im 15 i live in michigan, usa and im looking for a first car and id like to know if 928 is a good first car?

is it reliable?
is it costly to maintain?
and anything else you think i should know before considering buying one?

is there a lot of aftermarket support because id like to use my first car to go through NASA hpde

 

The short answer: No porsche is good for a teenager, sorry. They are all very expensive to maintain, ESPECIALLY a 928. You can afford to keep a 911 on the road cheaper than a 928.

 

Disagreed!

 

It is an absolutely terrible, terrible idea. But then, go ahead and do it: you'll look back and regret it, but no one will die. That is because a 928 is a very safe and inexpensive car for a 16 year old -- he and she will never be able to afford to keep it running and thus will never get into trouble in it. 928s are among the most crowded cars possible underhood -- one of the very worse --just VERY difficult to work on: I prefer trying to work on the V12 E-type Jag and its considered a nightmare.

928s were durable cars when new but even the best of them is an old, old car now, and it will deteriorate and require service like an old car -- but costs will be for an old, very expensive car. Service costs are high because it is so difficult to work on it, and parts can be dear: they are available but not THAT easy to get and pretty expensive in some cases. The car is reasonably safe in a crash (its built well and rather heavy), but not that fast by modern standards, and rather thirsty, too. It is not tricky to drive but then its brakes are only so-so by modern standards, etc.

A 944, in good condition, is a much much better option, but even it is not a good idea for a 16 year old. Still, when someone that age falls in love with the image of a car (or at least what they think it is) it is impossible to tell them otherwise.

 

Lee, you are much better at words than I. I had to delete my responses of "it's ok to be wrong" and "let me guess you are a teenager" and so on. So many times I have seen young people buried financially because they think they can afford to buy and maintain a 25 year old Porsche. Of course, some teenagers have parents that will pay to keep the cars going as well. So sad. I had a kid spend $8k with me in the course of 6 months one year, and none of it was for what would be considered "major work." Just items to keep the car running.

 

This is crazy. I found this thread on accident, actually, while i was looking for athermostat overflow hose for my '85 928s. I say that because i am 16, am also from Michigan, and I was given this car through a series of crazy events. When i got it, it wasn't even in running condition. Now, i would say it's in peak condition for a car of it's age. I have replaced much of the fuel system by myself, and just got done putting in a new timing belt/tensioner/water pump. From teen to teen, this is an AMAZING first car. And with a little bit of mechanical know-how, it's only fairly expensive. I work an average job for a kid my age, and i've gone through periods of doing nothing but saving to buy a part, but it's totally worth it. In closing though, if you don't know what the heck your doing with a car so sophisticated for it's time or don't know somebody who does, don't consider buying it. There are so many things that are initially wrong with cars like 928's, mainly because of their age. Heck, mine has been sitting in a heated garage for 10 years prior to me getting it and it still was chock full of issues. Still love it though.

 

Probably not mate.. driving a porsche is not like ordinary car. Plus, Porsche parts and accessories ain't cheap mate. But if you can afford it and you have a pretty impressive driving experience then go.