Need some help ............

[rcoopers]

ok need some advice here-----i have owned air cooled Porsches in the past 356,914,911 all in the 70's....my problem is i worked at the dealer and saw everything about water cooled Porsches which was ugly.now i have a chance to buy my 1st water cooled Porsche.a 944 1986 ...my dilemma is it would have to be my daily driver for a while.perhaps 25-30 miles a day.the car has 92k on it and all the service records since new.the timing belt,water pump and etc.has been done i'm waiting for a e-mail now about the clutch.it has fog lamps,fuchs wheels. that's all i can tell for now.what do you guys and gals think about this as a daily driver.......thanks in advance

[Mericet]

If all the service history checks out I see no problem. Last year I would regularly do 500 to 600 miles a week on mine. Up to 152K now and very few problems.

[Phantoms]

If all is well with the clutch and an inspection doesn't turn up anything too negative, I would say go for it. I bought my 90' 944 with 89k in 2009. It had similar recent services and records. I have 106k on it now and all I have done is changed the oil, tires, motor mounts, and a few other minor things, basically just routine maintenance. A great daily driver for my application.

[Gawernator]

I've been daily driving a 86 944 for about a year with no major issues besides the first couple months, sorting out the major PO BS. Over the months it's slowly become a new beast

[rcoopers]

thanks your opinions are appreciated !!! keep them coming...........

[FransB85]

I boughtmine as a rolling restoration and has meanwhile been used as a daily/regular driver because I loved it so much.

The only time it has left me stranded was after I preventatively replaced the fuel pressure regulator and the new one (of inferior origin) started p*ssing fuel. And even then it was only the very real fear of a fiery demise that kept me from running it, the car was still driveable!

Oh yes, my battery was kind of dead due to a faulty relay, but luckily it was in my garage.

Mine has done around 140K miles, 20K of which I put on it in the last 2 years mainly. It is comfy, surprisingly parctical (for 2) and fun to drive. Also, I find it a delight to work on (being used to old english cars).

Given the fact that the one you fancy has low mileage and FSH, I'd say go for it! previous clutch work is a bonus since it's a pig of a job (apparently) but in my opinion shouldn't be a deal breaker since the rest sounds pretty good.

enjoy and keep us posted!

[rcoopers]

great info

[mattdavis11]

Mine was a DD for years, and years before I bought it as well. The worst thing you can do is park it. I did, and some seals blew out, led to a fire. Now it's a DD again with minimal effort and expense. The clutch was replaced at about 90K, I blew it up, but it wasn't on my clock. The ODO stopped at 118K, but that was over 15 years ago. I have no idea how many miles are on it, probably north of 200K but shy of 300K.

I don't balk at maintenance, every car has to have attention. These are no different, and they're not that difficult.

[mike leborgne]

Great Choice!!!!! I have run my 924s as a dailly driver for over 3 years, have had one breakdown due to a faulty fuel hose connection at the fule pump. I do most of my own repairs and just cleck all the "things prone to breakage" every week. I live in Denver so switch to studded snow tires over winter. You'll get the love the water cooled engine. The 25 MPG and comments about what a great looking car I have are just icing on the cake.
Frenchy
PS...just in case I do keep towing insurance paid each year.

[honerboys]

I also live in Denver - drove my 84 to work and back for 14 months never a problem

[curtisr]

Water-cooled Porsche as a DD? I say: 'Do it! Do it! Do it!' If you don't, there's a good chance you'll look back and wonder 'Why didn't I?!' My daily drive is now a daily enjoyable drive.

[rcoopers]

Originally Posted by curtisr

Water-cooled Porsche as a DD? I say: 'Do it! Do it! Do it!' If you don't, there's a good chance you'll look back and wonder 'Why didn't I?!' My daily drive is now a daily enjoyable drive.

sounds like a plan !!!!!

[VirginiaF1]

260k Daily Driver...
And weekend roadtrip driver..
and Sunday morning cobweb expulsion driver..
and golf club tee time driver...
and grocery run driver...
and beach trip 400-mile driver..

Best overall car ever constructed..
How many other models are still this loved and driven hard nearly 30 years on.

[rcoopers]

good points i love it great stuff

[PorscheNut924]

Been driving a 924S for 4.5 years, took it from 68,400 original miles to 114,000 without much trouble at all. It had a new clutch when I got it but I had to do the timing belt. I did blow the head gasket but that was my fault for not paying attention on a long drive. The only other major thing that went wrong was a water pump failure, and that was a loose bolt or something. It's taken me across the country and back without trouble and conquered six inches of new snow on a flat driveway in Indiana this winter. It was an only car for my family for almost a year after our van broke down and it NEVER had any trouble during that year of hard service. At that point my father technically owned it and drove it 46 miles round trip to work every day, plus when someone else needed to go somewhere, it would make multiple trips. Probably logged half of the miles we've put on it in that one year. Very, very good car.

I had a 1985.5 944 for a few weeks once (got it in a trade and resold for a profit) and that was even more fun to drive. If I ever have to replace my beloved 924S (we'll see if it makes it to half a million miles, haha), it will probably be with an 85.5-89 944. I might have already traded except this is my first car and we've been through a lot...sentimental value and all that. Plus it's a lot rarer than the 944.

[Gawernator]

+1 on practicality. I can haul groceries, I even have a picture of a ridiculous amount of equipment I hauled to and fro, including my entire exhaust pipe from headers to catback lol. Fits camping equipment, snowboards... etc

[PorscheNut924]

The cargo space is definitely an awesome thing. I packed everything I needed for college into the back and took my mother along for the ride from Washington State to Kansas City. Even with several hundred pounds of my stuff in the back and cruising at 80 with the RPM's near 4k, I still averaged about 25-26 MPG going cross country. Pretty sure I get more like 30 for road trips between 60 and 70 mph without a big load in the back.

Cargo space and four seats, along with good gas mileage and a fun, fast car that's one of the best handling vehicles ever...

I'm glad I didn't listen to the skeptical people back when I was 16 and dreaming of getting a Porsche. I love my car.

[mueller944s2]

They're fun, I drive mine to school 30 miles away. They're great distance cars, time flies! I would come back after a 3 hour trip (Alabama to New Orleans) and wouldn't want to stop driving, so I'd get back in and go to the gas station...the long way!

That being said, if it's your only car then that would be an issue. It's old, things happen. Personally, mine is the most unreliable car I've ever seen, everything goes wrong with it, compared to both my dad's air-cooled 911s which seem to be bullet proof. I think I just have rotten luck, it's not normal for 944s. But I do recommend having a spare car. Helps when you're doing maintenance.

[Gawernator]

Mine seemed unreliable for about two months. Once I sorted out the previous owner ****-ups, and started basically rebuilding the car with lots of new parts, it has been very reliable! Driven thousands of miles no issue.

[rcoopers]

thanks to all great advice!!!