prospective 944 purchase

[mrwho13]

hi, i am planning on buying a used 944 s2, or a 951. i was wondering if anybody could tell me about the maintenance of these things. moreover, how often they break and how much it would cost, on average, per year to maintain them. i think they are awsome cars and would like to buy one but i am a college student and don't want ALL my money tied up in my car all the time. i would greatly appreciate feedback. PS, i am sort of looking at E36 m3's as well but i'd rather get a porsche if i can. thanks for your time.

[Andre]

jsut from what i've heard about when i was buying my NA. Its all about the condition you find the car in. If it has been maintained then it will LAST. But if it has been abused and poorly maintained then it will need alot of work and the work on these things is expensive if you dont do it yourself. Shops take anywhere from 45-90 an hour. Depending on where you live and all. $45 is pretty rare. I live neer boston ma and i got a shop in town that takes 80, and one a little far from here that takes 60.

Also just from experience with my car so far. Alot of little things go....like my hatch release, the electric one just stopped working, odometer, light inside the car, speedo sometimes turns off. Nothing big but stuff just needs refreshing since the car is old.

But even with all the crap and the expensive work, i cant imagine driving something else, i love this car. Even if its an NA and doesn't have all that much power, its fun to drive.

[Jackass]

How much it costs to maintain is directly related to how mechanically inclined you are. Remember that you are buying a 12 year old, or older german sports car that was designed to be very light, and very fast (read as: lacking pickup truck like simplicity and durability) If you can turn a wrench, then get one. If you cannont.. I wouldn't.

There are some inate service issues exclusive to these cars, the whole "timing belt/balance shaft/waterpump thing" Posts on here show a price range from $650 to $1200 and thats performed every 30,000 miles. I have seen recipts for new clutchs with $1100 in labor alone. Im lucky to own a home with a 3 car garage, I have space with which to work, you will need it.

take the 951 for example.... OH MY GOD!! what a great car to drive, but something is always about to go bad, or could be replaced.

Becuase Im pretty good at wrenching I don't mind, and to be honest... I actually enjoy working on it. It has become somewhat of an obsession lately.

If you are looking for dependable low cost transportation, this isn't really what Porsche is all about, never has been, and never will be. There are other car companies that make cars for that. Not to discourage you, believe me, we all love our cars here, and when I wanted one, no one was going to talk me out of it... I still love it....Sometimes it just doesnt love me back as much.

If you can set aside a couple of hundred bucks a month for maintenence, you should be ok, and dont pay $1200 for your belts and pumps, call around, take a road trip and get it done cheaper.

Just my Advice.

Sergio

[Allldi]

Read the 924/944/968 FAQ very thoroughly many times. The information is complete and there are almost no errors. Come back with questions and we'll be happy to answer them.

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Ryan
1991 944S2 coupe

[Rollins]

The S2 would be a good car to get. You'll pay a little more to start out with though. The S2 is an NA as well, and therefore should be more reliable and less costly to maintain. However the parts are inevitably rarer and generally cost more. Depending what you want out of the car would really better determine which one is best for you. If you're looking for tons of power then go for the 951. If you're after the turbo look and don't care so much about power, then a S2 would be great. The 951 is real easy to get over 300 hp in, while the s2 is not. Anyway, as Andre said maintenece has a few key aspects. If the car has been well maintained, obviously it will hold up better. If you are at all mechanically inclined then that is a huge benefit. When you go with a mechanic a $500 can more than double. Anyway, good luck looking for a 944. There is no other car like it, and you will love it.
-Tim

[Z-man]

It is definately about how the previous owner treated the car. If he has records, and you see that he has taken care of the car, then you're much better off than a PO who has trashed the car. The PO I bought my S2 from had a $4000.00 repair bill last year (clutch, exhuast, brakes, motor mounts, windshield...etc). The car was in immaculate condition, so I jumped on it! (Glad I did!)

An S2 is probably a little bit more reliable than a turbo, though it does lack the turbo's punch. An S2 is a little cheaper to maintain as well: less parts and much less complicated design.

Make sure you do a pre-purchase inspection with a good mechanic who knows Porsches. They know of all the trouble spots. (Another Porsche I was looking at turned up about $5000.00 in repairs at a pre-purch inspection!) It's worth the $50 to $100 you'll pay.

The February 2000 issue of Excellence magazine has an excellent (no pun intended!) article on buying a used 944. They have a checklist that will help you when looking at a 944. (I have a checklist based on that in MS-Word format, if you'd like a copy). A checklist ensures that you'll look at most everything that needs looking at!

Good luck!
-Zoltan.

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My toy: http://www.pelicanparts.com/gallery/Z-man

[eligunn]

944s are so easy to work on, so tough to break compared to most other kinds of sports cars out there

[Blackfoot]

both the s2 & 951 are pretty reliable for being sports cars. i've had two 951's and have been happy with the reliability for the most part. never had to repair or replace a turbo-only related part (i.e something that wasn't also on an n/a). unless you know you'll be content with the power limitations of the s2, i'd opt for a 951.

[dk944s2]

Having driven both 944 Turbos and S2s (and admittedly a little biased toward the latter), the 208-bhp S2 is a little nicer to drive in traffic day-to-day. There's no turbo lag issues, so they get off the line quicker in a typical non-racing street start. Certainly, the 944 Turbos are quicker (early cars had 217 bhp stock, later, as much as 250), but the S2's 6.4-sec. 0-60 and 14.8-sec. quarter (Road & Track test numbers) put it ahead of about 90 percent of other cars on the road. The S2 has a lot less clutter in the engine compartment, and hoses/wiring tends to last longer because they're not cooked by the turbo's heat.
Stay away from the S2 if you want to modify for large power gains; Turbos are the way to go here.
An S2 will be harder to find--only about 4000 sold in the U.S. (more than half Cabrios) from 1989-1991. Turbos, from 1986-1990, are more plentiful...at least 20,000 sold.
Just food for thought. To some, the way the power is delivered is more important than peak power.

[Blackfoot]

http://www.pelicanparts.com/ultimate/Forum5/HTML/004130.html

[DennisR_944]

Z-man,

I'd like to see the check list that you have. Thinking about a 951 and need all of the help in the checking department that I can get. Thanks.

Dennis Russell

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Dennis Russell
Indianapolis, IN USA
1987 944 n/a

[mike944]

It's hard to give you a $ figure for yearly maintenence. I've heard people on this board with very long lists($$$) of stuff they have had to do in a very short period of time. there are also people, like me, that have to hardly anything in 2 1/2 years. Now, i have done quite a few things to my car, but hardly anything i've done was absolutely necessary. I did most of them because i wanted to, i.e. there was some performancce, or durability advantage to it. The only things i HAD to do, were clutch master / slave cylinders, and front suspension bushings. (but, it is due for a clutch soon)

If you keep on top of the maintenence, you shouldn't have too much problem. Replace things when you notice they are starting to wear out, NOT after they break. On these cars, if you let stuff actually break, chances are it'll take out a few other expensive parts with it.

Like everybody else has said, if you're mechanically inclined, and can fix things yourself, they shouldn't cost too much. If you have to pay somebody else to fix it, it's going to cost you some bucks.

Then again, the M3 isn't going to be much cheaper. The only advantage is, it's quite a bit newer.

Mike

[Z-man]

Originally posted by DennisR_944:
Z-man,

I'd like to see the check list that you have. Thinking about a 951 and need all of the help in the checking department that I can get. Thanks.

Dennis: the list is on the way. Good luck finding that right 951!
-Zoltan.

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My toy: http://www.pelicanparts.com/gallery/Z-man

[This message has been edited by Z-man (edited 08-22-2001).]

[DennisR_944]

Z-man,

Got em. Gee you're quick. Thanks. It will be a big help.

Dennis Russell

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Dennis Russell
Indianapolis, IN USA
1987 944 n/a