Even with potential resto costs , the end result is a reliable solid car you could use for the next 15-20 years. The overall costs are quite cheap compared to the original relative cost . And we must also mention the depreciation and ongoing costs of a modern jalopy... even second hand , low entry cost belies the pricey upkeep of many newer cars with electronic gizmos.

But I agree , the point is to find something that you can complete and get to drive in your lifetime, not a family millstone that sucks up all the holiday or educational spare cash. Do your due diligence and the smiles per mile equation will weigh heavily in your favour.

Buy the best chassis + engine package you can afford!

Go ahead and spend the cashola' NOW,,....for a good specimen,......then work from there,..your kid will thank you for it....you'll both enjoy it more ("it" meaning the drive-side of the house).

BEST!

Doyle

id say buy them both if they are cheap enough. restore one nice with the good parts and make a beater out of the other one for the boy

Somewhere there is an auto insurance agent wringing his hands and muttering "muuhhahahah"...

My first car at age 15 was a '75 Fiat 128 sedan. It served me well for several years and managed to survive 2 successive nephews; the first of which could never understand the concept of "torque steer" and the second, luckily, the son of an auto repair mechanic. So I guess this thread of a 15 year old driving a 911 for his first car should make me feel like Charlie Brown at Halloween: " I got a rock."

I'd have to side with the others here regarding a more modern car for a new driver. Having owned a 69 912 for 22 years now, and just recently purchasing a 911SC, I thought I knew how to drive a Porsche. My friends have 356 models and are well over the age of 60. Even they admit to a bit of peril when driving them in a world of cars/trucks/SUV's loaded with 24 airbags and complacent drivers either on the phone or texting.

And I don't know that I'll ever have the courage to climb back into my 66 VW bus, prop my left foot atop the headlight bucket and cruise on down the road.....

that was my thought also ...

build the better one for the street .. then the other a dedicated AX car ...

I stay out of market discussions .. any one who knows what I actually paid for either of the 911's or the 914 of mine accuse me of taking guns to the negotiation table ....;)