944 vs 911SC Maint Costs

[LenA]

I am thinking about getting either a SC or a 944 as a weekend fun driver. Is one easier/cheaper to maintain, I have had Alfa's in the past which are pretty easier to work on and not all that expensive to maintain, and would like to do a lot of the maintenance on a Porsche myself, brakes, oil, suspension overhauls etc. I expect the parts/maintenance costs to be higher on the Porsche's, but is there any significant difference between these two?

I have access to two close Porsche specialists, Tony Callas and Dutch Treat are a couple of miles away, so I would use them for PPI or any involved maintenance

Thanks

Len

[Dantilla]

Your answers here will likely be far different from the question on the 911 side. You are wise to ask on both forums.

I will say the same thing here as I said there- After owning both 911s and 944s, from a pure maintenance standpoint, I'd rather work on the 911.

[Catamax944]

Definitely 944 is a fair bit cheaper to maintain in general but it usually depends more on how it was cared for. I wouldn't compare the SC with the 944 ,two different price ranges not to mention cars , with the money for beat up SC you can get a well cared for 944.
If you have the funds for a SC why not get something like this http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-cars-sale/612913-fs-1992-968-coupe-55k-mi.html

[ernie9944]

Originally Posted by Dantilla

After owning both 911s and 944s, from a pure maintenance standpoint, I'd rather work on the 911.

If you have the funds for a SC why not get something like this

Agree=Dantilla,but for a pleasurable drive 944s are hard to beat they're so well balance & so much forgiving then the SC,which you can get in trouble more easily.Having own both my personal choice is 100% 944s.____________+1 Catamax,can't compare both since they're so entirely different & like said for the price of a beat up SC one can get a darn 944/S2/968 with clutch done recently & maintenance up to date.Agree that the 968 example is a nice one but way over price for a 92 even with a low mileage.___LeNa here is just a couple of quote as far as maintenace price is concern (standard clutch kit Sachs 944na/85-89- $620.00____78/83 SC Sachs standard kit $571.81____Complete tune- up kit 9 pcs 86/89 944-$132.75___same for 911SC 81/83-$109.00.Now let's get serious if you ever decide to go 944 buy the latest model and nicest exemple you can afford ,mileage is important but better buy a 100Kmiles car with all maintenance done then a 50Kmiles one which as been neglect and abuse.Maintenance records is a must (just not word of mouth) also is a PPI by a shop who knows what 944s are all about ,specialy the 16V one who has different needs (head wise) then the 8v.Finally it will be your choice so try to drive both 944s/SC (944S2/968 16v are very different from their 944 8v conter part power wise as you will find out.No mention of the 951 turbo or the 928S4 was done here since they a completly different animal maintenance wise.Exemples of what you should be looking for if you join the water cool world,also by going the 944s way your talking cars which are 15/20 years younger___95-968 asking $15,000 ( a little overprice but in very good shape.
____87-NA -$8.500 very good shape

90-S2 pristine $13.500

[962porsche]

i have many porsche's . at this time i own 1988 962 , 928gts , 968 coupe , 930 (911 turbo ) , and a crap load of my loved 944's from some 8v to two 951 (944 turbo ) and two 948 (944 V8 ) . they all cost about the same to own and maintain except the 962 . i like racing the 944's more than the 911's i have and have owned in the past . but that does not include the porsche i get paid to race in the ALMS i'm talking about older porsches .

[LenA]

Thanks for the replies. Lots to think about.

the 944 looks like a great car, I have seen quite a few pretty decent looking examples for 4-5K which is a lot less than most SC's.

Like most things with sports cars, will probably come down to which one feels right

Len

[CorsePerVita]

Things I greatly enjoyed about my 944.

- Well balanced, easy to drive year around. Awesome in the snow.
- Got great mileage, almost 30mpg, pretty darn good. Depends on how you drive it... of course

Things that were bleh:
- Parts are still somewhat at a Porsche price. For sure.
- Maintenance needs to be kept up on frequently, things like belts, rollers, etc etc are the most common
- Actually working on them can be a challenge. For instance, a clutch job is not a quick task by any means and can be time consuming for sure, and not cheap.

Things I enjoy on my 911 SC:

- Fun to drive year around as well. Not quite as easy to drive in the snow. Yet, then again, I'm on year one of ownership on my 911, whereas I had my 944 for several years prior to that.
- Love how easy it is to work on. Clutch job was a piece of cake, working on stuff is easy.
- Huge aftermarket, HUGE
- Lots of ease to get parts

Things kinda bleh:
- Gas mileage sucks. But I get smiles per gallon, so that's ok.
- Parts are more costly than my 944 was
- Keeping on top of valve adjustments, gaskets, leaks, and taking care of it is a MUST. Not a bleh problem really, but you do need to keep on top of the maintenance.

I can't really say that I enjoy one more than the other. They BOTH have pros and cons. The 944 was fun, quite practical, had tons of luggage room, I had a kickass stereo in mine, I loved how it looked. I HATE HATE HATED working on the damn thing. But it was a love hate relationship. Was a constant upkeep, but I kept coming back for more, I truly loved that car.

I really thoroughly love my 911. However, engine rebuilds are far more costly on the 911. So the one thing in the back of my mind is always "I sure hope she never gives up the ghost." whereas on the 944 it isn't nearly as much.

However, the 911 has it's own little quirks. Dear god those brakes were a shocker for me on how fast the damn thing stops and how easy it locks up. The handling is different. I can't say that one "handles better" than the other, I really enjoy them both, but you do have to adapt to the car because they BOTH handle differently. Although thus far I can say that the 944 was stupid easy to drive in the snow, stupid amounts of fun as well and I never got tired of driving that car.

All in all, if I could have both? I'd do it. I do not have the room for both. Again, they both have pros and cons.

Longterm the 911 will probably bite you in the ass cost wise due to engine rebuild costs, cost of parts, etc. Maintenance wise the 944 is probably more expensive due to frequency of intervals. I have hardly spent a damn thing on my 911, just oil, adjust the valves, new gaskets, seals and stuff here and there, that's really it. The 944 on the other hand was always timing belt this, sensor that going out, roller this, water pump that, always with constant upkeep. Realistically there is nothing wrong with that, there really isn't.

Keep in mind, however, my 944 started out as a HORRIBLE example of a 944, not a pristine 944. It took me thousands to get it to "as intended" shape. If you bought a pristine example that needed little to nothing, you'd just be worrying about belts/rollers/water pump, general maintenance, fluids, oil. But in reality, the belts aren't all that big of a cost, more than anything it's just the frequency of having to do them and the time it takes. I can guarantee you that if I maintained a 944 for the same amount of time as the 911 I'd have spent more TIME under the hood of my 944 when it comes to maintenance, but the cost isn't a giant difference in maintenance.

You'll find that the 944 will be far far far cheaper to get into over an SC. In fact, if you want an NA model, you can spend 4 digit numbers instead of 5 digit numbers for a kickass example. You can even snag a nice turbo for under 10k if you look hard enough. An SC on the other hand will vary anywhere from 7k for a "I really need some stuff....." to 15k for "I'm such a purdy purdy car, look how nice I am and how much I have done to me!"

So the price variant is completely different, apples to oranges. As I said, a rebuild longterm 944 vs 911 will be a shocker when you hear what it costs to rebuild one on a 911.

[Jrboulder]

I just bought an S2 cab a week ago. It is the best car I have ever driven. It's civilized where the 911 is crude and rational where the 911 is excessive. I owned an 84 NA car do about a year. I did a ton of work by my self on it. I spent $3000 on parts and sold it for $300 more than I bought it for, but it was a car that needed every thing except the things I thought when I bought it. I would definitely get a late 944 and the best condition you can find.

Plus the 915 is awful and the 911 feels like a beetle.

Jackson

[alfadoc]

From my handle you can probably glean that I am a fellow Alfa enthusiast. I ran a shop in central VA for about 10 years; we worked exclusively on Italian cars. About half or the 80+ cars I've owned have been European. I've had a little experience driving and working on 911s, but never owned one.

My first 944, an '86 NA, was definitely in my top 5 cars I've owned. I paid top dollar for it, it was meticulously maintained, and was worth every penny. I loved it until the timing belt broke with 20K miles on it.

My S2 was less well maintained, but the difference in performance has been worth what I'm going through to bring it back up to snuff. To relate it to Alfa ownership, it is much like working on a 164 in terms of complexity, and is as brilliant and exciting to drive as a 3.0 Milano with S cams and a modified suspension.

I'm a big S2 fan. For 911SC money, you can buy an S2 that's needs nothing. That's how I'd roll.

[dpoul34]

My second PORSCHE FUND has not reached where it needs to be, but I'd take the 90 S2.

And good question concerning maintenance costs. I was/am also on the hunt for another 944 (I have an 87 NA presently) or a 911/930.

[LenA]

Thanks for all the reply's. How high mileage can a well maintained car go without needing top end overhaul. 911's seem to go 100-150k pretty routinely, are 944 engines as robust.

If compression and leakdown numbers are good, any reason to worry about >100k for a 944 engine.

Since this would be a weekend driver, not expecting to put lots of miles and obviously would have a repair fund for the amount I did not spend on a SC.


Thanks

Len

[alfadoc]

200K+ is not at all unusual. BTW, if you end up with an S, S2 or 968, be absolutely certain that the tensioner pads have been replaced, or, have it done immediately upon purchase. Do a search here on Pelican for more info. Also see:
Camshaft Chain and Tensioner Replacement (16V Engines)

[VirginiaF1]

Hi Len..
In pulling your previous posts you asked the same questions back in December;
So to help assuage your angst, let me add my recent "new" Porsche ownership pennies...

My '88 n/a 8-valve has 231,000 miles with one engine re-seal at 130k...
I have all service records since '88 purchase.. adult-driven and well cared for.
A fellow on Ian's forum has 540k on his original '86..

Just tonite, wifey and I took a dusk 20-mile spirited run through the country circuit.
Engines still pulls hard and sounds fabulous... probly no longer all 158 horses but eh!

Also a former Alfa / Audi / Honda owner, I find this 24-year old Pcar remains my favorite.
Lastly, at the $1,700 I was lucky enough to get in for, no running 911 exists..
Hope you join 944 ownership soon mate! Cheers..

[931GT]

The Porsche flat six sounds sublime... a 944 can not compete in this regard and unless the SC needs an engine rebuild, it will likely be cheaper to own. Get a PPI from a trusted shop, make sure the engine is good and healthy, make sure the valves are adjusted properly and let her roll.

[racer]

They are BOTH expensive to maintain, compared to more rational cars. 944's have frequent belt/wp intervals, 911SCs have frequent valve adjustments.

imho, besides valve adjustments, 911SC are quite reliable. Find one without headstud issues and getting 200K miles out of one is not uncommon.

That said, imho,

944s are all $10K cars. 911(SC/Carrera) are all $20K cars. How do you want to spend your money?