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Buying a used Porsche

Some Used Porsches I wouldn't recommend looking into...

Hmmmmmmm....This is an interesting prospect isn't it. Unless you have the funds to actually purchase a brand new car considered as one of the finest high performance automobiles in the world known throughout, through international standards, you don't need to read on.

A preowned Porsche that was well taken care of will give the owner the same or virtually the same performance as if bought new.

A rule of thumb concerning buying a used Porsche is:
Do research on the particular one you want, and buy the newest one you can afford. Reason being Porsche made improvements virtually every year. Take for example my 1988 944 and 1991 911 Carrera 2. I avoided buying a 944 before the 1985 1/2 model year because when the first 944 models came out, they had the rather dated volkswagen dashboard and instrument cluster. The newer 944's had the better oval shaped dash with the 911 instrument cluster layout, as well as having less electrical problems. A family known foreign car mechanic even recommended my particular year 944. After test driving several 944's (Some were total dogs) I came upon this one. It looked smart, It accelerated smoothly, the interior was clean, it handled tight, and the engine looked and ran cleanly.

Cost of a 1988 Porsche 944 new in 1988 was $32,000.



Any 911 before 1975 should be avoided because the bodies were not zinc galvanized and didn't have rust protection. The 1975-78 engines had the 2.7 litre displacement and had some cylinder head and valve guide problems. Any 911 year of 1978 and up were very reliable, especially the SC versions.

Before I purchased my 911 Carrera, I had it looked at by the Porsche dealership that services my 944 and Jaguar XJ6. They gave me the rundown on what was needed along with the prices. (Valve job, Cracked intake manifolds) After weighing the costs and trouble, I concluded that I would still be ahead with regards to the actual book value and cost of repairs. I then bought the car. I can go on describing the reasons to this but I'd write a novel. I would encourage anyone to pick up books on Porsche and to simply do the research.

The cost of a new 1991 911 Carrera 2 in 1991 was $51,000.00+ Amazing what a bargain you get when you insist a car needs work before buying it!