Which Cheap Mid Engine Porsche?

TLDR - 986 Boxster vs 914 for low budget "hot rod" Porsche?

I grew up going to Porsche Club HPDEs several times a year with my Dad.  Through the years, he drove a 944, 911, Corvette, and now has a 914 (that mostly sits in his garage in a non-running state).  I had an e30 BMW track car for several years and became a DE instructor with PCA.  I got to drive a bunch of cool Porsches.  I've always held Porsches in high regard, but never owned one myself.  If budget was no concern, a 987.2 Cayman would be my car of choice, but I can't bring myself to spend that kind of money.

So I'm looking at early boxsters vs 914s.  I'd be looking at the bottom of the price range for either car, $3-$5k purchase price.  Neither one would have a specific use in mind, mostly just a "project" I've been pondering for a few years now.  I like the idea of a "rough looking", low budget, entry level, enthusiast Porsche.  I'm picturing a rough exterior, low/stiff suspension, maybe some wheels and opened up exhaust.  The look of the spec boxster race cars has grown on me a bit, and an oem or fiberglass top would definitely be installed after removing the whole soft top mechanism.   

914s are certainly "cooler" in my eyes.  Super-simple design, rare factor, I've never owned an air-cooled car, etc.  But they're not easy to come by these days and the costs are climbing.  I almost drove to South Carolina the other weekend to get this one for $3k that "runs, drives, and is rust free."  Looked like a great starting point, but it sold before I could get there.

What do you guys think is the better choice?

Boxster is my choice. 

You will learn so much tracking the 914, smoothness and balance are critical.  My first weekend was in one, with 165 series crap tires and it taught me good driving habits.  In later years I learned it would never go as fast as other cars without insane amounts of money.  The car simply is too flexible for sticky tires and will twist then crack, unless you build a tube frame underneath the body. I saw autocrossed cars need an extra alignment shim in the rear suspension every year to maintain camber.  But if you want one anyway, buy a rusty tub, tube frame it and stuff a WRX motor in.

Boxster, all day long but especially for your budget.  914's are OLD cars now and kinda suck to drive on the street and the track.  A boxster will feel much better.  Plus at your budget you have a chance of finding a much better boxster than a 914 with far less chance of major rust issues on the boxster...

Just hopping in here to say we have that if you go Boxster, we have lots of info on them since we have one as a project car over on Classic Motorsports.

Project Car: 2001 Porsche Boxster S

Both are good choices for a project type car and toy. Prices have gone up significantly on both recently. 'Good' 914s are usually well over $10,000 in the markets I look at and 986s that would have sold for $7,500 in 2019 are now selling for over $15,000. With luck and a good eye to separate the junk from the bargain you can find a workable project for under $5,000 and as little as $2,000 for good bones to build on. Just keep in mind that a typical 914 was built about 25 years before a typical 986 (which was built about 20 years ago).

I have yet to get one of my 914s on the road, but they are simple and basic compared to the 986. I sincerely doubt that a "rust free" 914 in the southeast for under $10,000 will be anywhere near Rust Free, but could be affordable as a "rough looking", low budget, entry level Porsche. There's plenty of guidance on the web and lots of detailed builds on http://914world.com/ , no need to rehash it all here.

I have learned a lot about 986s and still like them. The models up to 1999 with the 2.5L engine have been culled of the ones that had early engine problems with "D-chunk" and porous blocks. Some will have wear from neglect and age, but in general they are reliable engines. I have noticed that the year 2000 model engines have a significant number of failures from cracked heads (often wrongly diagnosed as a head gasket leak). I still have bought a 2000 model, but pay attention to the oil changes and cooling system. Water pumps should be changed preventatively at least every 4 years and oil at least annually with a good high zinc synthetic. The models from 2001 through 2004 have the issue with the single row IMS bearing. There's plenty of info and hype about that online. My opinion is that the bearing should be changed with the clutch or replaced forever with the LN IMS Solution. For a sub-$4k car, Id just drive it and enjoy it without worry and maybe drop a couple hundred$ to put a Pelican Parts IMS kit in with the clutch change.

I don't recommend one over the other, but here's some thoughts. I have never had a rust problem on a 986 and the nuts and bolts all move freely when it's time to work on it. That is not the case with the 914s. The 914 is more raw; you sit lower, steering and brakes are direct metal to meat, you smell the residual oil burning off the case, and hear the rattle of every worn/loose part - I like all that for a toy, but not for 'transportation'. Parts are readily available for both, but GOOD used parts are a more common and affordable for a 986. Both could use a suspension refresh if not done recently, but ALL of the rubber on a 914 will have aged out to where you live with it or spend significant money to replace it (weather seals, grommets, bushings, etc.).

I have a 914 project here in the shop that will eventually get a Subaru engine/transaxle swap and be used as an occasional street car and mostly a track toy(unless it sells). My parents and brother both have Boxsters(2000 & 2001). The Boxster is a fabulous car! Goes plenty fast enough, both the standard spec and S-model), both shift so smoothly, handle fantastic tanks to the engine in the correct spot and are just a pleasure to drive. I haven't had them on track but have driven them harder on the street than is legal in all 50 states and it's a wonderfully balanced machine. 
 

I will be buying a convertible this summer for fun evening/weekend rides and the Boxster is on top of my list. Nice examples(a non-S) can be found for well under $15k. Chances of finding a nice 914 for that money would be tough and IMO, the cars can't compare. 
 

My vote is Boxster.

This will be an unpopular opinion, but...

I get an uncomfortable feeling whenever people use "low budget" and "Porsche" in the same sentence.  I just don't think it's possible to put a safe and reliable Porsche anything on the track on a $3-5k budget.  The Boxster is the superior car for sure, but just getting it into track shape is likely to double or triple your budget.  You can easily spend half your budget just on tires and brake stuff for your maiden voyage.

There are so many better choices for budget track cars.

In reply to ShinnyGroove (Forum Supporter) :

No intentions to take it on track.  Just a project, street/weekend bomber. 

Boxster!

In reply to ShinnyGroove (Forum Supporter) :

Purchased for $1,600 with a bad engine. Realistically a $3,000 car not counting the hard top or labor, but easily under $2k using the Challenge budget rules. Stripping it down made some good money from sold parts and dropped over 200 lbs. Still street legal, not a race car, but a riot to drive in Rallycross or blasting down the back roads. (Yes, it needs a replacement engine again, but still...)

$2,500 with a hard top. Needed lots of maintenance, but no major repair:

$1,000, right place, right time. Needed AOS replaced and top mechanism repaired:

I could go on...

Mine was bought for just over $5k. Needed some maintenance but was in fully running and driving condition, cosmetically okay but not great; not "nice" but definitely not what I'd call a project car. Total investment somewhere around $8k iirc, including the hardtop, a second set of wheels, and some maintenance that I don't regret doing but wasn't really necessary. Survived a year of rallycross, a few autocrosses, and a track day with just performance pads and fluid. okay, "survived" might a a stretch for the track day as I smoked the clutch during it. But that was at 135k miles on the original clutch with totally unknown history, so that's pretty reasonable. And once it cooled down it drove home totally fine as long as I didn't purposefully try to make it slip. Repair was like $600 including a new-used flywheel. The driving experience was much better than I expected and it was way more fun on track even in no front camber totally stock suspension form than I expected, it ultimately set me on the path to buying my cayman s. (so in that way the cost of the boxster was actually very high)

(don't have any photos of it on track, best I can do is in paddock sitting next to a friend's air cooled car)

I think the days of the kind of deal I got are largely over, but I've seen a few (supposedly) mechanically fine but cosmetically rough cars for sale in the same ~$5k price range. I had one saved on fb market for a while but finally deleted it so I'd stop being tempted by it.

There's a price where the 914 makes sense and would be a cool project, but if the cost of entry is the same between the two, boxster all the way.

Do you want a classic car or just an older car?

Keith Tanner said:

Do you want a classic car or just an older car?

I *think* the raw, classic 914 is the car I'd prefer, but much harder to find than a boxster.

I'd love to have a 914, but the adult in me says get a Boxster.

Lof8 - Andy said:

Keith Tanner said:

Do you want a classic car or just an older car?

I *think* the raw, classic 914 is the car I'd prefer, but much harder to find than a boxster.

There's a sense of accomplishment when I make a perfectly smooth shift on my '73 BMW motorcycle. Throwing around 914 will probably give that same sort of feeling. It is an antique car. It is quirky and unique. It will not be as fast or smooth as a 986, but it will teach you things and present an experience that a modern car will not.

Both cars have tons of character and are really cool. I think your choice depends on budget and what kind of project you're looking for. 

The Boxter is likely to be cheaper but you'll be dealing with tired, modern car issues like worn out sensors, broken plastic and weird trouble codes.

The 914 is typical old car project stuff.  Pricey P parts, rust, obsolete missing fiddly bits, carbs and distributor and chasing fluid leaks.

I've never driven a 914, I wouldn't be surprised if it's more extreme than the boxster. But a base 986 will still teach you a lot about momentum and weight transfer, it's not exactly a powerful car. Especially if you leave the stock .5* front camber and soft suspension. Trying to make mine turn well at autocross speeds is probably the most physical and mental effort I've ever put into driving a car, including that white air cooled 911 in the last photo of my first post (although that car has more power than it should and decent suspension and thus is probably about as easy to drive as old 911s get).

I've driven both 914s and Boxters on track. Note I've never actually driven either one on the street.

Boxsters are beautifully balanced as well as being comfortable and seem to do everything well. They have just enough power to not feel slow down the straights but by no means do they feel fast. They're pretty much a Goldilocks just right.

914s even in 2 liter form are underpowered; engine mods to bring the horsepower levels up get expensive very quickly. As others have stated they are a very analog driving experience.  To get the most out of them cornering wise they are typically set up loose, which is not for everyone and I'm not sure you'd want one set up that way for street use. 

I love hustling old underpowered cars on skinny tires (it's why I vintage race) so I'd pick the 914 if it were a car I was going to be driving just for myself.

If I wanted a car to take out to dinner as well as the occasional track day and autocross I'd pick the Boxster.

In my opinion you want a car for something but you picked two cars that will deliver very different results.

914-so much fun to drive if you want a visceral driving experience at the cost of being slower (fast is still fast in a slow car). They are neat, attract attention, are a miserable pain in the ass, spend a lot of time as you have described your father's, a friggin blast to drive, not going to win very many stop light battles...so much more. Remember they are 50 years old so you will have all kinds of old bit issues. The wiring is horrible after so long (my 50yo Opel just caught on fire), the rubber is likely dust, the rust you don't see will defeat your soul, etc. If you get into an accident in one you may really not like it.

986-so much fun to drive yet it will get you in trouble. They are neat, attract attention, are pretty darn reliable, a friggin blast to drive, still not going to win many stop light battles (and everyone will want to try you)...so much more. They are just getting into their age/mileage maintenance time so you will have many expensive issues (Porsche badge tax). If you find a runner make sure the IMS was taken care of or you will have a sweet, expensive talking piece.

I could probably go on, ad nauseum, but left it short. Ultimately they seem the same on paper yet you end up at separate finish lines.

I have driven a sweet '74 2.0 (I have a '74 1.8 in my shop doing what 914s do best) on the same canyon road I have driven my '07 987. The 914 was a pleasure to drive even pushing it, the 987 in berkeleying insane and wants to kill you or get you locked up for speeding. Both are incredibly fun to drive.

Porsche tax isn't really a thing on MOST parts. But the few it is on...it's real bad. But probably 75% of stuff isn't substantially more expensive than it would be for any other car from the same time period. The IMS on the early 986s is basically not a problem at this point. And especially in the <$5k price range the car is cheap enough that it's really not worth the effort to do it unless you have the trans and clutch out anyway. If you manage to find one of the like ten left with bad bearings that haven't blown up yet and do blow it up, either part out the car or put a $1500 junkyard engine in it and carry on (you wanted a project, right?)

The Boxster has the best steering feel of any car I have ever driven.  I wish the shifter was half as nice as a Miata one though......

I'd go boxster because life is short and you can probably realistically find one to fix and drive. It'll take a lot longer to find a suitable 914 and an unknown amount of time and money to get it where you'd be able to happily enjoy it on the types of drives you describe.

I am a 914 guy but I can't believe how cheap the Boxsters are getting today. Even if you end up spending $10K on a $2,000 car. That's cheap for a Porsche. Look at what other Porsches are selling for today. What else can you get for $12,000 that is anywhere close to a Porsche.

This $2,000 one came up today. Marked Sold about 10 hours after listing.