That is the question. Well I have come to the decision that my 87 S just ain't fast enough so I am buying my second Porsche. I have had a chance to drive both and I am torn between the S2 and the Turbo. This is going to mainly be a street car and once in a great blue moon a DE car. I like the low end torque of the S2 and realize that about the best I would get out of one power wise will be 250 hp with a JM head. I also realize that the turbo is endlessly modifiable to well over 400 hp. At the moment I am looking at an 87 turbo for under $6500.00 and a 90 S2 for $5000.00 so I am in a delima. What I really want is Tony Garcias 400hp monster but won't have the money for that till this summer. So What should I be looking at?

IPSC

 

Well IPSC,
I think if anyone is going to respond to this thread, they may suggest as well to take some time and do a search in the archives for lots of info on S2/Turbo differences, and maybe track down some individual owners...
I can say right now that when you buy one of these cars you will find your maintenance costs will skyrocket. The S2 has 16 valves and can lead to more finnicky problems like the S, and the maintenance on a Turbo, because of the high power output, can be extraordinary.
I'm just guessing here, but a Turbo valued at $6500 and an S2 at $5000, I'm assuming they have higher mileage. If you are planning to heavily modify your car I would suggest spending the extra money on a decent example and not quick-fix modifications, or else the car will become unsafe and/or stupidly expensive to maintain.
But if you are used to spending alot of money on your car, then maybe it is no big deal.
This is a big reason why I'm staying away from upgrading to a Turbo. For one I have a nice example of an NA, but also I don't want to get into the next price bracket. If I do eventually move up, I'm going with a Turbo as I would want to have the option to get more power out of the car, which is not easy to do with the NA versions of these cars.

 

Know real pain... Get both.

My S2 has a LOT more money in it than the turbo. About 5X as much dumped into it than the turbo.

The turbo is bulletproof as long as you have a good air/fuel ratio and keep an eye on the normal maintenance.

Get the best of both world. Get an S2 then turbo it.

Dal.

 

Turbo

 

I'd probably get a 968 if I were in your position.

 

I second Dal. Get both! These are cheap cars to buy.

 

I'll come at this from a slightly different angle than has been stated so far in this thread.

The prices on the S2 and 951 mentioned in your above post sound as though there is a good possiblity the two are not pristine examples. Can you give us a little more info? I say this because a $5K S2 could either be a fantastic buy, or a nasty headache if there are lurking problems (and IF you are not handy). A $6500 951 could be OK, depending on the area of the country, it is right on the borderline of either being "high" low-quality or "low" high quality. Got more info on the cars? Are they modded in any way?

Friendan is correct. There are a lot of debates adressing the virtues of both existing in past threads. Both cars have their good points. A lot of it is personal taste and driving style.

My personal opinion? I'm no fan of turbo lag. I like the feel of low-end grunt. But, the boost sure can be addicting!

Good luck! (Wish I had your dilemma!)

 

Tifo makes a good point about the cheap car being a potential headache. OTOH, I've always wanted to have 2 of these cars in the same place so I could drive one until I repaired the other!

 

no kidding.

A backup watercooler is a good thing.

Tifo- where's the story? OH- and PM me about about a good place to ride a bike around here.. narrow frigging roads.. no shoulder.

 

OK
The 951 is at 165,000 miles and the owner is the second owner. He was an active PCA member and has maintence records. The car has done a few DEs. The clutch and the water pump were both done around the 100,000 mile mark. The head was rebuilt after a mechanic got the timing belt one tooth off on a timing belt replacement at around 120,000. It has the suspension off of a 89 951 (Konis bigger sway bars) and a custom made roll bar. The paint is original and in ok shape. The interior is also in so so shape with small cracks in the dash around the vent holes. Seats are shot but that is ok as I will replace them anyway. The AC does not work but the cause is not kown. It might just be low on freon or it might be bad.

The S2 is also at 160,000 miles. clutch has been done but not the water pump. The chain tensioner has NOT been done which gives me great pause about driving it. The interior is good with no cracks in the dash. The nose has been repainted, (probably from rock chips) but otherwise the paint is in good shape. The owner selling it because it is taking up a spot in the garage of his beach home and simply wants it gone. I get the feeling he is annoyed that it says Porsche on it and NOT 911. He has based his pricing off of KBB.com. The AC works and the car is completely stock. I think the S2 might be a deal. Hell I could get it to where I want it and then sell my 87S and start using the S2 as a daily driver and keep looking for a turbo..... hummm the things that make you go hummmmmmm

Both have the stock 16 inch OEM rims that they came with from the factory.

Neither is a show car by any stretch but the S2 is in better shape. Both are red and the Turbo int. is in Linen (my favorite) while the S2 int. is black not my favorite and would probably get swapped out for a linen int. So there I sit.

IPSC

 

Well, getting back to the old adage "Buy the best Porsche you can afford", it sounds like the choice would be the S2 (if a PPI checks out). Since it is also less expensive and if you had some self control, you would be able to have money from the purchase cost difference left over to immediately do a good belt, timing chain, waterpump, etc. job on it and probably have a nice daily driver. If you are then ready to move to a turbo, you could then sell the S and look for a turbo and have an S2 and a turbo. Then you could make changes to either as you liked.

If you are only wanting one side and want to keep your S, it depends on how much performance and money you are willing to sink into the car. My plans aren't for a 450RWHP turbo, but 300-350 RWHP (big range, but we'll see when I get there...). My plans are a MAF, Vitesse Stage II turbo with the quick spool option, larger injectors (like 55-lb), got my SFR exhaust on the way now with the group buy, and I already have my LM-1 wideband unit. The car already had the stage I Lindsey intercooler upgrade which isn't even mandatory and the Lindsey dual-port rebuilt stock wastegate for manual boost control. I have recently put in Guru chips as well, which made a big difference over the Autothority chips that were in the car. Yes, you can probably put a mild supercharger on the S2 for those costs, but it will still probably not make close to the power that the turbo will. People talk about turboing the S2 with the bigger block, but then you're talking performance rebuild, lower compression (less low end torque than stock), etc. and a much higher cost. I think otherwise you are looking at similar costs for suspension, etc. My reason for wanting to end up where I will is a much faster car than stock, but not to be stressing it out too much. I want to add to my collection and have several very fast cars. 928S4/GT/GTS, 930 and so and and so forth rather than dumping money into one car to have the "fastest" or near the fastest. That monster lottery 951 has been stated to have about $100k dumped into it for that power. Well, for $100K I can have my 951 running the way I want ($25K including purchase price of the car and all performance/suspension/paint/etc). I can then add a 928 with a supercharger for another $30K, and then that leaves me $55K to find me a nice 930 and do some good upgrades on it or to even perhaps pick a newer 911 Turbo. Then I have a garage of cars that will whip 95+% of everything on the road (there will always be someone faster than you, not that I street race which I don't) and I have a choice of what I want to drive day to day. Just my personal plan of attack, but something to keep in mind as well. You will not get most of the money you spend on mods or changes to a car back out of it when you sell.

Think not only short term, but long term as well, understand what you want and expect from your car, look at them both carefully (with a PPI in hand) and make the decision that fits your plans best.

Good luck with your choice, you'll be happy either way....but for me, I knew I wanted boost. With my 86.5 NA Supra, I got sick and tired of hearing everyone talk about it, watched them make lots of power for small investments compared to upgrade costs on my NA, and at that point I knew I wanted a turbo. I think there are some here who are happy with an NA and will be because that's what they can afford to own right now comfortably, some don't care about modding them, etc. But I also know looking through the posts here that like yourself, there are those who want more power and many of them know that for a reasonable price the turbo will provide what they are looking for.

Anyway, just my $9.51...

 

I would buy neither as both of them will cost you a lot of money over time. Its just a matter of time before you will be dumping almost the cost of the car back into either.
I would say, save a little more and get a nicer one or sell your S and use the money towards buying a better S2 or a turbo.
If you want a great daily driver with lots of torque, you can't beat a E36 M3. They can be had in the mid teens now.
Regards.

 

I vote for the S2.


-MAS