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@JRatNW
The most reliable Porsche 911's are the 78-89 (kind of confusing because some 964's started in 89 too).
The 84-89 3.2 Carrera is pretty much the final chapter of the old style 911 bodies and by that time, the car is pretty much perfect. If you can find one with records and receipts, get a post-inspection and it clears, that car can easily give you years and years of trouble free driving.
A friend of my dad's is the owner (and only mechanic) of an air cooled Porsche shop. He's been working on 911's since the 70's. He mentioned one day it's common for 3.0 (911SC) and 3.2 (Carrera) engines to go 300k miles without a rebuild if the owner takes care of it. Like any sports car, a lot of owners are the types that baby them too much...rarely drive the car, let it sit, shift low when driving, etc.. These cars need to be driven and get the oil circulating. They love to be driven hard. The cars are usually a lot more reliable when driven regularly and driven hard.
So yeah, anyone considering a 911, definitely check out the 78-89. I think the best bang for your buck is the later year SC's and the 84-85 Carrera. If you do get a late model Carrera, it comes with a more modern transmission but the standard 915 transmission on the earlier cars isn't hard to use. It does have longer throws though in case you're used to modern cars with very short shifts.
I can't think of a more reliable 80's sports car until the NSX a little later.