951 vs 911

[mhpd31]

Hello, I need some Porsche advice. When I was a kid I had a 924 (most comfortable car I ever had), then a little over a year ago I bought a beautiful one owner garage kept 951 with 70,000 original miles. Great car and after the 300 rwhp kit from Lindsey it was a very fast car. I spent 6 months working on the car (myself so I could learn), and I made it perfect, then.......my home burnt down, I lost the 951 (and everything else I ever owned). Insurance covered most of it, but as my vehicles were paid for, I had liability only (mistake) so they were not. The reason I tell this story is, as painful as it was to lose a car I was having a love affair with, I am now moving on and looking for another, but I am torn between another 951 and a 911. I see a lot of pros and cons on both sides. first: speed, I am an absolute speed freak, this car has to be faster than what I had, but as I have not fully recovered financially my funds are limited ($15,000.00 would be the absolute limit) so I know the late model turbo monster 911's are out. I here everyone say that any 911 is faster than a 951, but I look at the horsepower numbers, and wonder how?? Most that I have found in my price range have been 76 - 80 NA's, can they even come close to a 300 hp 951? Second: I am a big guy 6 foot seven 285lbs. to many's surprise though I fit quite well in the 951 (except for that darn fixed steering wheel was a bit tight). will I fit as well in a 911?? Anyway the people on this forum were the greatest people in the world for helping me make my 951 such an absolutely wonderful car, so I am hoping you guys can help me lean to one side or the other in getting off of this fence and into another Porsche. Thanks a lot in advance, and I am open to any advice.

[nize]

sounds like this thread is for you;
951 vs 996tt

[blown 944]

what do you plan on using the car for??


there are people who can guide you to over 400 hp for less than 4k in mods

[Smiledr996s]

I am 6-3 and can attest the 951 has alot of leg room. I sat in several 911s and w/o remounting the seat, I dont think I would be comfortable. Not sure how that would affect the reach for the shifter. Definately more leg room in the 951. I would test drive some and see what you think. Performancewise I am not sure, I test drove an 96 w/ tip and was not impressed w/ power. At 15k I would think performance would be on the side of the 951.

Steve

[lleroyb]

What part of the world are you in?

[black944 turbo]

Having driven several of both models, I can tell you without a doubt on the older 911s the 951 is hands down faster. There was article in '89 comparing the 911 turbo to the 951 and the 951 they said was faster, however the 911 was more fun. I would say it boils down to what you want to do with the car. The 911 is very old feeling (reminds me of my old corvair with a lot more power) and the 951 is much more polished. I would love to have a 911 some day, but I would never give up my 951 for one.

[chris.817]

I currently own an 86 951 and an 87 911. The power to weight is very similar. The 911 is like a big, really fast go-kart. The 951, to me, is more of a road car. The steering ratio is higher or lower... (more turn lock to lock). Based on aerodynamics, I assume, the top speed of the 951 is about 5 mph higher. The kick in the pants from full boost on a non-modified car is very different from a 911 but getting there is much different too. The 911 is definitely a smaller car.

My vote is to go for the 911 to try something new. Assuming it fits, you'll be very pleased. If you later change your mind, it will be easier to sell than the 951.

My 2 cents.

[mhpd31]

Hey guys thanks a lot for all your responses, still havent made up my mind completely, but I am starting to lean back to my 951 tendancy. Just no replacement for raw kick in the pants boost! BTW I am in Northern Arkansas.

[dondarnell]

I have both. Actually two of each. I put more miles on the 951's - as they are just better cars. If you can afford a 993, it is a wonderful car. Mine is kind of a beast, as it is lowered, etc. I think an unmodified car would be easier to live with.

The big but is price. At $15k you can get a great 951, but only an ordinary, or slightly tired, 911. My law partner bought an 1983 SC last year with 65k miles, and in very good condition, and paid a bit more than 15k. I like the car, but having owned 951 for the last 11 years, I would not trade. The SC's are not faster or better in any way than a 951 - and I think this is the type of 911 you would be looking at for $15k.

The only caveat is that a 911 is a 911 is a 911. All pre 1998 911's are simply iconic. 944's are quickly becoming used cars which are expensive to fix. If you want to impress girls, clients and your friends at PCA events, buy the 911. I will probably always have a 951 in the garage to have a great car. I will always have a 911 in the garage to have a 911.

[nize]

i'm curious, why are 911's so expensive? there are so many more of them than 951's of the same year, they cost less brand-new, and yet they cost more used today. what gives?

personally, given the same model year, i would rather have a 951 than a 911, unless it was a 911 turbo.

[74goldtarga]

Having owned both, for the joy of driving, cruising the 911 is the car. For comfort and pure speed the 951 is the car. No way an NA 911 is as fast as a 951 until you get to the 3.6L cars. It is said that all 911s are $20k cars and this is absolutely true. If you spend $15K on a 911 be prepared to spend at least another 5 to make it right.

[petevb]

A 15k 951 will be a faster, better car than a 15k 911. The cross-over, when you're talking about modified cars, probably happens in the 30-40k dollar range, though that depends what speed range you're talking about. The 911s are generally quicker at lower speeds, off the line, autocross, etc, while the 951s stay ahead longer on the freeway/ street with the track being somewhere in between.

The reason the 951 eventually looses is that it "runs into a wall" when you get to very high power to weight ratios- its simply can't put the power to the ground to deploy it at lower speeds, and suffers from greater and greater turbo lag. This begins to be a more and more significant problem around 350 whp or roughly 7.5:1 power to weight ratio, and combined with the greater cooling needs/ head gasket issues, etc at higher powers when tracking makes me think that somewhere around there is the sweet spot for the 951.

The 911, on the other hand, has enough weight over the wheels that it can deploy much more power more of the time. Unfortunately it's much more expensive to get to a similar power to weight ratio in a 911, but once there the 911 is able to deploy more of the power.

I started with 3 951s, up to ~340 whp, then switched to early 911s with big motors (two 1970s and a 1969) that all weighed roughly 2200 lbs and had 8.5:1, 7:1 and 5:1 power to weight ratios respectively, all engine swaps of later 3.6+ normally aspirated motors into early cars. For freeway speed and practicality/ comfort I'd build a 951. For fun and everything else I'd build a 911 if I could afford it. I think, unless you're going to get into autocrossing, you should build a 951 with your budget now, but don't spend too much on to keep it in the 951s sweet spot.