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DMB14
Joined: 27 Mar 2007
Posts: 19
Location: VA
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 Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2007 11:55 am Post subject: Noobcake in need of advice |
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Hi everyone. I'm considering purchasing either a 924, 924S, or maybe a 944. Now, money would be an issue for me considering I'm 17 (I know I might be a little young for a Porsche, but what the hell) so I need to know about upkeep costs. From what I gather, 924Ss and 944s both need front engine service every 3 years or so and it can be costly (in the neighborhood of $2K if I'm not mistaken) because the timing belt is an issue. The question is, is 924 maintenance as costly? How much can I expect to spend to keep one on the road?
I realize that a Porsche is not the best choice for me if I'm gonna be tight on money, but I've loved Porsches for as long as I can remember. Now that it's time for me to get my 1st car if it's possible in any way for it to be a Porsche that's what I want it to be.
Basically what I want to know it, what's my best bet for a poor man's Porsche?
Any advice is appreciated.
Last edited by DMB14 on Tue Mar 27, 2007 11:59 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Chrenan
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 3903
Location: Canada
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| Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2007 11:59 am Post subject: |
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There is nothing more expensive than a cheap Porsche.
There is no such thing as a poor man's Porsche.
Find a $1000 Honda Civic, drive it until it dies. Find another $1000 Honda Civic, drive it until it dies. Repeat process until your education (college, university, trades, whatever) is done, you have a house of your own, and a budget for tools.
A 20+ year old European sports car is not a practical decision for a first car at the age of 17.
My advice...
Wait.
_________________
1987 951 - M193 Version for Japan |
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DMB14
Joined: 27 Mar 2007
Posts: 19
Location: VA
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| Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2007 12:01 pm Post subject: |
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| Damn that's exactly what I didn't want to hear haha. Thanks for your advice. |
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Chrenan
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 3903
Location: Canada
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| Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2007 12:06 pm Post subject: |
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I grew up lusting after the 924/944 when they were new, they are great cars. There will be plenty of good ones left around when you are ready for a hobby car. Trust me, if you buy one too soon, you'll be very bitter about the whole experience. When you're 17 any car provides freedom and fun, it doesn't need to have a certain badge on the front. I had more fun in crappy rusted beaters when I was young than I care to admit. Also, at 17 as a new driver, you are going to have an accident, it happens to the best of us. Better to bang up an already disgusting car than to damage one you actually care about.
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1987 951 - M193 Version for Japan |
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StienbargerR
Joined: 28 Oct 2005
Posts: 1362
Location: Richmond, IN
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| Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2007 12:07 pm Post subject: |
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It's better to pay good money for a good car at first. I bought my 924 for $200, and now I'm paying for it. I wish I would have just gotten a nice $3,000 goo condition specimen, cause now it's just getting to be stressful when it comes to needing new parts. Im also in your boat, Im young and I dont have alot of money. I wish I would have just saved a little more, and waited for a good car to come along.
Ryan
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1978 924 NA
-250lb lowering springs, Euro Pistons |
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DMB14
Joined: 27 Mar 2007
Posts: 19
Location: VA
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| Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2007 12:10 pm Post subject: |
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| Yeah thanks for the good advice guys. I think what I'll do is start saving for a nice 944 Turbo (which is what I really want). If I bought anything now my pockets would be left empty and I would just be hoping my parents would help pay for the upkeep. Maybe when I get out of college/get a steady job is when I'll take the plunge. |
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Chrenan
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 3903
Location: Canada
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| Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2007 12:12 pm Post subject: |
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Smart thinking. Trust me, time flies, you'll have one before you know it.
_________________
1987 951 - M193 Version for Japan |
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DMB14
Joined: 27 Mar 2007
Posts: 19
Location: VA
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| Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2007 12:15 pm Post subject: |
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| Chrenan wrote: | | Smart thinking. Trust me, time flies, you'll have one before you know it. |
I hope so. 
Every day on the way home from school I drive past these judicial buildings and parked outside everyday are a Cayman, a Boxster, and a beautiful white 944. It's driving me out of my mind!! |
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Chrenan
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 3903
Location: Canada
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| Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2007 12:18 pm Post subject: |
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17+10=27
By that time the Cayman will be a good used buy, and the Boxster will be a very good used buy.
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1987 951 - M193 Version for Japan |
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DMB14
Joined: 27 Mar 2007
Posts: 19
Location: VA
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| Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2007 12:26 pm Post subject: |
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| Chrenan wrote: | 17+10=27
By that time the Cayman will be a good used buy, and the Boxster will be a very good used buy. |
I like the way you think! I never even considered those 2 as possibilities before. |
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-nick
Joined: 16 Nov 2002
Posts: 2699
Location: Cambridge, MA
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| Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2007 1:06 pm Post subject: |
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Depending on your available tools, friends, and proximity to school/work - I say go for it! There are plenty of ugly, beaten-up 924's out there that will never be brough to glory to choose from. Most Dad's are greedy to have a son that wants an old, slow, sports car to wrench on and bond over. These cars are really not that complicated to work on. You should be able to pick up a good runner for $1500 depending on where you are.
My first car was a '72 Triumph Spitfire. It had a shiny paint job covering more rust than I thought was possible from the amount of metal in the car. It leaked - oil and gas out and rainwater in, broke down often, was slow as a snail, but friends still loved riding in it and it made for plenty of memorable high school stories; like getting stranded on a first date and having my parents come pick me up. 
If you can keep school #1 priority and don't need to rely on it, then pick one up. There's a very very high chance that you'll get stranded a few times. I say it builds character.
Of course, if you need a car to rely on for school or work, then listen to Chrenan!
_________________
1980 931S
15psi boost, MS-II, EDIS, 951 IC, custom intake, Ford 5.0L throttle body, Forge BOV, WB o2, G31 w/LSD, 964 wheels, 968 rear sway, Bilsteins, 200# Welt. springs. A laptop, and a partridge in a pear tree.
1991 964 C4 Cabriolet |
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trbo81
Joined: 30 Nov 2005
Posts: 61
Location: Michigan
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| Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2007 1:09 pm Post subject: there are indeed cheap porsches out there....sort of |
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when I first bought my car at 18 I had no idea what a 924 was about, but I liked the look of it and when I drove it I fell in love with it. I Bought mine (a turbo) for $3500 with about 68k miles on it and I was lucky and nothing major has happened to over the 5 years I've had it except the intake that cracked at every port, the fender issues, rims and tires, strut, the blown coolant line, the paint that needs to be resprayed, the dash cover I need to get, and the seats I need to get reupholstered. All of that was inexpensive to take care of, the intake I got welded up for about 60 bucks, the fender I got from a fellow board member for $100....ect. The best part of it was I started learning how to work on a car and take care of it. With a place like this site that has a ton of info. and plenty of people willing to answer questions, no matter how stupid, I believe its doable for a young guy with a limited budget and a willingness to learn to own and maintain one of these cars.
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some times I think Murphy's Law is out to get me
Keep racing on the track....or away from my car...short long story
don't buy from D & J auto parts in Richmond Indiana ask me why |
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Rasta Monsta
Joined: 12 Jul 2006
Posts: 11733
Location: PacNW
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| Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2007 3:26 pm Post subject: |
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I say go for it too. . .924s are super cheap parts-wise, and simple. You will learn great FI basics, and have an enjoyable ride.
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Toofah King Bad
- WeiBe (1987 924S 2.5t) - 931 S3
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Mike924
Joined: 12 Aug 2004
Posts: 2601
Location: IoW UK
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| Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2007 4:50 pm Post subject: |
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| DMB14 wrote: | | Every day on the way home from school I drive past these judicial buildings and parked outside everyday are a Cayman, a Boxster, and a beautiful white 944. It's driving me out of my mind!! |
Now you know what you should be studying!
_________________
1985 Porsche 924 'Lux', Kalahari Beige (my ex)
1993 Porsche 968 Coupe, Midnight Blue, 6 spd
'There is no substitute for a little grease under your fingernails.' - Chrenan, 924board.org |
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ideola
Joined: 01 Oct 2004
Posts: 15550
Location: Spring Lake MI
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| Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2007 10:52 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | Most Dad's are greedy to have a son that wants an old, slow, sports car to wrench on and bond over. |
+1. That's why each of my sons has a 924 Just make sure your dad is willing and able to wrench (or uncle or friend's dad or whatever).
| Quote: | | The best part of it was I started learning how to work on a car and take care of it. |
+1. Someday, you might be in a position where you make enough money that you don't mind paying a repair shop just for the convenience of not having to crawl under a broken down car in the middle of winter. Until then, knowing how to do your own repairs from learning through experience will save you literally thousands of dollars over your lifetime.
| Quote: | | It leaked, broke down often, was slow as a snail, but friends still loved riding in it and it made for plenty of memorable high school stories; like getting stranded on a first date and having my parents come pick me up. |
+1. My first car was a 1974 Fix-It-Again-Tony X1/9. Then I had a 1970 Plymouth Duster. Although the Duster was more reliable, cheaper and easier to work on, do you think for a moment I ever regretted a second of time I spent in the X1/9, or the dozens of times it stranded me??? NEVER! Also, which do you think was more effective at getting girls to agree to ride with me? (Although come to think of it, the bench seats in the Duster did come in handy...). I learned how to keep that car going in some of the most adverse conditions, including having it breakdown on a trip to Windsor with my girlfriend when my parents had forbidden me to go! Of course, I'm not condoning defying your parents...simply pointing out that you WILL figure out how to make the car work if you have to 
| Quote: | | If you can keep school #1 priority and don't need to rely on it, then pick one up. There's a very very high chance that you'll get stranded a few times. I say it builds character. |
+1. +1. +1. Just look at all the characters on this board 
I'd echo what a couple of other guys have said...buy the best example you can. I'd add to that, do your due diligence. Scour this board and others for information to watch out for when looking at a car, that way you won't be as likely to get suckered. Make sure you do a pre-purchase inspection.
On the other hand, some deals are just too good to pass up. I just sold a running 1978 to a friend of my oldest son for $300. It needs work, and I told him everything that was wrong with it, as well as everything that could go wrong. And even though the car is a dog compared to his Honda Civic, there's something about throwing these cars into twisties that put a grin on his face that was absolutely priceless.
If you find a cheap example, your attitude has to be, "I got this car for cheap so I can spend my leftover money doing all of the preventive stuff a 30 year old car needs." Too many people buy these cars cheap and then complain about having to spend ~$2K to make them reliable. Bottom line, you'll need to spend at least $3K to get a car with any degree of reliability. It's all a matter of how you choose to get there.
Good luck!
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erstwhile owner of just about every 924 variant ever made |
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