Buying on the cheap

On the Porsche's -

914's can be lots of fun, particularly the 2.0. Have the advantage you can work on them yourself. If you get one in good driving condition now and want to upgrade it for autocross later, would work pretty well. Not the fastest by any means, unless you put in a 911 engine, but a real sports car of its era. Biggest thing to watch out for is body rust and corrosion (particularly around battery tray, etc). If the body is good, then you can usually work with it as far as engine, brakes, suspension is concerned.

944's are more modern will probably feel and look better. But they're also more complex, harder to work on, parts can be expensive. Engine is definitely more complex and you might be close to a rebuild at 144K. 944's were generally better accepted as Porsche's, unlike 924's, by the Porsche fanatics, if that matters to you. All comes down to condition. With almost all Porsches, find an "excellent condition" car first and then negotiate a fair price. "Good deals" almost never are by the time you consider repair costs unless you can work on them yourself.

 

944 engine rebuild - at least $3-4K, depends on what else you find as well as actual labor costs in your area.

Check out www.pelicanparts.com tech forum to learn more. You'll want that site bookmarked if you buy a Porsche for parts and tech help.

 

First off, any car that has beat up will need a rebuild.
Second I don't know of any 944's that needed to be rebuilt after 144k miles.
Third off, I have talked to a lot of 914 owners and most had poor things to say about them. They don't have much power, they don't handle well, the don't ride comfortably, etc.... I love the way they look but get reading and see what the masses say about them.

 

You could get yourself a 924 Turbo {931} or a 944 in good condition for only a few k in the states.

 

You're going to spend more time pushing any of those cars that you will riding in them. Save more, and buy a jap car.

Just my .02