Hi all, well this is the classic question, which Porsche to buy. I have managed to scramble together about $25,000 for a new car but what I really want is a Porsche. I am moving from a leased 330i (Yawn) and convinced my wife that I could use an older car for commuting and we would save a ton of $$$ on the depreciation (of course it didn’t hurt that I gave in on the SUV she wants).
So now I am dreaming of Porsches day and night, but I don’t know what to do. I need a car that can be driven every day to the ferry terminal, about 10 miles each way. I want a car that will defog the windows (it’s a little wet up here in the big woods), but I could care less if the A/C blows cold (5 days above 80’ per year). Another requirement is that I need a hard top that can be parked in public 10-12 hours/day (see aforementioned rain) without having its top slashed or leaking.
From what I have seen I could go with a perfect 944 Turbo/944S2/968, a great 911SC, a good 911 Carrera, an average 964, or a clapped out 993. My concerns are :
Reliability
Comfort for the NW climate
Depreciation
Repair cost.

I am leaning toward the 964 but I am a little wary about the 964’s reputation (DMF, distributor vent, oil leaks, etc.). On the other hand I am concerned about the ability of a Carrera or SC to be used on rainy January mornings to defog the windows and get me to the ferry on time. Of course a 993 would be nice…but have you seen the 993s for $25,000? (not so good)
You may have noticed I am not considering the Boxter or the 928. The boxter is only available as a convertible (a definite minus in my book) and I have just heard too many 928 horror stories ($15,000 car + $45,000 maintenance = divorce).
I will probably do most of the maintenance myself, I have experience working on my dad’s 78’ Turbo (including a clutch replacement) so most repairs are more of a Time/part cost concern not a “how much will that be at $108/hr” concern. Of course, while I enjoy tinkering, rebuilding the left bank of heads on a car I need on Monday is still a drag.
So, what do you recommend?

P.S. How much do targas leak?

 

it may be wise to wait until you can afford a later model p-car... especially if its going to be used every day.

just a suggestion.

if you are REALLY intent on blowing that 25k, try going into the specialty forums on the board

https://rennlist.com/forums/forumdis...?s=&forumid=59 964
https://rennlist.com/forums/forumdis...?s=&forumid=56 911

 

That's a pretty good summary. What I've found is that I've been pleasantly surprised at how reliable the two 911's I've owned (911SC and 964) have been. On 911SC's, there's an FAQ at tech.rennlist.com, if you haven't read that already. There's a 964 FAQ here. Bruce Anderson does a pretty net summary in his monthly Excellence columns, and there are a series of books with excellent information, by Peter Morgan, called 'Original 911' and 'Original 924/944/968', which I'd recommend. 944's are great Porsche's too, and a late 80's to early 90's are worthy of consideration.

 

If you are considering a water pumper, I would definitely suggest the 968. Well within $25K for an excellent example, with money left over as a rainy day maintenance/mod fund. 3.0l NA engine was reliable, as long as you pay attention to belts/tensioners/water pump....normal maintenance items.
(I'm a bit biased, as a 968 Cab is the next car on my wish list)

FWIW, my 94 (964) RSAmerica had 111K miles and was as reliable as I could have ever hoped for (why did I sell it? ?.
If you are considering a 964, I would suggest reading Adrian's Streather's book on the 964 (he is a forum member as well if you have questions via PM or email).

The best thing about Rennlist is once you narrow it down to a model, search the particular forum, and get a lot of very useful information.

Best of luck with your search and decision.

 

IMHO the early 3.0 SCs are a reliable car, and for $20,000 you can get a nice one. For 25 you could find a very nice one with a rebuilt engine/clutch, new paint etc.

Good hunting !

Lar

 

968...


These are great cars. They are not that old. 13 to 10 years. They have great hwy power and low end torque. Better than a 2.5L boxster. They are also mostly depreciated. Buy it now for $17K for really nice one and sell it in 5 years for 12k and 10k in 10 years. Most of the depreciation has already occured. The the car is raw and fun yet also much more liveable and comfortable for daily use than any before a 964 and maybe even better than a 964. Get one with an LSD and then get snow tires on it an it is fine for winter.

 

968...

And if you really don't mind not having an air conditioner, there are supercharger applications that will use that belt.

 

Hi Race Ipsa
I'm in Portland, OR. similar weather to yours. My 944 functioned very well in this climate but I dumped loads of $ into it to keep it in top shape. I eventually sold it with only 79K mi. because my 2yrs of maintenance bills were getting close to what I paid for the car. On the other hand, my 964 required very little maintenance and was every bit as useable as the 944 i.e. good HVAC. Sold it for 25K with only 66K mi. It was in excellent shape. I’d go for the 964 1992 or newer. I’m sure you’d be happy with it. They are very nice solid, durable, daily drivable cars.

 

Yes, some unfortuate souls has done this. Its far from the norm. Most informed 928 buyers get a good pre-purchase inspection and aren't afraid to walk away from a poorly maintained example. My current 928 commute car cost me $7,000, has served faithfully for over two years and all the maintainence/repairs I've put into during that time are under $10k. Much of that was catch-up stuff to get the car where I wanted/needed it, and there's less and less for me to fix on it.

The 928 is not for everyone (nor is any other Porsche), but one should not write off the model based on a few people's horror stories. There are many daily driven 928s that do not cause bankrupcy or divorce.

BTW, my 928 handles great in the rain and the defrost clears the windshield and side windows fast

 

My pick would be a 964, if you could find a good one at that price. How about a boxster with a hardtop? But a nice 968, as mentioned above, wih money to spare wouldn't be bad either.

Lou