Mighty Shilling

Hokay. you guys know about the Turbo S that I'm contemplating buying... However the fact that it might need a clutch is scary to me... also is the fact that hey, it's 20 friggin years old. things will break, things will cost me money...which I don't have a lot of right now... I'm coming to you guys, the turbo forum, to let me know your thoughts. I'm aware that you'll be biased, but hey, that's what Rennlist is about...

Here's my situation... I'm a college grad as of sunday. I have no source of income other than my Auto detailing business. business is slow, hence my trips to california, but I digress... I'm also planning on looking for police departments here shortly, so I'll be making $45,000.00 a year if I'm hired on.

Now, I've got the 924S. I'm planning on holding on to that for a good while longer. it's a great car, but right now is high maintinance.

Based on my situation, I'm contemplating a cheapish sporty, not quite economy, but nothing that'll break the bank car that has a warrantee... such as a new GTI or MINI Cooper S. I'm thinking I'll spend around $20,000.00, for something fun, that's under warrantee... Whereas the Turbo S is going to cost me $12,500.00, not under warrantee, and I cannot secure a loan for that much on the car... (the most I can get is $11,270 at 5.7% APR...good rates, I know...)

Now, as much as I live and breath Porsche, I don't know if I can trust the 924S as a DD anymore, and I'm pretty sure the 951S is a similar story... things break, I understand, and I probably won't be able to afford to have one or both cars down for a bit...the 924S needs a good engine reseal (including the oil pump to block Loctite stuff) so it'd be best to pull the engine for that...

Based upon my situation, what would you do?
1) knowing the 951's history and maintinance are good, buy it, save the money, and pray a lot.
2) Look for something newer, and still under warrantee...

Thanks guys. I'm definately not going to leave Porsche behind... but I'm debating on whether to purchase the 951 or something newer...

95Juan

yeah, 951 as a DD is NOT a great idea. especialy while you're waiting to get signed on as a peace officer.


once you do that, you should look into the 951S, or possibly another 951 locally (maybe next winter....prices are ALWAYS good in the winter).


for NOW, i'd get something that wouldnt lose much value in case you want to sell it-

i'm guessing the 924S has emotional value, and frankly, if it were working, i'd keep it (n/a's are fun, dammit!). and having 2 p-cars, and 1 DD isnt really......economically smart.




here's an outstanding idea- for now, get a bike.

buy a used motorcycle and use that as a DD, since summer's coming. get the 924S sorted out for snowy/rainy days, and use a motorcycle whenever you can. bikes cost a little less to insure, cost less in general, and get great mpg.

just dont race the damned thing.

potent951turbo

If it were me I would go for the 951. I know its not the "smart" way to go but I have tried other cars that are much newer and everything is working, but they just never feel like a 944 to me. Is the 951 the one in your pic? If I remember from other posts its your dad's car, and you were going to buy it? To me that is a great looking car, and I love the silver rose 951 S. 951's are getting harder to find and if I had a line on a good one to start as a base and passed it up I would be forever kicking myself. When I say to start as a good base, I mean one that may have some problems here and there but could be made great again with some work. One way you could look at it, is that you would pay off the 951 in less time then a newer car, and with the money you don't spend paying for a new car you could use on replacement parts and in the end you would have a nice 951 that far exceeds what you could have had in a new car. I sold my E36 BMW back in November and could have gotten a much newer car such as an E36 M3, but I had a line on the 951 I had been wanting forever(no sunroof, and alpine white) from a friend, and I thought about passing it up for the exact reasons you were (not as reliable, things breaking, etc) but I knew if I let it go I would always kick myself for letting it go, so I bought it and it has turned out to be great to me. It has had it's moments but overall I don't regret buying it one bit. I figure I will buy a newer car when I have more money to spend and I can retire the 951 as a weekend toy later on. Once again it may not be the smart choice, but its the right choice in my book.

Mighty Shilling

yeah... I dunno... aren't there places where you can buy warrantees on used cars?

I do beleive that nothing else is like a 944... who knows? maybe I'll test drive the newer cars, then go for a drive in the 951... that'll help refuel the fire...and make a more informed decision... I certainly know the MINI's aren't as fast as the 951, nor are the GTI's... and I know MINI's handle well... but not up to par with the 951... and I'm sure the GTI is the same way...

Well shiet... I'll look but probably end up going the turbo route...

Note: just looked up specs on the GTI... the thing only has 200 HP? WTF? it's definately dumbed down... **** it... I'm gonna go for the turbo. I was kinda drunk last night when posting this thread.. Tequila does wierd things...

fourside

If you do decide to go for a newer car, find a cheap 2004-2005 Dodge SRT-4. You could probably find one for $15k, and they're quite fast (although FWD). 0-60mph 5.3, 1/4 13.9.

PorscheDoc

Why not buy a mid 90's, decent shape honda accord or something similar for under 4-5k to use as a daily driver for a year while you save up some money? You can pick those things up cheap, and they are pretty solid. Then buy what you want when you have a good job under your belt.

potent951turbo

Excellent! Go for the Turbo!

Crazy Eddie

This is a wise man speaking
In truth it is the most practical option !! BY FAR ...
Now, is it sexy? NO FREAKIN WAY !!!

PorscheDoc

Definetly. I have had my crap box truck for going on 9 years now. 160k miles, a dented front fender from a mercedes hitting me, but with no end in site. I do nothing but put gas and oil in it, it costs 25 bucks a month to insure. My porsche is my toy, while I probably drive it more than the truck, when it needs work, I park it, buy parts, and hop in the truck. My parts purchase I look at as my "monthly payment" since both cars are paid off. Some months I don't have a payment, other months I might have a $150 car payment so to speak. If the truck dies, I will pick up a $500 beater car and continue the trend. I put the fiance in a new vehicle so I don't have to worry about her, but for me, there is no need. There is a porsche waiting in the garage when I want it. As you become more financially secure, the price of the daily beater can go up a little

Tom M'Guinn

There are a lot of newer, reliable, sub-$20k cars with some factory warranty and/or eligible for aftermarket warranty and financing worth considering:

Honda S2000
Mazda Rx-7TT
Mazda Rx-8
Audi TT
Nissan 350Z
BMW 3 series
early Boxter
Mustangs, Camaro's, etc.

Ken D

Since you asked.....I would never take out a loan (which is a binding legal agreement) without a steady and reliable source of income. Drive the 924S or buy a cheap daily driver until you have steady income and can afford the debt.

944Fest (aka Dan P)

The voice of reason here.

Before you can buy the toys, you have to cover the "solids". The things you need to survive. Reliable transportation and a roof over your head. Paying rent does not count. Mom's house does not count. Get your name on a deed, have a car you can rely on to take you everywhere you need to go.

THEN, and only then, is it a reasonable idea to 'invest' disposable income on a TOY that may be unreliable, expensive and lots and lots of fun.

Then again, if you DO need to live in Mom's basement, at least you can escape from reality in a Turbo S every now and then. (I have no idea where Geoff lives)

Opeth

I would:

1. Get a cheap small pickup (toyota or nissan)... would be good if youre gonna stick with the detailing thing, and great for moving stuff for "tips"

2. unload the 924

3. do whatever you can to get the 951, sell a kidney if you have to... hell if youve driven one you know its worth it

Mighty Shilling

I do live in Mom's basement... LOL!

Mighty Shilling

Hokay, so here's the deal. I went and test drove a GTI today... Honestly, I was AMAZED at the car. 200 HP, 3000 pounds, it's not that far off the 951 numbers... it's twice the price, has a 4 year warrantee, has a bigger back seat, can haul a LOT more than the 924 or Turbo could, and is safer... (no 18 year old air bags in front of me)

So, that leaves me thinking... I'm looking for newer. I am looking to get a job here soon, something that pays at least decently as of now, as well as an apartment with a garage. Now... I want to always have a Porsche. I'm NEVER going to leave them behind. they're too good of cars to not own one.

And the VW, that just impressed the **** outa me. seriously. it handled better than I expected, it had the power on demand, lots of new features that I liked, (traction control, COLD AC, a reasonable back seat...) that the 951 didn't have... and can be souped up to 951 specs (at least engine wise) fairly inexpensively...

I'm going to crunch the numbers and see about getting the VW. espescially as they're offering 2.6% APR right now... If not, I'll save for one. the 951 can wait until later... when I have a 3 car garage.. Dad's talking about holding onto it...