Son's first car...a Porsche

Thanks to Andail951, I just put a deposit on my (16 year old) son's first car. It's a 89 944. It's listed over on the member to member classified ads. I'm looking forward to some bonding time with my son on his project car. It needs a couple fuel lines replaced and it failed CA smog. We were looking at E30 BMWs (325is) or 944s. This one looked too good to pass up. My son saved up all the money and has to keep at least a B average, if he wants to drive it. It's a lot nicer than the 1965 basket case MGB that I started with. I hope he has more common sense than I did, when I was 16.

nice

Wow. Such a dream first car. Congrats to you and son.

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with all due respect (having never met him) I am sure he does get him to a Drivers Skills Day, that would have been a big help for me. I seem to recall a slide into a curb at 16 that was tranlated as "learing the hard way" nice looking car, GL with it

funny that was my first porsche...actually a 924..but same color...and within 10 weeks rapped around a tree. Better make sure your son understand how tricky rear wheel drive can be....and that driving (braking) without ABS can be tricky tooo. I must say I loved that car....tons of fun to drive (even for that short period of time)

it's an 89...it probably has ABS. Look at it this way, if it gets dinged up the head is worth $1k alone so you've got some recovery there. I've enjoyed my 89....it doesn't really fall into the category of "not enough power to get yourself in trouble" because with the trailing arm suspension you can get the back end to do crazy things with any amount of horsepower.

Wow! Great first car. My first car was red...only not near as nice to look at.

Fortunate kid, he will have lot's of fun. My oldest son is almost 19 and is still waiting for me to buy him his first car

That's a heck of a first car. I wish my dad was that cool when I was your son's age. May I suggest a program for basic car control is Street Survival. http://www.streetsurvival.org/

Lucky kid!

yes lucky kid to have a dad like you! enjoy the bonding!

Nice! Low BHP and great handling. Maybe he wan't get it into too much trouble.

Cool first car! I had a red first car too... Mine was a '74 Bug and I had to drive that thing on the autobahn. When a car would pass me the wind would push me across a lane on the road. Top speed on it was about 70 MPH so obviously I had a difficult time keeping up with everyone else.

Wow - lucky kid! I sort of went through the same situation with my almost 16 year old boy too... I toyed with going with a 944 for him too (there were a few in the area here in the sub-$5k range) but when my wife found out what our insurance was going to charge for liability on that car she nixed it... so he ended up with an old Ford Ranger... Congrats and have fun putting it together! Rudy

I had one when I was young. IMO a great first car (spoiled kid.) Not too much power, loads of fun to drive. There's a great connected to the road feel, and lots of interior noise, in a good way. Easy and fun to work on too, as if you need a project.

That 944 was what I tried to twist my father's arm into letting me get for a first car when I was that age. I fantasized about it, taped the local auto shopper newsprint into my history books so I could check out the local selection during study hall. I had the old man going for a while, or so I thought. We agreed to a series of achievements and a number that would be allocated for the car. So beyond all hope I got motivated, and started knocking out the achievements we laid out. He grinned while I gloated over the Porsche he would be buying me, and everyone who knew me was well aware of why I was suddenly applying myself. Well, moment of truth, he said look you can just about get into one of these for the money I'm willing to spend. Awesome. He then told me I couldn't afford to keep a 944 on the road (early cars were selling for 12-15 back in the early 90s, probably beaten to death, and we didn't have the internet yet for DIYs and parts shopping, it was intimidating thinking about paying a Porsche mechanic back then or me), and honestly, he was right! I wound up, like our very own Tim, with a new Honda which I had for two years until college. Still wonder what would have happened differently if I'd gotten that red 944 though!

Very nice. A nice way to bond with your son Mark, and it will mean so much more for your son since he's paying for it, and has a Dad who can help him when issues arise with the 944.

Congrats! It looks really clean for a 20 year old car. Can you have the car run on a single cylinder until his driving improves?

Saw the FS post in the classifieds. Looks like a clean car. With your wrenching skills, you can get this running in no time!

In college I got an '87 red 944. It was a great car. Within a few weeks of owning it, I'd driven off the road into a farmer's field (not understanding that you can't brake and turn at the same time) and I spun on an on-ramp pulling onto the highway in the rain. Luckily no major damage was done... then I was introduced to the world of PCA driver's education. The rest, as they say, is history!

Thanks for all the kind words guys. It's fun remembering back to our first cars. LJpete, great advice on the survival school. That will be a priority. I'm looking forward to doing a few autocrosses this summer with my son and both P-cars. I enjoyed all the first car stories. HTNY, while I was reading yours...I thought you were going to get the Porsche for sure. When I was in high school, I found a 69 Olds 442 for $600 that was perfect...instead I had to buy the $350 MGB basket case. Chao, good idea on the cylinders.

Ok..I am up for adoption and I do not eat much. Now if you can find a wet parking lot for a DE fun father son event and let him go hog wild. Just think now you won't be wondering why your only getting 8 miles to the gallon in your porsche.

nice... I just sold my 83 944 with BBS LMs a few months ago to some kid.

In March my 16 year old daughter starting driving my 87 944S. She paid to get a paint job done on it and I've been making her help me with the maintenance. All she has to do is keep A/B's and don't do anything dumb. She has gotten very good at driving a stick. Rick 99 996C4 87 944S

Mark... Great time in your (& your son's) life. Enjoy the moment. They pass quickly. Each of my four kids got a car for their sixteen birthday; all sticks. It was a badge of honor for them at school as not many kids these days can drive a stick. How sad.

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I'm glad to hear she's starting out so well! I remember the first time I taught a 16 year old to drive stick (I was 17 then). We had bigger issues than smooth engagement, she actually asked me if it was OK to make a left on red at one point. I didn't get my first Porsche back then, but in two ways it was good for me: 1) I learned that, like a good woman, just the idea of getting inside a nice Porsche will make you do things you never thought you would or could. 2) A proper backseat can be an astoundingly versatile feature for the young man on the go, especially if he knows a good woman or two. Best, Hans

My first car was a 1984 porsche 944 . Granted I hit a deer with it the first day I had my drivers license...

I remember my first Porsche was a white 1988 944S while I was in grad school. I once fit 7 of my friends into it.

Very nice car. My first car was an 84 944. Miss that car like crazy.

Let's all get 944's again!

Definitely get him into a DE class, hopefully it will let him satisfy his speed curiosity in a safe environment and thus be a mature driver on the street.

Thats a great first car!

Wonderful car, but it scares me to think of a 16 year old driving such a car. I really don't wan't to rain on your parade. However, I remember 16 and I can tell you as a fact that your son will at some point want to see what 140 mph feels like even though you may not want to think about it. Your son will test the limits of the car. I only hope that he doesn't exceed them, but I remember being 16, 17, and 18. Every car I owned or drove when I was that age was driven at some point at a speed and attitude that would turn my dad sheet white today. The good news was that I survived, but I had my share of accidents and off-road experiences. My dad never had a clue about most of them and I was a pretty reserved kid compared to most of my high school friends. A number of those friends never saw graduation and when I think back about some of my antics I realize I was pretty lucky, too. As a dad we all want to believe that our kids are different. That is a fatal mistake. We all want to have our kids do better than we did when we started out, but right now you are thinking like an adult and not thinking like a 16 year old kid where all the neuronal wiring isn't plugged in. An hour from where I live some kid tried to test the top speed of a new BMW that his dad bought him. That dad never had that kind of car when he grew up and he was so proud of his son for having such a incredible car. His son died with three of his friends one night when that beautiful BMW went airborne at something over 140 mph at the end of an airport runway. The car struck a tree and was cleaved into two, killing four young lives almost instantly. The driver thought it would be safe running his car on an airport runway free of traffic. He was dead wrong. Now that father is bonding with a coffin and a grave stone. I can't imagine the pain he feels, even when I have lost my own son, I still can't imagine his pain. I'm sorry, but I think it is lousy first car. I really, really, hope I am wrong, but what if I am not?

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That's the spirit, I'll trade ya straight up! (Oh well, it was worth a try.)

Bond with Dad??? He's gonna be BONDING WITH SOME BABES!!! Remember the '80s movie... "Sixteen Candles"???? Don't worry about him crashing the car, but maybe put a pack of Trojans in the glove box!! Anyway, you're a great dad for taking care of your boy -- good job!

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You're kidding, right? What does an '89 2.7-liter 944 have for horsepower--something in the 160 range? I'm not sure that car could hit 140 mph going downhill with a strong tailwind. I don't know if they put them in the base car, but the 944 series was one of the first cars ever to have dual airbags. Also, they handle rather well, which I find to be as much a safety feature as anything else. These things did 0-60 in the 8-9 second range, or a little bit slower than the '91 Ford Escort GT I drove in high school. I'd be more worried about the other kids driving around in their parents' new 300 HP family sedans with a carload of kids than I would about my kid in an '89 Porsche 944 2+2. You paid two grand for this, Mark? I looked at the FS thread and saw how quickly you pounced on this thing. EXCELLENT choice--this is what Rennlist is supposed to be all about.

Perfect first car. Way more chassis and brakes than speed. Better handling and less speed than the E30 325is though that would have been a good choice too (see my sig...)

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Marv. Clearly you never owned one, they are dog slow! I think a modern Camry will blow it away. Probably struggle to make 130 with a tailwind! My crappy Saab wagon would blow it away in acceleration and top speed!

My first car was a '68 GTO convertible with a 4 speed Hurst. One of the fastest cars I've ever owned. And one of my favorites!!

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Did you ever drive it?

Awe crap, Marc, you beat me to it!

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I was too young and dumb not to. Yeah, I drove it - and sold it for peanuts. Who knew??

I believe this is the perfect first car for your son, and you did an awesome job on the purchase. Weighs more, and has less horsepower than a 2007 Honda Civic. I will offer some "value" to this thread: George Beuselinck, 944 Ecology http://www.944ecology.com/

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You are looking at this from the context of an adult who drives a car with 2 to 3 times the horsepower. Sure, no problem for you, but someone who is totally inexperienced with driving, only a percentage of his neurons wired up, and testosterone driving toward the hormonal red line has a somewhat different frame of mind. Never mind reaching 140 mph (which it will (ask me how I know)), I've seen some horrible fatalities at 45 mph. My girlfriend also worked as a paramedic and has first hand knowledge of teenagers, cars, and the biological carnage they can reap.

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Actually, I have owned three 944s, two 944S cars, and an '89 Turbo before the three 911s I owned. Maybe it is not as clear as you seem to believe? Generally, it is not the acceleration that kills kids, it is a loss of control when they exceed the limits of the car or physics. Breaking the laws of physics, unlike getting a ticket, has no arbitration phase; you jump directly to the penalty phase.

There are worse cars for a 16 year old, though. If a crash with no crumple zones whatsoever is like falling off the top of a building, the Smart ForTwo is like putting a cheap mattress on top of the pavement.

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OK, but I think that ANY teenager that is going to push limits is just as likely to do it in a Civic as a 944, so whats the difference? The only thing I wish the 944 had was airbags.

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OK, on the top speed issue, we're quibbling over nothing. This site lists it at 137 mph, which is comparable to most anything else out there these days. That said, I don't think this is a big deal at all, and I fail to see how putting a teenager into a car that's likely to be quicker, handle more poorly, and accommodate more teenagers inside is preferable to a solid 944. So why would you want your teenager in a car with a lower threshold at which that happens? Sorry, I just don't get it...I think you're more worried about the color of the car and the badge on the front. The bigger issue is probably the person in the driver's seat, and only Mark knows the specifics of that.

Guys, thanks for all the great stories and memories. Mother, the wet parking lot is a great idea. My first car was an MGB, but I learned how to drive in my brother's 69 Trans AM...lot of fond memories of wet parking lots and dry ones too. If I adopt you, will you make a S/C for my Porsche too? Rick, good job getiting your daughter to help with the maint. ChuckW, thanks. Learning a stick is an essential life skill. HTNY, I enjoyed your good woman/Porsche analogies. Sounds like a good topic for a book. Smackboy, 7 in a 944 is pretty impressive. I did grad school a little later in life, but I have fond memories of driving down the Vegas strip with 4 of us in my ASC Mclaren Mustang 2-seat convertible. Marv, I am sorry that you lost a son. Parents should not outlive their children. I appreciate where you are coming from. Over 20 years of my 24 years as a cop, have been in a patrol car. I have seen my share of roadside tragedy. I tried to pick a vehicle that will hold up well in an accident, has great brakes & handling, and is not over powered. My kids know that if they have the "need for speed", I will take them with me to the track and we can do it together. They will get to experience autocrossing, open track events, and the drag strip, if they desire. I will also invest in a driving school, like the one offered by the local BMW chapter. I will do everything in my power to keep him from becoming a stastic. Arnee, I do hope to drive it once in a while. JayVee, you don't want a 996. Haven't you heard...the engines all blow up sooner or later . Meister, thanks. I don't want to be a grandfather before my time. Tooloud, thanks. I just wired the money to his account. Having it be a fellow Rennlister really gives me peace of mind. Hey Joe, I have seen pictures of your other E30 BMW, that was seriously cool. My other son wants a BMW when he gets his first car....I told him to keep saving his money, and he'll have one. Phil, I drove my brother's 69 Trans Am for several months when I was 18. I loved it. It's painful to watch Barrett Jackson and see what the old Pontiacs go for now. Thundertub, thanks. Great link for our future use.

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I know you don't get it. However, you are looking at it as all things being equal. They are not.

This started as a new car sharing thread and turned into something different. Can we focus on the fact that Mark's son is very fortunate to have a father who shares a great passion for cars like the rest of us? Congrats again on the purchase. I hope you will post pics of your DIYs on the 944 board. It will allow other 944 owners and prospective owners to have the wealth of information like you have shared with us in the past on 996s.

chsu74, thanks. It's fun sharing the car addiction with my kids. I'm sure we will get to know some of the guys on the 944 forum.

tooloud10; I agree 100% my 2 boys have all had sports cars ... Worked out fine. There what they ARE, you Can't change that just hope for some respect and responsiblility. Fletch, it's all good. Off topic but interesting and shows respect, 100 plus VW Vans driving over the Skyway Bridge in Tampa Bay. http://s4.photobucket.com/albums/y10...2009/?start=20

Wow! Someone is really spoiled! But, make sure you have a much needed discussion about sports cars and life. 16 year-olds are routinely irresponsible when it comes to driving and he will have a great deal of peer-pressure to show his buddies how he can exceed the speed of light. Perhaps you can suggest a break-in routine like we do today for our engines. Suggest for his own education (and survival) that he keep it under 4000 RPM for the first 1000 miles, and then under 5000 for the next 1000 miles, and so on. It will give him an opportunity to learn the quirks of that car before he gets it up to deadly speeds. I wish you and your son well.

This is not intended as a suggestion for Mfletch but I have a carchip which can data log acceleration and deceleration rates (and many other parameters). What's really cool is as part of it's feature list, (that they market not only for diagnostics but for fleet managers and Parents) is that you can set thresholds on acceleration, top speed etc... You can then download them and monitor the driver's habits/behavior. I understand that this raises issues with trust and your son so that's why I'm not suggesting it but for those who want that bit of insurance, that is an option. On a funnier note, I set the threshold of my car chip top speed on my jeep to 75mph to help me save gas as the faster I go with it, the lower my gas mileage is. My wife borrowed my jeep to go to NYC and she called me mid way through the trip complaining that the truck was beeping at her the whole way up. I told her that it was the max speed threshold warning that she was exceeding. Needless to say she wasn't very happy with me during the drive. Doh! I did tell her how to remove the chip so it wouldn't beep at her anymore. She just turned up the radio louder. LOL

An 86 944 was my first car 8 years ago this month. It will do 137 in the day but at night with the lights up it will only get to ~131. I want another 944 someday for sure !

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Do you have a website for this product? thanks. edit: www.carchip.com is the site? Carchip is the actual brand.

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That's the one.

Len and Dan, thanks guys. I appreciate it. LJ, thanks for the info on the chip. I'm hoping that I can trust him....we'll see. The car arrived this morning. Here is the happy new owner (and future Rennlist Member). I bought it sight unseen from a fellow Rennlister (Andail951). We couldn't be happier.

nice... although I would strongly urge you to put in one of those new Renn boxes next to the engine. Tell him that its a special new type of telemetry device that you're going to download from to see if the engine is holding up well. And by the way it shows the top speed driven and how many 0-100 runs he's done. Sooner or later your kid's going to pull up to a light and some pin head with spikey hair and a "really baller" Civic is going to challenge him with the dolly bird in the passenger seat. Did you ever do what you're folks told you not to do with cars?

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It was the only place they would never find out living with my parents growing up. Enough said...

mark, i envy your son. nice choice.

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Amazing how I had to read through 33 replies before someone said what I thought was quite obvious. My father didn't have a car or a driver's license when he was 17, so he had no idea what could happen when you put a 17 year old boy and a car together. I did, and I do. True, you can do a lot of foolhardy things with any car, but somehow a car known for speed and performance is only going to encourage such behavior. I would at least keep him on a tight leash. BTW, do you know you can easily install a "flight recorder" in any car? Just a thought.

Very nice first car. I like the 968 rims too - I had them on my '89 S2 before selling it. Not that practical for a first car though - wait till that A/C compressor goes and you see the bill, or the clutch, A-arms, shocks, etc, etc.

Thanks again guys. I'm hoping that I can trust my son. He is pretty aware of the consequences of irresponsible behavior in a vehicle, due to my occupation. Andy, thanks. When the AC compressor goes, he will appreciate it even more,...when he can afford to fix it. The car came with receipts for over $6,000 in repairs/maintenance. I already ordered a shop manual for him. We have some work to do to the fuel system, before it is driveable.