Daily Driving a 944

Robert Coates · 11-15-2010, 06:17 PM

I am considering buying a 86 Porsche 944 for my daily driver. As long it is properly maintained are there any worries about driving one of these cars daily? Thanks for the help.

962porsche · 11-15-2010, 06:28 PM

i did for years . there fun cars ! if there is more than 2 or 3 inchs of snow on the roads it sucks even with a full winter tire . but on the other hand if i ran a nerrower tire it would have been better in snow than the 8 inch wide rears i have .

Rudeboy42 · Rudeboy42's Garage

It's not too bad driving it daily. If you get one that's well maintained you shouldn't have a problem. One downside is that when you do have to work on it you're going to have to order most or all of the parts online. So if you're in the middle of a job and you realize you need another part you have to wait. I'm in that boat right now.

They're a hell of a lot of fun though and you can't help but drive them everyday.

Jrboulder · 11-15-2010, 07:04 PM

I drove mine in the snow today. It wasn't bad. I wish I had an LSD but it was still good.

Rtarh2o · 11-15-2010, 07:12 PM

I am sorting out an 86 turbo in hopes of making it a daily driver myself. The car I am working on only has around 43,000 miles but was a bit abused and had some hack mechanic work I am finding.
Even with a good maintenance record you need to be aware that there are a lot of old parts under the hood. I am going through a complete hose replacement right now, have the intake off and have found the following, timed valve broken, turbo coolant pump not working, idle control valve not working, leaks in j boot, several broken vacuum hoses, etc, etc, etc.
If you want to use it as a daily driver I would pull the intake and check all of these things out.
I am hoping to make mine as reliable as anything on the road, no reason why it can't be as far as I can tell.
Rusty

looneybin · 11-15-2010, 07:18 PM

my '86 is a daily driver, but it is a 25 y.o. car & they do have maintenance issues.
as long as you can spin a wrench & do your own maintenance, you will be fine.
There is a wealth of help here if you get into a jamb.

John_AZ · 11-15-2010, 07:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robert Coates

I am considering buying a 86 Porsche 944 for my daily driver. As long it is properly maintained are there any worries about driving one of these cars daily? Thanks for the help.

No problems if the car is taken care of.

You need to have tools and ability to do a lot of the work yourself or the car will be in the shop a lot.

I like this link---it is for the 924 but much is covered that applies to the 944.

New Page

and buyers guides:
5.0 First-Time Buyer Questions
Purchasing a 944

GL
John

Robert Coates · 11-15-2010, 07:42 PM

I have found a whole bunch of buying guides. The car in question has 146k miles on it but it has full maintenance records. Snow is no worry. I am an Alabama. I am building a FSAE car so I am ok with a wrench.

VII · 11-15-2010, 08:15 PM

Then go for it. My 944 is my daily driver/cold weather car.

m73m95 · 08:28 PM

I daily drive the hell out of mine.

Being in the construction biz, I travel all over the western US. Over 60k miles in the 2 1/2 years I've owned it. Only 2 problems...Both I consider my fault. First time, the water pump let go in the middle of Utah. It was 2 weeks after a belt/roller change. It was the first time I had done the belt since I first bought the car, and I didn't change it then either....So, the pump COULD have been the original on the car. My fault for being cheap and stupid, as the previous owner had no record of a water pump.

Second was just a few weeks ago, while in Colorado. I switched to the Nissan Quest alternator. I bought the cheap AutoZone "Lifetime" alternator. The voltage regulator went out. Luckily there was a RL member in Denver with a stock alternator for sale. That got me home, so I could get another Nissan alternator swapped in.

Other than that, no problems at all.

Maintenance is the key! Sure the maintenance is quadruple what it would be on a Honda....but after 12 straight hours of driving a 944, I am still smiling when I reach my destination. A Honda has never put a smile on my face. OH, and when working in Arizona in December, there was a freak snow storm. I was the only person to make it to work. Everyone else called in. I got sent home, and PAID FOR THE WHOLE DAY!! 944's are not at all bad in the snow. I believe it snows in Germany!

Keep up on it, and the 944 is one of the most useful, and dependable tools I own.

Fred-T · 11-15-2010, 10:02 PM

I have bought a 944 cabriolet a few weeks ago to make it the daily driver for my girlfriend. absolutely fantastic and you hardly loose any value over the years, where we lost an awful lot the last 2 years with a brand new car. insurance is cheaper, service is cheaper and if you don't drive it like a boy racer, you still get a good return for you petrol money as well.

John_AZ · 11-16-2010, 03:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robert Coates

I have found a whole bunch of buying guides. The car in question has 146k miles on it but it has full maintenance records. Snow is no worry. I am an Alabama. I am building a FSAE car so I am ok with a wrench.

My opinion---(means nothing)...

A lot of new owners are young and green, OR trying to remember the "way back" years OR trying to get the "best deal" on a 924S/944/951 ----meaning price is all they look for.

Keep looking.

An '86 with 146K is a 25 year old car that is in need of a lot of service ---even with "full maintenance records".

At least get a full --professional--PPI...Prepurchase Inspection at a PORSCHE shop, not the local import garage.
A proper PPI will scope the cylinder walls, check for bearing noise, transaxle inspection and electrical/computer inspection.

Pelican Technical Article: Prepurchase Inspection

GL
John

VINMAN · 11-16-2010, 03:50 AM

My 86 has been my year round daily driver since 1989. Getting ready to turn 300,000 on it any day now. Other than normal maintainance, no issues. They are like any other car. You keep up with them they will hold up.

Robert Coates · 11-16-2010, 04:31 AM

How often does the water pump have to be changed? Also I had a 96 Honda Civic as a Daily Driver and you can boo me all you want but it was a fun little car. This car would be my daily driver for a little over 6 months really.

sasquatch · 11-16-2010, 05:35 AM

190k miles on my 87 na. Used daily until about 6 years ago when I finally had her painted. Just pulled her out of storage last month to put back in service. Could not stand to see her sit. I have owned this car for almost 15 years, much of that as a daily driver.

My impressions/random thoughts:
-Fuel mileage could be better, but not bad at 21mpg around town.
-Once all issues are brought up to snuff, the car is amazingly reliable. Be ANAL about servicing. Change things that are not normally addressed like antifreeze and brake fluid.
-Holds quite a bit of stuff when you fold the seat down.
-Great in snow with narrow snow tires. At one point this car spent quite a bit of time taking me skiing. It is VERY predictable in snow. Can back it into a corner and just hold the slide perfectly through the whole corner.
-I do not find parts prices out of whack if you know where to buy.
-Spend some time and pull the intake. Replace Every piece of rubber hosing in the engine compartment. Even if it is low mileage, 20+ years creates lots of small leaks that add up to a larger leak issue. It also gives you a good tour of the engine. Reseal the injectors while you are at it. How smooth she will run will be worth it.
-Keep her clean and waxed. It is amazing at how much attention these "poor man's Porsches" are bringing now in parking lots.

Brando · Brando's Garage

My 87 was reliable as all hell. Over 2 years of driving it... just needed:

- Clutch
- Starter
- Battery

But those were issues when I bought the car.

The rest was extra: New wheels, new tiars, new interior bits, new instrument lighting...

stogie25 · stogie25's Garage

I mostly daily drive my 944. For bad weather and some irrestistable convertible days I have my Jeep.

It is all in the maintenance. If you are prepared to do that then you will have a great little daily driver.

I have friends who have bought old cars because they have seen some of us driving around in them with virtually no problems. They did not know how much maintenance time I spend with two toy cars.

AKCJ · 11-16-2010, 03:51 PM

There's a difference between a daily driver and an only car. Unless you can take a bus or walk to work, it's pretty hard to recommend this (or any) old car as an only car.

If you have other means of transportation, the 944 is almost the perfect daily driver. Think about it.

Robert Coates · 11-17-2010, 05:40 AM

Yes. This would be only means of transportation for about 6 months until I finish my (don't hate me for this) turbo EF Civic project but to be honest I am having a very hard time finding anything I could stand to drive in my area that doesn't have 200k+ miles or doesn't seem well maintained.

RichardE · RichardE's Garage

I have an S2 which is my daily drive and which I also have a spare set of wheels with to use as a track car for bent sprints etc. Mine's done about 115,000 miles so just run in really.
Like the others have said, keep up with oil changes and regular maintenance. My 944 has been pretty reliable after some issues that I had to sort when I first bought it as it hadn't been well looked after. Heater and cooling system hoses, water pump etc. but now ok.
One caution. If you are in the older age group, as I am , you need to develop a technique for getting in and out of the car all day otherwise some people can develop back problems.
At the moment I wouldn't contemplate any other car for my only car and daily driver. It's got everything including a ton of storage in the rear if you need it and you can have fun on the track with them too. Brilliant.