help the newb please

hey everyone,
i've always been fascinated with porches since i was a kid, my dad loves these cars, and if it wasnt for my mom, would most likely would have had one by now. i'm looking into getting another car right now. i was very close to getting the FC3s (2nd generation rx-7) but decided not to after realizing that though its an awesome car, maintaining it will be expensive, and with the gas prices going up, getting gas for that car would be impossible. so i was looking around and came upon the porche 944.

i was wondering if you can tell me or provide me with some sites that can "educate" me about the porches. i dont know the difference between the 944 or any of the other porches, nor what the difference between the s or s2. i do know that porches have excellent handling and are designed to be raced. i'd really appreciate it if you could help me out. thanks!

Yes, they are made to be raced, on a track, not a drag stip. Now, I don't know what type of racing you are talking about, but if it's drag racing that you're into, don't buy a Porsche.

The stock 944 has 160ish horse at the crank (for the '85.5 - 88; the pre 85 had slightly lower compression and made around 150 hp, and the '89 model was increased from 2.5L to 2.7L and makes a couple extra horse) so its not incredibly fast, but handling is as close to perfect as you will find on a factory car. The 944S has the same displacement as the normal 944, but came with a 16v DOHC (rather than 8v SOHC), and makes about 190 hp. The S2 was made from '89-'91 and it has a 3.0L 16v DOHC engine which makes about 210 hp. The early 944 turbo ( <89 ) makes about 220 hp, and the '88 turbo S and 89-91 turbo make about 250 hp. The turbo cars are easily moddified and 400+ hp can be had for around 5-6K. Also, the suspension on the turbo cars is in all ways superior to that on the normal 944, as are the brakes - of course the supsension/brakes of the naturally aspirated 944 are quite good - I own one and the handling and braking capabilities are outstanding.

Porsche made 3 cars with the inline 4 engine - the 924 (2.0L, the 924S has 924 body with 944 engine), the 944, and the 968. The 968 is the newest and argueably best of the water-cooled 4s that Porsche produced. It makes 240 horse, and handles beautifully, though they are quite a bit more expensive than the 944. The reason that these series of cars handle so well is the 50/50 weight distribution, with the front mounted engine and rear transaxle.

What makes the 924/944/968 so different from Porsches of their time are the fact that they are water cooled 4 cylinders, with the engine mounted in the front. Porsche is most widely known for the 911 - at the time an air cooler with its engine slung over the rear. Porsche also made the 914 and 928, a mid mounted 4 and 6, and a front mounted V8 respectively.

The 944 is a great car, no matter which one you get. However, they are all old, and old cars wear out. Things like rubber seals/hoses/belts/clutch center wear out, and need to be replaced. This is one reason why it is vital that if you buy a 944, you find one that has all records, and was meticulously maintained. I won't lie to you, parts for these cars are not cheap, but the cars are very reliable, so if they are well taken care of they will run forever.

Couple things to look for in buying a 944 are the clutch, waterpump, and timing belt. The clutch came with a rubber center which does deteriorate (I had my clutch replaced with only 50K miles on it because the rubber center came apart); the waterpump on these cars is known to fail, which can be a disasterous affair - find one with the waterpump replaced with the updated 944 turbo waterpump. Finally, the timing belt....these engines have an interference-timing design...simply, if the belt blows, the valves get smashed, and you're screwed.

Feel free to e-mail me at [email protected], or AIM aeronautica86 with any other questions, as I would be glad to answer any other questions that I can...

thanks, really appreciate the insight. i'm not really into drag racing...i'm sure i'll do the "street racing" to burn the ricerockets here but i have no intention of drag racing on the tracks. i just want a nice car that handle well and something i can push with....i currently drive a 91 toyota camry...enough said...its a good car but not something i want to drive rite now. i'm curious...how expensive are the maintance and how is the fuel economy of the 944? also...why does everyone say its not a drag racing car...its has so much power...incrediable amount of torque, plus it has the racing design to cope with the residence. i'd appreciate any feedback. once again thanks

not a drag car - the 2.5L non-turbo car goes 0-60 in about 8.3 seconds and 1/4 mile in the 15s....turbos can do alot better...5.5 0-60; course if you mod the turbo you can get good performance, but you'll never make a 951 into a 10 second car without spending 100k+... Of course there are upgrades to be had for all of the 944s, turbo or not that will greatly improve performance, which is what I myself am in the process of doing.
Also, the transmissions aren't really geared for best off the line acceleration...

Maintanence costs....well, i would guess about $1000 per year if nothing (major) goes wrong with it; my oil changes are about $60, throw in extra for new hoses/belts/any little thing that breaks. Once you get it all fixed up, it should just need regular oil changes/basic maintanence so the cost for ownership might go down once everything is fixed up. If you take the time to find a good one, you may not need to have anything replaced immediately, and that is always a good thing. It is worth it to find one that is in good condition, even though it will cost a bit more upfront, it will save you alot of time/money/headache. I think my average gas mileage is around 24 mpg...

your such a lifesaver. i was worried about the maintanence and gas milage since the rx7 is so expensive to fix and has TERRIBLE fuel economy. *whew* yeah i've been looking around for a 944. they cost quite a bit. also, i'm not that good with fixing cars myself...yes i know how can anyone want such an awesome car if you cant fix it....but i've never really gotten around to learn. i'm sure if i had a manual i can do the basics, but with my level of mechanical skills, do you think its wise to get the 944? and also are the porsche mechanics expensive? do youpersonally do all the work or do you take it to someone?

With any level of mechanical skills, it is always wise to buy a Porsche lol; they are just such great cars - they look great, drive wonderfully, reliable when maintained, and did I mention that they look great lol. As for me doing my own work, no; I'm too busy to work on my car, so I take it to the best 944 mechanics the the business - Zims Autotechnik in Bedford Tx...yeah, foriegn car mechanics can be expensive, my local dealership charges $100/hr. Zims is like $80/hr, and German Motorworks (where I got my clutch replaced, cause it was alot closer to my house, and I didn't want to drive it far on a bad clutch) charged $60/hr. Look around, you can find good mechanics that won't charge you out tha wazzoo...Don't feel ashamed to take your pretty car to the shop, I know I don't. Besides, most of the guys that work in those places love to see 'em.

PS I'm probably in the minority amongst users of this forum - most enthusiasts probably do their own work....at least I would guess they do, I don't know...lol, watch me get flamed for admitting I don't work on my own work...

hahaha. its all good. yeah i think there some eurocar mechanics. i've known that german cars were designed to last a long time...but who knew it would last this long...and still going! haha. do you happen to know of any good 944 sites where i can read up on the 944?

General info: http://www.cantonia.com/watercooler.html , http://www.connact.com/~kgross/FAQ/944faq.html , http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/1760/

Parts: http://www.weissach.net/Suppliers_924-944-968

Performance upgrades: http://www.lindseyracing.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=SFNT&Store_Code=LR , http://www.speedforceracing.com , http://www.windward-perf.com/ ,
http://www.powerhaus.com/

thanks for the sites. after looking at the models...i figured that the turbo s and the turbo s2 are rare and very expensive to buy. but for someone like me...whose just getting into cars...would you recommend a n/a or turbo? are they about the same in maintainance cost, time, fuel economy, etc.? also, are there similar potentials between the n/a and the turbo? meaning, can i get the n/a's hp up through some mods? or is it better to just to get turbo? you have a n/a so i want to know what you think. thank you :)

They are about the same cost to maintain, the fuel economy is essentially the same.

You can increase the hp of the n/a cars, but to get significant gains, you have to spend alot of money -for example, if you spent $3000 on upgrades for the turbo, you could get 100 extra hp. If you spent that same about on a n/a car (MAF, exhaust, chip), you would probably see about 25-30 extra horse. So basically, no the potential for power is nowhere near the same - you'll never get 400+ hp out of a n/a 944, (probably not even more than 200 very easily) whereas this would be easy to do with the turbo.

It really all depends on how much speed/power you want. If burning people at stop lights makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, then go with the turbo. The n/a car is still very fun to drive - it isn't slow and it handles great. I really can't say which one I think you should get, as I am obviously biased towards the n/a car.

Both are wonderful cars, one just has alot more power. Drive both and decide what you like best.

i'd go turbo if i were you, and if i had the $$$.
just make sure that the turbo has been maitained so it isn't just one more thing to go wrong

how do you know if the turbo was maintained? also...at how many miles should you get the engine rebuilt...if ever...and when should you get the turbo rebuilt...i personally would like the turbo...but if the maintaince and fuel economy is greatly hindered...i may have to wait a while....but i honestly love turbo cars..those of you who have driven one know what i'm talking about....so sweet...

maintanence costs are essentially the same for the turbo and the n/a, as is the gas mileage....I would recommend taking it to a porsche mechanic to have it checked out....the cars last a long ass time if they are maintained, so rebuilds shouldn't be necessary soon if the car was taken car of