944 as a daily driver

[Dave Colangelo]

So im looking in to making a 944 a daily driver, before I ask any questions a bit of a back story is in order.

Back in high school a friend of the family had a beat up 924s that did not run and he was looking to get rid of. In short, he gave me the car to save him a bunch of trouble. It has a fried ECU which took about a month for me to figure out at the time. Once I got the car working I used it as my DD in high school. I only drove it about 3 miles to and from school as well as to my friends houses locally and what not. The car never left a 20 mile radius from my house, this was mostly because it was not in great shape. As we all know there is a difference between running and road trip worthy. It never left me stranded despite its condition and was a great fun little car. I still have it but it needs a full over hall. Because I was a noob at the time I never had FOES done as I had no idea what it was. The timing belt is very old to say the least. The engine could use a full rebuild, the interior is less than attractive, and the body is all there but dented and chipping paint. All that being said it simply can not be used as a DD its just not reliable enough in its current state.

Any way, last May I bought a 1978 911SC Targa, I love it. Its in great shape minus some dings (one was my fault) but mechanically its solid. In the summer its a great car with the top off, however in the winter, the heat does not really work and the window to top seals are far from perfect. As a result it gets stored for most of the winter but once the nice weather hits it more or less is my DD and i have not had any issues yet.

Ok so to the point. I am in college (junior year) and have been driving the old family minivan at school because the 924s is not road worthy and I dont have a garage to keep the 911 in down here (Lehigh university, Bethlehem PA). On that note Bethlehem is a bit shady and I dont want the 911 to get stolen on the street. The minivan is kind of my dads but has been more or less given to me at this point, the other day I brought up the idea, to my dad, of selling it and getting a more fuel/size efficient car. I simply dont need all 7 seats to drive my self to and from school and around to run errands.
Now that the option to replace the van has become real I have been considering cars. The key factor here is cheap and usable. The first thing that came to mind was a decent shape 944. I know they can be had for 2K-5K in nice shape. I have never really owned any thing but a Porsche as I consider the van my dad's not mine, so I feel some what obligated to get a 944 and I loved my 924s so much. I would be using this car to run daily errands, and drive back and fourth to school, and work this summer.

So here are my questions

Who here uses there 944's as a DD and do you have any complaints about it?
I know what im getting in to but how long would a fresh fan belt and water pump last in reality?
Is any one in either the NYC/Westchester area or the Bethlehem PA area selling there 944 or want to trade for my Minivan(to appease the wife)?
I do all my work my self, and always have, but I know I cant do FOES cause of tooling and stuff, what is the average price from a good P-Car mechanic on that?
For people that do there own work what is your average annual upkeep costs for a DD 944?


Remember I am young and have a very big tolerance for uncomfortable suspension, AC that does not work (as long as I can pop the top off) and little things like that. However I am looking for a car that has nice paint and a nice dash and seats to impress the ladies.

Regards
Dave

[VirginiaF1]

Who here uses their 944's as a DD and do you have any complaints about it?
* Love my 24-year old "Red Baron" daily driver.
* No subjective complaints given the low $1,700 purchase price and just $975 repairs/maintenance in 9 months of driving 800 miles month... 15cents/mile.


I know what I'm getting into but how long would a fresh fan belt and water pump last in reality?
* The respected veterans on this forum suggest belts @30k-45k or 36 months and changing water pump every other belt change.

I do all my work my self, and always have, but I know I cant do FOES cause of tooling and stuff, what is the average price from a good P-Car mechanic on that?
* My best local labor estimate is 4 hours at $88/hour for FOES..
* Add 1.5 hours for TB/WP.


For people that do there own work what is your average annual upkeep costs for a DD 944?
* For me, I do the simple stuff using this forum, Clark's and the Shop manual.
* Of my $975, $665 to my mechanic ( bearings, control arm bushings, alignment)

Taking the on-ramp to work at .84g... priceless.

[racer]

I say suck it up.. Keep driving the minivan. You are in college.. you do have reason to carry large items (kegs, girls etc). Keep the 911 at home.. and spend money making IT a better car, rather than dumping money and time into yet another project.

944
Nice paint and nice dash? Not many of those.
Lots of deferred maintenance? almost all of them


One nice thing about the van? Room to hold the motorcycle you should buy to enjoy fall/spring while at school!

[9FF]

One of mine has been a daily driver for 6 years. It requires the same maintenance as any 25 year old car only the parts are twice the price and shops will charge twice the labor when they see the badge.

1. Buy wisely, go for one that is well maintained preferably by an enthusiast.

2. Keep up the maintenance and learn to do it yourself.

3. If you cannot do it yourself strike a relationship with a shop that knows the cars.

4. Seek out good used parts or go to some of the respected aftermarket vendors and save money on buying new.

Welcome to the dark side and Good Luck!

[GreenWater]

I use mine as a DD and have since I bought it, about 6 or 7 years ago. I have spent a lot of money keeping it running and I am still spending money on it, but that is to be expected. 944 is an awesome DD.


www.only944.com New OEM Porsche parts, Parts for your 924, 944, 968, and boxster, OEM quality parts for your car.

[Cocacolakidd]

It's a "Timing Belt" not a fan belt - ha ha.

I have been driving 924's and 944's exclusively as my daily driver for over 30 years. I have always found them as rugged and reliable as any car - and for the most part more so. I have had them leave me stranded (Fuel Pump went out suddenly - broke a brand new timing belt once also), so they were towed home. Any car can do this any time. If you keep up on the maintenance, know your car, do your own work they will keep you on the road as long as you want. I mentioned "Do your own work" because the shops usually charge allot for a Porsche, and I'm a cheep-skate. How many other cars do you know of that will reliably go 250K or 300K miles without a total rebuild. The Porsche part is more expensive than a Chevy part, but there is style, ruggedness, comfort, enjoyment, and many other factors to consider here as well.

Dr. F. Porsche designed the VW, they work well. During WWII Dr. F. Porsche was charged to design the "Panther" and "Tiger" tanks, we know how well they worked. For many years the Porsche factory built many rugged farm tractors also. I think this is a mark of excellence, dependability and ruggedness way beyond most others.

I drive a 944 12 months of the year (No winter road salt here in the west), rain or shine...and have pfun.

[EliteThink]

Every other day daily driver, love it.

[Dantilla]

I bought a 944S a couple years ago to build it into a race car.

It has ended up as my DD. Sure beats driving the 13 mpg truck every day.

[Dave Colangelo]

thanks for all the responses and keep them coming, as the 924s had the same motor and drive train, I am very comfortable with the design and build of the 944 already. As for keeping the van, I have though about it, it gets the job done but a 944 would just be so much more fun. As stated above, for the most part I can do it my self, I have heard the timing belt takes special tools I dont have and thus I cant DIY. Every thing else I am capable of. In terms of throwing money to the 911, in all honesty it doesn't need much so there is little money to be put in to it. I know I said the top does not seal well, but as I only drive that car when the weather is nice, it does not matter much. The only thing I would do is paint it and that is not super necessary yet.

If all goes well it looks like I may be moving to the 944 platform again, as many of you have said you use them as your DD, that is mainly what I was looking for. I know it is going to take a bit more to keep on the road, but with the relatively low purchase prices these days im ok with that.

I was basically asking to make sure that people did use them as DD's and that is was possible.


Regards
Dave

[Rasta Monsta]

Originally Posted by Dantilla

I bought a 944S a couple years ago to build it into a race car.

Hilarious, did the same thing. My wife drove around my $900 "tub" for five years.

[mistertate]

944S DD since Y2K plus over 50 autocrosses and maybe 20 track days, just hit 250K a while back. Don't think I could do better for $6000. You gotta get used to every other car on the road smoking you at lights, no big deal, auto trannies are made for that.

[FLYGEEZER]

The 944 will make for a lot of personal enjoyment, keep it but ya can't get laid in it! Thats what the van is for.

[Arizona_928]

Originally Posted by FLYGEEZER

The 944 will make for a lot of personal enjoyment, keep it but ya can't get laid in it!

+1 you can try; doesn't work.

[Cocacolakidd]

Haw - We were in the back with the rear seat folded down and the two front seats folded forward - steamy windows

[racer]

I guess I wonder, if you have a 911 that is nice, why not spend the time/money to FIX what you have admitted is bad - the top seals, and the heat. In my experience, the 911 heat works VERY well, when everything is working right. Sounds like yours isnt'.

Also, I'd much rather drive a 911 everyday than a 944 (unless you want good A/C, then the 944 can win that race easily), but you mention AC isn't a concern for you.

Either way, spending time wrenching on a car at school gets old quick imho. Borrowing spaces, tools etc. Yes, there are PCar friendly shops nearby, but they might not be cheap for a college student.. nor perhaps can you afford the downtime while parts are on order.

[Dave Colangelo]

As for the 911, the heat kind of works but since its a targa its more of a summer car for me so the heat is almost not worth fixing as the car is not driven in the cold that being said, the top is usually off hence I have not put much though in to the seals either.

Regards
Dave

[Dave Colangelo]

jrboulder,

my dream car right now is a 73-74 911rs in white with the read side script, carbs, 915, classic looking seats, and a kicking stereo. When I find the right tub and graduate college construction will begin.

Regards
Dave

[GreenWater]

Jrboulder, is that your car in the craigslist ad? What happened to the gas, brake, and clutch pedal?


www.only944.com New OEM Porsche parts, Parts for your 924, 944, 968, and boxster, OEM quality parts for your car.

[shadetree944]

If you enjoy doing your own work, and you're in college (like me), you could look at Arnnworx.com. He sells a couple of belt tensioning tools that replace the Porsche 9201 tool without sacrificing precision and peace of mind (if you're into that kind of thing). I bought the 920x kit that comes with all the tools you need to work on the front of the engine (thin wrench, pin wrench, flywheel lock, belt gauge) for replacing seals and rollers too. There's a new tool now for tensioning the belt that I haven't looked at.

Anyway, all this is to say that the tools can be had if you're able to find a space to work on the car while at school, or if you don't live far from home (for planned maintenance like belt changes and tensioning).

Otherwise, something simple like tensioning the belts turns into a major payout to a Porsche shop!

[Deuce70]

My '89 S2 has been my only daily driver for over 5 years, done 30K with it. Great fun! It's roomy enough for 1 or 2 people with a surprisingly big trunk, it's easy enough to drive around town and doesn't drink you into bankruptcy.

My cam chain broke at 130K, one of the biggest rookie mistakes. No bent valves though, but still expensive. Everybody will tell you that cam belt, chain, tensioners and rollers HAVE to be documented or recently changed, and there's a reason for that! My waterpump (original '89!) broke last year at 155K and I replaced it myself, along with the cam belt job. It's not rocket science, you can get good instructions with pictures from almost any decent 944 enthusiast site.

I saved almost $1K over factory prices by comparing prices, doing some research and buying leftover parts from club members. For example a waterpump for 16V engine is over a grand at Porsche, but you can have an aftermarket LASO pump for around $200 (I'm talkin European prices here). I payed $35 for a used one with 10K on it. Works for me!

I ripped out the back seat, put on a stiffer and lower suspension, there's a foot of snow outside and I'm still driving it and loving (almost) every minute of it!