944 variants

[chris71]

I've been persuaded to go for a 944 over another 924S, but which one?

Specifically.....

Lux - is this a seperate model or is just the official name for the base model (ie non-S/S2)? If so, what extra things does the lux spec involve?

What are the pros and cons of going for the early (pre-86?) cars? I've heard a couple of people say they're noticably quicker. Does anyone know what extra 'kit' you loose on the european (UK)market cars as opposed to a later model? Are there any additional problems with reliability/build/rust on the older cars? Whatever I go for will be used every day for quite long distances, so it must be durable!

The 16v S - don't think I can really justify the cost of an S2 or turbo, but S's would fall into my price range. The impression I've got before is they have the added complexity of the S2 without much of the preformance increase. Is this fair?

Any other options I should look for - was there an option of uprated roll bars, LSD or anything on any models? Looking for something quite driver orientated.

From what I've seen I reckon the best value model over here would be a well looked after early 8v. Seem to be quite a few nice '83-'85 cars on the market for quite a bit less than later cars in apparently similar condition.

[rudidelange]

Older cars also used galvanised steel for body panels. The European specced models had different pistons - and were theoretically faster than the US models. The earlier cars were slightly lighter. Later cars had options for LSD, other options were available for most cars, thicker sway bars etc.

[chris71]

Ok - so rust proofing is the same for both eras. Is it fair to assume the condition of, say a 1983 lux versus a 1987 lux will depend largely on how it's been treated? I mean - is there any reason to avoid the earlier cars? Having been born in 1983, that seems like a long time ago, but I suppose that's still only a few years older than the last 8 valves.

Guess the piston difference is to lower the compression ratio a bit for US spec gas? 98 octane is pretty common in europe. Are they ok with unleaded? (used to run an additive in my 924 to be on the safe side, but never sure if it was absolutely necesary)

Thing is, I didn't think it was worth buying an 8v 944, as I'd heard they were slower and heavier than the 924S. I've since been told the early 944 is actually lighter than the late 924S and the handling is better, plus they seem to be better value over here at the moment. A really nice 924S is over £3000, but you can find plenty of 2.5 944's for that and even the odd S.

[CJFusco]

The accelleration performance for the early 944 and the 924S is almost identical, meaning just slightly quicker than the 85.5+ 8v NA cars. The 924S might have a slight edge due to a more slippery shape. If you ran a 83 944, a 87 944, and a 924S side-by-side-by-side, however, I doubt there would be any huge noticeable difference in accelleration.

Taking weight off these cars does wonders. My previous car, before the Turbo, was a relatively stripped-down 1983 944. I had removed the rear seats, some sound-deadening, the spare, and replaced the front seats with lightweight Sparco items. Otherwise, most of the work I had done to the car was in the suspensioin. That car handled like a go-kart. My 951 is unquestionably a better car, but it is noticably heavier and would take a lot of work to get the handling anywhere near the level of my old 83.

But given the choice between ULTRA-sharp handling and mediocre accelleration, and very good handling and remarkable accelleration, most of us would take the latter. Man, these 951s are fun

[chris71]

Right, according to this, http://www.connactivity.com/~kgross/FAQ/944faq02.html

The late 924S is heavier than virtually all the 944 variants including the S2?! Whatsmore, this has the early 944 heavier than the later one at 2675lb, plays 2637.

Assumed the base spec 944's all had 160hp like my 924 did, but according to the above the early ones had 150 and even the 87 onwards model was a few horsepower short at 158.

Now I'm confused

I'd be using it to drive a 60 mile round trip to work every day, so don't fancy removing the sound deadening. Rear seats could go I suppose, as I could do with a bit of extra carrying capacity as well as losing a few pounds! But basically I want the best car I can afford in reasonably standard trim.

[mfloren]

I picked up my last Turbo for $3,000.

87 guards red. exelent interior. just 200$ in parts and it was running at 100%


the deals are out there. you just have to be patient.