Whats the cheapest reputable porsche you can buy?

[KenC]

The 924 Turbo (aka the 931). This car has much more respectable power and performance.....roughly 150bhp in US cars....even more with euro market parts, but this was a very rare car (far fewer in numbers than the E30 M3) and finding parts are a bitch and expensive. Unless you're seeking a money pit, avoid this one.

I saw a 924 Carrera GT a few months ago in Oregon. I talked to the owner for a bit... I guess there are only two in the state. His was one of the first to cross the Atlantic (grey market car).

Amazing car, in any case.

[DarkWing6]

I thought you were buying a house.

Either way, if you buy a Porsche buy a 911 or 914/6. 912 or regular 914 are underpowered IMO. Have fun getting insured on a 911.

[george graves]

what the cheapest porsche

Sorry man, but to me, IMHO, that like asking "What is the cheapest crack whore I can get with out getting a STD:

I almost sold my car to buy the shell of the speedster that was the acutual car used on "90210"...now, that's a sick car.

[Simon S]

fuck porsche

get a ducati

[ddavidv]

My last car decision was "used 911 or go racing with an E30". Guess which one I chose. :pimp:
This means I researched Porsches quite a bit. With all due respect to our previous poster, a 924 is a dog in so many ways...no real power, okay but nothing special handling, truly expensive parts and zero respect or resale value in the Porsche world. If you goal is to own something with a Porsche crest to impress people who know nothing about cars, then the 924 may be for you.
The 914 is a Volkswagen. Except it's a really expensive, rust prone Volkswagen that's nigh impossible to work on.
The 914-6 is so rare and so expensive you'll never afford one.
The early 912 is powered by a 356 engine and is a dog. Plus, 356 engine parts cost a fortune. And they rust.
The 912E, a one year only bastard child, actually could be the solution provided you don't want to go fast. It's got a regular VW style engine. Hard to find, and not much cheaper than a 'real' 911 when all is said and done.
944's are overhyped. I was unimpressed when I drove one, they can be bastards to work on and the parts are not cheap. If you're going to pay Porsche repair prices, may as well get a 911.
924 and 944 turbos are actually decent runners, but multiply the parts prices of the regular car by at least 4.
It's been said many times, but there is no substitute for a 911. If you buy a early to mid 1980s car, they are very reliable and almost overbuilt. High miles mean nothing to them. However, you must do your homework on these and have any potential purchases screened by a Porsche knowledgable mechanic or you could wind up with a several thousand dollar repair bill in a heartbeat. Properly maintained and upgraded, they are stellar cars. Neglected and 'cheap', you'll soon wish you had just blown the money on hookers and beer and saved yourself a lot of anguish.
928s are overweight pigs and make all other Porsches look cheap to fix.
Don't enter into Porsche buying lightly. They are wonderful cars, but not for the neophyte.
Also, 911s drive like no other car on the planet. Meaning, everything you know about car control you can forget and need to relearn. Applying BMW driving skills to a 911 will send you spinning off the road at the first turn. Challenging cars to drive, but when you get it right...oooohhh baby!

[Ray Smoodiver]

Get a 911 SC

[ldsbeaker]

It depends. (as always)
Some Porsche enthusiasts contend that 944's aren't REAL Porsches because they have a front mounted engine. I was interested in the 944's at one time, but the more I look at them, I would probably just get the newest, best condition 911 that I can afford. Pay more now, or you will CERTAINLY pay more later. I recently started reading Excellence (Porsche mag) and they just had an article about buying Porsches. Anything late 70's or early 80's should be good to go, simple to work on (relative), and depending on locale, less rusty.
Good luck!
I hope to get one in the next couple years.

[Mr.SWISS]

Why don't people like 944's?

Cuz they're slow money pits.

[KillerCalypso]

Cuz they're slow money pits.

So are e30's!
My brothers 944 turbo makes my e30 look like a fuckin turd in every aspect. It's fast as fuck too. I don't know what you guys are talking about.

[Midnight Sun]

I always thought people laughed at the 914, not the 944.


944 is sex if you ask me. The epitome of Porsche addressing the problem of not having a car shaped 80's enough.

[ddavidv]

So are e30's!
My brothers 944 turbo makes my e30 look like a fuckin turd in every aspect. It's fast as fuck too. I don't know what you guys are talking about.

One word: turbo.
Non-turbo 944s are nothing special. They handle well, but just don't have anything in the way of power. I'd rather have a 325i with some suspension upgrades than a 944 anyday.

[BimmerToad]

if you want the crest, buy one at a local dealership and slap it on your E30

or save up and buy a good example of a 911 when you can afford it :)

[s0urce]

+1 944 Turbo...plenty of power...handles like a dream.

[Kruzen]

I don't want a porsche just for the label, I want it for the driving experience. So I guess i'm looking at a 944 turbo or a 911 in good shape.

[SandyEggoE30Girl]

OK Something I finaly have some experiance in here.. LONG THREAD

I was raised in a Porsche family most of my life. Not for the "LOOK AT ME I DRIVE A PORSCHE" thing, but because my father had an affinity of the marque. That and he loved driving them the way they were meant to be driven. My earliest recollections of being in the garage with my father was working on 356 Super 1600s. We went to Stuttgart to pick up cars, and do vacations with my father there. I was lucky when he went in 1976 to pick up a 912e, which later became my car.
We had MANY 914s, 911s,912e, one 930, a 928, and just a few 356s. (those were my fathers cars).
The few autos that did not grace our garage at the time was the 924, or the 944 while my father was still alive. {more to come on that latter}

Porsche motor cars are a blast to drive, are definitively a well built car, and yes like anything today, it can cost more to fix if you don't take care of them. With all the models of cars that have run through our family, the only one I can remember that had a few more problems than the others was the 930. But DAMN! that car was a blast to drive once you learned how to drive it, and figure out what turbo lag, to turbo boost in a corner is all about.

OK so you want a Porsche? Well what model? What do you want to do with it? The first thing like some one else mentioned is you ALWAYS want to buy the best of what ever model you desire. Just a fact, (and it applies to our E30s too) If you buy some thing on the cheap, and say to your self I can RESTORE this, well............... It is going to cost you lots and lots of money!
The production numbers of Porsche's are a little lower than the e30, that simply means that you will find a smaller percentage of manufacturers for both OEM, and after-market parts. In other words it is going to cost more.
You will also need to look at what Porsche cars have cross-model parts.
Another thing that plays into buying old cars is the rust. Porsche did not introduce galvanized bodies until 1976. So that means that many of the Pre-76 cars have rust some where on them (it's a fact of life).
Another big misnomer was that Porsche' have interchangeable parts with VDUBS. Not really to true at all. All it takes is owning a few of these cars and you will find that out. Now that is not to say that there are NO parts that will not interchange, but the number is wayyyyy down.

We will just start with the 911 type auto. The 911 body was introduced in 1964, and basically (kinda sorta) stayed the same until 1997. Those years spanned many different engine combinations, and lots of suspension upgrades as well. One thing to driving a rear engined car like these, is the fact they are a whole different beast than driving a front, or even mid engined auto. You will need to re-learn how to drive all over again.

Personally if I was looking at a 911 to buy now, I would look to find a good 911SC (1978-1983) The reason for this is, they have a super tough motor (3.0ltr) that runs for ever, and the cars were made from galvanized metal.
The production numbers on these were relatively high as well, so you will find quite a few of these out there in really nice shape as well. Not to pricey either (low scale of 8000-20,000)
In 1984 (1984-1993) the Carrera came on the scene with a larger motor (3.2ltr), and is a great al-around car. One thing in the 911s is the climate control system was ok at best till the 87 model year. That is actually the first year that had an air-conditioning system that resembled some thing to AC.
You can still find lots of really great deals on these too if you look.
In 1994 We saw a major rework of the 911 (now the 964model) which brought to us the Carrera 2, and the Carrera 4. This model brought us yet another engine, the 3.3ltr and is a great motor, but now things are starting to climb sky ward as far as parts prices, and the ease of non certified porsche mechanics working on them. I had a C4, and it was a love/hate relationship mainly because I felt that I did not know anything about her.

I am going to skip over the 993 series (1993-98 ), and the 996 (1998-present). Only because I am talking about older Porsche's here.

The 912, and the 912e were built as an entry level Porsche in 1965-1969, and the 912e was produced only in 1976. The early ones had borrowed the 4 cyl motor from the early 356 cars, and in 1976 they used the 4 cyl from the 914 (411R motor)
The 912 did not handle like the 911, and had much smaller brakes, and other parts on the suspension. I would not suggest an early 912 for a first timer here, only because parts are on the WAY up there, and to build a proper 912 motor is anything but cheap. The 912e is a great little car, but there were only 2099 of them made, and they are becoming instant classics by many collectors (I would still have mine if an illegal family here in sd would not have crushed it with their chevy)
One thing cool about the 912, is that ALL the 911 suspension parts bolt right up to them.

The 914 (1970-1976) is a great little car PERIOD!
I have had so many of these cars it is scary. Everything from a 3.2ltr six, to the lowly 1970 1.7ltr. They are all fun!
You can still find great deals on these but the prices are starting to climb fast. The 914 is a true mid-engine car, and the center of gravity is so low on these. If you have ever driven one at a track event, you would be hooked right away.
There were 4 different motors basically installed in these cars from 70-76, The first 914 came on to the market in 1970 to be the entry level Porsche. The car was built in the VW plant and used the 411R motor(side note: The 411R motor was a borrowed design from the bus engine but the bus motor was quite different in many ways.)
The 1970-71 had the 1.7ltr with FI. and the other motor added at that time was the 2.0ltr six.
In 1972 there were a few minor changes to the 914. The passenger seat was now mounted to slide back and fourth, and we saw changes mid production to the transmission (side shift instead of the weak tail shift) also reinforcement in the front bonnet area.
In 1973 there were two engines available for the car the 1.7, and the 2.0ltr.
The 2.0 car also known as the S model, came equipped with front and rear sway bars, center console with gauges.
In 1974 there were also two different motors (1.8ltr & the 2.0ltr). Also now the car had front and rear bumperetts, and there were several different option packages the standard model (1.8 ), the 2.0ltr standard, and the Special Edition package which had the two tone colours, swaybars, center console.
In 1975 the car got a lot heavier with the addition of full impact resistant bumpers, more braces in the front and rear, and the addition of catalytic converters ICK! The car still offered the 1.8 and the 2.0ltr in the final years.
But the performance of these were not at all like the two previous years.
The 73, and 74 are the most sought after 914s for performance. When buying a 914 you really need to look for rust in a few very problematic places: Battery area, longitudinal panels, floors, rear boot. The good news is there are lots of after market parts for these cars.

Either later today, or tomorrow I will write something on the 924,944,968,928. I have owned 944s,968s, and a 928 (I still miss that car).