Porsche 944 or Foxbody Mustang

For the past little while I've been saving up for a car to replace my jeep Cherokee for the summer, Mainly I've been looking at 87-93 5.0 Mustangs, but my dad said a buddy of his has an 84 944 that he wants to sell for 1500 although he hinted he would sell it for less, my father figures around a grand. The 944 is in great shape, except for the windshield wiper motor, not a big deal.

Basically I'm torn now between a Foxbody around 3K and the 944 at 1k.

I mostly want a car that I can work on with my dad and hopefully, gain some of his wisdom.

Fixing the Foxbody is going to be cheaper than fixing the 944.

The Foxbody is going to be cheaper if you want to make it go faster in a straight line, but the 944 is going to be much less effort and money to make handle well.

Porsche parts however are a little on the expensive side.

Something I thought I'd never say, go with the Mustang. They can be made to handle well, not as balanced as the Porsche but still enough to be nice to drive. Also as mentioned the Ford parts are very cheap. Another plus is the huge supply base for performance parts (start on suspension first, they already have enough go for street tires)

More than just the price of Porsche parts is Porsche insurance and I'd always be very cautious about a $1000 944..........sadly 944's tend to be neglected. I have a couple of friends who race 944 spec cars and they refer to cars in that price range as parts cars.

       My .02 of course.

                Tom

Tom1200 wrote: More than just the price of Porsche parts is Porsche insurance

Yeah the insurance is a good point especially considering I'm 17, and it's hard to get classic car insurance at that age. The 944 is in excellent shape. The guy who owns it is a friend of my dads he hasn't drove it in years and wants to get rid of it. But in all honesty I can't see myself driving one. More off a muscle car guy anyways.

If you're that young, look at insurance first. Either car may cost you an arm and a leg.

Haven't owned a 944, but I've had several Mustangs. Like others said, parts are dirt cheap and easy to find. Can be made to go real fast, real cheap. The 944 is more exotic and a better handling car. But if the car has been sitting for years, it's going to need significant work, even if it "ran when parked".

Tom1200 wrote: Yeah the insurance is a good point especially considering I'm 17, and it's hard to get classic car insurance at that age.

More like near-on impossible. It's possible you wouldn't be allowed to drive it at all (depends on company, policy, other factors).

Is this going to be your main car, or just a car for you and your dad to play with? If the latter, then you'll be better off having the toy car in his name - at least until you turn 25 (again - often varies by state & company) and having your driver be something more mundane, boring and all around cheaper to run.

I've been day-dreaming about a 944 for awhile since I pass by a cheap-looking one in the local used car lot, but in your case I'd probably go with the Mustang.

Ian F wrote: Is this going to be your main car, or just a car for you and your dad to play with? If the latter, then you'll be better off having the toy car in his name - at least until you turn 25 (again - often varies by state & company) and having your driver be something more mundane, boring and all around cheaper to run.

its gonna be my main driver for the summer. showing up at the beach in a 1990 Cherokee is getting a little dull...

13DogMan13 wrote: its gonna be my main driver for the summer. showing up at the beach in a 1990 Cherokee is getting a little dull...

Perhaps you're not doing it right? Looks pretty fun to me.

Seriously, Cherokees are pretty fun in their own way and have a lot of potential if you like off roading. Lots of mods for them, too.

If you decide the insurance is not too bad and want on-road performance, I'd go with the 5.0 Mustang in this case. Easy to work on and parts are super cheap.

My vote goes to the 944. These are really nice cars and their prices have been quietly climbing over the last year or so. If you decide to get one, get the best one you can afford.

I vote 944 as well. Parts really are not that expensive for some items (brakes, etc.), and it handles not only pretty well, but they are the safer choice too.

If you are only 17, then a Mustang GT can be a handful. The back gets light easily and truthfully, unless you dump a lot of money at it, they don't handle all that well. I've know more than one kid hurt in their GT's. 944's, not so much. And a 944 is a tank in comparison.

I've owned Mustangs and 944's, and given the choice, it would be the 944. It's so much more car, especially if you buy a good one to start with. And if you learn to work on it yourself, not that expensive.

MadScientistMatt wrote:

13DogMan13 wrote: its gonna be my main driver for the summer. showing up at the beach in a 1990 Cherokee is getting a little dull...

Perhaps you're not doing it right? Looks pretty fun to me. Seriously, Cherokees are pretty fun in their own way and have a lot of potential if you like off roading. Lots of mods for them, too. If you decide the insurance is not too bad and want on-road performance, I'd go with the 5.0 Mustang in this case. Easy to work on and parts are super cheap.

TO be honest the insurance isn't that bad i just have to pay the difference from what it is now with the Cherokee, and dont worry shes a champ in the winter, not letting go of her anytime soon

I'm a fan of both, but a wise man once said that the most expensive car in the world is a cheap Ferrari. I think this may hold true for the 944 in this case also.

Just sayin'

My 90 5.0 had higher insurance than a 1983 944 I owned when i was 17. Might want to check that out, far more hooliganism happening in 5.0s than Porsches where the insurance companies are watching.