SamGrant951

If I recall correctly you don't do any of your own work...and labor is usually the expensive part. Big $$ jobs can be completed for little cost when done by yourself or with the help of some friends.

So yes I think you could have a nice DD for 5k...Id try and buy one that has relatively low miles, good records, "dry" engine that ideally had a clutch done. Change the fluids, throw on a new w/p and belt, etc and enjoy!

whale_of_a_tail

Oh believe me, I looked.

I'm mildly knowledgeable when it comes to 911s, and I knew one of those was right out at this point in my life (I'm 23 and just out of college), so I started looking at 924s/944s/968s/928s, and quickly settled on the 944. Parts and repairs on Porsches never come cheap, so the entrance fee seemed to be the place to try and maximize bang for the buck, not that the 944 is a slouch.

I've thought about it, and based on what I'm seeing on here it really seems to be about getting a good one to start with. When the time comes, I guess I should just keep my eye out for one thats had a timing belt, water pump, and that has some reasonable life left in the clutch and LOTS of records. If I can score one of those for ~$4k I should be in business. And its good because I have a a little while to look and wait before I'm position to pull the trigger.

I will also be finding a good wrench for these cars in the area. I'm in West Palm Beach FL, so if anyone knows of a good place I can go and maybe talk to a mechanic about what I'm getting myself into that would be cool, because while the dealership is usually a good bet, a good third party Porsche Mechanic seems to be a valuable thing to have access to. I will probably have the car worked at a garage, rather than the dealership...I mean the occasional oil and filter at the dealership is cool just for the "Ownership Experience" aspect, but other than that I'd rather have a go-to guy for major repairs, and basic maintenance will be a DIY affair.

Also, this place is awesome. You guys are very helpful, and there are some really nice people on here. I plan to scout some cars on Autotrader, etc and take some notes, see whats up. I wanna be a damned expert when it comes time to buy.

I'm VERY stoked because Porsche ownership has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember.

PS: EPIC ***** FTW

Project 951

+1
Having owned two 944s N/A and turbo, i can safely say that there will be good years, and bad years. Obviously, maintenance doesn't come cheap, but again, with the help of a good repair manual (Haynes), the repairs are pretty straight forward and can be done yourself. All the time and money i put into the car fades away every time i get behind the wheel.

tifosiman

One doesn't need a supercharger to have a good running daily driver. Some of us are perfectly happy with the amount of horsepower and pure driving experience built in at the factory. You could also argue that adding things like superchargers and go-fast goodies decreases the reliability of the car.

I'd say a decent, early-model 944 can be had for $5K and a little extra maybe for preventative maintenance.

Of course we all have different opinions as to what a daily driver is. For me the car would have to look good, with everything intact and decent paint (doesn't have to be original paint, and doesn't have to be perfect, but at least look OK from 20 feet). No rust. Decent interior. Starts and runs everytime I walk out to start it. Good tires. Maintenance up to date (preferrably done by me after purchase, or done by a shop I know prior to purchase with receipts ------ not likely). No weird mods done by the previous owner - No tiger-ladies on the side, no racing stripes, no fart-can exhaust, no paint roller and brush paint-jobs, etc.

Ok, I'm picky.

Now, my honest opinion is: personally I don't think a 924-944-951-968 series car makes for a good daily driver. Its not that I'm bashing on them. I need something that can haul 4 people when necessary, gear, 3-4 bikes on the roof, is good in crappy Ohio winters. Something that I can pick people up at the airport with and not be embarrased, and something that I can leave at the airport for 1-2 weeks in extended parking that blends in and doesn't attract any unwanted attention/abuse. And something that I'm not tempted to pour money into for modifications. Even better still if its one of those cars that can go 60-100K miles in-between major expenses like timing belt changes, waterpumps, etc. Runs every time I hop in it to go somewhere.

Our cars make great toy/hobby/weekend playthings. They are old, quirky sports cars. If one can tinker on them without the expense of a mechanic that's all the better. But there's no way I'd want to drive one every day and depend on it for work and my daily routine. The same holds true for many other cars IMHO. 911's, 928's, Boxters, z-cars, etc, etc.

YMMV. To be fair.

whale_of_a_tail

As far as the people hauling capacity, etc, I rarely carry large objects and I'm totally willing to sacrifice space for the joy of owning such a cool, quirky littlea\ Porsche. As a car enthusiast forum I think, that to some degree, we can all embrace impracticality. I meticulously maintain my vehicles, too. So hopefully with some love and PM my future car will be good to be.

There is some awesome input in here. Thank you guys.

whalebird

Lots of good advice here. I drive my 924S everyday, except the last 6 weeks the weather has sidelined it and i have taken the opportunity to pull the motor and reseal/update the mostly original bits. I've got 1500 in parts right now and It would have cost 3000 with labor. I have done a clutch and lots of other things over time and I would say that, If I had to pay somebody labor, i would probably have spent $7000 in the past six years of ownership/daily driving. That does not include the $2200 purchase price (48K original miles). It needs total cosmetic restoration.
Spend the money up front to get a well owned/maintained/repaired car.