[callmethewander]

The 944 is a great car and a good candidate for a first. However i feel there are some very important things to consider. I believe, Getting one with an airbag is very important, it's almost innevitable that a young inexperienced driver will eventually be involved in some sort of mishap, (my first two were, my 3rd now has her learner's permit). The 944 is a very crashworthy car and although my 88S ended up pretty smashed, i'm glad my daughter was in it when she wrecked. She didn't get a scratch on her. See my thread "my daughter wrecked...".
Another thing to consider is that you want a car that you'll not be worried about your daughter breaking down somewhere, so you would need to get one that was well taken care of, or that you can bring into top shape, that being said, none of my three '44's has ever left me stranded and i used them as daily drivers, until the accident of course.
I like the idea of a 944 as a first car but it think you may have to pay more than 3 thou. for one that is suitable, you could get lucky tho.