Son wants a 944 as a DD, After a couple of stick driving lessons - he is using it daily |
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Son wants a 944 as a DD, After a couple of stick driving lessons - he is using it daily |
scott_in_nh |
Jun 30 2014, 09:49 AM
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#1
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 808 Joined: 10-December 10 From: Hampton, NH Member No.: 12,471 Region Association: North East States |
So my son and I are looking for his first car and he has about $3k to spend.
He does not have a lot of driving experience, but does ok. Of course, seeing me putting 7 – 10k miles/year on the 914 has him thinking he can buy and old car as a DD. I’ve further created a monster as he wants a 944. I have serious reservations about this choice based on New England winters and the age of the cars. Tonight we are going to look at a turbo that I have even more reservations about. He won’t have a garage (but I do), has mediocre mechanical skills (i.e. I’ll be working on whatever he gets too) and will need it reliable enough to get to work every day. So what do you guys think? He also likes Mini Coopers, but we are having a hard time finding one close in his price range. He doesn’t like Golf’s with the 2.0 and I don’t like the 1.8T (or anything else old with a turbo or supercharger). He sort of likes the 1993 to 99 Celica. He is looking for something with some panache and likes the Euro brands better. I am trying to get him to realize that this is his first car not his last and that safety and reliability are more important. So what say you? If not the 944 then what? |
r_towle |
Jul 1 2014, 07:12 PM
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Custom Member Group: Members Posts: 24,598 Joined: 9-January 03 From: Taxachusetts Member No.: 124 Region Association: North East States |
Axel had an aircooled beetle and a 924s
abel started on a 914 Arlo had a jeep Of all of them, the 924s was the most modern, pretty simple to fix and just kept going and going......all sorts of little problems, but nothing that you would be scared about fixing or could not handle.....even a super cheap one. I would suggest you don't get him a turbo....they are really quick, and turbos are not cheap to replace.... 944 is a decent first car, if you do the timing belt ( not rocket science) the rest is standard car stuff, vw electronics and switches etc... Rich |
jasons |
Jul 2 2014, 08:28 AM
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#3
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Jackstand Extraordinaire Group: Members Posts: 2,002 Joined: 19-August 04 From: Scottsdale, AZ Member No.: 2,573 Region Association: None |
944 is a decent first car, if you do the timing belt ( not rocket science) the rest is standard car stuff, vw electronics and switches etc... This sounds like the 914 myths people used to believe. You remember, the one where they're just VW's? Gentle reminder, those parts come with Porsche part numbers, are distributed by Porsche in Porsche boxes, and as a result come with Porsche price tags. Yes, the timing belt job is not hard. But, by the book, it requires a $600 special tool to tension the belt correctly. You can roll the dice on other ways to tension the belt if you can stomach a little more risk. And where Japanese belts will easily go 80k miles, the 944 belts should be replaced at around 35k miles to be safe. The clutch job on the other hand... This will test every trick you have ever learned working on cars. It will test every tool you have, and it will ruin the clothes you are wearing. Porsche book time on the clutch is around 16 hours, add 8 more for the home mechanic. If you take that to the professional mechanic, multiply 16 X $100+/hour and add parts and while-yer-intheres. I can only imagine how many nice $4000 944's are sitting in junk yards now because someone didn't want to foot that bill. I may sound alarmist, but my 944 experience was not great. And I bought the car right. It came with a stack of 1 owner records for around 10 years detailing every belt and clutch from a certified Porsche mechanic. I was well within the limits of both and they still failed. I can't predict what someone else's 944 experience would be. But, I can tell you the stakes are raised with those cars. The unfortunate paradox of the 944 is, Porsche nailed the body. They are still gorgeous, and zinc dipped so they don't rust. But a blown clutch will salvage the car. If you can't get away from the cool euro car thing, you might consider an E36 M3 or 3 series coupe. |
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