CCCP

Hi guys. Well I'm going to be turning 19 in the spring time and my insurance rate should drop low enough then for me to purchase a sports car. Right now I drive an '03 civic. But I absolutley love older 100% mechanical cars. For example last year I bought a '84 saab 900 piece of sh*t for $100 and I had a great time driving the **** out of it until I sold it for $250 a month later.

Anywho, that was a silly purchase and I didn't really car if the car crapped out on me the day after i bought it. if I do get a Porsche I'm gonna need a really reliable car. Well as reliable as a 20 yr old sports car can get. I'm thinking of an '86 944. What do you guys think? Think I'll find a good one for around $2.5 - $3K? I was thinking of the turbo but again i want a reliable car and I'm afraid of spending too mch on maintanance costs with the turbo model. Perhaps the 924? What exactly is the difference between the 924 and the 944?

Basically I think you guys get my position and any advice you can give me would be much appreciated.

Don 944 LA

You should be able to pick up an early reliable 944 for that much.. I would say, stay away from the turbo unless you have a fatter wallet.
The 924S is basically a early 944 . The 924 had a different engine and looks slightly different. The 924S has the 944 engine and is lighter than the 944.

Good luck on your search

Perry 951

Your search is beginning in the right place!

Any make or model vehicle that is 20 years old will take a bit of financial planning. All 944 varients can be reliable and very rewarding cars without sending you to the poor house. If you can do your own wrenching, even better.

A few things
- Research for the car you want. Buy one in the color and condition you want.
- It's better to spend more on a clean well maintained example rather than a beater, especially since you have not owned one.
- When you find the one you want, take it to a reputable shop that knows these cars, or ask someone on the list, they can help look at it. At that time, I am sure the list could read you the riot act of things to check for.

Plan on spending $2-3 above the price you pay for the car. Belts, oil, etc should be replaced, along with any safety or mechanical defects.

Use the search function on the forum for specific questions. Most likely you'll find more information than you care to read. We also have a frequently asked question section.. take a read of that too.

Good luck! Welcome to Rennlist.

pcarfan944

Insurance break at 19? Never heard of it. A few companies like State Farm, will give you a break once you turn 21, but for the most part you won't see any kind of discount until 25 or 26.

As for a Porsche. For 2-3 grand, you'll get a car that’s been neglected and in dire need of Service, among other things. If you want a good solid 944 that can be used daily without fear of trouble, prepare to spend at least $4,000 and make sure you check for recent service history such as: timing belt, water pump, rollers and balance shaft belt are a must. This is known as the front end service. Clutch, should be updated with a spring centered version. Motor mounts, if any older than 2 or 3 years they will need to be replaced soon at around 500 dollars a pop. You get the picture.

Don't even bother with the 924, it's a nightmare. Electronics that make Lucas look not so bad. The 924S with the Porsche motor is a big step up, but suffers from the same maintenance issues mentioned above.

The bottom line is, you need deep pockets to get into a Porsche. Even if you can find one for 2-3 thousand, you'll probably need that much again to bring the service up to date if you wanted a reliable car. I'm sure lots of other people will be chiming in with more good advice, so i'll leave the rest to the experts.

Dave951M

There are horror stories about poorly maintained cars costing the new owners bigtime bucks. Take your time and get a good example that has maint records. Next, get a factory manual, not the Haynes comic book, and learn to use it. Otherwise, get used to high labor rates. Much of the work can be done yourself with help from the list and Clark's garage. If you do your own maint, you'll find these cars can be very reliable and not terribly expensive. The key is to get a good car in the first place, even if it costs a few $$ more.

Now for a turbo, that's like a crack addiction. Hope you have a good job and an understanding ins agent at your age.

Serge944

You do the work yourself...its not that costly. The whole "you wont find a good example for under 4k" is BS. At least in CA. There are lots of unwanted 944's around here (some running ones with straight bodies for as low as 1000). Just prepare to get your hands greasy: very.

I bought by 944 for 500, and by $1300 total, it was mechanically sound (with new belts/rollers, hew headgasket, and a 66k engine). But i guess thats more a matter of resourcefulness.

Good luck.

pcarfan944

Yeah, cheap and unwanted for a reason.

"I purchased my 944 on November 13, 2003 for $500 making the 13th the luckiest day of the month for me. Shipping it from San Francisco was $175. However, my new car wasn't exactly in perfect condition. It needed a new battery, a few light bulbs, a lot of zymol, and most importantly: a new engine, since the old one suffered from a piston rod break. "


Sounds like the guy wants a daily driver, not a project car.

Serge944

I fixed the car in a week. It is my daily driven "project car." I have driven 22k in the last 10 months. It was all financed (maintenance, gas, and insurance) out of my own minimum wage pocket.

Hell, hes Russian; he sure as hell better know how to wrench!

By the way, motor mounts are closer to 50 each, instead of 500.

Good luck finding something, whether you plan to work on it or not. Just be mindful of the timing belt, oil leaks, clutch, ball joints, cv joints, transmission rack&pinion, synchros, and water pump. Those are common issues on any 944.

Jakerx

any 944 can be expensive...not just the turbo...but hey welcome to the board buddy. always great to have new people. 944's are great cars to own and to drive. good luck with finding one

CPTdooberhead

test drive as many examples as you can. I would test drive a turbo too... make the right choice..
-Randy

hoffman912

944 isnt 100% mechanical car... if you want somthing like that you'll want a 914 or a 912
(shameless plug for the air coolers)...

anyways you have come to the right place as rennlist is the best board for the 944 series.

key is to do your homework... know what youre getting into before you buy.. and when you do buy, buy the best example you can get. its worth it to buy an $8,000 cherry mechanically no issues car, than it is to buy a $2000 pos and try to fix it up. (ie.. you will spend well over 8k fixing up a 2k car to be just as nice as the 8k one you should have bought) most people learn the hard way.

best of luck!

Harry

xsboost90

914 isnt 100% mechanical car, unless you get an older carb. one...

Chris_924s

Oh man.. Danny and Harry are ganging up.

First of all- Welcome to Rennlist. Draw your own conclusions by driving several with a variety of pricepoints. Check the FAQ's at www.clarks-garage.com - very useful resource.

Dont streetrace or expect holeshots without replacing a ring & pinion. Take the time and take it to a track and learn how to drive it. Best of Luck!!

84black944

Im 19 and i have 4 cars i would say start with a 944 and maybe later when you get some more money get a turbo like me. I have yet to spend a penny on repairs for my turbo, but over winter expect about 5 grand to go into my turbo.

Tony K

Stick with your honda. If you buy a 944 for $2.5-3k and drive it daily, you'll easily spend another $1000 per year the first few years to just keep it on the road. Understand that to make a $2.5k 944 both reliable and safe, you will easily spend another $2.5k to make it that way. You will inevitably come across a job that you can't do yourself or don't have the tools/equipment or time for, so you will have to invest money in tools or take it to a shop. And that will not include cosmetic upkeep.

If you are worrying about being able to afford the insurance, then you can't afford to drive and maintain one. Wait a few years until you have more money. I waited until I was 23 and had a job that paid enough that I could have bought a new econobox. In the mean time, start learning about the cars, get to know owners, attend some events, look at some examples, etc. Familiarize yourself with them for at least a year before you buy one. And wait until you feel you can comfortably afford one. No harm in waiting. You will have a much better experience that way.

Cheers,

Tony