Considering 951/968 for Daily Driver

[ned911]

Thinking about selling the '88 Mustang and getting a 951 or 968 to replace as a daily driver. Any big gotcha's that I should know about? Had a 944 NA in the past, know about water pump/timing belt issues.

Have 2 '72 911's (1 street, 1 race) and '74 914 but need something with AC to get to/from work in the Texas heat.

Thanks.

[grendiers]

My '89 944 turbo has ice-cold air, however, not sure I'd want the interior/dash destroyed by the sun each day.

[thomasryan]

Nice choice in the other 70s models. MFI cars have a distinct sound of their own.

968 has a lot less old plumbing than a turbo. 93 and later uses 134 instead of 12 AC wise.

[sausagehacker]

Main thing besides what you mentioned are the fuel lines under the hood. Easy cars to work on and rewarding to drive, even around town.

[txhokie4life]

I'd lean towards the 968 -- the Turbo's get really hot under the hood and the Texas heat doesn't help. Can't speak to AC as none of mine have had it.

The 3.0 is probably a better street driving car, as it has a lot of torque.
You might have to replace the twin-cam hydraulic and chain ramps.

Without having to deal with the cross-pipe and Turbo connections, I would think the 968 to be easier to work on. The 6 speed is also a plus.

Mike

[flash968]

a note on the 968 AC - the 92 had R-12. 93 through 95 were R-134

as for which one to go with, i think a lot of it will depend on whether or not you want to stay stock. the 951 is easier to upgrade in terms of power, though there are now things for the 968 as well.

the 951 front end looks better to me than the 968 with the lights down, but worse with them up. the rear end of the 968 looks better hands down.

the 6 speed trans is more flexible than the 5, and the 4 speed auto is better than the 3.

the 968 carries with it a lot more exclusivity, but that brings along less availability of parts.

[911tracker85]

what about a nice 928S?

this one is for sale. ice cold AC.

and you are near the premier 928 parts supplier, 928sRus

[ned911]

Thanks for the feedback.

Fortunately I get to park indoors every day which helps.

Bon - thanks for the suggestion but I'm not a 928 person.

[thomasryan]

92s teething;

have single use rods (i ignored that tsb).

rear wheel bearings have a giant cir-clip (later models have a retaining plate).

the fuel pump plumbing is unique to the year and model (fuel lines are still available from Germany).

the dme went through three iterations in 92.


and other things...check this but the wheelbase is slightly shorter than your 914 and a mile longer than the 911.

i had both of your other vintages in a past life, looked at getting another teener but 100hp isn't enough. the vario motor has a linear delivery of torque.

parking at work or anywhere is kinda sad. people just don't care to dent up your ride and drive away. i buy mid 90s w140 S class mercs, throw a couple grand at them and drive them to work. disposable tanks.

[Dantilla]

The 968 is a better daily driver than the 951.

The 951 is geared very tall for the autobahn, not US roads. First gear is quite a bit taller than the 968, so you're burning up the clutch when in stop-&-go traffic. 5th gear is useless until 70 mph. You will spend plenty of time cruising the freeways in 4th, if typical hiway speeds are similar to here.

The 968 also has more low-end grunt, so it's more enjoyable when leaving a stop sign. The 951 lacks oomph until the turbo begins its job.

951 is an awesome track toy, even bone-stock.
968 is an awesome daily driver.

[flash968]

re: the 968 rods - the 1R rods ran all the way to mid 94.

re: the 968 DME - actually, the DME itself is the same in all but the first 29 cars. there are two chips for the rest of 92 though, and then the same chip for the rest

[thomasryan]

Right on, Flash.... In my opinion, the 968 is the sweetest morsel in the used Porsche candy bag.

[HJF]

Just posted my 968 for sale.
It has been a great daily driver. The hatchback makes it great for stopping at store on way home.

Take a look!

HJF

[v2rocket_aka944]

If I were looking to buy a 968, I'd buy a 944S2 and pocket the price difference.
Never was impressed by how the 968 motor feels while driving, the S2 always felt nicer to me, maybe its a gearing thing or how the powerband is laid out..

[racer]

968=yes
951=no

[flash968]

while less expensive, there is really nowhere to go with an S2. not a lot of upgrades for it. unless you were planning on staying totally stock, one may find they were painting themselves into a corner.

not sure what the issue is with the way a 968 runs, but if you are used to a turbo, and plan to keep the revs up high, a 968 may not be the ticket. that engine was designed to "sign off" at 6k rpm. the variocam and dual resonant intake manifold, both unique to the 968, widens the torque curve a lot, and adds quite a bit of power over the S2, but it tends to rev a little less freely. the heavier dual mass flywheel is responsible for a lot of that.

[thomasryan]

AFM vs MAF was a determining factor....L-Jetronic systems started in 1974. I like D-jet better than CIS....lots of hoses and orings with older efi systems.

[v2rocket_aka944]

Originally Posted by flash968

while less expensive, there is really nowhere to go with an S2. not a lot of upgrades for it. unless you were planning on staying totally stock, one may find they were painting themselves into a corner.

not sure what the issue is with the way a 968 runs, but if you are used to a turbo, and plan to keep the revs up high, a 968 may not be the ticket. that engine was designed to "sign off" at 6k rpm. the variocam and dual resonant intake manifold, both unique to the 968, widens the torque curve a lot, and adds quite a bit of power over the S2, but it tends to rev a little less freely. the heavier dual mass flywheel is responsible for a lot of that.

my comment meant..

in back to back comparisons between a 968 and an S2, both properly sorted, the S2 felt like it had more low-down daily-driver power available than the 968...at least in my experiences.
though counterintuitive, the 968 felt more like a bigger 944S (had to be wound up more to feel like you were going somewhere).

[flash968]

interesting. in reality, it's the reverse. the 968 has a lot more grunt, and the S2 winds up more freely at the top.

what you probably felt was the flywheel. the 968 flywheel is more than double the weight of the one in the S2. that makes the revs "feel" slower to respond. you would be amazed at what putting a light flywheel in a 968 does for what you are describing. it is so much of a difference that it takes almost a full half second off the 0-60 times.

[alfadoc]

Looks are subjective, to my eyes the 944 is considerably more attractive than the 968. I drive my S2 every day, and I just love it. Plenty of power, lots of low end torque, great gearing. If a tree fell on it tomorrow and the insurance company stroked me a check, I'd replace it with another S2.