An introduction and a request

[Guest]

Hullo all,

After much searching I located this fine web-site which was good enough to accept me as a member. This has pleased me enormously on account that I do not own a Porsche, nor have I ever driven one. And this is where my request comes in....

As a 30something husband and father of 2 young children (ages 5 & 9) I have decided to become a little selfish for my forthcoming new year's resolution. To this end I have decided also that this selfishness will take the form of a Porsche sitting outside of my abode. Now, having never driven a Porsche and having very little technical knowledge about the marque, I've decided to enlist you to help me make a choice. Budget-wise I will not have alot to play with, possibly about 3K at the very, very most, but I want as much car as possible for my money.

The 'choice' comes down to 2 models; The 924 and The 944. I like the look of both of these and have noticed that they tend to be rather cheap and cheerful for the older models, which is ideally suited to me.

Being completely ignorant of both these models, I'd like your opinion on which would make the better car for me to own. It would be a second car, primarily for weekends or occassional drives to work. Something that I could lavish a wee bit of care and love onto.

I'm not too sure of the costs involved in owning a Porsche i.e. insurance groupings, running/servicing costs, what to look out for when purchasing just such a machine etc, but I'd prefer to steer clear of 'projects' as I'd like to drive the vehicle from day one.

Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated. I will take note of all the information that is imparted and hopefully put it to good use in the new year when I hope to make my purchase.

Many thanx in anticipation....

Paul.

ps...I've copied and pasted this message and put it on both the 'general' and '924' forums - just so you don't think you're seeing things!

 

[John Sims]

Hello Paul & welcome to the Forum.

As a 944 owner I'm obviously biased but I do prefer the more agressive styling of the later model. Further noting that the 944 was derived from the 924, and car manufacturers seldom go backwards in their development, one would assume that the 944 is the better car.

£3K could get you a reasonable early "oval dash" Lux if you shop around a lot as they tend to be closer to £4K. That would be my choice as a previous Lux owner.

Either way, I'm afraid the purchase price is not going to be the end of it unless you are very lucky you could easily spend the same again within the first year through general maintenance and putting right any neglect. You have to realise that this will be a c. 15 year old car and will need a bit of TLC.

Others on the forum will be able to put you in the direction of usefull links but as a start try the links from my site at www.2ta.co.uk/The Dark Side

 

[Diver944]

Hello Paul and welcome. You've made a good choice in a very practical but also very fun car to own. I have two boys aged 10 and 13 and they fit quite happily in the back so you should have no problem. I bought my first 944 when they were 4 and 7 and they fit very snugly in the rear buckets.

The trouble with older, cheaper Porsche is you run the risk of buying one that someone could afford to buy as it was very cheap, but then could not afford to maintain properly, and then sell it for you to pick up the pieces [] They can be very expensive pieces as they are still Porsche parts that need replacing and they are rarely cheap. Th ebest advice I can give is not to rush and buy the first shiney one you see. Test a few and get to know the bad from the good. You may have to travel around the country a bit

However with planning and the help of other owners on this and other forums we can guide you to the best places and sources for servicing and parts. There is also a very bouyant market for second hand parts which should always be a consideration for the budget conscious.

With 3k to spend and the hope of not spending anymore on immediate maintenance I would steer you towards a 924S. This has the same 2.5 litre engine as the early 944 (though slightly detuned) and I think it is wiser to get a very good 924 instead of a potentially ropey 944.

Take a look at www.clarks-garage.com and there is a link to the 944 FAQ which will tell you all you need to know about owning and running these cars, and what to look out for. There is also a buyers guide and a Garage manual to help you with doing some of the maintenance yourself.

A good source for parts is www.berlyn-services.co.uk this is run by Bert Gear who is the technical rep for the 944 Register and can be called up for advice with problems. He'll probably try and flog you some parts [] but then that is his business []

Other sources are

www.design911.co.uk
www.type911.co.uk
www.porscheshop.co.uk
www.gsfcarparts.com

One of the leading Porsche Breakers is http://www.porsch-apart.co.uk

Finally take a look at http://www.jzmachtech.co.uk and take a look at their fixed price menu for common service items to give you an idea of costs. They are not the cheapest independant but I have used them for 6 years and recommend them

 

[Fen]

No clue what it's like,but this fits the price range nicely: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2443281488&category=9860

 

[John Sims]

Is beige carpet standard when the doors have black carpet inserts? I think not!

How about that Paul, we are helping already. []

 

[Fen]

I did say I didn't know if it was any good. What I should have said is that I hadn't even looked at it really.

So, £2k buys a bad one...

 

[Guest]

Hullo John and Fen.

Thanx for the link and the helpful advice about the carpeting. It doesn't look too good - black and beige I mean. The car seems okay, but the dents on the nearside dissuade me from bidding.

I've made enquiries about a few 924's now and am hoping to act upon the replies. But I'm in no hurry at the moment - I'll probably take things more seriously once I've got christmas and hogmanay out the way, but if a screaming bargain was to fall into my lap then I'll take it.

Good to meet your acquaintances anyway.....

Cheers,

Paul.