RJT

SES stands for Socio-Economic Status...people are at different levels on the ladder...

Just my opinion, no flame intended, but......
If this has anything to do with buying a Porsche, you are buying it for the wrong reasons! People buying Porsches for their status symbol makes me wanna puke. But alas, this is a common practice for the past few years. Young guys making big bucks and want to drive their checkbook around to show off to others that aren't making the same bucks. I haven't "made it" yet until I can impress the neighbors. Whatever......
I could keep on ranting but I'll stop now.
R

progenitor04

well i think if u have kids u gotta get a family car, not a sports car, and if u wanna get a porsche get the Cayenne and use it as a family car if u have the money, and if u wanna have the car for urself then i would get the 911 that u love but i suggest the 944 but thats jus me, ya but if u have kids and u wanna drive them around, id look somewhere else and not at porsche unless u have the money for the cayenne

Cpt. Beaky

Hey buddy - as you say, no flame - but let a man live his dreams without talking smack about him. You can't claim that you're driving 356s because they are the best performance/comfort/handling for the price - you're driving them because they are 356s, and everything that entails.

20 years ago this guy was 15, and the ultimate performance status symbol was the 911. I'm guessing you drive a 356 for similar reasons, although they certainly stand on their own as nice vehicles.

SES is just a way of turning your position in life into a number that can be compared better - not necessarily for bragging rights, but perhaps to ensure that one can get involved in things without going broke.

If you read his post it's pretty obvious that he's not driving his checkbook around, he just wants to live a dream. Is that so wrong?

I agree with your message, though. People that buy into the marque without respecting it or least the car bug me a lot, too. I think you're misdirected aiming that at this guy though.


All that said, a 911sc is about the same price as a 944 turbo (951), although the 911 has less power I find them to be more comfortable (I'm a bit too tall for the 944s). Those cars can both be had for around $8-15k.

A 944 or early 928 can be had for $4-8k, in fact you're starting to look at the 928S4s at the high end - however, 928s are very involved high-end vehicles that can be a bit spendier, due to less shops being knowledgable/lack of parts.

914s are great! The only downside to them I've seen are that the only ones anyone seems to be selling are projects that they can't finish themselves.

I've done a lot of looking, and have found a couple 911SCs that I'm looking at that are in great shape with reasonable mileage for under 8k. My plan is to get it inspected, keep a couple thousand put aside just for any possible problems, and enjoy myself. If you're looking for a weekend driver and willing to do most of the wrenching yourself it isn't hard to rationalize the purchase - just make sure you never allow yourself to get sucked into picking up a "fixer-upper". A Porsche project car is only for those with a great deal of any two (or twice as much of any one) of skill, money, or patience.

umfan866

David and RJT 993,

Thanks for your responses. I also don't like young rich kids who buy Porsches for the status aspect alone and drive them just to show off. One of them ran into my friends Buick the other day - couldn't control his 911 and slammed into her family sedan. I'm not one of those people riding my money -- I don't have extra money .. I have about 10k that I might be able to use for an old Porsche if it doesn't go by the wayside with the property tax I owe, the income tax i will owe, and the appliances I need to finish paying for at Sears. We just bought a "fixer upper" in the Bay Area with a payment equivalent to 40% of my salary and so I am not the one with extra money. Even my wife thinks I should have an old Porsche but not until we can really afford it hence I may need to just get some sort of updated family-hauler for now (a used BMW wagon is looking good as our compromise to an Odyssey).

It is true that part of the reason I want a Porsche is for the status symbol.. I thought I would just be honest about this in my thread rather than pretending it's not true. I don't think anyone in their right mind can deny that Porsche's are status symbols and say that people should just buy one for the performance alone, including your 356. If you want performance alone, get a Subaru WRX. I actually looked into the WRX those based on responses from this thread but I just think they are too darn ugly. But other people seemed to know about them and respect them so even the WRX has its own piece of status/fame out there.

The other reasons I want a Porsche are for the performance and handling of a race car, for that feeling of being pushed back in your seat as the 6 cylinders behind you (at least in a 911) are screaming. It is true that I was in high-school in the mid-eighties when the 3.2s were in their heyday.
Lots of movies featured them. I also liked 928's as in one of Tom Cruise's early movies.

I've been surfing around locally and finding that a good 911 SC can be had for 10k or under as David Points out. The trick is to find one that doesn't need an engine rebuild or clutch soon---or you are quickly going to end up spending 20k or have to trash your investment. I've also seen some good 944s, 928s for sale but the ones in pristine condition not needing repairs are above 10k it seems.
A couple of 914s are available for less than 3k but are all in parts/projects that I'd need to finish.

I think it is cool that a lot of people on this board do their own repairs, or at the very least the most that they can do themselves, whatever level they are at. I have an 86 Bimmer and I also hang out on the e30 boards at unofficialbmw.com and elsewhere and having been inspired to become more of a "wrench" I repaired a resistor inside my own heater core last week. It probably would have cost me $300 after taking it to a shop but I did it myself and was able to build up confidence. I can use my current car for now to gain confidence, and then perhaps work on an old 911 as a hobby. As David points out you've got to either have money or time--I have not much of both (with a 2 year old) but time is still easier to obtain. I discovered the book "101 Projects for your Porsche" the other day at the bookstore and it was really fun to look through it. I really do consider an old 911 a dream. I hope to buy one from an honest person who cares more that his/her car will continue to have a good home than making a buck. And luckily people on this board (at least so far) are patient with me trying my buyer assessment skills out by posting various threads about the car's I come across... so that when the right car comes up, I will know it when I see it. Thks Marvin.

BigRed

I'm thinking about converting the two "back seats" in my 944 into full time child safety seats complete with 5 point harness. It WILL be my family car...



Not to mention that it's not my daily driver...yet. The wife has an Expedition and I have my pickup.

Martin Arias

Hey,
I finally convinced my wife the 930 is a family car. The back seats are built in child seats. Dr. Porsche designed the 911 as a car for a family of 4. (Two adults and two children) which explains why the back seats are so small. It seems logical, doesn't it?

RJT

Cpt Beaky......
Re-read my post! I wasn't "talking smack" about him or anyone else personally. I simply stated my opinion of people in general that buy a Porsche or Ferrari or anything because of its STATUS effect on your daily life. But the last time I checked, this was a discussion forum that you could state your opinions about various subjects, no matter what they might be.
One of the worst things you can do is to own a car (or house etc) that you can't afford. If you can't afford a Porsche, then maybe you shouldn't buy one. I couldn't care less whether you can or can't. But the whole concept of, I will be respected or thought of in a better way because of what I own or drive is stupid, IN MY OPINION!
I'm just not caught up in a lifestyle that I feel that I need to impress ANYONE, or to own something to justify my "place on the ladder".
If you do, go for it!
R

PS. I find it interesting that since I just have 356s now, that I primarily "hang out" with other 356 owners. Many of these owners are VERY successful professional people that own 356s that are worth more than a 996 Turbo. But nobody cares. No one boasts or brags about how much horsepower they have. Just good, down to earth people that truly love their cars and the history of the Porsche automobile. I haven't seen one person wearing a gold chain with a big Porsche Crest or drive their 356 acting like it was a status symbol.

BigRed

It worked for me...

Crazy Canuck

I'm single. No kids. No obligations. My house is paid for. I make a good living. I've wanted a Porsche since I can remember.

My suggestion would be to wait for the Porsche and buy an Odyssey or an Accord. Something reliable and relatively cheap to run. I drove a Civic before an Accord (both used) before driving a company Pilot. Be cheap for awhile and pay yourself by paying down more principal on your house so you reduce your interest charges long term. Keep the dream alive and keep looking.

I had a hard time justifying the purchase of my car I have on order because it is a ridiculous purchase (more desire than need) and is a hell of a lot of money. In fact I almost bought a 1990 944 Turbo a few years ago but held off and bought a house. It was the right thing to do at the time. Even though I've been to both Rennsport reunions, been to teh Porsche museum, racetracks etc. and I have a pile of Porsche posters on my walls, over 100 diecast Porsches around my house I debated for about a year before I pulled the trigger. I'm happy I bought my house and passed on the 944. At the time I wasn't so sure. Real estate goes up in value, cars (usually) go down.

If a Porsche is what you want you will have one. Desire breeds creativity and you'll figure out a way to make it work.

Nothing worthwhile is ever easy.

brucegre

I think Ferdinand did it to us on purpose, he just knew that the right car would provoke uncontrollable emotions in all of us.

I fell in love with 911s when I was ten, and then had to wait until I was 41 to get the first one. All the same issues - family, mortgage, lack of disposable income - but I waited it out. It was worth it! I guess I come down on the side of wait until you can afford to buy the car, and you can afford to own the car, which with a Porsche can be as significant. You won't be disappointed, that's for sure.

In the meantime, keep the dream alive, even behind the wheel of an Odyssey. Funny things is, I have a GT3 but I put way more miles on my Honda Pilot (family, kids, all that stuff ). Just knowing that the Porsche is there makes it OK.

psychodiagnostik

Your reply really strikes a cord with me: I gave up a tech job that paid just OK to go to grad school in clinical psych... All in the hopes of making major bank so that I can buy Porsches and such. (Basically, I would like to be the next Yalom, Exner, or even Dr. Phil). All fast, expensive cars attract me, but especially Porsches, and being married, most of my income was earmarked for stuff besides Porsches, so I figured the best way to get what I want is to make enough money to provide for my family, and have enough left over to buy major toys, and clinical psych, when marketed correctly, appears to be the way that suits my personality.

The thing is, for me, the journey to the Porsche has been as exciting as I imagine the car would be, so that's the way I look at it. I'm not sure when I'll get there (some people have to wait until retirement) but I try to focus on the here and now.

bhakti

well, hope you have more spirited goals in life.

snoz

I bought my first Porsche three months ago. I bought a 1980 928 that looked and ran pretty clean. My PPI consisted of looking at the car for fifteen minutes and driving it for forty-five. I paid $3500.00 for the car with ~ 85K on the odo. The car has some issues, but it drives and looks great. My point is that all of the lower priced Porsches don’t have to be nightmare, basket cases. I would suggest you research things more thoroughly than I did. I guess I may have gotten lucky with mine. I certainly hope I did.

The defining moment in my purchase decision came after talking with my boss (he had owned a 914 while in college). I asked him if, in his opinion, this car was a stupid thing to buy. His response was “of course it is a stupid thing to buy, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth it…”. He was right!

umfan866

Thanks everyone. Hey ...Psychodiagnostic...not a bad move...clinical psych can be lucrative, I was in social psych and thus could only do research or teach, perhaps some consulting in human factors (had done some research on HDTV)...would have taken quite a bit to go back and get my clinical license, and I got this tech job at a time when everything looked super rosy. Now just glad to be able to survive the latest round of layoffs at my tech company. In a week I will be going into a pure technical Oracle DBA position, that will be fun, and hopefully a good career move.

Guys- I am starting to be a little more open-minded about the model, am starting to consider a 944 and/or 928. Another good compromise might be to get a nice 540i wagon for me and the wife...but those things are expensive too!! Snoz...glad you are happy with your 928. I like that car too, esp the early model rear lights--they really rock!

9five1

I saw your post about the 944 on Craigslist.. Don't give up! The right car is out there for you.

~Eric