Dilemma: My 944 is impeccable but I have the new Porsche itch

[black_falcon]

I'm going on ten years of ownership with my 86 944 n/a, that's ten years worth of memories and nostalgia. It has 132k, is completely sorted except a small leak in the oil pan gasket and steering rack. Fresh major service. NO dash cracks.

For the past few years I've had the growing itch to buy a 911sc or possibly try an early 5spd 928. I'm just afraid I'd regret parting with my very nice 944 (think easily $10k in service records, lots of memories). Don't have the space or funds for three cars unless I sold my 540i/6 and used the 944 as a DD, and we have harsh winters.

Pics of my 944 below. Any thoughts?

[zedsn]

You could buy a second porsche and store one for the winter somewhere else. I don't let "no room in the inn" get in the way of me buying cars. Just ask me how I know.

[alan6272]

Dude I hear ya, In my opinion I would stay away from the 928, I have read many stories about the wiring problems. 911sc hummm I kinda like them as well as the 944 but if it were me I would stay with the 944..

[VirginiaF1]

As a novice owner, I'd suggest selling it (for a loss unfortunately) to a local novice owner who'd appreciate driving a near perfect specimen. If so, what would you look to get for her?
Btw, which wax did you use in these pics? Resprayed recently?

[Catamax944]

If you don't mind another "easily $10k in service records" go for the 928 but i'd say keep the 944 (looks too nice) and keep the money in your pocket.

[CHICKS]

Keep the 944, and buy the 911. You know whats better than one Porsche? Two Porsche's! I might be picking up a friend for my 944 this week. We shall see...

[ernie9944]

Agree with the above,stay away from the early 928.I'm usually fond of 928s but depend on which model late 928 S4/ GT/GTS yes.Same goes for the SC unless it's in very good condition with no issues I'll say yes but those are very expensive.For the money paid for an SC you could get a show room S2/968 and have money left over.Your 944 seem to be well sort out & in very good shape so I suggest you take a step back & really weigh the pros & cons before you sell it.Btw I was in the same situation three years ago it took me about four months before I made up my mind to sell the old girl.Sometime I do misses that old 944 that I enjoy wrenching on.

[PorscheChef]

"I'd suggest selling it (for a loss unfortunately) to a local novice owner who'd appreciate driving a near perfect specimen."

Please don't think I'm being crass, but... I have never seen a "novice" owner who could really appreciate a near perfect 944. I believe you have to put in the sweat and time (and the occasional wait on the side of the road for a tow) to truly appreciate owning a 944. It was about 12 years of playing the game, 5 over seas in the Army, before I finally had "earned" my near perfect 944. For you to find a real buyer, I would look for someone who can appreciate the time and effort you put into your car. Only someone who has been there can get it. I sold my 87 n/a to a friend who wanted to get into them. I had spent all summer working on it and made a profit of a few thousand dollars. After about 6 months of him screwing it up and getting fed up with it, because he just didn't understand what ownership was, I bought it back from him for half of what he paid for it. I explained that you can't just put gas in them and never maintain them, but regardless- Now I'm working on it again. I would never sell one of my cars to someone who hasn't owned one before. I would suggest you find a buyer who has maybe owned an earlier model and who will pay for what they know they are getting. If you have never had a Turbo, that would be my next step. Your car is nice enough to get what a nice starting level Turbo would cost. Then start your project over again. Or... just buy another flat out and make the room. Just my two cents!

[VirginiaF1]

[QUOTE=PorscheChef;7250416]

Please don't think I'm being crass, but... I have never seen a "novice" owner who could really appreciate a near perfect 944. IQUOTE]

I know just what you mean... I knew the level of effoert/love required.
I guess I just have faith that a new generation of fanatics are coming up.

[Gawernator]

*cough* <-

Also, CHICKS. How does your wife feel about that? Lol

[Jrboulder]

CHICKS and I are defecting to to the 912 world. Ok, well maybe he's getting dual citizenship but I'm seeking automotive asylum.

I had a couple 944's and they are very fun and all but my heart was set on the 912 from day one. They were really just stopgaps. Very good stopgaps.

A well maintained 944 is in my book one of the best cars ever, if not the best. Forget the 928, even a 911SC will take a ton of work (read money) to come even close to a nice 944's awesomeness. The newest 911SC turns 30 this year. Unless you're willing to pay north of 25k you'll end up with dash cracks and a vague, slow, and antiquated transmission. The AC will suck and a missed shift will cost you 8k. A valve adjustment is much more involved than a timing belt and is required twice as often.

A lot of parts are NLA or mind boggling expensive. I mean like beechcraft wouldn't dream of pricing some of that stuff like that. Go look up some of the molded vacuum hoses. What isn't NLA is $500 each. I just payed $100 for 4 pins and 2 clips for my SC brake upgrade.

Of course this is just my opinion but know what you're getting into before you do something you cant undo.

[Gawernator]

I am strongly in favor of you keeping your "baby", why give away all your hard work to some kid (like me)? Just my opinion of course

[gtroth]

I had that problem. Could never part with my completely sorted S daily driver. Too much of me in it. Drove it year round, even in the snow.
So I bought the 993 C4 as a daily driver and drive the S from time to time for a week or so at a time. Not sure if this can work for you of course, but maybe dump your third car, whatever that is?
I will say I enjoy the S so much more now when I switch back from the Carrera. The differences are just so stimulating. And it's really nice to tinker with it since it's so familiar.

[J1NX3D]

OP, what exactly is it that attracts you to the 928 or the 911SC?

[FransB85]

How about a 964 C2 coupe? It's pretty bullet proof and pretty affordable. And as an added bonus it is somewhat easy to work on (don't go for the C4; extra weight, extra mechanicals/leaks and you'll miss the 'light-nosed' 911 feel).

I don't know US prices, but over here good specimens are to be had for about 20K euro's. In my opinion it is easily the best looking (and sounding) 911 and I have never understood why people would shell out over twice the money for a 993.

Realistically, I think you can expect to pay 10K worth of service and parts on any performance car over 15 yrs old, it is the inevitable cost of boyhood dreams...

[Gawernator]

996 TT, just saying

[grendiers]

I was getting 'tired' of working on my 924 turbos, CIS system is a pain, a million bolts/nuts get loose, etc. So, bought an '85 911, rust-free Arizona car, it's a driver. I like it a lot, 200hp out the gate, decent fuel injection system, nice repaint, manual sport seats.

However, I like to track my cars, and setting one of these up for that purpose is much more expensive than the 924/944. I now have a dedicated 924 Turbo for the track, and an '88 924S waiting for some TLC this summer. I drive the 911 occasionally but not as much as I thought I would. Your SC has CIS, and if not well sorted, you won't have much fun. Side benefit, the air-cooled 911's receive a lot of attention from people.

PS, drove my friend's 996 TT, wow.

[Gawernator]

I see a lot of people, especially "enthusiasts" don't like the 996 because it's "water cooled" (shudder) , and it has the different style headlights. I like both the 996 and more retro 997 look a lot. However you can use that to your advantage. Prices have gone down a lot and it's an amazing value for all the car you get. ~35k for mint low mileage 996TT around here. The later model years are sorted too. Stupid fast! I will buy one.

[Dave Colangelo]

I had a very similar dilemma about 2 years ago... here is how it turned out...




Regards
Dave

[rhett]

Yep, I have to agree, your 944 is impeccable. Therefore, you will regret letting it go...when I had to let my first 944S go I stood in the road and watched it until it was out-of-sight. The guy who took it said it was not uncommon for Porsche owners to do that, he always looked in the mirror to check! 10+ years is a long time being together buddy.. My 10 cents worth is also stay away from the 928s unless you want to spend really serious amounts of time and money. However, a 911 might do the trick..sometimes you have to scratch the itch, but try to find a way to keep the 944 (long term storage somewhere perhaps?).