rwrink

Here is a little mental exercise. This coming January, I will be losing the family car (330i) to my wife and soon to be newborn son. Not really being a fan of walking I will need a new (to me) daily driver.
The question is, what Porsche and why.
The parameters are $20,000, and reliable at purchase or once the initial work is done and must rate high on the drool metre every time the garage opens.
Other factors, I am semi competent with a wrench, have a big garage, patience, and can do my own paint.

What’s the best bang for the buck?

I am posting this on the 911,928 and 944 forums to try to get balanced views.

I really appreciate the input.

Rob

gerry100

Depend on what your dailey drive/commute is like. A nice SC with a little repair/reserve cash could work nicely.

I'm a 911 guy, but you can get a lot of 944(turbo?) for that money also.

You can get a 928 also, but upkeep/repairs can be nasty due to the complexity.

Other question would be where you live and what weather conditions would be.

Most informed opinions about the 944 and 928 wil be found on the specific forums.

earlyapex

You will get a nice 911SC for that price. The G50 3.2L 911's are nice. Don't pass over the 964.

Gary R.

There is only one, the 911. You just have to decide WHICH one.


Need more information.
What part of the country are you in? Is GOOD A/C important. Is 4WD a consideration? Coupe or Cabriolet? Is $20K the total of all monies you will have to spend, including a few thousand for "incidentals"?

IMO the 964 in either C2 or C4 version will be the max you will get for the $20K IF you do have some $$ to .maintain it later on. If $20K is IT, then a 84-87 Carerra that has been well sorted should leave you a few $K as a buffer. I skipped over the 87-88 Carrera as they are drawing a premium now and you will be lucky to find a sorted one with good A/C for under $20K. If A/C isn't critical and power steering is no biggie then they are great cars, add them into the mix. The SC's are GREAT cars (I have one!) but not for a daily commuter IMO, and their A/C is useless unless it has been updated... a lot.

Good luck!

911Dave

As an owner of an 86 911 and an 86.5 928, I can tell you the best bang for your buck is a 944. It's reliable, easy to work on, parts are cheap, perfectly balanced, makes a great daily driver, and you can buy a really nice one for 10k. You can get a very nice 928 for 20k, but it is VERY expensive to maintain and probably isn't the best choice for daily driving. A 911 is a great car (in many ways the best of the 3), and will probably bring the greatest satisfaction. But value-wise the 944 cannot be beat.

Dan Cobb

I get to choose every morning between my 84 911 coupe and my 01 e320 Benz.
Both are GREAT cars to drive, but they are VERY different. You can get a decent e320 for 20-25K, and you can get a decent 911 Carrera for 12-20K. I have had to do zero maint. on the Benz myself, and the list of things done on the 911 is pretty extensive.
I've added nearly $4-6K to the 911 purchase price for everything that I have done, including routine maintenance and the upgrades/repairs.

If it is cold or raining, I drive the Benz. If I need extra room for stuff, I drive the Benz. If i need the AC, I drive the Benz.
If I just want a smile on my face... I drive the Porsche.
+++

AOW162435

Many good pointers already given. Each model will have it's own attributes that make it endearing to a certain buyer. For all around driving balance, the weight distribution of a 944 is hard to beat. Great looks to. A 928 is a fantastic, solid touring machine but can certainly be a handful to maintain with high miles and PO neglect. The Porsche diesel tractor will serve you well in the fields. But for me:

Porsche = 911.

This simple math has been with me since birth

Andreas

Spodie!

I'm in the same price range as rwrink, but I'm definitely getting a 911 coupe.

I just got back from checking out a couple of dealerships in Marina Del Rey/Venice that were recommended to me by a friend, but I didn't really find what I'm looking for.

I'm patient though, so I'm sure I'll find what I'm looking for eventually - I'm just dying to get one so I can drive all day long!

hawk911

Yeah; don't pass over the 964s. They are fantastic cars.

theiceman

If you want a good daily all year driver with all the creature comforts buy a nice 944.
If you want to be part of a motoring ICON .. buy a 911 ..
that simple

pl

i am on the same boat.
but i can't drive manual, is 964 still an option?
i am in north east, AC is no problem, if i can buy a cab.

rwrink

First off, I want to thank everyone for the great input. It’s nice to see that people are fiercely proud of there cars but yet can see the advantages and merits of other models.

Some people asked for more specifics on the cars use;

Eastern Canada is the location, Moncton New Brunswick to be specific. AWD is not a factor as the BWM is. The car will be driven as DR. Porsche intended but the majority of the mileage will be just the ebb and flow of life.
The amount $20,000 is an amount equal to the MSRP of a loaded Cobalt, which from a cash standpoint makes a reasonable second car.
As for maintenance, I don’t mind spending the time or the money just as long as by the time I hit 20k I have the car sorted out to the point that I have some worry free driving ahead.

I would also like to thank CHAZZ for pointing out that the 928 would be able to haul more wine than the other cars, good point.

Thanks everyone, as the test drives come and go, I will post opinions and let you know how it goes.

Cheers

Robert

Spodie!

Learning to drive a manual isn't really that hard and the driving experience is so much better.

Find a friend who has a car with a manual transmission and go to a nice large, empty parking lot to learn.

Until then, there's this.

CHASE

My 91 964 has a tiptronic transmission and I spent around $20,000. The tip works great with no reliability issues. Good luck in your search.

TonyG

Is that 20K USD or 20k Canadian? Big difference.

But at $20K USD, you could get a 944 turbo that would whip (badly) any $20K 911 on any street or any track. And do it without breaking a sweat.

944 turbos are 944 turbos. 911's are 911's. Big difference. I love them both. And I've had a boat load of each.

The 911 will be more reliable for sure. The 911 will have better resale value for sure as well.

However... the rush of 350RWHP (well over 400HP at the crank) is very addicting... and you are not going to get anyhere near that type of acceleration with a $20k 911 (apples to oranges). Plus with the 50/50 weight distribution, the car can make any average driver look very good on a race track.

$20K USD puts you into a very nice SC or nice Carrera. And that's gonna be in the range of 180Bhp (145 at the wheels) to 231Hp (200 at the wheels). Not bad, but not 400+Hp either.

The 944 turbo requires someone that likes to work and tinker with their car. The 911 is a more "set it and forget it" type car, with far less to go wrong.

I would encourage you to drive a SC, a Carrera, and a 944 turbo. It can't hurt, and you'll get to sample a nice range of Porsche hardware from which to make your decision.

Good luck,

TonyG