Hype Check: Porsche 911 SC Review || Are they truly worth their new premiums?

Thank you for the incredible response! Not only has this outperformed (like for like in its first 24h online with my other uploads) my next best piece of content by 10x but the kindness and enthusiasm in the comments has been superb. I was a bit nervous about potentially poking the Porsche bear and its cubs but thrilled that it's been the warmest welcome yet. If you have a car you'd like to see on the channel then please let me know - petrolpoodle@gmail.com/ or find me on Instagram @petrolpoodle

I purchased my first 911 about a month ago. It’s a 79 911SC Coupe. I literally have wanted one since I was 15 or so, I am now 57. Wow…what a fantastic driving experience.

Brilliant. And I don’t disagree. However, you will get a 996 or a 997. I guarantee it. And after a ‘while’ you will long for this experience and regret having not just gotten the air cooled first. And then you will find the resources, come up with the cash, and buy one at whatever price the market commands. Because we all do. We all start rationally and practically and responsibly. Then you get older and reassess and weigh time versus money and what you sincerely value most. I cannot wait for you to get here with the rest of us fools who have ‘spent too much’ as most would say, for one of these. Great review, glad you did it.

3:23 Pascha interior! Gorgeous!

Aircooled 911 will give you more sensations and pleasure at lower speed than 996. This is why I own a 964.

I just picked up my first air cooled 911 and I can't stop smiling. Just an unbelievable experience.

I had various 911SCs for about 7 years in the 2000s. I couldn't believe how reliable they were.I dailied them every day,..rain or shine. Loved owning them. The engine note was to die for...if ever there was a usable classic.. It's an SC

I own a 996 myself. And I'm the first one to admit that air cooled Porsches look a million times better. Especially the 993, which is my favorite. But they're so crazy expensive that no ordinary car enthusiasts can afford them anymore. And because they made 964 and 993 only about 65 thousand of each and half of them cabrios/targas/automatics, the manual coupes will be appreciated even more in the future. They made over 1.5 times more of 996's alone than 964 and 993 COMBINED. They also made 212,964 units of 997. That's also why 996 and 997 prices are lower. But as you said 996 is definitely the best value for money Porsche. Still drives like an analog, small 911 and has just a bit more power and performance.

I own a 996, but fell in love with the 911 in 1977 when I was 12 years old and have wanted one since. The 996 is the 911 that I could afford and I absolutely LOVE my car. But a G body is my ultimate dream car.

I do love a G body 911. This one is how I would set mine up too. slightly lowered suspension, the lovely fuchs wheels (this one looks to have the wonderful more aggressive wider 7", 8" fuchs, but I love any spec fuchs wheels), euro spec (which would include a more powerful engine, especially for the '81-'83 models with 204 hp) and one of the many rare but gorgeous colors offered by Porsche like this one has. I believe this is delphi green (when I google image searched the color). Fantastic color.

I have owned a 1976 911s Targa for 32 years. It has the original engine and trans. 194,000 miles. We keep improving it with little things and maintain it. You will need to replace the fuel lines because of the gasoline and their age. A link will mean an instant fire. All parts are readily available. Enjoy tje ride

Great video. Happy to lend you my 997 C2 manual which I won on Classic giveaways last year if you like for a review. Love the idea of aircooled but so happy with mine too for daily driving and still feel like the luckiest person around. Welcome to the addictive world of Porsche.

Great video. I agree with your assessments of the steering and other aspects of this model. I've got 217k miles on my SC and I've owned it 40 years. I also have a 993 C4S and a 996 Turbo S. Prices on SC's went through a period where prices were flat 10-15 years but they have never dropped after they initially bottomed out in the mid 80's. . If you find the perfect air cooled car for you, and your budget agrees, I would get it. For every 911 I've bought there has been no shortage of people telling me they were over priced at that time. I could have bought a new Datsun for what I paid for my used SC in 1984 and i had many that reminded me of that. The SC is just special; from the faint smell of oil and hot metal to the sound when the door closes. Just my opinion.

Interesting review. I'm fortunate to own a 1983 911 SC which I have owned for 24 years. Coincidentally, I drove it yesterday for the first time since Covid, when it was laid up during the first lockdown and subsequent life got in the way. A gap of that duration has made me revisit the car with fresh eyes, and I've got to say I'd forgotten how involving it is to drive, and actually still feels quick and nimble on the road. I'm looking forward to getting some miles in and re-learning how to get the best from it. I started recommissioning a couple of months ago and have replaced all of the brake discs, callipers and hoses, changed all of the fluids, plugs and filters and can confirm they are a realistic DIY proposition to work on. Parts are reasonably priced with plenty of availability from different vendors. The car has also inadvertently become a good investment as it is apparently worth several times what I bought it for! I am also a long-term owner of a 997.2 and still see these as the sweet spot for "modern" 911 ownership with them still being a "small" car with an analogue feel, but with many of the potentially (perhaps sometimes over exaggerated) but nevertheless financially scary aspects of earlier models (IMS/Bore scoring etc) addressed.

I think these cars have become attractive because they can be nearly fully self-supported in the owner's garage and have excellent parts availability. Many spare parts for competing exotics of this age are completely NLA and newer used examples aren't easily supported by the owner due to complexity. And while not a rare car by any means, Porsche 911 production in these years was just a small fraction of competitors like the Corvette.

Great, straight, honest analysis. I have owned my 1979 911SC since 1980. I cannot part with it. As you say, driving it is a more raw experience, but that is the charm.

I can tell you what other car from 1985 you can absolutely thrash everyday. An AW11 MR2! The 996 turned me on to Porsches, and I still own both. Great review!

7:12. Back in the mid 1980’s my dad had a euro spec 911SC (we’re in the states). Some of my best memories with my dad were going on a long on-ramp and hitting 60 in second gear. Thanks for taking me back to the good old days.

Love my 76 911S Targa. All Analog. on the rails cornering. Smiles for miles.

Excellent video, the best first time air cooled evaluation I've seen. Too bad you didn't have the opportunity to push it on track or mountain road. Very informative anyway, good work!