Hi there, I want to buy a Porsche as a summer car and don't want to
invest more than 20 000 USD in the project. I'm looking at Ebay 1979
to 1990 Porsche 911, 930, etc, and I see a lot of different engines
(3.0L, 3.2L, 3.6L, etc) and different models. Some models sounds to
have weaknest that others don't shows. I know taht I like very much
the Whale tail model and not a Targa fan. My goal is to have a
beautiful old reliable Porsche to have ride, fun and no headaches.

Any advice or quick course on the pros and cons and what to make sure ?

Thanks, Guy Quebec, Canada

Al us Porsche owners will read your post and smile, "I recall thinking
the exact same thing!"

I'll pick a model with an '81 911S. Get one with the fewest miles, best
interior and most complete maintenance records.

As for more pointed specifics, you've got to do your own research and
learning. Then you can evaluate the cars that are available in your area
and price range. Waiting for a specific model/trim/color/condition/price
could take forever.

Also, think about broadening your search. If "Porsche" means "911"
you've got company but leaving out a lot of nice cars. A nice 968 or 928
can be had for those dollars. Same rules apply: inspect and check.

And make sure to keep $3K or so in reserve. Driving these cars means
fixing them. It'll be a 20-year old car whetever the pedigree.

pailleg wrote:

Awesome thanks, this is really someone advice !!!

Is 928 doesn't means trouble at all time ? I heard that a lot of
times. For the 911, what is the worst weakness to check (rail rust,
A/C, shifter, etc.)

Thanks,

Guy

someone (AT) somewhere (DOT) net wrote:

944S2 Cabriolet. More power than most of those 911's mentioned and sure as
hell handles much better.

968 Cabriolet. Even more power, and like the 944 handles like a mother, but
has six speed or tiptronic option.

When I bought my S2 back in 1999, I drove plenty of late Carrera's and SC's
(My favorite of the old 911's) and the 944 ran circles around it in every
sense of the word.

I would drive a bunch and see what you like best.
"pailleg" <gpaille (AT) emarkethink (DOT) net> wrote

The 944 is a nice car. It is based on the 928. Porsche only designed two
cars from scratch, the boxster and the 928. The 928 is the V-8 (Original)
version that runs like, well, It's about as fast as you can go without
having to eat airline food! Not to mention it out handles almost any other
Porsche! (It eats 911's for a light lunch and doesn't even think about
belching!) I love mine (It's the most fun you can have with your clothes
on!) but the other half wants me to sell it because I have too many toys
;-( I'd rather sell my live sound & lighting system! The 928 has never got
it's due but it really is the ultimate Porsche!

Wanna buy a really large live sound & lighting system so I can keep my 928?
Make you a great deal! $150,000 system for only $30,000! I really want to
keep my 928!

Roger
Lincoln, NE

(1984 euro/slopenose with 85,300 miles)

"Devils944S2" <devils944 (AT) nospam (DOT) net> wrote

Success Productions wrote:
My biggest beef with the 928, other than the styling up until the S4
era until the end of production not being my cup of tea, is that it's
damn near impossible to find one with a stick. I never quite
understood (never asked, either, I suppose) why almost all of these
sports cars came with an A/T. Once in a great while I see one for sale
with a 5-speed, but they're few and far between. If I were to shop for
one, I'd have to weed the field down to 5-speeds first, and THEN start
looking for a car that also didn't have excessive miles or wear, poor
maintenance, etc. Too few cars left at that point, I would think.

Which transmission do you have, by the way?

- Chris

pailleg wrote:

ESSENTIAL READING before your purchase:

http://www.excellence-mag.com/back_issues.html
and
http://www.rennlist.org/

really.

On Thu, 28 Sep 2006 13:51:30 -0400, "Vball23"
<brettjenkins@insightdotcom> wrote:

On the Autocar website's forum, we recently had a thread on the car
you most wished for that never existed. One of mine was a Porsche
928GT with 6-speed and VarioRam engine, the next step up if the line
hadn't been dropped.*
And they are scarce - the entire time I had my 928, I never saw
another on the road. In nearly two years since, I've seen a black GT
and a red 928S like mine.
epbrown (The other Porsche was a Cayman twin-turbo).
--
"Everybody wants a normal life and a cool car;
most people will settle for the car." Chris Titus
2003 BMW 325i Black/Black, 2003 BMW Z4 Black/Black

No it's not. The 944's chassis was an evolution of the 924's. *However*
the 944's original powerplant, a 2.5 litre inline 4-cylinder, was
derived from the 928's 5.0 litre V8.

Again, untrue. The 911 was designed from scratch in 1963, it might be
tempting to think of it as a derivitave of the 356, but this simply
wasn't the case. The 964 and 993 were technically part of the same
evolutionary line as the original Type 911, but so significant were the
changes that were effectively all-new vehicles. The 996 was entirely
new at the time of it's release, some commonalities, such as the layout
of the rear suspension, were present, but that doesn't make the 996 a
version of the 993.

The 924 and 914 were designed with the intention of being compatible
with certain existing parts, but they were designed fresh from the
ground up. And while the 968 evolved out of the 951 (itself evolved
from the 924 Carrera GT), it was 80% new when released.

The 928 was *easier* to drive than the 911 and more powerful too. So
for about 80% of untrained drivers, it will outrun a 911. But it was
also larger, heavier and more cumbersome than a 911. A trained driver
in a comparablly priced 930 certainly isn't going to be a "light
breakfast" for a 928 - god forbid the 911 driver gets his hands on a
964 Turbo and the race will be over before it starts.

As per the original poster's question - my personal preferances within
your price range would be either a low mileage Carrera 3.2 or a 951
(944 Turbo). In all likelihood, your going to be dealing with cars that
are in far from perfect shape, interior re-freshing, paintwork and a
full tune-up and new braking components will be on the list of needs
for 95% of what you find. Poraches are expensive to work on and it's
simply not worth purchasing one if you can't afford to splurg and get
everything done.

Seeing as you've never owned a Porsche before, do yourself a big favor
- if you buy one, take it to a dealer for servicing, at least for the
first year. Good private garages are hard to find and while most of
them employ ASC Certified mechanics, very few of them actually
specialize in Porsches (even the ones that claim as much are usually
full of crap). A good dealer can give the car a full workover for you -
I'd plan on spending three to five thousand in essential cleanup and
restoration work on top of around $16-18k for a real nice 911 3.2 or
about $12-15k for a nice 951.

<The 911 was designed from scratch in 1963, it might be
tempting to think of it as a derivitave of the 356>

While not exactly derived from the 356, the 911 was certainly based on it.
The 911 was larger and considered "luxurious" the purists huffed that it
wasn't a real Porsche!


<The 924 and 914 were designed with the intention of being compatible
Actually, no, the 914 was orginally meant to replace the Karmann Ghia and is
a Volkswagen design. The 924 was born from a joint Volkswagen/Porsche
collaboration the VW abandoned. The 924 was meant to be all fresh, but due
the the economic times was forced to use spare parts.


<And while the 968 evolved out of the 951>

Actually this statement is a bit inaccurate. The 968 evolved from the 944S2
sharing the same powerplant (3.0). In fact the 968 was orginally called the
944S3. After the update was done, the two shared so little that a new
designation was born.

Porsche only really designed two cars from the ground up. The 928 and the
Boxster. Everything else came from a joint venture with another maker, or
was based on something previously built. The 356/911 from the VW Beetle, the
914 from the Karmann Ghia, the 924/944/951/968 from the A420. Even the
Cayenne has VW history.