odurandina

you need a plan....

get a 968 w/ the monster 3.0 w/ better ecm/ management....

run it hard....

maintain it a little...

improve it a little.

run it into the ground....

sell the engine to a cult member.

go v8.

paredown

Yeah, I thought it was a little pricey, given mileage. I like the idea of one-owner, though, especially if there is a maintenance history to go with it. I'd take a look if I were local...

Otto Mechanic

Since the subject of buying strategies came up, I'll mention mine; you can get a good deal on a car with few or no records as long as you have a talent for inspecting the car and also repairing it yourself. That's what I've done on a couple of cars, most recently my '89 S2, but I'd bought the car with the idea I'd be setting it up for the track anyway and even the best maintained S2 was going to need work.

I ended up finding a car that was almost in too good a condition for my project, but the price was right because it needed a clutch. While the clutch is one of the more difficult things to replace on a 944, I had planned to have the drive train out anyway to install an LSD (very few cars came with option 220, a factory LSD).

So keep that in mind. If you can do the work yourself and you enjoy doing it, you can do very well buying a car with a clean interior and good body that needs some drive train and suspension work. Naturally I agree with Paul about the S2, I doubt you'll be disappointed with one.

Otto Mechanic

Buy a 928.

Otto Mechanic

Sorry, missed this until just now.

I don't have personal experience but if you do some searching around this forum I think you'll find a lot of people who've tried the different performance chips on NA cars with no noticeable improvement. The '85 928 on the other hand appears to benefit greatly from PorKen's chip and several people seem to swear by upgraded fuel maps for the 944 turbos (951), but again, no personal experience.

PS: the "S" models before 1989 were primarily suspension and braking enhancements rather than power upgrades. In '88 & '89 Porsche released the 2.5L 16V head (185 hp) and the 2.7L 8V head (165 hp) for the NA 944 and both provided a mild horsepower increase. The true increase in NA power came with the 3.0L S2 in 1989 (211 hp).

black944 turbo

You need to drive them both. I prefer the turbo to the S2 for several reasons. They can be a bit clumsy around town due to the lag, but if you are going out to twisty roads they are unbelievable. I have had my turbo for almost 15 years and have loved it the entire time. They have a lot more kick than an S or an S2.

I agree that the S, S2 and standard cars are all wonderful and the non turbo variants are easier to deal with in traffic. Don't get me wrong, there is no right or wrong answer here, I think a test drive of all 4 models would give you a much better idea. There have been many people who have bought one over the other to later find out that they bought the wrong model for their tastes.

Make sure to test drive a GOOD EXAMPLE, this is extremely important!!!

Otto, the 1987 and 1988 S both have the same 16 valve engine!!!

Otto Mechanic

PPS: It's a tribute to Porsche engineering the 3.0L S2 engine was the largest displacement 4 cylinder engine ever put in production at the time, and examples of it are still running strong almost 30 years later.

Otto Mechanic

It's hard to get the year introduced right, not to mention the difference in release dates between the 2.7L 8V (which many claim never existed) and the 2.5L 16V. I was working from computer assisted memory and the computer assistance isn't all that good. I blame my tools

BTW, I happen to have a professionally re-built 2.7L 8V head I might be willing to part with if anyone's interested. I bought it on the off chance I might use it on my 3.0L motor to turbo charge it easily using more or less "off the shelf" 944 turbo parts, but have since decided that if I ever turbo charge that engine I'll follow the 968 turbo specs, so I don't really need it anymore.

Otto Mechanic

It's important to note that kick comes on at about what, 3000 rpm?

An S2 will toast a turbo off the line or coming out of an apex, while a turbo will toast an S2 in a strait. It depends on what you want to do. I mostly run the twisty canyon roads Paul mentions recreationally and end up on Laguna Seca for motorsports. Laguna (Mazda Raceway) doesn't have too many straits so I think I'll do well overall with the S2, even facing a few well prepared turbos, but in the end I expect the turbos will take the day. On my home turf there are no straits at all.

Since I don't know your roads or style either, I think Black Turbo's advice is as good as it will get; try them all if you can, and try good examples. Try them on the roads you drive. I don't think you can really go wrong with any of them and I know several people with one of each and a 928 to finish off the stable.

Notwithstanding the above, if I really wanted to put a 951 behind me in an authoritative fashion on a public road, I'd use the best tool for the job, which is a 928

Porsche. There is no substitute.

Tom R.

No, you got it backwards. The 87 and 88 S has the 16v head and the same suspension and brakes as the NA. The S has more power at the higher revs.

The 89 S2 has the 88 Turbo brakes and sway bars along with the redesigned motor. So, 89 was the only year in the US with three distinct base brakes and sway bars. The NA had the NA brakes and base sway (one, with 2nd an option? not sure. rear was an option on the 86 NA), the S2 had the 88 turbo brakes and 88 turbo sways, and the turbo had the 88 Turbo S brakes sways.
The most street friendly variant is the S2, but with 3000 imported and almost 30 years, they are getting hard to find in good condition. I regret selling my gray/burgundy to my brother a dozen years ago. But I do enjoy the 128i I am driving now. which segues to the S I have. I track a S with Koni sports, and some other modifications. It is very gratifying on the track, but slow as molasses compared to what is leaving new car dealers floor for under 25 grand. I was not happy with either turbo I owned when driven on the street. Before the boost kicked in the power was less than a NA, and as soon as the boost kicked in, I swear the light in front of me turned red.

If you are just looking for a weekend toy, get the 944 in the best condition, NA, S, S2 or Turbo. Drive them all, then decide, but don't knock the NA. Not too long ago you couldn't give a 912 away, too slow.

Otto Mechanic

Well, as I mentioned, that wouldn't be difficult. Can you place the introduction of the 2.7L 8V in that timeline? I'm pretty sure we'd all be happier with a definitive answer. I was just using the "Excelence" web site.

The 912 was always slow. Now it's expensive and slow.

Shangsta

My suggestion is to go test drive one of each of the different examples if you can. I personally love my turbo as I have a 318is e30 for if i want to do momentum driving. I enjoy the 80's turbo lag feel of the car. If you do a lot of highway driving then you will definitely love the way the turbo pulls

Tom R.

Keep the suspension info the way I have it above. The 2.7 was 89 NA only. In 89 you could get a NA (same suspension and brakes as 82-88 NA and S) with the 2.7. No 2.5. I think the 924S was gone in 89. You could get the S2 with the new 3.0, and the 88 951 suspension and brakes, and the 951 which now had the 88 S package with bigger brakes and a few more HP.

I think the S2 Cab was 89. In 90 forward outside of a few turbos I think it was just the S2 and S2 cab until the 968 came along. Keep in mind the devaluation of the dollar, and the car went from something starting around 20 grand in 82/83 to a NA costing something like 30 plus in 87. The RX-7 cost significantly less, had a better looking cabrio, and less expensive maintenance. The 300ZX and ZX turbo was redesigned in 90 so while Porsche was selling the same car in 90it sold in 83, the ZX that came out in 84 was replaced with a world class winner. During this time Mitusbishi came out with two models that came and went, the Starion/turbo, and the Eclipse with AWD. Then there is the MRS that came out in 90 with a race suspension from the factory. Porsche had a hard time giving the cars away in the late 80s and early 90s. They almost wen bankrupt and brought Toyota in to help design the Boxster and 996. It was life and death.

Peter_S03

I just read it all , thanks guys for your interesting input. Being a newbe at this , I am learning. Since I live in a little town of Aiken SC , no cars here to try out , need to find some in Columbia or Charlott, Atlanta is 3h to the west. I have probably seen most of the 944 available on the internet. I need to watch how much to spend , my wife in to happy about the idea, of another P car,. I own a 996 C4 w/ a kit factory. I love it !!
Help can.t decide what to buy. Not a great fan of Black, I like white, but red looks so good on a 944, silver is ok.

Otto Mechanic

My favorite is white.