I most certainly did underestimate ... and I'm not the only one hence the warning.

As far as the hood, the stock hood remains

 

Depends on the car and what if any modifications you make. It pays to be smart enough to walk away from a $$$ needy car and not let your heart get the best of you. Educate yourself so you know a good car when you see it and it helps to buy one that someone else has poured money into. Money spent on performance mods will usually return little on resale and may actually decrease it's value. Your $mileage may.

 

These cars are NOT that bad to maintain if you don't buy a hacked up mess. To be honest the people complaining are normally the ones hacking and piecing their cars together. These budget mods cause issues and then all of a sudden the 944 series cars are terrible. The 996 has its issues as well and can be very expensive to own.

 

I have a 1988 Turbo S (153K now, bought it at 29K) and am reasonably adept at working on my car thanks to all of the knowledgable people on Rennlist. From my experience, the 944 Turbo is very dependable as long as you keep it stock. The worst repair I've experienced is a clutch (small spring coming loose required a new clutch and PP - common with the original clutch - now using a Cup clutch). Otherwise, I've done oil changes, brakes, etc...soon to do an oil pan reseal. I would do it again in a heartbeat if I could roll the tape back...

 

yeah the 911 is a very pretty car , but if I am taking the budget into the high teens or low 20's then other cars start entering the conversation and the 911 would not be at the top of my list . nothing against the 911 i think they are pretty , there are just other cars i would want more at that price range .

as to a bike , i have had too many friends scraped off the pavement and shoveled into a bucked to ever want one .

Budget is a real factor , and 944s are available in my area at a price i am price I am comfortable paying . same goes for the early c4 vetts ( although they seem to have gotten scarce all of a sudden )

mechanically the 944 does not seem to be an overly complicated machine and in watching build vids and reading build threads here I have not seen anything that i would not be able to handle . Same goes for the vetts . Both cars are manageable for a DIY guy , if i buy one of these cars they will never see a Porsche dealer as long as I own them , that is for both cost and distance reasons .

The one thing i don't want to deal with is buckets of rust , which is a strength of both the 944 and the vett . neither seem prone to serious rust problems .

I am not looking for a speed daemon or race car , what I want is a fund cool car for weekends , maybe the odd car show . More of a touring car than a racer .

 

They are great hobby cars. Be patient for an unmodified complete example and the reward is tenfold. It might cost a bit more up front but, from my experience, the more a car has been 'worked on', the higher the propensity for future problems...ie, wires not clipped back into position, over torqued fasteners, aftermarket sensors, blah blah blah...

The life expectancy of rubber bits is 18 years or so. It takes some coin to redo the suspension bits with OE. I will admit that old janky suspensions can be quite fun if you like pitching the car around, but if you want a compliant quiet ride plan on a few K to get there.

Rust is why I avoided the air cooled era....been there.

 

Though I couldn't think of another car I'd take over a 911 in the mid to high teens, and since budget is a factor, let's move fwd under the assumption that motorcycle is out and keep it well under $10k ...

Mechanically the 944 is very DIYable, my only irritant is the delay in getting parts (can't just poop into the local pep boys)

Rust is easy to deal with both at purchase and at ownership, ask before seeing, inspect before buying, and spray down after each winter

Have you considered a Boxster?
They can be had around the same price range now, are going to be 10-20 years younger, have a mid-engine (which IMO delivers a much more aggressive ride), are also DIYable, ... I didn't like the way they looked until I got in one and the ride was much better than my 951, again I refer back to the 10-20 years younger and all the advantages that hold which are many

 

I haven't considered the boxer , there is one around for sale , but i don't really like the looks of it . i think they wanted $13k for it , which is more than I want to spend on a toy at the moment . plus i would think the newer cars come with their own set of problems .
I should say that I am not a Porsche enthusiast , so the Porsche name does not carry a ton of weight for me .I am not looking at the 944 because i have a longing to own a Porsche , i am looking at the 944 because i like the car and it is in my price range . if anything the Porsche name probably weighs against the car as when i first looked at it i thought nice looking car but if it is a Porsche it must be stupid expensive to repair .
I am looking for a fun affordable sports car to tour around in on the weekends . one that I am confident I can repair on my own and one that is not rotted out with rust . That is why the comparison between the vette and the 944 . from a looks and style point of view i prefer the 944 it is a nice looking car and the styling has held up very well . The vette is a bit dated but they grow on you . parts $$ seem to be about the same for the 2 cars , availability for the vette is better in my area , but with the internet the 944 is manageable , and even with the vette i would probably order parts in to save the $$ it is what i do for my truck now . both cars have good forum support with knowledgeable ppl who are active on the forum . ( this is very important to me ) neither car is prone to rust problems .

 

$13k is high for an early generation Boxster, if you're patient you can get a decent one for 1/2 that cost. Also bear in mind the Vette is going to be several hundred lbs heavier which kills the enjoyment for me.

As far as forums, this is where it's at, I even come here for advice on my VW and truck since there's both more knowledge and more activity.

I didn't like the look either until I drove it and couldn't ignore the fun factor it provided so at this point I think driving is believing, drive the Vette, 944, and Boxster and you'll see.

 

Well, that right there's yer problem.

A $5 944 can't be too reliable, but getting a car for the price of a Happy Meal is a good deal IMHO. At least you only had to put the cost of a decent dinner into it before you wised up. $25 isn't too big of a hit to anyone's bank account.

 

And that's a BAD thing???

 

It's a personal preference thing.

At this point I think the OP has enough information and it's time to get behind the wheel and let the drive speak for itself.

For me, the 944 NA is too slow but it is very DIYable, the Vette is too bulky/heavy, and the Boxster would be the choice but I'd be curious to see what the selection ends up being and why...