Whats the cheapest reputable porsche you can buy?

[DarkWing6]

IMO you can't afford a Porsche that is worth having at this point in your life. They are too expensive to maintain. It took you at least 6 months to fix your clutch and a Porsche will brake twice as often and cost twice as much to fix. Don't get me wrong, having one would be sweet. I just think it would be a poor financial decision and you will regret it.

[Kruzen]

IMO you can't afford a Porsche that is worth having at this point in your life. They are too expensive to maintain. It took you at least 6 months to fix your clutch and a Porsche will brake twice as often and cost twice as much to fix. Don't get me wrong, having one would be sweet. I just think it would be a poor financial decision and you will regret it.

lol my clutch still isn't fixed. Too lazy to go without the car for a few days :) Runs fine enough for now. not leaking anything anymore at least.

But thats the whole reason I made this thread, to look at the realm of affordability, it'd be fun to own an old 911 but I really dont have a use for one.

[Tom@POLIZEI]

What about a Boxster S?

[europeanplates]

I have 77 911 I will sell 6000.00 Runs and drives, not a show car.

Tyler

[e30Matt]

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

+2, 951 was one of the first cars I've ever actually been scared in. The damn thing just KEEPS turning in.

[kidrobot]

Porsche = $$$

Can't have one without the other.
Want a kickass fast little car? Buy
a Subaru.

[James Crivellone]

Kruzen,

Talk to my dad, he has owned several Porsches, and our next project car is a 914/6 (and then a 930 turbo)

My godfather (otherwise known as the guy who painted my car) is currently finishing the restoration on a 911 hardtop, and a mid 80's 911 turbo.

Insurance for me was nothing more a month, in fact its less then my Nissan, they are older cars...although a Brand new 911 Turbo would only add 500 bucks a year to my rate.

[James Crivellone]

IMO you can't afford a Porsche that is worth having at this point in your life. They are too expensive to maintain. It took you at least 6 months to fix your clutch and a Porsche will brake twice as often and cost twice as much to fix. Don't get me wrong, having one would be sweet. I just think it would be a poor financial decision and you will regret it.

Parts are not THAT much more overall, think of it this way, its another 70's/80's german car. All Bosch, huge aftermarket for common wearables, and most porsche's that I've seen with horrid bodys are still running and driving perfectly... they are true drivers cars, but not terrible in the reliability department either..

Most of them are pretty simple to work on, although the engine bays are pretty damn cramped.

[Kruzen]

I'll definitely have to talk to your dad a bit, could be a fun project once I get some cash laying around in the near future.

[WillisE30]

Parts are not THAT much more overall, think of it this way, its another 70's/80's german car. All Bosch, huge aftermarket for common wearables, and most porsche's that I've seen with horrid bodys are still running and driving perfectly... they are true drivers cars, but not terrible in the reliability department either..

Most of them are pretty simple to work on, although the engine bays are pretty damn cramped.

I would disagree with your statement. I have FAR more experience working on the 996 and Boxster than anything else out there but I've seen a number of 993s and 930s come through my bay as well. By and large Porsches are in no way shape or form a car someone in their youth should consider owning, unless of course you have a sizable trust fund, in which case indulge yourself. My experience which applies to all Porsches is that they're chronic oil leakers, newer ones puke out valve cover gaskets and spark plug tube seals, older ones seem to seep everywhere. This does not necessarily constitute a bad ride though, just a generalization I've observed. Older cars have a belt drive system for the distributor, which is something that if neglected will leave you on the side of the road. Altogether they're not totally unreliable.

HOWEVER, cost of maintenance is obscene with a Porsche. Replacing parts or fixing leaks usually involves removal of your engine, on a newer water cooled Porsche this usually bills somewhere in the neighborhood of 10hrs, give or take a few depending on what is being done. I haven't dealt with air cooled stuff enough to comment accurately, but it's not cheap either. Basically labor times will eat you alive and doing it yourself is really not a viable option for bigger jobs, at least for most people. It's just a pain in the ass to drop a motor with no lift. Having someone else work on it requires money, something it sounds like Kruzen doesn't have(not knocking you here, I can't afford one really either).

All that said though, I love driving them. There really is no substitute for a Porsche and they are a joy to experience. Wait a while though so you won't be so strained by it all.

[Mr Deagle]

I would disagree with your statement. I have FAR more experience working on the 996 and Boxster than anything else out there but I've seen a number of 993s and 930s come through my bay as well. By and large Porsches are in no way shape or form a car someone in their youth should consider owning, unless of course you have a sizable trust fund, in which case indulge yourself. My experience which applies to all Porsches is that they're chronic oil leakers, newer ones puke out valve cover gaskets and spark plug tube seals, older ones seem to seep everywhere. This does not necessarily constitute a bad ride though, just a generalization I've observed. Older cars have a belt drive system for the distributor, which is something that if neglected will leave you on the side of the road. Altogether they're not totally unreliable.

All that said though, I love driving them. There really is no substitute for a Porsche and they are a joy to experience. Wait a while though so you won't be so strained by it all.

They leak because of bad mechanics, i have seen numerous engines from other builders leak before they have even been run, and after they run they puke oil all over our dyno floor

our engines do not leak oil at all, nor do they break, unless the customer moneyshifts it

as for the belt drive, thats for the twin plug setup, if it breaks you still have one set of plugs to limp home on

on a better note, porsches are awesome to drive

[James Crivellone]

I would disagree with your statement. I have FAR more experience working on the 996 and Boxster than anything else out there but I've seen a number of 993s and 930s come through my bay as well. By and large Porsches are in no way shape or form a car someone in their youth should consider owning, unless of course you have a sizable trust fund, in which case indulge yourself. My experience which applies to all Porsches is that they're chronic oil leakers, newer ones puke out valve cover gaskets and spark plug tube seals, older ones seem to seep everywhere. This does not necessarily constitute a bad ride though, just a generalization I've observed. Older cars have a belt drive system for the distributor, which is something that if neglected will leave you on the side of the road. Altogether they're not totally unreliable.

HOWEVER, cost of maintenance is obscene with a Porsche. Replacing parts or fixing leaks usually involves removal of your engine, on a newer water cooled Porsche this usually bills somewhere in the neighborhood of 10hrs, give or take a few depending on what is being done. I haven't dealt with air cooled stuff enough to comment accurately, but it's not cheap either. Basically labor times will eat you alive and doing it yourself is really not a viable option for bigger jobs, at least for most people. It's just a pain in the ass to drop a motor with no lift. Having someone else work on it requires money, something it sounds like Kruzen doesn't have(not knocking you here, I can't afford one really either).

All that said though, I love driving them. There really is no substitute for a Porsche and they are a joy to experience. Wait a while though so you won't be so strained by it all.

I'm not going to disagree with you at all, as you do this for a living.

I'm going off of my dad and godfathers experiencing on restoring over 10 older 911's, 914's, and one or two 930 turbos'.

Maybe they are giving me incorrect details, but the last time I was over at my godfathers and saw a near finished 911 resto, and that 930 turbo sleeper he is working on..

I dunno, I'm going off of family experience with Porches, and not talking about the newer 90+ Porsches...especially that POS Boxster :p

Also keep in mind we mainly only work on Air Cooled gear, as we believe the real ones didn't need coolant :p

[cthulu703]

I would love to own a 911 as long as I didn't have to hang out with other Porsche owners. I have never seen people (gross generalization warning) who think that their car has so much to do with who they are. When I go to the Porsche club tent area at the races (non-911's have to park on the edges of course) the elitist vibe just gives me the creeps. The majority of them never having worked on a car, arguing about whether it is a '77 or '78 because they changed the tail light lens manufacturer and the air cleaner bolt is nickel plated. I know I'm asking for it.

[Keith M]

I would love to own a 911 as long as I didn't have to hang out with other Porsche owners. I have never seen people (gross generalization warning) who think that their car has so much to do with who they are. When I go to the Porsche club tent area at the races (non-911's have to park on the edges of course) the elitist vibe just gives me the creeps. The majority of them never having worked on a car, arguing about whether it is a '77 or '78 because they changed the tail light lens manufacturer and the air cleaner bolt is nickel plated. I know I'm asking for it.

Take the day off work and come out the the Porsche track day on the 27th. I can get you a ride of two in a P-car if you want then you can tell me that they are all dickheads. I do agree that most of them don't work on their own cars. Rothsport has to love these people.

Keith

[WillisE30]

They leak because of bad mechanics, i have seen numerous engines from other builders leak before they have even been run, and after they run they puke oil all over our dyno floor

I'm reffering to stuff from the factory. I know you can re-seal those motors and have them stay leak free. Maintenance also plays a big role in that. Old oil is old oil, even if it only has 800 miles on it.

Also James, not saying you're totally out to lunch. Just disagreeing with the notion that they're not that much more expensive to maintain than a BMW. I love them as much as the next enthusiast, don't get me wrong.