£6k budget - 928, 944 or 924?

£6k budget - 928, 944 or 924?

Author
Discussion

Seeker UK

Original Poster:

1,443 posts

165 months

Wednesday 8th January 2014
quotequote all
I have managed to save £5k and want to buy a "high-days and holidays" car and something I can do some light tinkering and fettling on. However, for the £5k it has to buy it and keep a comfortable reserve for the invariable bork that will come along.

What I really want is a 928 but I don't think I'd get one with that budget. So that leaves a 944 Lux or S or a 924s or miley 944 S2. So, some questions:

How much should I spend on the car and how much should I keep back?

Are 924s / 944s relatively easy for a mechanical novice such as me to do some fixes on?

Yeah, I know the turbo / s2 are the fastest but this is more about a car that's fun to drive - do they fit the bill?

Doing reading on the web, the 2.7 lux seems the best / safest bet for a Porsche noob - do you agree?

Thanks in advance

bmjb99

39 posts

230 months

Thursday 9th January 2014
quotequote all
Seeker UK said:
I have managed to save £5k and want to buy a "high-days and holidays" car and something I can do some light tinkering and fettling on. However, for the £5k it has to buy it and keep a comfortable reserve for the invariable bork that will come along.

What I really want is a 928 but I don't think I'd get one with that budget. So that leaves a 944 Lux or S or a 924s or miley 944 S2. So, some questions:

How much should I spend on the car and how much should I keep back?
If you really want a 928 then buy a 928 - the S and S2 models are within your budget as you should be able to find an acceptable one for £3k - £4k

When I first thought about buying a 928 I was also initially thinking that I might have to "settle for a 944" but wiser minds convinced me not to compromise.

Having said that, there's nothing wrong with 944s either - perhaps you should test drive examples of both and see if one model appeals more than the other.

MyMidLifeCrisis

25 posts

146 months

Thursday 9th January 2014
quotequote all
Not that I'm an expert (and trust me I'm not), I have been doing my research into an affordable Porsche. What I can gather is the following

928 - stunning car, fast & fun, the 5l V8 sound. However very costly to run, costly to repair and less reliable than the others.

924 - the car that saved Porsche, Realistic running and repair costs and I understand that it is but the reason why the 944 was created. Realistic running and repair costs

944 - from the info/forums I have read - the S2 is the car to buy as it has similar costs to the 924, but handles better and is more reliable.

Good luck with your research and enjoy that Porsche

edh

3,498 posts

276 months

Thursday 9th January 2014
quotequote all
A 2.7 944 sounds like a good choice. Don't be put off by higher mileage S2's if they have been looked after well. These cars should do 200k+. The PCGB and Tipec forums are very good for advice & sometimes have some nice cars for sale.

None of the 944's are cheap to run - as with any old car there will always be maintenance jobs to do. Lots are rusty now and you can end up with big bills. You might get away with it for a year but it will catch up with you in the end..

Can't help on the 928 as I've never had one - a very different car though so drive both.

GC8

19,910 posts

197 months

Thursday 9th January 2014
quotequote all
MyMidLifeCrisis said:
944 - from the info/forums I have read - the S2 is the car to buy as it has similar costs to the 924, but handles better and is more reliable.
I dont want to knock your confidence, but I have to call this into question.

The 924 Turbo is without a doubt the best handling of all of the FrontRunners (any 968 inc). The original 924s comes a close second. Cup size wheels and tyres and stiffer dampers on the M030 968 might lead to more ultimate grip, but grip and handling arent the same thing.

A 944S2 will cost far, far more than a 924 to run (or an 8v series one or series two 944, if that was a typo) and will probably be less 'reliable' too, by virtue of its increased complication (16v cylinder head, alloy brake calipers etc). Later 944s also appear to be made of poorer steel, although the time when this was relevant has now passed, with all 944s suffering from sill corrosion to some, usually greater, degree.

IMI A

9,686 posts

208 months

Thursday 9th January 2014
quotequote all
the 944 S2 is by far the best all rounder. Nice one here but its only worth £5k tops http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/p...

924 Ugly

928 fabulous car but in your budget may be unreliable

GC8

19,910 posts

197 months

Thursday 9th January 2014
quotequote all
How can a 924 be 'ugly' when you claim to like the 944? Its nothing more than the 924 with ungainly addendums:


GC8

19,910 posts

197 months

Thursday 9th January 2014
quotequote all
Very pretty, even with ridiculous orange reflectors and massive american bumpers.

edh

3,498 posts

276 months

Thursday 9th January 2014
quotequote all
There must be about a million better pictures of a 924 turbo Simon...

I agree that the 924 is a lovely shape though

GC8

19,910 posts

197 months

Thursday 9th January 2014
quotequote all
I spent longer than youd imagine Ed. From the low three quarter front angle the 924 Turbo looks extremely handsome, but the couple that I found werent displaying properly.

Steve Coopers red and white series one is very smart looking, but its too easy to dismiss as non-standard, despite being a standard restored body with +1" wheels and a slight drop.

GC8

19,910 posts

197 months

Thursday 9th January 2014
quotequote all

edh

3,498 posts

276 months

Thursday 9th January 2014
quotequote all
that's better smile

IMI A

9,686 posts

208 months

Thursday 9th January 2014
quotequote all
Just looks so weedy without the flared muscular arches of the 944. Sorry! And to be honest 944 not exactly the best looking car either although I like its looks very much. Fab chassis though.

Edited by IMI A on Thursday 9th January 21:40

Seeker UK

Original Poster:

1,443 posts

165 months

Thursday 9th January 2014
quotequote all
Thanks for the advice so far.

I'm beginning to think that a 928 is no-go.

As for 924 / 944 and so on, I guess the best thing to do is buy the best of either for £4000 or so. That is assuming that the 924 and 944 have the same manners on the twisties...

As for looks, I'm a real sucker for 80s coupes.

GC8

19,910 posts

197 months

Thursday 9th January 2014
quotequote all
IMI A said:
Just looks so weedy without the flared muscular arches of the 944. Sorry! And to be honest 944 not exactly the best looking car either although I like its looks very much. Fab chassis though.

Edited by IMI A on Thursday 9th January 21:40
Weedy? You must be mental Imi.


IMI A

9,686 posts

208 months

Thursday 9th January 2014
quotequote all
That looks bit better but its really the wheels setting it off. I like the 924 Carrera GT - think its the best looking of the lot. If its such a good looking car why can you pick them for a few hundred pounds and even then no-one really buys them. Van engines out of a VW. Theres zero desirability on any level. I expect they drive fantastically well if 944 is anything to go by though

GC8

19,910 posts

197 months

Thursday 9th January 2014
quotequote all
The van engine nonsense perpetuated by Jeremy Clarkson really is nonsense. Theres no correlation between how they loo and what they cost, but there isnt with many cars. The car is very handsome, but the narrow 14" wheels and raised rear to suit the American market really hide its light under a bushell.

The car pictures is absolutely standard bodywise and its painted in a standard colourway. Its been lowed a bit at the front and a lot at the back to make it level, as it should be. The Fuchs wheels were an option in some markets and years too, althoug hthey may be an inch (or two at the back) wider.

These small adjustments allow you to see the car for what it is. Far prettier than the 944, particularly the 1987, 1998 & 1989 cars.


IMI A

9,686 posts

208 months

Friday 10th January 2014
quotequote all
Sorry you're in a minority there in my view

GC8

19,910 posts

197 months

Friday 10th January 2014
quotequote all
edited to remove stutter. hehe


Edited by GC8 on Friday 10th January 02:07

IMI A

9,686 posts

208 months

Friday 10th January 2014
quotequote all
okidokey