The top speed on an 8 valve 5 speed is 140mph, and on the 8v automatic is 130mph per the owners manual.

If the automatic is properly tuned up it will run as well as the 5speed, so I would say from a safety perspective doing the changeover would be for minimal negative performance gains.

And the automatic is a firm shifting trans, accelerates very sharply, and cruises right along at 80 plus. I have heard of them making excellent autocross cars, and I can attest to it being an excellent daily driver in stop and go driving.

My 2 cents...

You can custom fabricate crash tabs but you can't install a clutch slave cylinder or teach your son to safely drive a manual transmission.... this is starting to sound like BS

Autocross but can't drive a manual? Wasting time

The cost in time and money of the switch makes it frankly a poor choice.

Given the lower value of automatic transmission 944s (the 3-speed cars are absolute dogs, no matter what others say) it makes almost infinitely more sense to just buy a good example with the automatic and be done with it.

The 3-speed is essentially like having the 5-speed but always starting out in 2nd and never using 5th. On the highway at 60 mph, the automatic is spinning at about 3,500 RPM per the charts in the owners' manual (the 5-speed is about 2,400 RPM in 5th). Yes, the automatic cars will run at 80+ just fine on the freeway, but they do so at 4,000 RPM instead of 3,200 RPM like the 5-speed cars. It gets old fast.

The 5-speed cars had an 8-second plus 0-60 time. This is slower than a 4-cylinder Accord. The manual cars aren't fast by any modern standard. Certainly not fast enough to be a worry about speed.

Between the two, really all you're doing by swapping in an automatic for the 5-speed is increasing the likely driver frustration.

Yes, if you really want to do it, the hardpoints are there and it's possible if you swap everything that Volhv and jeffrsmith already mentioned. But "possible" and "a good idea" aren't the same thing. The resale value of a car that was converted from manual to automatic is going to be lower than a factory automatic, and that's already lower than the 5-speed cars.

Very seriously, the best option from a financial standpoint is to either use the car with the 5-speed (replacing the master and slave cylinders for the clutch will be WAY less work than replacing the entire drivetrain) or to sell the 5-speed car and just buy an automatic in good condition.

+1

+2

Jesus tap dancing christ on crutches... Swapping a manual to auto for safety reasons? Really? Talk about bass-ackwards thinking. Don't forget to hook up the cruise control while you're at it, so your kid can take a damn nap while driving. Oh and don't forget to plug in the GPS, and make sure he's got a killer stereo in there. Having that automatic will sure be nice to take the attention off of the road for a change. :o Seriously... Learning to drive a manual car enhances your ATTENTION while driving, which is the safest thing you can ever teach a young driver.

Sorry for my not-useful post. I'm sure it will go "in one ear and out the other" like all the other posts about safety.

Very true, I get bored driving my automatic Saab, especially on the highway. The manual in the 944 makes driving such an "experience" and also keeps me off the phone, eating, etc.

+3 Very dumb idea. Way too much work. And autos suck.

on the flip side, one of my 968s is a tiptronic. i am planning on supercharging that car, just like my 6 speed. as it stands though, compared to a 6 speed car, the tip is easier to drive in traffic, just about as fast as the manual, if you know how to drive it (it has 5 performance programs and you have to know how to keep it in the upper program), and the final ratio isn't all that far off of the 6 speed. you can start in 1st if you go manual shift mode, and when you mash the throttle, it stuffs you back in the seat much more than the 6 speed, as you aren't really prepared for it as much. also, all tiptronics came with a form of lsd, so that helps.

so, automatics don't necessarily suck, but you have to drive them differently.

i don't know how the 944 automatic compares to the tiptronic of the 968 though. that may be a complete pile of junk. i also agree that converting it will be a costly and painful process, and you are probably a lot better off starting with a car that is already automatic. it will likely cost a lot less.

So far nobody's mentioned this approach: pull the motor from the 83 auto and get a good used one to drop in. This is far easier than swapping the auto guts into the late car. Do it with your son and the two of you will have a great time. Ask me how I know.

That said, I agree about teaching him to drive a 5-speed, and with all the reasons stating why.

+1

All my friends ***** at me for not texting back/answering the phone while I'm driving. I explain to them it's because I'm busy changing gears and stuff, but they can't get that through their thick skulls because they've never driven a manual. They all drive automatics and have all crashed at least once due to texting/talking on the phone while driving. If I absolutely have to text or make/answer a call I'm forced to pull over because driving a manual requires both hands to drive.

Manual>automatic for safety.

Yugo?

Seriously though, the 944 is probably similar in power to a civic so it's by no means "fast". Thes e cars are cool and all that but personally I'd lean more towards a newer japanese car with 5 speed,ABS, airbags, and all that jazz for safety and reliability as a DD. Boring, I know.

Or a Saab 9-3 base four-door, if you're looking for safety

I have heard 944 automatics make pretty good autocross cars. If you kick it in it will slam you back in the seat. Would not do it too often due the flex damper, though.

Even I have to confess to texting and driving a manual at the same time, but maybe I'm just.. talented ;) Essentially though, smart and safe driving habits will keep him safer than anything

EDIT: Kcoyle's writing made me realize something. You are comparing the safety of the auto to the manual but look at the entire picture. The car itself is 25+ years old, has no ABS, airbags, traction control, etc. (although I would say it's more difficult to lockup the brakes on a 944 than a more standard car)

first, i don't text - period. hate that crap. i barely use a cell phone. whatever it is can wait.

second, here in california, they are finally wising up about cell phones. you can now be arrested for reckless endangerment, which means jail time. also, insurance companies can nail you on rates, even though a cell phone ticket is not a point on your DMV record. the laws are changing soon too that will make it even more painful. put that thing down. hands free means hands off.

as for an automatic being safer, it isn't. but, a manual trans can lead to "more spirited" driving, which can be less safe.

as a first car, i would not choose any porsche. i'd get something disposable and with all the modern safety features. the likelihood of an accident with a new driver is too high.

Agreed. Honda Civic haha

There is a MASSIVE difference between the modern, electronically controlled 4-speed overdrive Tiptronic in the 968 and the ancient, purely hydraulic, non-overdrive 3-speed unit in the older cars. The Tiptronic is a good design. It's a modern 4-speed unit with a lockup clutch and sophisticated electronic controls. It's as different from the unit the OP is talking about as the 968's engine is from the engine in the original 924. Comparing the two is ridiculous.

The issue isn't that all automatics are bad. The issue is that the automatic in the 944 was an ancient design even when it was introduced. Hell, it doesn't even have a lockup torque converter so the thing slips in all gears. There are no "performance programs" in the 3-speed transmissions because there are no electronic controls. Everything is fixed by the valves in the hydraulic controls.

You just can't compare the two.

well there ya go then - thanks

You must have a lot of talent. I can't even select a new song on my ipod while driving. I have to put it on shuffle and just hit next and hope the song I want comes on....

Perhaps I worded that poorly. Here's what I meant: with an automatic you aren't doing all of the driving (if that makes sense?), so you're more free to do stuff that will distract you from driving like eating, texting, etc. A car with a manual gearbox requires your constant attention (unless you're cruising down the highway) so you don't stall the car, over rev the engine, etc. This constant attention keeps you from doing those things and keeps you focused on what you're supposed to be doing: driving safely/responsibly.

Sure a manual can encourage spirited driving, but in a 944 NA you can wind the engine up to redline all day long without ending up more than 5-10mph over the limit. That's the best thing about the 944 NA. You can rev up that engine and think you're going 10000mph but you're only doing 40. Hell, I did it every day when I had my car and I constantly had people walking down the street yelling at me, but I was only going 30mph. It's almost necessary to do that to get the car moving...

Yep Flash, I'm with you on that one! Can't stand texting and my mobile is off more than it is on...;)

Over here in the UK the road laws have changed for using a phone whilst driving and points and fines are issued for being caught using one..however, that doesn't seem to stop the idiots who think they can..their mentality seems to be that obviously the law is for all those others and it therefore doesn't apply to them!!:rolleyes:

Hands free or switch it off.