I am thinking of buying a daily driving car this summer, but i am still considering which one should i purchase?
The cars I am considering about is:
BMW 318iS 1990 and earlier years...
Toyota celica 4th gen, with 140hp
Volvo 480 turbo
porsche 944 n/a 1983-85 years, if i'll have enough money 86 and later years...
I wanted to know how much do u spend on your porsches 944 per year excluding fuel consumption?
And should I buy 944 :)
thanx

i think the average i've been seeing is around $1000-1,500 per year...which isnt to bad...make sure it has a new clutch, timing belt and water pump if possible..that will save you a bunch of money right off the bat.

yea i agree, they make great everyday drivers, the motors will last for a long time if they were and are continued to be properly maintained. the front end service is vital, and should be done atleast every 50,000 miles otherwise worst case scenerio the timing belt breaks, then your out a few thousand for repairs of the head, valves and cam, possibly more if a valve strikes a piston... enough with the horror stories, the car is great, they have excelent brakes, the motor runs smoothly and very reliably, great gas mileage, the thing can match just about any high end sports car when thrown into a corner. on a windy mountain road with short and few straights this car can outrun a vette if everythings in good condition(swaybars, bushings, springs, torsion bars, shocks and struts) and on top of this, it wont beat the crap out of you if the pavement is less then perfect. ok, maybe im going on a bit too much... i just cant say enough about this car.

I hate to be the black sheep here, but I would not purchase a 944 as a daily driver unless you either have plenty of money to throw away on "preventive maintenance" or you are a damn good DIYfer. I have owned plenty of sportscars, and although my 86 944 was one of the most beautiful cars I have owned, it was rather primitive and seemingly unreliable compared to most I have owned. I will admit that its best trait was handling, but an RX-7 is far more superior. Quirky was my experience with the 944. I would recommend a 300ZX (reliability) or a Supra Turbo (power). FYI, shop costs are sky high on Volvos, BMWs and Porsches. If you were to buy a Japanese import or American muscle car, there would be plenty of experienced people around that would help you anytime you ran into a problem.
Something to think about.

Save your cash and buy the 85.5 or later. Parts are easier to come buy (in my opinion). Although you can get parts for anything if you have enough money. Regardless do your research before you buy so you know exactly what you are getting into.(motor, trans etc) Other than that the car is great and extremely fun on tight winding roads.

If your going to buy a 944 at all its best to buy the later models and the best one you can afford and to answer your question I would say no dotn buy a 944 as a daily driver.

Unless its all you can afford and you really realy really want one but beware maintanance is gonna be hell and your gonna be doing preventive maintanance alot if its a daily ride.

I have a 87 944 as a everyday ride and it seems to be fine.Well i havent really had it that long so i guess time will tell.

Just for the record I have been driving an early 83 model 944 as a daily driver in the southwest for 6 years and have no more problems than any other cars. it has about 175,000 miles on it and keeps starting and getting me to work. Parts are getting harder to find but it's still fun to drive. just my 2c.

I would go with a E30 BMW 325i. Now I love the 944's but if your not going to buy the turbo then what’s the point? The E30 325i is a little faster than the NA 944 in a straight line and handling is comparable to the 944. They’re also cheaper to buy, maintain, and mod. They take very well to turbo and its not all that expensive to do.

Just my :2cents:

Well, I loved my X 89 944 Turbo S, but I still love my 86 944 na...I guess the point is that when this car was made in 83 it was named THE best handling car... PERIOD!

I get 31 miles per gallon on trips doing 85 MPH on average...

With its 21.5 gallon fuel tank, I get many hours of crusing enjoyment before having to fill up...

I loved the boost, but lots of enjoyment can be had still with a na...

I don't know of any 325i's that can beat my car?

They sure as heck aren't touching it in the corners...

I don't know of any 325i's that can beat my car?

They sure as heck aren't touching it in the corners...


Then you must have been racing auto's or "e"'s. E30 325i's run high 15s stock. Just compare hp, weight, tq, between the two the E30 is faster. I do agree though that the 944 has it in handling, but the E30 handles great in its own respect and can defiantly "keep up" with the 944. Just look at your local autoX races, here there are always E30s in the mix and they do VERY well. Like I said I like the 944. In fact im selling my E30 325i and saving up for a 944 turbo. I just think that the E30 325i is a better overall car then the 944 NA especially if you plan on racing and modifying. The M20 engine in the 325i is very easy to add boost to and turns out great numbers. It’s much cheaper to make fast than a 944 NA.

Hey, man! Join the club! I'm looking around for a nice 944 for next spring to early summer. Don't just settle of any ol' gal though. The earlier versions are fine, but not the best I've seen. I hope i don't offend anyone with this. The 924 although s good idea was a shot in the dark for Porsche. The 944 in it's earlier years still didn't do the company justice. Look for a post '85.5 as your earliest year. The ergonomics and everything are worth the money. Just my personal opinion, but that doesn't mean you have to listen. I like this car more than the other options although, if I had to choose another it would be the celica. like "indycarlover" I believe the 944 may turn out to be expensive but any performance car is gonna take money. I like the Porsche name and am willing to pay extra just to own a little bit of it. :2cents:

Just a responce to Mr. BMW-yup you can do all that stuff to the BMW to make it faster/handle better but why? In the end you still have a BMW. Looks the same as every other BMW out there. Buy a 944 turbo get a fast car with awesome brakes and suspension right from the factory. And in the end you have a PORSCHE. It doesn't look like anything else, drive like anything else, or sound like anything else. Just my opinion. I'm not knocking the BMWs but if your saving for sports car why buy a 4 door family sedan and try to make a sports car.

Buy a 944 turbo get a fast car with awesome brakes and suspension right from the factory.

I told him to get a 944 turbo from the start?

And in the end you have a PORSCHE. It doesn't look like anything else, drive like anything else, or sound like anything else.

Again I love the way the 951 looks but do you even know what the BMW we are talking about looks like? Its much more original. And most of my friends that dont know cars think the 944's look like old mazda FC RX7's. Again love the look but its not THAT different

I'm not knocking the BMWs but if your saving for sports car why buy a 4 door family sedan and try to make a sports car.

Ok now your just being ignorant. The E30 325i and 318 both come in 2 and 4 door. However the 4 doors are more rare. And since when have they not been sports cars? Stop being a Porsche Nazi and learn to accept the fact that there are other fast cars besides ones with a red and black shield on them.

man, i wish i had the money to buy a daily driver car. one day though, i'll be able to buy one and it'll be a porsche at that!

I've had my 944 about 5 years,got with a broken belt(no major damage,4 valves)due to water pump failure.Paint was faded.Used as a daily driver for years with no problems.It's now been painted and lives in the workshop most of the time but was a fantastic daily car.Easy to manage and cheap to run in urban conditions with the smooth 4 cylinder but plenty of power on the open road.I've had a few 325i BMWs which are also a good bit of kit but I've always sold them on which I guess tells a story.
944 has only let me down once due to 20 year old hardened crank sensor which is apparently common on cars this age.
I love the fact that the 944 is galvanised too so if you look for a decent example you shouldn't get too many surprises in the rust department.The sills are a bit flimsy under the factory stone chip so check carefully but it's an easy area to repair.
Mines an early dash model,my car came free so I can't be fussy but if I was buying I would go for a later SE or Turbo model if my budget could possibly stretch for it.
You can check some of my cars including the Porsche here if you're iinterested... http://www.cardomain.com/id/pimpmcdaddies

944's are great cars I've owned 2 an 84 and an 85.5. Basic maintance cost is not bad, however body damage (front spioler especaily and commonaly damged) and major repairs are expensive. If you purchace one youll want to have service records if possible. The engines used in the 944 are interfence fit thus timely changing of the timing belt is crucial as a broken timing belt results in major damage. As far as checks you can/should do before buying check for coolant leak form the front at the water pump (a relaive high priced item in comparison to other cars) water in the oil (white/orange foam) and obvious damage and/or signs of wear (white smoke). Can't remember the adress but Bill Underwood has a section of his site devoted to buying a 944.

I live in Europe where BMW are like Chevy's, they are everywhere, easy to fix and have tons of parts around. I even bought a E30 320i which is the smallest of the 6 cylinders. I since sold it and am using the money to buy a 944 becuase I want the handling of a Porsche. Beamers handle good in there opwn respect but not like a Porsche. The Beamer 325 might be faster in the straight but these are not 1/4 drag racers. go get a big block. I do agree that the Beamer is a family car and Porsche is a sports car. I guess the question is do you want 4 doors or 2. Yes I know Beamers have some 2-doors but it is the same square family sedan body. Nothing fancy just less doors.
FYI Porsches cost More in Germany not less, about 30% more. Beamer cost about 60% less in Germany. I got my pristine 320i for under 1k and I paid more than market price here.

I would try to find a turboed 911 but hell that's me,speaking of 944 I saw one about 40 miles from my house for 3,500 dollars.

yea i agree, they make great everyday drivers, the motors will last for a long time if they were and are continued to be properly maintained. the front end service is vital, and should be done atleast every 50,000 miles otherwise worst case scenerio the timing belt breaks, then your out a few thousand for repairs of the head, valves and cam, possibly more if a valve strikes a piston... enough with the horror stories, the car is great, they have excelent brakes, the motor runs smoothly and very reliably, great gas mileage, the thing can match just about any high end sports car when thrown into a corner. on a windy mountain road with short and few straights this car can outrun a vette if everythings in good condition(swaybars, bushings, springs, torsion bars, shocks and struts) and on top of this, it wont beat the crap out of you if the pavement is less then perfect. ok, maybe im going on a bit too much... i just cant say enough about this car.

I doubt it can outrun a c5 or c6 corvette...they run what 13s stock? the 944 turbo runs high 14s...the na runs like mid 15s....maybe you meant older corvettes, but even then the cars have a lot more power. I guess on a twisty enough road, but even then...

The s13 240sx outhandles a 944...same with the FC rx7 I believe...so it's not like the car is amazing. Sure it's a nice looking car, but don't act like it's more than it is. An mr2 non-turbo should be able to outhandle it too...same with many other cheap, light japanese cars.

Is the 944 really an unreliable car or is it just because of old age? what kinds of things are done when doing preventive maintenance.

I really like this car and would love to own one in the future as an EVERYDAY vehicle.

thanks

Double Post :)

My manual porsche is reliable, and I've been doing alot of crazy shit in it. When I got it I changed the timing belt and fixed some oil leaks, also replaced the suspension. That was about 2 grand worth of work and since then it's been running perfectly. I've had it about a year since that tuneup.

I have had many 944's all of them daily drivers. I currently own a 1984 and I love it. I like the 85.5 and later models but honestly the earlier cars are les expenceive to maintain than the later ones and they realy are just as much fun.
late lower control arm=$750.00
early lower control arm=$55.00

big differance!

I say go for it! the honda boys are all jealous and always want to race.

I doubt it can outrun a c5 or c6 corvette...they run what 13s stock? the 944 turbo runs high 14s...the na runs like mid 15s....maybe you meant older corvettes, but even then the cars have a lot more power. I guess on a twisty enough road, but even then...

The s13 240sx outhandles a 944...same with the FC rx7 I believe...so it's not like the car is amazing. Sure it's a nice looking car, but don't act like it's more than it is. An mr2 non-turbo should be able to outhandle it too...same with many other cheap, light japanese cars.


86-88 non S 944 Turbos run low to mid 14s and Turbo S 944s run high 13s for what its worth.


And a S13 does not out handle a 944... at all. Neither does the FC. There are videos from car shows back in the 80s to prove it. Its not all that amazing but dont sell it short.

And for what its worth I have driven pretty much all the cars in question.

You have left far too many facts out. Like how many miles daily, the terrain, shape of the roads, fun factor, cost, etc.

Good Luck!

:2cents:

This poll's been running 2 1/2 years now, a little too long . Time to close it, so it won't be continually resurrected.