masterdave

Just to clarify cause I think people may be a bit confused. I live on campus and walk to class, I would not be relying on the car in any serious manner for the most part. It would just be used to go run errands most of which I could walk to if need be.

Yummybud924

my 944 is really reliable but it is old and I have had to pretty much replace everything minus the motor to get it safe and reliable.

parts are very expensive and things like steering and suspension parts usually need replacing unless you buy a car from someone that has changed all that. I had to replace my steering rack, tie rods, control arms (late cars with aluminum control arms are 600 bucks a control arm). motor mounts on these cars go bad and they are expensive and labour intensive. oil pan leaks are also common.

interior water leaks are also common. and if you have to replace the clutch it is a big project and clutch kits are 600-700 bucks.

so my 944 is reliable and my daily driver but I spent 4200 for the car and i've spent 8000 in the past 5 years (including tires) and i have done all the work (minus clutch) myself.

if you are in college are you goign to have the space / time to fix the 944 when something goes wrong?

Rudeboy42

If you're patient and you look for one that's had all or most of the typical problems with these cars addressed you should have no problem.

The unreliable/expensive cars are the ones that have been neglected and owned by people who just wanted them because they're a "cheap Porsche" or by someone who meant well but didn't have the time and money to take proper care of it. Which unfortunately is most of them.

FWIW I daily drive my 944 and I commute to school.

masterdave

I have found a few in all conditions, however the one that I would be most inclined to buy at this point is from a fellow rennlister. He is the original owner of the car, has all the paperwork including the original bill of sale. He has cared for it as it should be cared for. Just had it repainted, has changed the belts when they should be changed. It was his daily driver so I trust that it does what it should. At this point if I was going to get one, that would be it. There are still things I have to take care of first, like getting rid of the van. Of course there are lots of things to consider here and I know the pitfalls of owning one of these cars. On any note thanks for the replies guys keep them comming and ill keep every one posted on what I end up doing.

Regards
Dave

odurandina

ummm.

i will be making my 5th 1000 mile ++ trip since thanksgiving next week.

being able to "get around" with zero worries is why i spent just a few dozen hunded more on a 968.


please see video


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhkDd...ayer_embedded#!

masterdave

I have thought about the 968, if I find one in the right price range it will be considered. However with the money I predict I will have for this car, a decent 944 will be the poison of choice. I would love a G50 era 911 coupe in black with a black interior and a nice sounding exhaust but we cant all have everything.

Regards
Dave

odurandina

oh, really? link?

my rear calipers aren't the best.

Severian

Wilwood rear calipers?

odurandina

truer words were never spoken about the 944.



i'm faced with having to live in shame for the rest of my life for posting that lunatic drivel....

that's what i have to live with... can't take it back. I'm toast.

go ahead all, take your best shots..... kick a man when he's down. do your worst. no mercy!!!

indeed.... a month later, my 968 effectively became one of the biggest money pits in automotive history.

almost $8k in maintenance and repairs over the next few k miles....

and it wasn't even over: was looking straight in the face at $4~5k more in ransom money, minimum. and decided enough was enough.

these cars are little more than hopped up VWs.

life in VW will push nearly every owner to get out or go V8.

the incredible number of former daily contributors on this forum (who are now former 944/968 players) boggles the mind.



back in the '80s, the factory assured all the Porsche-Audi dealers not to worry about all the 944 sales potentially robbing them from their 911/928 profits.....
"Sleep well, my children. They'll be paying you through the nose to keep them on the road." –Ferdinand A. Porsche.



*btw, if you guys are seeing 4 pages for only 40 posts it's because Robstah's legendary contributions to this thread were disappeared
by the mods. ***making a total of 5 dearly departed contributors who loved their cars, but left the forums, never to be seen again.

moment of silence.

odonnell

That's what he's always saying

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't also saving money and keeping an eye on the 944hybrids forum in anticipation of an LS swap sometime in the next year or two.

Od, you have a text...

odurandina

*please see edits; chronicling our ridiculous lives in VW, it was actually closer to another $5 k including the head off.

as Michael alluded to in the above post, to a newcomer, the idea might seem somewhat avant garde ... but, by all means. the time to start stalking up on v8 swap parts is now. the sooner the better. the cars are good, and we love 'em... why not keep em around a few more years? unfortunately, with the status quo, the numbers don't work, or a particular car reaches the money-pit stage of it's evolution..... these little sexy 4 cylinder engines are tired. take 2-3 years to inventory your v8 parts and you won't become another of the he-don't-post-here-anymore former contributor/statistics you can see in this very same thread.

f_ck production cars. take what you already got - and go v8..

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2006/07/v8s-rule/


*btw, if you guys are seeing 4 pages for only 42 posts it's because Robstah's legendary contributions to this thread were disappeared
by the mods. ***making a total of 5 dearly departed contributors who loved their cars, but left the forums, never to be seen again.

moment of silence.


****hopefully, with a v8.... if a v8... wherefore art thou v8

they'll be prying my 968 from my cold dead hands.

bordin34

My 944 has been my daily for the past 3 years and about 30k miles.
I've replaced headgasket, 2x timing belt water pump rollers, transmission, fuel lines, brake lines, vacuum hoses, radiator hoses and other small stuff.
These past 3 weeks I've driven the car almost 3000 miles without a problem from basically NYC to DC and back a few times.

Dino V

When properly maintained and driven these cars are just as reliable as any other Porsche. Now if you buy a neglected or one that's been sitting, you'll need to drop some coin on it. Even low mileage/original car will need some maintenance when daily driven. Too many times, the first mistake many make when looking to purchase these vehicles is not setting enough money on the side for required maintenance and just "keep driving it." It's a 20+ year old car, stuff are bound to break.

bordin34

Correct, I bought my car for $2200. Including the purchase price I have somewhere around $7000 into the car and I do all my own labor.