Affordable Exotics: Porsches

In this series, Affordable Exotics, we'll be focusing on, well, exotic cars, but not those that are made of "unobtanium." Instead, we'll draw attention to high-performance machines that regular folks can afford.


Porsches are some of the most popular cars that wear the "exotic car" label. They are fast, fun to drive, well built and greatly admired even by non-motorhead types. Although Porsche has built technological wonders such as the Turbo Carrera, the groundbreaking 959 and the spectacular new Carrera GT, they have also sold lower-priced models that allow mere mortals to experience the thrill of Porsche ownership. Today the Boxster fills the entry-level role, but older Porsches that still provide serious sports car thrills can be had for bargain prices. Here are some affordable Porsches, plus a couple that can deplete your wallet if you're not careful.

356 Coupe (1950-1965)
The 356 was the first volume-production Porsche, nicknamed "the bathtub Porsche." The company hoped to sell 5,000 cars, but when production ended in 1965 Porsche had moved an amazing 76,302 examples! These were very well built compared to most sports cars of the era, and are reasonably well served by the aftermarket industry. There were a number of models, with the convertibles (Speedster, Convertible and Cabriolet) bringing big bucks today. The coupes are cheaper, with a wide price spread from $3,500 for rusty examples to over $45,000 for rare, restored models. Expect to pay from $13,000 to $25,000 for an average driver. Look out for rust, which can be a serious problem. Some unfortunate 356s have been retro-fitted with VW engines, which cuts their value by half to two-thirds.

912 and 912E (1965-1969 and 1976)
When the six-cylinder 911 came out in 1965, Porsche added the lower-priced 912 with a four-cylinder engine borrowed from the 356. These were slower and cheaper than the visually identically 911, and are relative bargains today. There were two versions, a coupe and a "Targa" convertible with a built-in roll bar. The 912 was dropped at the end of the 1969 model year, when it was replaced by the 914. In 1976 Porsche resurrected the name for the 912E, a 911 with a two-liter four-cylinder 914 engine. It was embarrassingly slow and only sold for one year until it was replaced with the 924. All 912s are prone to rusting, and badly corroded examples start around $3,500, with usable drivers in the $5,500 to $10,000 range. The 912E is rare, but valued about the same as the earlier 912s. Be aware that the 1965-1969 912 engines are little, if any, cheaper to maintain than a 911, but the 912E engine is easily serviced and can be modified with VW speed parts for better performance.

914 (1969-1975)
The mid-engined 914 was an entry-level Porsche that replaced the 912. Although designed by Porsche, the 914 was built by Volkswagen who also sold it as a VW-Porsche in Europe. The 914 did well until the much more stylish Datsun 240Z stole the market in the mid-1970s. The first 914's had 1.7-liter, four-cylinder engines (the VW Type IV), but 1.8-liter and 2.0-liter versions were later added. There was also a rare 914/6 model with a two-liter six from the Porsche 911, which is a joy to drive. The four-cylinder 914 was plagued by mediocre assembly quality and a listless engine, but today many 914s have been warmed up with VW speed parts and the great-handling 914 is a potent autocrosser. The very nicest 914s sell for around $6,500, but clean drivers can frequently be had in the $3,500 range.