Air Force Officer Looking For First Porsche

[ssgthollywood]

Greetings! After 17 years in the Air Force, I am about to put on Captain and am looking to put those hard-earned promotion dollars to work. I am in the market for my first Porsche, and have wanted one all my life. I am looking for recommendations.

First a little about myself. I have merely adequate knowledge of auto mechanics so will have to have the majority of repairs done at a shop. Therefore, I'm looking for a car that will be as reliable a daily driver as possible, without putting me in the poor house. I don't really need anything extravagant and would like to spend less than $30K. I was thinking a 911 somewhere between 1965 - 1988?

Thanks in advance!

[Curt]

For that money, I would suggest a very well maintained, excellent condition 1993-94 964.

I am kind of over the whole early car thing. Yeah, you guys heard me right!

[ssgthollywood]

Where would you recommend looking, Ebay Motors? I am stationed in Monterey, CA. Also, what's a good upper limit for miles before I can start expecting repairs?

[Jad]

Everyones opinion will vary, but any 911 between 1980 and 94 would be a good starting point. It really isn't our opinion that counts though, you need to go drive cars and see what feels right. The various cars are VERY different, not better or worse. Some love the rawness of the earlier cars, others prefer some refinement offered by the later cars-light and quick vs heavy and powerful. When you can narrow down what feels good to you, then post and we can provide ideas on what to look for and what not to look for. For example, mileage means nothing. A well maintained car can easily go 250-300K+ miles, whereas a non-maintained car will cost a fortune with only 50k miles. Don't buy the deal, buy the overpriced obsessed over car. You will pay less in the long run and have something special.

Good luck and be sure to come to one of our schools if you want to appreciate what the cars can do and avoid finding out what they can't do on city streets.

[ronaldtrotter]

There are also a number of books on the market that talk about buying a used Porsche. They discribe the cars and talk about some of the short comings and things to watch for in each. Granted they are one mans opinion, but informative and I found them to be a help. Look up these books on Barnes and Noble or any of the on line book sellers.

[Pete Millikin]

I agree with Jad - Drive a few and see what you like. Maint history is important since these suckers are expensive to repair and your target car is 12+ years old. Absolutely, positively get your dream car checked out by a Porsche mechanic before purchase- a cheap investment that can save you thousands.

For background info look at the back issues of Excellence magazine. Bruce Anderson, a noted expert, does periodic market updates of various models and years. Feb and August 06 issues cover the years you are looking for. Good luck

http://www.excellence-mag.com/back_issues.html

[martinreinhardt]

Steve from Dieter's Motorsports wrote a good article which will help buying your dream Porsche http://www.dietersmotorsports.com/tech/2003/usedporsche.htm