Rey Gunn

Hi all,

I'm new to this forum. I am a frequent over in the 964 forum. Anyway, I have always loved the 944 growing up and was a car I always wanted. I love all things Porsche as I'm sure a lot of you do. I have a 964 and want to add to the stable. I have an opportunity to buy a 944 T but don't know much about them. I have heard horror stories and have been told to stay away from 944 ownership.

I thought I'd ask the people who actually own 944s, what your opinion is on them. I have searched numerous threads but all seem to be out dated. So I'd like to hear about up to date experiences, costs to maintain, and troubles with 944 T ownership.

I appreciate all your help and opinions. I hope to be a part of this community soon.

Rey

grenadiers

There is a library of information on the 944 turbo here, Pelican, elsewhere, since they came out in 1986. You should do more research, and then get back to the collective, on what you're looking at, and ask specific questions about that particular car.

911lnv87

I just want to say that 944 are amazing car, i got into those 2 years ago, bought a nice low mileage well maintain 88 944 n/a that i sold 3 month ago when i bought a low mileage well maintain 944 turbo, which is an amazing car.

Maintenance is nothing terrible it just need to be done regularly every 30K miles Timing belt and water pump, then the regular maintenance.

I am staying vague and not precise but once you go 944 you do not go back but you go up with the power...

Let us know specific and we will help you.

But like with all Porsche:
- History, history
- the best you can buy the extra K you will spend in the buying the less you will have to spent to put the car up to date

Rey Gunn

Thanks for the opinions guys. I appreciate it. Once I get more info on the car and take a look at it, I'll chime back in. Again, appreciate all the help.

FRporscheman

944s are fantastic cars, whatever your intended purpose or use. They are built very well and are generally very reliable; the horror stories usually come as a result of abuse, neglect, a tiny bit of both, or the bad luck that occasionally hits any car.

If I had to make a generalization, I'd say it's still like other Porsches, but much closer to "normal" cars in most respects. Maintenance/repairs, diagnostics/troubleshooting, costs, utility, economy, overall headache of ownership, out of all the Porsches my dad and I have owned (including 911s and 928s) it's often more comparable to a VW. But the ride, handling, overall experience, etc is (well, what you make of it, but for me,) unmistakably a Porsche.



OK, a few specifics:
When you talk 944 turbo, the most annoying things that crop up are timing belt & water pump, worn clutches (hard to change), tired wastegates preventing boost, leaking oil pan gaskets, leaking power steering, cracked exhaust, stripped sunroof gears, the infamous heater clip which causes constant heat, at least those are the ones that come to mind. Basically, just some quirks, and some (somewhat involved) maintenance. The rule of thumb is, the more you mod it for power, the more volatile it gets as far as reliability.

Rey Gunn

Very insightful and useful information. I appreciate you chiming in. I will use your list and keep them in mind when I look at the car. I'm scheduled to see it this weekend. Seller has told me the clutch needs changing. I'm not too worried about that. I have a great Porsche mechanic. Well, he is anyway for my 964. So that remains to be seen as well. Will keep you all posted. Thanks again FRporscheman!

FRporscheman

You got it, good luck!

black944 turbo

I have owned my car for thirteen years and have found it to be generally very reliable. As others have mentioned they need to be maintained, but it is a Porsche after all and all porsche's require care. I would say the one thing that is very expensive is the clutch job. So make sure that the price is reasonable for this reason unless you are doing the clutch yourself it will be several thousand dollars.

I think you will love the driving experience of a well sorted 951. They really are awesome.

dmjames

+1 to this. Clutch job is kind of insane, so make sure price is appropriate.

mrgreenjeans

I own several air cooled : 914 and 911 Carrera

BUT, my love affair began with an N/A in 1984 and has continued thru the years thru adding more normals and an '89 - 951. I think they are solid brilliant performers, BUT I bought mine from a trusted friend who had a Very long relationship with this car from nearly day one ( original owner was the Porsche Dealerships owner ). Needless to say it had fastidious care from the small group of ardent folks who owned it including me it's present owner.

I cannot say enough GREAT things about the '88.2 and '89 turbo or 951. They are an exhilarating car to drive and faster than any 911 I own. Upkeep thru a dealership will be very expensive, so my recommendation would be to find an extremely dedicated and brilliant mechanic ( which it sounds you may well already have ) familiar with the nuances of 944 turbos.

The folks who usually tell others to stay away are either undereducated on the beauty of this model and it's sheer threat of walking all over any air cooler it encounters. 911 people seem to hate them in great numbers, but then some of them ( 996 crowd ) seem to have their own engine specific issues to deal with.
I can tell you this: within our club ranks there are more than a few GT3s, 930 and 911 turbos, and various other supercars which find it somewhat humiliating to be thwarted in braking and handling as well as straight on high speed bursts of triple digit horror thrown their way.
The 951 is a very FAST performer with all the agility of a ballet dancer, and showing tremendous braking abilities that is on par with newer 911s.

Find one with low mileage and a regimen of conscientious care and you cannot go wrong. Clutches, t-belt and waterpump issues are just part of the normal maint. regimen with rod bearings thrown into the mix to keep the crank happy and pumping out prodigious power. Fuel lines running across the engine manifolds is another item to keep an eye on. Lots of cars have burned to the ground because of leaking lines or connections, cracked fuel rails. Just keep an eye on things and if you smell raw fuel, do NOT drive it till it's repaired.

black944 turbo

I agree with mr green on all points except the one on low mileage cars. I would say that any 951 either an s or not is a great car. I have also found it to be true that the higher mileage well cared for cars are actually better than low mileage garage queens. This observation is from personal experience, as my car has gotten much better with use and everyone that I know has a lot less trouble with higher mileage cars. This is true for one reason, almost all wear items have been replaced. Remember these are all almost 30 years old now.

I bought my car with low mileage and great maintance history.

mrgreenjeans

Please re-read my fifth paragraph again, especially the first sentence.

LOW mileage WITH a regimen of conscientious care.

Why does one want to have all the subsystems in top form when body work, interior trim, bore wear on the block, torque tube wear, actually ALL the normal wear and tear items which come with high miles, and be content with that ?

I think nice new looking leather, uncracked dashes, no rust on body and fitments, and the crispness of a low mile car bear heavily on the desirable scale. They are only new once ; moving further down a scale towards something totally used up and worn out being the end of game.
Mechanical bits can be refreshed as needed with those known items which are maint. related to this model. But the costs of repaints, suspension wear, interior bits which are no longer available also are much more harder to replace or source.

Choosing between a 300,000 mile car with all new mechanical bits which are normal maint. items already replaced, and a 35,000 mile car needing a t-belt and waterpump, maybe brakes and every fluid changed out and priced comparably, is a slam dunk decision for me. I will take the latter all day long every day of the week.

It just boils down to personal choice, desires, needs, and money. And maybe color and options of the vehicle.

There are reasons why Matt Drendel's 951 Silberossa brought 80 grand plus. Mileage and the fact it was nearly new in every way and the fact it was a special model, all point to it's high sale and desirability amongst the bidders. Which were many at that estate sale a couple years ago at Amelia Island. Not a person in that tent complained it had too few miles .......

black944 turbo

I agree from a collectors point of view, there is no doubt that a very low mileage original car is the way to go. For a driver and a car that will be driven and enjoyed, a higher mileage ( not 300,000 miles) car is the way to go. I can say that my car at 121000 miles looks better and is in much better mechanical shape than a lot of the 40,000 mile examples I have seen.

I was not trying to be disrespectful and apologize if that is the way it came across. I for one love the fact that you have so much history with these cars and the fact that you preserve them the way you do.

Mileage on these cars is not as much of an issue as maintance, was my point. There are some truly loved and cared for cars out there, like mine and yours, that have mileage on them and should not be overlooked due to the mindset that mileage will ruin the car. Again from personal experience and being around these cars for 20 years I will stand by my original statement that a well maintained higher mileage car as a driver is a very good and in most cases a better choice to own.

mrgreenjeans

No disrespect noted or taken that way by me.
We just have similar but not identical thoughts on the same subject.
The world is a big place and there is plenty of room for analytical thought.....

Bottom line:

VERY fast cars. Stimulating to own and drive. And for the unknowing big block Camaro in the right lane, subtle yet lethal in attitude. And they will know something new as they watch those disappearing tail lights. /-;}

FormulaRX

You and I have similar taste in cars! I too was entertaining the idea of a 944 turbo or a 968...there's just something cool about them