Welcome to the forum, and good luck in your search <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/smile.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />
It has been said that there are no "cheap Porsches", which in 968-speak means you can spend (let's say for the sake of argument) $15,000 for a great-condition car, or you can spend $10,000 up front and then $5,000 more fixing it up. At some point, if you spend say $8,000 or less, you might have to spend at least that much again, and maybe more, to get the car into great shape if it's even possible. These are of course just my opinions and the numbers are not absolute.
Depending on your region, and what condition you want your car to be in, you should be able to find a fine example of the 968 for $15,000 or less, and my advice is to spend the money on a better-condition car than on one that needs significant work in the hopes it won't add up too much.
Do bear in mind that little parts, although they don't appear to look like much, can be hard to find (no longer available) and their price can be "significant". Parts are even more expensive depending on what side of the car they're on in some cases. Fog lights, timing belt covers, flex dampeners, cab top bows, little rubber pieces on the cab top - all examples of low supply leading to very high costs if you can even get the parts.
As a way of helping estimate costs, I just had the top done on my '93 cab and it cost about $1,700 parts and labor. I had the belts and rollers done (you'll have to do that too) and a bunch of other work that just needed to be done (motor mounts, coolant hoses, front seals) and that was about $2,700. I don't know the extent of the interior replacement you need to do, but someone else on the forum can help with that.
I hope that helps - and again, good luck in your search. You can find a great-condition 968, but you might have to look at a few rats first.
