l am an 18 year old who has loved Porsche 911s of all types all of my life. l particulary like the older SC's, 3.2L's, and pre 1974 cars. l have never really admired or had the desire to drive another car. l live in a lower class home and affording any Porsche will be hard for me. But l do not wanna call any other car my own, except a 911. l can not stand it when l see rich guys driving their Boxters and new 996 is and 997 is and they do not really appreciate the heritage of their cars. What is the best place to go to find a half affordable older 911 that is still half decent?

save your money and buy a nice car when you are older

if you want something fun to drive in the meantime, get a japanese rwd car.

You will need to spend $10-15k on a decent car. A wise man once said that there is nothing mre expensive than a cheap Porsche. Your best bet if you're serious is to read up on Rennlist:
http://forums.rennlist.com/

There is a wealth of info there, as well as on the Pelican board:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/forumdisplay.php?f=8

Personally, l never both with Pelican & spend most of my time on Rennlist. Both have tons of info & classifieds. You can read up about the different models & even ask questions if u have any.

If l were you, I'd look at a 1990 911 for around $15k, such as this one:
http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforums/showthread.php?t=367123

jack is 100% right. The most expensive porsche is a cheap one.

one of the most affordable would have to be the earlier 996's. The initial cost is fairly high (30k for a damned nice example), but theyre very reliable, daily drivable, etc etc. l owned a 99 C2 for 5 years with only 2 issues in my time with it (a leaky coolant tank, which was a very common issue, & a spring in my seat started poking me in the butt).

If u can work on ur own car, the late model 911s (ie mid-late 80s), & 964s r pretty affordable. the general rule with these is to buy the absolute nicest one u can afford. It will save u money in the long run. A freshly restored early model car will also be a good car. l suggest staying away from 930s if youre on a tight budget though.

l suggest looking through ur local porsche club of america is classifieds. Thats often where youll find the cars with the ultra-meticulous & caring owners, but they will cost a bit more.

Do not worry about what other people know or appreciate about their cars.unless u know them personally, its simple a generalization, or sterotype view.

The 1978-83SC series is very reliable, & the 82-83 was very refined, reliable, & bulleproof engine.

When u look at the 911 series from 1963 to present, pre SC cars were often very harsh, & now extremely expensive to run & maintain. The 2.4L & 2.7L also were not that reliable engine wise considering they were fighting emission control systems that were not well sorted out. By 1980, the closed loop Oxygen sensor with simple computer makes for a very clean running car that will pass emission testing no problem even in California. After the 911SC series, the 3.2L Carrera became softer, & less of a drivers car, since the engine really did not rev as violently as the 3.0L in the SC, & the Carrera also gained weight.

964 series onward all have the issues, some bigger, some smaller, but for all around drivability, enjoyment, low cost of maintainence, classic style, the SC series is really hard to beat.

If ur going to buy one, buy from a 1 or two owner, with no more than ACTUAL 75-100K on the clock. A carfax is a MUST, as well as documentation which validates any claim(s) as to the condition, how it was maintained, etc. NEVER buy a fixer-upper Porsche as it will become VERY expensive, & also find a car with STOCK Fuchs(magnesium-aluminum Forged) 16'' wheels.do not go with the 15'' wheels, aftermarket or otherwise.

Take ur TIME.never impulse buy. l shopped around for a year to finally find a 1-owner, 17 year old 911SC which l bought in 2000, with an original 81K, with absolutely NOTHING wrong with it for 16.5K, & l could not be happier with the car. The Targa versions should be only be bought(and really enjoyed) in places like So. Cal, AZ, NM, etc, where it stays dry, & does not rain a lot, otherwise buy the coupe. The car also drive excellent in snow & rain, better than my front wheel drive GTi.

It also take about 3-4 months to learn how to REALLY drive the car, so do not play hero at the beginning.it wil bite the ss of an inexperienced driver, but reward those with the skills u NEED to develope.

In looking at used 911's, the least expensive era will be the 1974-1977 2.7L 911S. Due to well known & documented issues with the 2.7L engine, these cars tend to run far less than the cars that came just before & just after them. It is also a less popular model as many potential buyers looking for impact bumper era cars gravitate towards the SC & 3.2L Carrera, while people looking for early cars often gravitate to the long hood cars of 1973 & earlier. The end result is lower than expected prices for these cars.

The good news on these cars is almost all the examples that r still running have likely had the problems fixed (should have had an engine rebuild with either divilar or Racewear head studs, & upgraded cooling fan). The bad news is that these r early 911s & even though they have galvanized bodies, rust will be a major concern.

1974 is probably the most desirable year of these cars, & it may well be possible to find one in good condition with all of the corrective work well documented. & such a car would be a fun & reliable car. ''Cheap'' in this case would be in the $10-11k range. Might luck into one for a little less, but anything under this price range would mean extra care in the prepurchase inspection to ensure there was not some reason why it was being sold for so little.

As others have mentioned, if the car has problems, it can become very expensive to set right. And likewise, even if it is in good condition, u will need to keep in mind there will be possible expense in keeping up the car as part prices tend to reflect the fact that these were premium cars when new. And, that even though these older cars can be very reliable & usable for daily drivers, they r best suited as second cars. All of which adds up to a car that is not ideally suited to an 18 year old looking to do this inexpensively.

If u r set on buying, figure out ur price range, & then find a knowledgable Porsche mechanic that u will work with for a pre-purchase inspection (this could easily be the best money paid when buying a used Porsche). With these in place, u must then be willing to take ur time to find the right car. And given ur situation, it may be that the longer u take in finding the right car, the better it will be (giving u longer to save, etc etc). If possible though, u may be better off to revisit this plan in a couple years when u may have a higher price range & wider choice of cars.

l think u should save ur money & NOT buy an ''affordable'' 911, but rather wait until u can afford the BEST 911 u can afford.

A good ''starter'' Porsche would be 1987-89 Carrera, because u have the more durable G50 tranmission & a hydraulic clutch. These cars can usually be had for as little as $15,000 up to maybe $22,000.

l do not recommend the Targa, as they leak & cannot be properly sealed up for very long. A sunroof coupe would be nice.

Remember, an engine rebuild on a Porsche can cost AS MUCH AS THE ENTIRE CAR, so be careful when u buy one. Have it inspected, get a cylinder leakdown test, put it on a lift, have an expert test drive it for you, get all service records.

Stay away from 75-77 models with the 2.7 engine or u will be sorry.

You wont find one. If it is in good condition, it will be expensive. If it is in bad shape, it will be expensive to fix.

let is face it, you're 18. l want a Ferrari - but it is not realistic. Just like you getting a Porsche that is not gunna cost a fortune to keep on the road (especially in a lower income household) is not realistic. Buy a cheap, reliable car, and then save up for a 911, then get one when you can buy a real beauty.

l have an mercedes s class 08 :)

No such animal. Man they are money pits, anyway, l feel the same way you do. It helps to have a mechanic friend.
82-83, very well made not crazy with the electronics yet.