912 debuted along side the 911 and, in the first years (the 912 was discontinued after 1969), the “lesser” car outsold the 911 at a ratio of 4:1. The 912 was cheaper, lighter and had horsepower that was respectable.
I think your experience was probably with the 1976 912. Resurrected for one year only to bridge the gap between the retiring 914 and the arriving 924. I can believe that, at the time, those probably didn’t arouse much interest, but even those are now selling at shockingly high prices for what they are.
I came from a very modest middle class upbringing but appreciated nice cars. When my friends in London were buying hot minis I bought a “tired”Porsche Super 90 Cabriolet for the same $$…got ragged for buying an”old car”.As my life progressed and I moved to the US I bought old cars that were not very valuable and watched them increase in price while I enjoyed them.I wont tell you what I bought my 56 356A Porsche for in1981..and still have it and drive the $hit out of it.You dont have to be rich to have great cars..but being a little smart and thinking outside the box helps..