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.

[Dave_Darling]

The 912 will be pretty well balanced, with limited power. And RUST is a sizeable problem with them. Not to mention that most of the car is shared with the early 911, meaning parts prices are very $$$.

They started back up the depreciation curve a number of years back, and seem to be gaining value at a moderate pace. Their bang-for-the-buck is not so great, but they have the superb look of the longhood 9-series cars. Actually, most of them are SWB cars even, which I think look better.

I hear maintenance on the 951 is just short of a nightmare, most especially if it has been deferred. But they go like stink, are easy and forgiving to drive, and scoot well around corners.

The 930 will be the most expensive to buy and probably to maintain. But OMFG, when you stand on the loud pedal you will get a big smile on your face...


I'd think that the lowest-performance car of the batch, the 912, would have the highest potential for wife approval. Though if your wife likes acceleration, the 951 is probably the better bet. The 951 will have heat and A/C that actually function well (if they're working correctly). The others have very 914-like heat and A/C. The 912 will probably be softest-sprung of the batch, though the 951 interior will be much more modern and may be more comfortable because of that.

If your wife likes "cute" cars, the 912 will probably be the easiest sell that way too.

I'm partial to the looks of the early cars, myself. But the rust issues can be pretty scary...

--DD