Oshin11

Hey Hogan, I think that you need to hear this from me because I just graduated from UC Santa Barbara and let me tell you that it is NOT a good idea to get a 911 at this time. 1. Don't worry about girls....in college they are everywhere and the car you drive doesn't matter (not that you said it did). 2. I was going to get a 912 when I was 17 and I am glad my parents said no. 3. You don't really need a car in college and if you have one make sure its something reliable. There is no point in having a car if you dont need one.....youll be spending most of your college loans on booze and partying Not that I am condoning that kind of behavior. Anyways my point is that I KNOW how badly you want this car because its a change of pace and it makes you feel like a million bucks. I bought one right before I went to grad school at 22 and I wish I had waited maybe another year. Take a step back and breathe. I know youre going to ignore me and buy one anyone so this is my compromise. Sell the badass GTI you have (I'm jealous I wish I had a car like that in college) and buy yourself a 2000-2002 civic for a few grand or so. Get insured under this vehicle as it will much MUCH cheaper than your GTI since its not a sporty car, it should be even way less than the 911 quote you got. Now you have 3-4 months to do some good research and searching for the right 911 in the summer and fall. Make sure you get the one you want.....dont pay too much, and dont skimp on quality....you know the drill. When you have found our gem.....leave it at home with dad during the week and get classic car insurance for about 350 dollars a year. Problem solved. Trust me my honda took a beating in santa barbara weather, you dont want to leave a 911 anywhere near a University. You are going to make lots of friends, and at the same time you cant avoid meeting someone in college that you rub the wrong way or rubs you the wrong way. You will also meet many people that look fine on the exterior but are actually Bi-Polar or manic depressive or what not underneath. Having a 911 in the dorm lots is just asking to have someone run a knife through your soft-top/targa. IT WILL GET VANDALIZED I promise you that. My honda was severely vandalized (I am guessing by drunk retards) about 3 times in the last 3 years of college. My roommates Jetta had the rear windshield smashed. It happens, just make sure it doesn't happen to a car like a 911. Please, if anything listen to my advice about the Civic and classic car insurance on maybe a cheaper 911 like an SC. 3.2 Carreras can get up to 21K but a sorted SC will run you 16-17K. You could use that extra 4K on a used Civic. Good luck and if you have questions feel free to PM me.

Amber Gramps

put your fingers in your ears and say: "LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA"

use your student loans for what they were intended for, PORSCHE.

my wife's studen loan from her freshman year in 1987 included a 1953 baldwin piano. see, the porsche is perfectly logical.

SeattlePorsche

Hmm, times have changed. It wasn't anything like that in Austin (UT). Then again, I don't remember any of us having a 911. I bought my SC for 7k. It was running well, but I caught the bug Oshin has now and I restored everything for about 3k plus another almost 2k for an unnecessary set of SSI's and a Monty muffler (my indulgence).

madmmac

I say that if your father is truly what you say he is, that all you need to do is to talk to him. There is no need for a forum to make the decision.

2000wrx

^^^^ what he said!!


Have a good long heart to heart with dad.

84_Carrera

Do you do any work on cars yourself?

Do you have the coin, or are you financed to the hilt?

Is this your one & only ride (can you snag a ride if something breaks & it takes 3 days to get the part in?)

I bought an 84 Cab 11/04. I have done the maintenance & repairs myself. There have been a number of minor things, but only twice have I needed a tow - alternator died at 4am (tow, $330 alt + new battery, ~$500 total), and clutch cable slipped out of the mounting bracket at the trans (5 minute fix after getting home & under the car).

I bought the car w/ 50k miles, currently have just over 75k. Have done 2 valve adjustments / plugs / cap & rotor / wires / O2 sensor / cyl. head temp sensor / oil press & temp senders / brakes / fluids / etc., along with a couple of mods - all are DIY items really if you're mechanically inclined & patient. I bought the car at $19,500, have put maybe $6k into the car so far between wheels / tires / parts etc. She needs a new headliner & front seat skins, and is coming up on doing some larger $ items - trans rebuild, clutch, etc.

I drive the car any day I know it's not going to rain - the top basically stays down all the time unless I get caught.

Aside from all the preventative maintenance etc, this has been the most reliable car I've owned, and certainly the most fun overall. There are other cars I certainly wouldn't mind owning, and I'd like to own an RS-clone someday, but this has been the best car purchase I've made yet.

Insurance: Yup, cheap to insure (why? I have no idea), but it's cheaper than my minivan which cost me less, and cheaper than my Taurus SHO too.

Best of luck with your search.

Conekiller

I’ll throw in my 2 cents. I'm a freshman in college now, and got my 911 spring of senior year. so I went through the same decision that your going through, I had a 01 bmw 325xi and wanted something that I could track/autox so I started looking around at m3's rx7 corvettes etc. I ended up stumbling upon my 911 only a mile and half down the road from me. I feel like I definitely made the right decision car wise because I’ve met a lot of great people through PCA and have really enjoyed all the extra DE events that are available to pca members.

As far as having the 911 as your only car I think you may run into some problems first being lack of useable back seats, your friends are going to get tired of always having to drive when you go out. The second would be repairs, these cars are very expensive to repair, and unless you do your own repairs or know someone who will help you out it you might be in for some high costs.

I also wouldn't bring your car to school with you, I am not sure what the car situation is on your campus but most kids will be jealous and unfortunately you run a good chance of getting your car keyed also I wouldn't want to leave the car uncovered and exposed to the elements.

Luckily for me I found some pretty good solutions to these problems, I drive my family’s extra car (Nissan frontier) when it’s raining out or I need to drive friends around. I get my car worked on right up the street so if I have any problems its no big deal. As far as school, I go to school at northeastern which is right in the middle of Boston so I have no need for a car while I’m at school.

Good luck

Mike

butzip

Hogan,

Go for it!! I've been driving Porsches (and in general) since I was 14 yrs old. Sounds like you have a healthy respect for cars and safety. Don't buy a show car since it will not be in the best environment (college campus parking lot). But don't let that stop you. Pick-up a solid SC for under $15,000 and enjoy the heck out of it. I drove a 1980 LeCar at 16 yrs old, it didn't live to see my 17th b-day and the 912 in my Avatar I've driven since I graduated high school (I'm 33). Yes it helps if you are technically inclined, but these cars are robust and reliable even if you beat on them @ the track. Get your kicks on the track or auto-x course. Don't try to impress your friends by driving recklessly. They'll already be impressed by the car itself. Do it, practicality should be far from your mind @ 18. There's plenty of time for that when your married with kids and need to buy a mini-van (like me!!) and even then you will have room for a Porsche, like me and every one else on this board. I could justify a 911 when I was 16 and I'll be able to justify one when I'm 80.

Keep us posted, Brgds, Peter

Slantnose!

Yes.
Everyone should have a 911 at least once.

Jay H

Hogan,

Read the above paragraph again.

Then, read it again.

Once you're done reading it twice, read it once more and really pay attention, especially the part about not bringing a 911 to school because it will get vandalized (and it will - trust me). Also pay attention to the part about buying a 2000-2002 Civic.

Then, go talk to your dad.

I'll be he'll say the same thing. For God's sake's, there is no reason to have a 911 in college...

Good luck,

Jay
90 964, 84 3.2

Mike Murphy

If you can afford it, then get a 911. If you can save $1500 a year on insurance, I can promise you that you'll spend that money in maintenance, so you're not saving anything. I just spent $3k on my car for new tires, a clutch and new brake hoses. $3k in college was almost my entire yearly savings, and that was only 7 years ago.

I would not buy a 911 while you're in college. I wouldn't even buy one after college. I would buy one after you have purchased your own house or condo, have a 401k investment or IRA plan and can pay cash for it.

If you have all that, then buy one now.

GothingNC

Ditto the others about not bringing a 911 to college.

Up in Long Isalnd I remeber overhearing other students who got a kick out of keying,& denting, spilling beer, busting windows on "Rich-Kids" Porsches' BMW's, Mercedes etc.

Response from security usually was "If you can afford the car, you should have no problem coming up with the cash to fix it"

I also would be careful about Honda's since they are a High theft vehicle for ricers.

Devote your time on school first and award yourself with the Porsche upon graduation.

John

Jay H

This point by Murphy needs to be emphasized again. It's the truth.

Hogan

alright ill try and address what everyone said
college loans wont be a problem, my parents are divorced and part of the agreement was that my dad pay for all the expenses of college, so no problem there, and i do see what your saying about the vandalism aspect of it... i may leave it at home if i know im not going to drive it for an extended period of time, the good thing about going to UMD is that its less than half an hour away from me. also, paying for stuff that breaks is not a problem, and if it does break, i have back up cars, i have a 83 320i (which can present the same problem as the porsche... being broken...) but my mom also has a GMC suburban that she hates to drive, so im really the only person that ever drives it, so if any friends complain about the backseat, ill take the suburban and bring them, and everyone they have ever met along as well. i have done a decent amount of research about this, and i think i have my bases covered... and i was also thinking that if im out of college and strapped for cash what will get me more, an old 911, or a civic? i think if nothing else from an investment stand point a 911 is a better option, and dont get me wrong, i see what a few of you are saying and i respect it, i know you guys are just helping me out, and your probably right, but since college is paid for, i believe i can afford a 911. also, i wont be getting a loan, ill be paying cash, so i wont have car payments, just keeping it going.

GothingNC

If you have the cash and no college loans, then I would say go for it then since you have a backup car just in case someone screws with the Porsche and you decide to leave it at home.

Good luck

John