buy a 944

[billyboy]

My son has been bitten by the P Car bug. He sold his neon and wants to buy a 1986 944. Of course we will be having a PPI done. My big concern is, since he is only 19 and with limited income, will a 944 nickel and dime (100&1000) him to death?

[livewirevoodoo]

Here is my experience:

Cost of Ownership - Year 1

It won't kill him depending on how big his piggy bank is.

[billyboy]

Well, it looks like I have to do some convincing, he's got picture up in his room already and stars in his eyes. I guess letting him drive my car back from the races yesterday was a mistake!

[VINMAN]

Definately not in the top 100 of the cheapest cars to maintain!
I ask my self over and over if its worth it to keep dumping $$$ into it. In a few weeks I plan on pulling and rebuilding the engine.
The price of rebuild parts is easily more than the damn cars worth.($600 for an oil pump alone!) Hell,I could build a whole short block v8 for that price. Granted I love the car, and i love workin on it, but at times the practicallity of it just seems minimal.

[Dantilla]

If he gets a good one, he can just put gas in it and go.
If he gets a bad one, he will never want another Porsche again.

Unfortunately, you can't be totally certain which it's going to be.

[Britwrench]

944 models are now at the stage what the 924 was: you only buy it if you can work on it yourself, have the tools, space, knowledge and time. Otherwise, as they often do, make nice, but expensive, garden ornaments..and real good buys for others afterwards.

[AaronM]

Originally posted by Britwrench
944 models are now at the stage what the 924 was: you only buy it if you can work on it yourself, have the tools, space, knowledge and time. Otherwise, as they often do, make nice, but expensive, garden ornaments..and real good buys for others afterwards.

Or the $$$ (and the willingness to spend them) to pay someone like Britwrench to fix what gets broken.

You absolutely have to be committed to fixing everything as soon as it comes up and fixing it properly.

Aaron

[BananaClip]

Originally posted by Dantilla
If he gets a good one, he can just put gas in it and go.
If he gets a bad one, he will never want another Porsche again.

Unfortunately, you can't be totally certain which it's going to be.

That really seems to be my experience. I got a good one and I have spent maybe $500 on it since buying it, not including $200 for the stereo.

KNOCK
ON
WOOD

also 19? I got mine last year at 18 :P
If that one's no good, look for one being sold by a P-car mechanic or an engineer. I almost bought one from a man who worked at Bell Helicopter. '84, 300xxx on the clock, ran like a swiss watch.
edit: he decided not to sell it to me because I was 18

[ronin]

you barely just got started. just because it doesn't need anything at the moment...

also, no matter how good the car that he gets will be, it will always need something. everything on the car is wearing at a constant rate. these cars are far from new, and the only way to get one that would need absolutely nothing would be to buy a new one. and as we all know, that isn't possible anymore

[nightheart]

Here's the way I justify it to my wife. You buy a decent shape 944 for 5000 or so and even if you put 2000 dollars in it a year for 10 years, thats 25 grand. You go out and buy a new or newer Saturn, honda, whatever your gonna to pay that much up front, probably, with taxes, tags, title, etc. And its not likley you'll keep it for ten years.

The flip side is of course, that a 5000 dollar civic, probably won't cost you 2000 grand a year.

Personally, I don't think I'd have a 944 as my sole means of transportation. If something goes on mine, and I don't have the money to fix it, it sits till I do. Unless he's pretty responsible and decent with a wrench, I'd probably steer him towards something newer. porsche or otherwise.


edited-cuz my math was off

[AaronM]

Originally posted by nightheart
Here's the way I justify it to my wife. You buy a decent shape 944 for 5000 or so and even if you put 2000 dollars in it a year for 10 years, thats 15 grand. You go out and buy a new or newer Saturn, honda, whatever your gonna to pay that much up front, probably, with taxes, tags, title, etc. And its not likley you'll keep it for ten years.

The flip side is of course, that a 5000 dollar civic, probably won't cost you 2000 grand a year.

Personally, I don't think I'd have a 944 as my sole means of transportation. If something goes on mine, and I don't have the money to fix it, it sits till I do. Unless he's pretty responsible and decent with a wrench, I'd probably steer him towards something newer. porsche or otherwise.

Agreed. I loved every Porsche I've had, but the older ones like to have a backup vehicle around. That's what my Lincoln is for. Big, cushy, cheap to keep running (usually, currently in for new suspension bushings and brakes, 10 years old is 10 years old) and pretty quick with the big V8, and with the very tall overdrive it gets 26-28 mpg on the freeway.

[944rook]

I bought my 88 944 for $5000 three years ago. I have put on about 18K miles and have done the following: clutch, timing belt, water pump, starter, and rear brake shoes. My present issue is blown oil seals. I think it is typical to have to drop some money into these 20 year old cars. RONIN is on the money. These cars are old and need constant maintenance but we ALL agree it is worth the ride!
Aside from the car cost; you better check the insurance cost- 19 and male. Noe that WILL cost some dollars.

[BananaClip]

Originally posted by 944rook

Aside from the car cost; you better check the insurance cost- 19 and male. Noe that WILL cost some dollars.

nope. I know its a lot more than you oldsters pay, but my liability is $100~ a month. '88 N/A, 19, male, no claims, no tickets, driver's ed discount. I've priced it for other stuff of the same age as my car and it was all the same. Turbos, MR2s, RX-7s, etc. After a certain point the insurance companies only care about age, for liability insurance at least.


hehe oldsters. no offense

[billyboy]

Thanks for all the input, if it were me, in his shoes, I'd run. Trying to change a 19 year olds dreams are another story. I checked the insurance, it's 20.00 more per month than what it was for the neon. It's about 1600/year. he has had no accidents and is a pretty reliable driver. I wish that i could say the same about my daughter who is 21. She scares the c--p out of me.Totaled 1 civic and a Lincoln in the process plus numerous fender benders. All I can plead is that my wife taught her to drive and when I tried to teach, they were both screaming at me!

[AaronM]

Originally posted by BananaClip
nope. I know its a lot more than you oldsters pay, but my liability is $100~ a month. '88 N/A, 19, male, no claims, no tickets, driver's ed discount. I've priced it for other stuff of the same age as my car and it was all the same. Turbos, MR2s, RX-7s, etc. After a certain point the insurance companies only care about age, for liability insurance at least.


hehe oldsters. no offense

You mean you don't carry full comprehensive?

[speedracing944]

I don't only look at it from a maintenence cost point of view but from a depreciation point of view as well. The 944 is fully depreciated and the value fluctuates with market conditions. That can't be said for a $5000 civic or a saturn. I bought a 2000 saturn for $8000 3 years ago and now have 120K miles on it. I have done all the same maintenence on it as Ihave on the 944. Tires, clutch, brakes bla bla bla.... The 944 now has 120K miles and owned it for 8 years. Bought it for $4000. The car may be worth olny slightly less because of the increased milage but look at the value of a 2000 Saturn with 120K on it. It is only worth about $2500 - $3000. That is quite a hit in depreciation ($5000) . Mile for mile the 944 is the cheapest car I own when considering insurance, maint, gas and depreciation.

BTW the 944 has NEVER left me stranded and I have been half way across the country and back in it about 5 times.

[..P]

sounds like there has been some very good advice given.

I have three wasserpumpers and I had all the t belts changed as soon as i got them, Just got done with a $1700 clutch job, the orig went 160,000+

One bit of other advice I'd give, "dont try to run a Mustang". The 944 is NOT to be used to "make a point" on the highway, in the hands of the inexperienced. They're not drag cars, and the faster you go the more advantage you may get, but the faster you go the more crazy the next guy will get.

I got an Alfa 1600 for my first car. My dad thought it was a little economy car. However, I terrorized the mountains of central Pennsylvania with those 1600 cc because the SUSPENSION was so good. I ran that car twice as fast as anyone else could, because it would stick on the road.

If it was my 18 or 19 year old kid, I'd put him in a Volvo. Why, because I suspect many kids will behave like me, and I consider myself lucky, because I only bent a TR6 in half and didn't get hurt.

I still drive fast, but I have a world of experience under my belt, and I could very easily send an inexperienced kid into the weeds if he cared to race. Get my point?

sincerely,

P

[Brando]

If he likes fixer-upper projects, have him buy a 914.

If he wants something that will diminish his savings over time, have him buy a 944.

If he makes more in one month than you do in six, have him buy a CGT.

[AaronM]

Originally posted by Brando
If he likes fixer-upper projects, have him buy a 914.

If he wants something that will diminish his savings over time, have him buy a 944.

If he makes more in one month than you do in six, have him buy a CGT.

No 914 if he's even thinking about going somewhere with snow. Drive it once in salt and you can almost watch it melt away. Thankfully, mine is babied.

[BananaClip]

Originally posted by AaronM
You mean you don't carry full comprehensive?

$$$ makes me cry
Wish i could afford it.