few questions on porsches

[tipota]

i was thinking of buying an older porsche(1988 or earlier), but i have a few quetions first.

1. what are the times for the 944 and 924?
2. someone told me dont get a porsche because its extremley expensive to fix and maintain. hwo true is this?
3. can i do maintence on the car myself? ive done some work on japanese cars but have no experience at all with a german car.
4. how long do these cars go for? im assuming from the cost of these cars new today, you can easily get 150k miles out of them.
5. are these cars less likley to have problems than most other cars? once again im assuming from the cost of the car, and from the cost fo fixing the car, that you rarley have to get anything majro fixed.

thanx

[carsonmx114]

get a 951. big performance for the money. parts are high, but the quality is great. i've owned a 951 since 96, i've been all though the whole car, but not much of what i've done was a must do. the clutch is one of the more involved repairs on the 924,944 cars. a factory service manual is a must. you sould have no trouble with the mechanicials of a 944, it's all nuts and bolts just like the rice burners only more simple. L.C.

[tipota]

thats good to know. i havnt heard anything on the 951. my price range is really up to 5000, and up til recently i thought that was only supras and other japanese super cars, but then i noticed in the ads i could get an older porsche for the same money. what kinds of repairs have you had to make? how long are the engines known to go? at least 150k?

[carsonmx114]

i forgot to tell you but you may already know, the 951 is the factory model number for the 944 turbo. my 944t has been a great car. when i bought it in 96 it had 93k on it and it had a bad head gasket. i replaced the head gasket. i later had to replace the oil cooler seals (there is a small oil cooler in the right side of the block behind the oil filter). you can do that with the engine in the car. a few years later i exploded my clutch disc at a track day, the car barly made it home. while the car was down for clutch repairs i decided to check the engine out. one of the rod bearings was worn pretty bad (probably from being driven with water in the oil), and two of the cylinders had some scratches in them. i replaced the rod and main bearings and had the crankshaft checked and polished then i had the cylinders oversized and installed first over porsche pistons. i replaced my clutch disc but i made a dumb move by reusing the 100 dollar throwout bearing to save money. it lasted 4 years but the bearing came apart a couple of weeks ago so now my car is apart again. this time i won't cut corners on parts, i'm older and wiser now. also if you buy a porsche, get a factory service manual, i was about to pay 375 dollars for a new set when i found them on cd for 35 dollars from mpsi associates. i don't think you would have any trouble getting alot more than150k out of a porsche that has been well mantained. just keep your oil and filters changed and replace your timing and balance shaft belts every 60k or so. i'm not a expert but i've been all over and under my car so if i can help you with anything let me know. good luck! L.C.

[zzpza]

i'd agree with carsonmx114 too, as i have a 952 (rhd 951).

Originally Posted by tipota

1. what are the times for the 944 and 924?

for an '89 (ROW) 944 turbo s2 autocar has it about low 14's high 13's for the standing 1/4 in standard form with 5.2s 0-60.

Originally Posted by tipota

2. someone told me dont get a porsche because its extremley expensive to fix and maintain. hwo true is this?

getting hold of parts in the US would be fairly hard i would imagine (i'm a brit) but no harder than a bmw or vw. there are quite a few vw/audi parts in 944's.

Originally Posted by tipota

3. can i do maintence on the car myself? ive done some work on japanese cars but have no experience at all with a german car.

yes. for all the basic stuff it's a very easy car to work on.

Originally Posted by tipota

4. how long do these cars go for? im assuming from the cost of these cars new today, you can easily get 150k miles out of them.

my 250bhp turbo currently has 180k miles on it. original gearbox, engine rebuilt at 100k.

Originally Posted by tipota

5. are these cars less likley to have problems than most other cars? once again im assuming from the cost of the car, and from the cost fo fixing the car, that you rarley have to get anything majro fixed.

they are well built, but will have the same problems as anyother car if they aren't looked after.

if you can't get a good turbo on your budget, try a 944 S2, 944S, 924 turbo, 924S or 944 Lux.

[tipota]

right now from the available cars im finding and what im hearing, i might go ahead with a supra instead. unless i get a turbo, the supra is a faster car. id like to thank everyoen here for your information though, you guys helped me narrow my decision in finding a sports car. thanx

[zzpza]

Originally Posted by tipota

right now from the available cars im finding and what im hearing, i might go ahead with a supra instead. unless i get a turbo, the supra is a faster car. id like to thank everyoen here for your information though, you guys helped me narrow my decision in finding a sports car. thanx

some things to consider...

i've never driven one, so this may be bollox, but i've heard supra's aren't that good handling.

a 944 S2 (220bhp) or 944S (190bhp?) are still quick cars. i'd def have a test drive before you make your mind up.

a good supra turbo is about the same price as a 944 turbo over here. it may be different where you are.

at the end of the day, it's your decision to make. g/l hunting.

[tipota]

wow. the numbers i got from research(and it was real hard to find anythign at all) were giving me 150bhp, and nothing for torque. what are some other cars in my price range? 944s2, and 944s. i didnt know earlier that these cars were stronger than i thought.

[zzpza]

i only know the UK power figures not the US ones, but here they are:

all the engines are inline 4's

944 turbo s or se (series 2) 2.5L 8v 250bhp with intercooler
944 turbo (series 1) 2.5L 8v 220bhp
944 S2 3.0L 16v 220bhp
944 S 2.7L 16v 190bhp
944 Lux 2.5L 8v 170bhp
924 turbo (series 1 and 2) 2.0L 8v 170/180bhp no intercooler
924 S 2.5L 8v 150bhp
924 Lux 2.0L 8v 120bhp

these figures are meant as a guide only as they are all off the top of my head. chances are that the US figures are going to be a bit lower due to all the weird smog stuff your cars had to have, but AFAIK you can get the full figures by adding the euro parts to a US car.

i don't know what the US market is like at the moment, but i would have throught that you'd at least be able to get a good S for your money if not an S2. you may be lucky and get a turbo. it's all about being in the right place at the right time. but please remember to buy with your head and not your heart!! walk away from a dog unless you know you can get the parts and fix it cheaply yourself. the most important thing to look for is that the belts have been changed recently, or budget to get them changed once you buy the car.

hth,
jules.

[tipota]

ok thanx for the advice. i guess im just gonan wait around a bit and check the want ads every week.

[Autofreefindersguy]

I have the figures at:
83-87 944 2.5 is 150 HP
The 88 2.5 944 had slightly more HP and the 89 944 was the only year they made a 2.7 lte, I think it was almost 170 HP...
87+ 944 S 2.5 188 HP
944S2 203 HP
86-88 944 Turbo's 217 HP
88 944 Turbo S & 89 Turbo 944's are 247 HP...

They are all outstanding cars in their own right, but can be expensive to maintain...

I have drove 1 87 944 Turbo with 202k miles and it ran GREAT! Very impressive for those miles.

I prefer the 87-91 Mazda RX-7 Turbo II vs the Supra's of the same years, because they are much lighter, nimble and better hadling cars...

Drive as many as you can and see what best fits your driving tastes.
Good luck/skill

[Birdman71]

I have 1986 944 turbo with 106,000 miles I bought it in 1990. Went through two clutches installed by dealer (cha ching) Two head gaskets one by dealer one by myself and one set of tires! But man when shes running shes unstoppable. Will own it till I die.

[Pavlo]

Originally Posted by zzpza

getting hold of parts in the US would be fairly hard i would imagine (i'm a brit) but no harder than a bmw or vw. there are quite a few vw/audi parts in 944's.

Can somebody please list the interchangable non-porsche parts that can be used on the 951.