912 vs. 944 Turbo vs. 930? Your input sought?, Contemplating another option-away from -6; your thoughts? Options

[R8CERX]

So…I am contemplating the next purchase… not in a rush.. the right deal at the right time…. heck…I may even go for a 1974 GTV Alfa Romeo--a whole different story!

I love the following three models:

All 912 coupe models (Ideally, Red, Silver, light blue, or the weird mustard color)
The 1989 930 (turbo) (Ideally Silver, Red, black)
The 1989 944 Turbo (S) (Ideally Red, Silver, Yellow)

Of course, they are all in different price ranges… so my interest is to get one of the above for fun, daily/weekend driver/ semi restored (I dont want to work on the cars too much aside from regular maintenance or basic work) and I do believe the wife will want to drive it more than the -6.

As I know how critical this group is, I would love to hear the pros/cons on the above models.

I pretty much have my mind made up, but want to check with the peanut gallery to see if I am in the right path… (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif)

If you are aware of a car for sale within the above types, I welcome also the lead--PM me or email me.

[ehokana]

I can't speak for the 930 or 912, but I just sold my 951 about a month ago before buying my current 914. For the 6 or so years I had the car, it was fantastic. They handle very well (especially with Koni sports) and pull hard when you really stomp on it. Everything in the cabin is laid out nicely from the driver's perspective, and it is surprisingly comfortable on longer trips.

Having said that, they take quite a bit of work to keep them running well. Under the hood is cramped and you'll find that nearly all repairs require turbo components to be moved. They are not cheap cars to maintain. I'm sure you already know about the timing belt and water pump service (every 30 and 60k miles, respectively), but don't forget the clutch repair will run you a pretty penny if that is necessary- I believe the estimate was around $2,300 for the clutch because it is about a 21 hour job plus parts. It seems that delamination on the hatch is a growing concern with the age of the cars now as well as the obvious rubber hoses and seals that haven't already been taken care of. (Also, seeing that you're in SoCal, I have to add that getting a 951 smogged can be an ordeal)

Definitely not trying to steer you away from the 951 (I would buy another in a heartbeat) but thought it'd be better to have more info rather than less.