As someone who owns and drives a 930, it is definitely not a good first car for a new driver. It is an extremely difficult car to drive with very little power until the boost comes on then massive power on boost (I.E. huge turbo lag). Little weight in the front, a ton of weight in the rear combined with rear wheel drive makes it very difficult. If you are turning even a little bit and you let off the gas, the rear end spins around. Been there, done that. Understeer without boost, crazy oversteer on boost, and a somewhat unpredictable turbo due to a big turbo with lots of lag. What is really dangerous is when you are going into a turn, the boost kicks in hard resulting in massive oversteer, and you spin off the road. There were many high profile deaths caused by the 930 in the 70s and 80s. Porsche was sued and lost. There are a couple of forum discussions on Pelican Parts about the lawsuits. In addition, the car obviously needs work, and since it has been sitting so long, there will be other things now that need work. Insurance will be insanely expensive since it is a 930 on top of the crazy insurance rates for teenagers. Gasoline is expensive as it needs the high-grade fuel. Parts and labor are expensive for Porsches. I think the idea of a project car for your first car is great. There are lots of options. Look at craigslist or facebook marketplace to see what is around you. Check out r/projectcar to see what other people are doing and for advice. If you are really sold on a Porsche, look into the 924/944. They are the cheapest option, have excellent handling, and are relatively easy to work on. Parts are available, but usually expensive because it is a Porsche. My brother rebuilt a 944 in his teens as a first car and loved doing it.
It includes a cast aluminum GT3 intake manifold, larger headers, different cam shafts, modified cylinder heads, a third radiator and a re-programmed DME. 997.1s have the older 鈥淭ip鈥?transmission. The 997.2 moved to the new PDK, which is a masterpiece of German engineering. However the Tip gets somewhat of a bad wrap in the 997 community for being slow to shift. As a result they typically trade at a 10-15% discount to 6 speeds. The 997 is a true driver's car. If you have never driven a 911 before its really hard to describe. The best description is its like slalom skiing. It takes corners at speeds you think are physically impossible. The frontend is light coming into the corner and with the engine in back it squats and slingshots you coming out. The Porsche Stability Management (PSM) has eliminated the oversteer of earlier generations. In 30k miles of ownership I've never once felt unsafe or had the tires let go unexpectedly.
Its also the most practical sports car on the market. The back seats are perfect for hauling young kids and it will put a smile on your face every morning if you use it as your daily. The 997.2 came out in 2009 as a mid cycle refresh. To the untrained eye it looks the same. However any 997 owner can immediately spot the subtle differences in the fog lights, front bumper and brake lights. Beyond the exterior differences the 997.2 also introduced a new PCM and climate control stack. Its more modern than the 997.1, but both are still ancient by today鈥檚 standards. The biggest difference was the engine. The 997.2 introduced the new DFI 9A1 engine and PDK transmission which added 30 additional HP, better fuel economy, and shaved .1 second off the 0-60 time with the 6sp and .3 seconds with the new PDK. It is an excellent car with what鈥檚 proven to be a robust engine.
The vast majority of 997.1 owners will tell you it鈥檚 the most reliable car they鈥檝e ever driven - but there are weakness you need to be aware of. If you do your homework, get a thorough PPI and ensure the car is up to date on all its maintenance the likelihood of any serious mechanical issue is extremely low. The much talked about "IMS" was the primary point of failure, but it also suffered from cracked cylinders, timing chain issues and bore scoring. The 997.1 uses the next generation M96/05 engine for the base C2/C4 and M97/01 for the S and 4S engines. The two primary issues you hear about on the 997.1 are IMS and Bore Scoring. These are real issues and they need to be understood by all owners, however the prevalence of these issues issues is low, and can be lowered even more by understanding the risk factors.