Horsepwr

So I completely have the Porsche bug and I am considering buying a second one so I am curious to your experiences with others.

I am intrigued with the older Boxster because they can be bought for well under 10k and seem like they could be a blast to drive. I feel the S models are pretty quick, and with the mid engine they must handle fabulously.

There is something about the look of the 928, and the idea of an 8 cylinder car has me feeling like I may get that "torquey" feeling that you get in some of the American muscle cars.

The 944 was always a joke to me growing up, my uncle had one and I always felt it was just a sad excuse for a Porsche, but now I am starting to see the appeal of them (Price vs Performance) and I wouldn't ming having a turbo model. There is something about when a turbo starts to kick in, its like the power band on a 2 stroke motor dirk bike.

Of those three I feel as if I like the 928 the best.

Let me know your thoughts guys.

Bash Hat

Tommy Tuite

Boxster S was my entry to modern Porsches. It's was so fantastic and bone stock! Loved it for commuting, track days and just to detaill. 10/10 would get again it my garage was an airplane hanger!

Silk

docmirror

Of the three mentioned, I've owned two of them. Never had a Boxster, and really have no desire. Maybe the last of the breed possibly. If we peg a price at $12k asking, one can get a pretty good 951(944 turbo). The top of the heap in the 951 is the 90 or 91 models with the bigger turbo bolted on, and some tighter suspension. It would be hard to find a decent 90-91 model for that price, but possible. Warning - most of the 951s you will find have at some point been thrashed, or modded to a point where you would want to start over. Try to find one that is bone stock, and with at least some recent mx history.

In the 928 world, you can get a fairly decent model for $12k. There are four general ranges of the 928 and the oldest might be your best bet for the price point. Finding a well loved 1978-1980 with decent paint and interior is possible but you would be shopping for quite a while. Also, the 928s are generally cosmetically ok, but will require plenty of catch-up mx on the wiring, electrical, and maybe brakes, etc.

I have no opinion on the Boxster, but for $12k I'm guessing you could get a pretty sweet S model. Look for a car with the IMS already done at that price I guess.

Two cars you have left out which bear honorable mentions. The Cayman is the coupe version of Boxster. Not sure what you can find in the $12k range, but worth a glance. The S model is supposed to be quite a performer. The other is the 968. One of the more un-loved of the transaxle cars. The 968 is a rebadged and reworked 944S. It is not turbo, but has a very large 4 cyl engine with lots of torque. A decent one can be found for $12k but the best ones are going for $15 and up now.

911Syncro

I often see the Porsche history divided into "before" and after. The Boxster and 996 started a new generation of technology, and the prior phase ended with the 993, 928, and 968. Or in other words those 3 models plus everything before (944, 914, etc.) have the older technology. So you might want to focus on the cars before the Boxster to get a more varied experience in your Porsche exploration. If the 944 Turbo is interesting, then certainly check out the 968 because it has about the same power with a very broad power curve without the drawbacks of turbo charging. And yes admittedly I do have a 968 sitting next to the 996, but really wish the complementary car was a 914 or 912.

ekoz

Depends on what you plan to do with the car. I owned a 944Turbo since 1998. If you don't mind fixing things, literally every repair/mod/upgrade you can think of has been thoroughly documented on rennlist or other sites. And as far as working on it yourself its not too bad as soon as you figure out the right tool for the job. But even a low miles stock one would probably need all new hoses and seals. Not too mention the engine plastic parts on the wiring harness. To be fair, mine is heavily modified street legal track car and has been abused for 20 years so it gets way more heat under the hood. Maybe others that just street drive theirs don't see any issues.

My fear about the 928 is you would run into the same issues since they are all getting old. The 944 is a simpler car to work on IMO.

If I was just street driving it, I would get a non turbo version. I would get S2 or 968, I'm not a fan of the early body style.

Want to be

I might have the bug too. My wife's told me I tricked her into buying a Porsche 958 for the daily drive. She loves it though. Lol. Base V6

Others. 955 TT and 928 S4

I don't own a normal car anymore.

Horsepwr

Oh Man so many good comments suggestions etc. I had never even heard of a 968 but now I am intrigued. The 914 is not my style but the 912 looks fun.

Docmirror, 12k or less isn't necessarily my cut off I just threw out there that I see plenty of Boxster at 10k or less (I see them all day long for 8k and under really) and it seems like a fun toy cheap. My biggest hesitation with the Boxster is I feel people look at them as the girls Porsche?

Decisions decisions...

Horsepwr

My case and point, how does one not buy this???
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...3098973547430/

DGI

Blue Chip

Horsepwr

Thats cool. I am looking for something outside the 911 family though.

jllphan

Good advice in this thread --- depends on what you plan to do with it and how much you like fixing things...

Of those mentioned here, the boxster would probably be the best and most reliable, but I'm just not a vert guy.

The 951 is lots of fun (was my first pcar) but that they are old and will always need something, same w/ the 928. Of those two, the 928 would be the better GT car, the 951 more fun in town/mixed driving. I wouldn't consider either if i didn't plan to wrench on them myself.

The 928 is about to have it's moment, so shop now if you lean that way -- the 951 still has a while, imho. I cringe at the thought of an AT pcar, but those in the 928 are actually not terrible.

firecall

I've also loved the 928. Especially the looks of the early models - so simple with the great retro interiors.

I've had some real fun times in a very nice Porsche 944 Turbo as well. Not as fast as I'd have liked, but really great I thought. I loved it - but oddly my wife didn't, and she's a vintage 911 fan. When I say not fast, it didnt have that thump in the back accelation of a modern 911 or even a 996, but it went pretty quick. Maxed out on fast roads it felt really great.

I'd by a 944 as a daily driver no question.

I'd also like a Boxster oddly enough - never used to like them, but I see the appeal now. They've improved with age I reckon.

Also a hard core Cayman variant would be nice :-)