Can you still buy a Porsche for £10k?

Can you still buy a Porsche for £10k?
Buying a Porsche was – and maybe still is – seen as the ultimate goal for many. Back in the 1980s, owning Stuttgart’s finest ranked as the pinnacle of achievement, a clear and unambiguous signal that you’d made it. An air-cooled 911 might now be out of reach for all but a modern day Gordon Gekko, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t still options left on the table. In fact, a rifle through the classifieds shows that you can still pick up a Porker for £10,000, as long as you’re not too fussy about what that famous badge is stuck to.

Porsche 924

Credit: Veloce Publishing

Forget what the haters say and all that rubbish about it having the engine out of an LT35 van, the 924 has matured over time to be a bona fide classic Porsche. Granted, the four-cylinder 2.0-litre motor of base models originated from VAG and it was intended to wear a Volkswagen badge rather than the Porsche crest, but the 924 was no half-baked attempt at a 2+2 sports car.

Launched in 1976, the 924 blended a clean and sleek exterior with fine handling, rear-wheel drive and famed Porsche build quality. The engine wasn’t the last word in performance, but Porsche attempted to address that with the arrival of a 168bhp turbocharged version in 1979. The 924 Carrera GT homologation special followed in 1980 and then came the 924S in 1986, packing a detuned version of the 944’s 2.5-litre engine.

Gone are the days when you could pick up a roadworthy 924 for the right side of £1,000 but, given the way that classic car values are rising, the 924 still represents proper value. Around half of our £10k budget should secure a tidy, usable 2.0-litre 924 and a similar condition 924S can be had for circa £8,000.

Porsche 944

Credit: Porsche AG

Come the introduction of the 944 in 1982 and Porsche was well into its front-engined phase, building on what it had learned from the 924 and 928. In fact, the influence of the earlier cars was more than obvious in the 944, it’s flared-arch exterior being reminiscent of the 924 Carrera GT, the brakes and suspension being borrowed from the 924 Turbo and the all-alloy 2.5-litre engine effectively being half of the 928’s V8.

That said, the 944 was far from a parts bin exercise and Porsche went all-in on development. To overcome possible refinement issues associated with a large, four-cylinder engine, the manufacturer added twin Lanchester-type balancer shafts to give it six-cylinder-like smoothness, while a focus on quality saw the body made from galvanised metal. Packing 163bhp, the original 944 went well, but it’s handling was even better, with near perfect weight distribution ensuring it drove like a proper Porsche.

It got even better with a host of running changes. Most notably, these included the arrival of the 220bhp Turbo in 1985, a facelift in 1986, and the additions of the 3.0-litre S2 and Cabriolet in 1989.

It’s unlikely you’ll find a Turbo for our budget, but ten large will buy a more than reasonable early model and even a roadworthy Cabriolet. Regardless of which version you choose though, it’s essential to check for sill corrosion and that all the engine belts have been changed as rectifying either doesn’t come cheap.

Porsche Boxster 986

Credit: Porsche AG

Leave behind all the waffle about being a poor man’s Porsche or push-me-pull-you styling and see the Boxster for what it is – a mid-engined, finely-balanced, two-seat roadster from the people who know how to do it best.

First shown as a concept back in 1993, the Boxster (derived from its boxer engine layout and the speedster name pinched from the 356) drew almost limitless praise that meant Porsche had no choice but to put it into production. The trouble was, Porsche wasn’t exactly flush with cash in those days, and it had to box clever.

That meant it had to be developed alongside its bigger brother, the 996, and while that upset more than a few purists, more pragmatic types could see the Boxster for the absolute bargain it was. The 2.5 (later 2.7) and 3.2-litre engines were near-as-damnit the same as those in the 911, save for their capacity, while the parts-sharing extended as far as re-using the bonnet, wings, headlights and other bits. Not surprisingly, the Boxster flew out of showrooms, and secured the 986’s place in history as the car that saved Porsche.

That’s great news for today’s buyers, with thousands of examples to choose from. Its fried-egg headlights can be yours for just £4,000 if you’re not scared by something with 100k on the clock. £10,000 is enough to get you into a desirable 3.2S with sensible miles and a respectable history. For that money, why wouldn’t you?

Porsche Cayenne

Credit: Porsche AG

The Boxster remained Porsche’s biggest seller, right up until the launch of the Cayenne, which promptly surpassed it. That might come as a surprise, given the somewhat less than enthusiastic reception it received. For Porsche fans, it was a bit of an upset: it was the first Porsche with four doors; the company’s first SUV; and it was powered by a bunch of borrowed engines, including a diesel. A diesel!

Plenty of people were just upset that it was the product of a collaboration with Volkswagen, although one imagines those same people have less of a problem with the 914 or 924. It’s simple supply and demand – the world and their dog wanted an SUV, and Porsche needed one to survive.

There’s certainly a lot to like. Truly vast amounts of interior space, for one thing, and a 4.5-litre V8 in the Cayenne S that accelerates your stately home to 62mph in just 6.9 seconds. Plus it can tow for England. In fact, it could probably tow England.

But can you buy one for just 10 grand? Yes. Yes you can. Whether you should is perhaps more dependent on how many brave pills you’ve swallowed that day. Just £3,000 will get you something with a suspicious number of owners and an electrical malady or seven. Spend the full £10k and you’ll find yourself behind the wheel of a Turbo and on first-name terms at your nearest petrol station.

Are you a Porsche owner or do you dream of owning one? Let us know in the comments below!