944 for a 17-year old

[944lover]

Hi, I'm new to the forums and I have a question. I am 17, and am very interested in purchasing a 1989 Porsche 944 Turbo. I am not one of those kids that like to put spoilers on Honda Civics, I am actually very good with cars and will not be taking it out for joyrides etc. I've been around porsches for awhile, and my dad has a 2005 Boxster. My only worry is maintenance costs with the 944. Can somebody tell me if this is a good first car?

[krystar]

there's definitely maintenance to be done. the cost of long term ownership is significantly more than a honda. i own a honda also. all a honda needs is change oil and filter regularly for 100,000 miles. nothing else to do! porsche 944 since it's an old car (it qualifies for vintage license plates!) so unless u buy a pristine taken care of one, there'll be a checklist of maintenance items to replace.

a turbo will be fun but the system is also more complicated. i think everyone basically says, buy car for $X. be prepared to spend another couple of grand within a year or two. especially if a clutch job is in order.

do your homework and don't be surprised with a shocker of a bill from the shop!

[Porschephile 924]

no. turbo no. N/A, yes.

Maintaining a turbo is astrnomically expensive in comparison with a N/A. There is also way too much temptation to put the hammer down, which can, and will, get you into trouble. I had a 924S as my first Porsche when I was 19. I bought my turbo 3 years ago. the 924S was enough of a handful. I like you, was not a joyrider, and I've grown up around Porsches. Never had a ticket before the 924S. Never had one after. Get a N/A, get introduced to the breed (because you'll need it), get to know how to work on an N/A (you'll need that too.) and once you can show that you're capable of owning a 944, THEN step to the turbo. trust me. Turbo as first car? NO.

[alordofchaos]

Originally Posted by Porschephile 924

Turbo as first car? NO.

+1

Let's talk about your insurance rates...

For your first car, you want a boring but utterly reliable car. that way, you can still drive back and forth to school/work when your 944/951 is laid up for maintenance or repairs.

[JustinL]

Do it. I bought my n/a 944 when I was 19 in 1999. Car was my daily driver for 10 years and had 300,000+ miles when I sold it. Great car especially if you have someone who can teach you how to maintain it. Learn to drive the n/a well and then step up to a turbo in a few years.

[OmniGLH]

Do you have access to alternate transportation when your 944 will be broken? Or will you not be DEPENDING on it?

Because it WILL break. Even the most perfect examples will develop problems, just due to the car's age. The underhood plastic (vacuum lines, electrical connectors, etc.) are at the point where they're starting to crumble - even on well maintained cars. It could be perfect one day, and a dead duck the next.

I say, so long as you have access to another car (parents car that they are cool with you using, etc.), and are capable (or willing, or both) to work on it from time to time, then go for it. Though honestly I'd also recommend the n/a car over a turbo as your first to kind of ease your way in. Less temptation to get yourself in over your head or into trouble. Also less temptation to start modifying for horsepower and thusly affecting reliability.

I was also in the same mindset as you when I was 17. I wasn't a nut, I was responsible. At 17 I had a BMW 320is. 110hp of screaming fury on a good day. As conservative as I was, I did have fun with the car from time to time, and I probably would've gotten in trouble and/or hurt if I had anything much more powerful than that.

[jtsporsche]

Originally Posted by JustinL

Do it.

+1
ive had my 924S since 15. i wasnt fortunate to grow up around them so i had no idea what i got my self into. so do your research first, alot of research. wait for a good well taken care of car, and have patience.

as long as you can take time to work on the car yourself, and not get pissed off everytime something goes wrong you should be fine.

and just to let you know, pics are required for every car purchase, mod or upgrade. goodluck

[944lover]

well, I do have a backup car. my dad doesn't like to drive his 987 in the winter, so he bought an old Volvo 740 for that reason. he paid about 1k for it. I really wouldn't want to drive the 944 everyday. and it doesn't necessarily have to be a 951. it could be an S2. I just really don't want to wait as long as my dad did to get my Porsche, (he waited 57 years!)

[Giantviper]

As many have alraidy stated here. I would say start with a 944 N/A. After getting a handle on an N/A then upgrade to a turbo...if you want a little more power go for an S or S2 (S2 N/A that has almost the same power as a turbo but cost is a premium for them). My best advise when buying a car of our age for the the best example you can afford (best maintained with lowest milage combination)

This is for a couple of reasons. Number 1 is maintence costs. Turbos are more complicated and need more work to maintain, I find that my N/A is not that hard to work on myself and costs less to keep going then a Turbo. 2nd of all a Turbo has a lot of power and can get you into trouble if you are not used to driving a car with boost, let a lone new to driving (Boost can be very fun and addicting but also dangerous), N/As may not be fast in a straight line but anyone can drive a 500hp car fast in a staight line (not too much skill to push the pedal down further to the floor) but a propperly driven N/A can beat a lot of meodern cars on the twisties, my 1988 N/A is still one of the best handeling cars I have ever driven (off ramps and on ramps are so much fun in these cars!!!).

Good Luck.....and enjoy driving.

[alxdgr8]

I'd say start with an N/A and then down the road move up to a turbo when you are confident with doing your own work and familiar with the car. An N/A will still be fun and give you an idea of what maint. costs are going to be. If you can afford it then see if you can afford double that and use that to decide if you can afford a 951. Not only will you get hit with maint. of a 951, you'll get bit by the mod bug very quickly

[I_am_imprezed]

my 2 cents...i'd say get something cheap like a 240sx. That way you get RWD, japanese reliability and cheapness for repairs. 17yr olds and Porsche's does not make sense imo. FWIW i got my first Porsche when i was 20 n it was a $2,300 924S that i was extremely happy and grateful for. Problem is i can barely afford to keep it running let alone make it better. If your made of money get an N/a 944 or 924S and learn with low hp. 951 is too much power for most drivers especially a 17 year old.

[PeteL]

I tell anyone that considers a 944 that they have to be willing and able to do their own maintenance. There is no way a 944 is affordable if you take it to a mechanic. These cars will break down. Frequently.

I cannot speak for insurance rates, but as far as safety, the 944 is fairly good. I have seen numerous instances of these cars taking a beating with the occupants coming out relatively unscathed.

The car has a definite cool factor, and will definitely be fun to drive. The turbo, due to its power and its relative expense of maintenance,is definitely not to be considered.

The N/A is a fun car, it is relatively easy to work on, has very simple systems and parts availability is good. Walk in another direction though if you are going to be making payments and fixing the thing.

[V2Rocket_aka944]

ive had an NA since i was 15, for the most part it has been reliable but thats probably because i replaced most everything that could break at once for about $8k lol.

and this week its dead for not having spark for some reason

get one, it will be fun, but it will be expensive

[WizPorsche944]

a 17 yr old who dosent like Civics is somewhat rare. Good for you ! I'd say go with either a 944 n/a or even an old 924. The 924 is where I started at 15, they are cheaper to maintain and arent as complicated to fix problems.

[mike10562004]

I’m 18 I’ve dumped thousands in my n/a and now I finally trust it to drive an hour away at 17 I wouldn’t want the stress of worrying about whether my car is going to make it on a date or not. If you do go through with it, at least do the preventive mat. As a back up car I would def. recommend a 318i e30; those are the hardest things I’ve ever tried to kill trust me and I’ve killed about 6 cars.(blew up ..ripped tranny out no wrecks though)


Also please don’t pretend to be a snob at school if you get a pcar that civic with a spoiler might actually beat you however at the end of the day it’s a Porsche and the other is still a Honda. If you feel like taking a risk of owning one go for it bro…