Anyone know of a good way to find a deal on a used Porsche 911? (for sale)

[tiresidedown]

So far, the cheapest I've seen is $7800 for a runner. Ideas?

[whoopeedew]

I would keep an eye on Craigslist.

[DMenscha]

I've used autotrader.com to some success.

[1AngryTaxPayer]

What year you looking for?

[esmith143]

For $7800 it will be something like 1980.

[tiresidedown]

Almost any year really - I'm fine with older. I'll do simple repairs myself - if it's deep complex stuff I will probably hire a pro.

I don't know which years are better than others, if any, come to think of it. Are there 'dog years' to avoid?

[esmith143]

Best to ask these questions on a dedicated Porsche forum. Try rennlist.com. IMO anything you buy for less than five digits will be a permanent DIY project that spends half of its time disassembled.

[tande1n5]

The 996 generation has some great deals to be found, possibly from the hatred from Porsche-o-philes. I've seen some in the 20's when looking casually - although much more than your figure, it's still a great deal seeing as they're quite new (1998-2005 generation).

The switch from oil to water cooling happened during this generation (1998-2005). As you may know, Porsche fans detest any deviation from "tradition" and this switch, combined with the "fried egg" shaped headlights over the round ones made the die-hards hate them, although they are mechanically very sound cars.

Overall, Porsche is usually rated quite well in terms of quality, reliability, and satisfaction for cars in their segment - mind you, it's not a Toyota, and you can't expect that kind of toaster-like reliability from such a high strung car. They also eat tires for breakfast, they become a recurring expense.

I'm not too knowledgeable about the generation-to-generation intricacies of older-generation Porsches, but as always, carfax, taking it to a mechanic you trust before pulling the trigger, stuff like that. Ebay motors, autotrader also work as search tools. Porsche-only shops also exist in most metro areas, and sometimes they have bulletin boards with some for sale that they have maintained in the past and can vouch for.

There are TONS of Porsche forums out there, it's a huge, highly vocal fanbase (sometimes to a fault). You also might want to check out the CD auto forum, because quite a few "car guys" from these forums post over there (myself included).

[1AngryTaxPayer]

Any high horsepower exotic is going to keep you busy putting money into your bank account. My beemer just cost me a chunk o change but I can't part with it. If I quit rowing it so hard it would probably help