Carpokes Porsche Forum

So, with my 997.1 I am now bitten by "the bug". And while Porsche is clearly at the center of things, I am debating a few things.

My wife and I make a good living, have no children, however we have 2 homes and she has a nasty horse habit with 2 horses she competes with which make air cooled Porsches seem like an affordable hobby. That is to say, there isn't an endless stream of free cashflow for project expenses.....but I am drawn to "slow car fast" old school analog cars for some reason. I love the idea of a 70's outlaw 911but I don't have that coin laying around.

I am going through the common progression of 924, 944 or 914 debates but while I am handy (we built our second home years ago) I'm not a car mechanic by any stretch (done brakes, oil, minor suspension stuff and some diesel truck modding in my younger years). 944/924 N/A cars I have gathered are fairly easy to work on and can be enjoyable BUT while the acquisition cost of the car my be reasonable, parts are not cheap and some wear items like clutches etc. are downright pricey for what they are. 914s are a mystery to me.......for decades I thought they were hideous. They are growing on me and I like the VW vibes.....they "seem" more simplistic and from what I hear parts are more readily available and more affordable as there is a lot of VW crossover. But are they fun to drive?

Or do I just do the sensible thing and buy an early Boxster in solid running condition for $10-15K and have something enjoyable to drive that may not need as much TLC..........but I know a Boxster can present you with a $5-8K bill as easily as a 911.......

Or do I just say "screw it" and buy a 1980s Mercedes SL variant and have a nice cruiser I can get 2 golf bags into?

Open to thoughts and ideas on this before I do something stupid over the winter.........

A 914 is a great car , light and you can toss around it is a go cart . Downside ? Rust . And rust . Lastly there's rust . But find a clean one and a lot of fun .

When I lived in Orlando I bought a very clean 1975 and built it into a GT clone . Installed a 3.0 SC engine with Weber carbs . That car was a blast .

But zero creature comforts . And these are now 50 + years old . Boxster is another great chassis and probably the best bang for buck in Porsche world . But like the 944 many were not maintained well .

Prone to bore scoring and IMS issues a thorough PPI is recommended including dropping the sump plate and inspect cylinder bores with a bore scope . By someone familiar with 986/996 engines . Have fun

Bitten by the bug on the modern 911 and now mulling a tunable vintage Porsche or an SL Mercedes... Why does all that sound so familiar to me? You're going to fit right in here.

Tom wrote: Wed Sep 24, 2025 5:27 pm Bitten by the bug on the modern 911 and now mulling a tunable vintage Porsche or an SL Mercedes... Why does all that sound so familiar to me? You're going to fit right in here.

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#LifeGoals......lol

Great looking SL !!!!

I didn't think I was alone in these feelings glad to see it is a well worn path.

There is just something about a mechanical or "analog" experience where diagnosing issues doesn't send you on an endless search of sensor testing etc. Modern cars are great, for our daily lives they certainly serve the purpose but the driving experience from the older cars is more involved and rewarding to me.

The reason I also lean towards an SL as well is my wife likes the old SLs and we are avid golfers and I have a better chance of getting 2 golf clubs in an SL and using is regularly during the summer than other cars........