MileHighRush

I am looking for a Porsche and not a 911; nothing against them just like the front engine class more. A friend of mine who knows a great deal about 944s stopped by to give me his lively endorsement of the 944/951 class. A long story, short...he was not fond of 928s due to maintenance costs even though a nice 928 can be found for similar cost of a 944/951.

I trust his judgment but still I am lured to the 928s as well. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Also, I have been looking at eBay and Autotrader for good candidates. I would like a car from a Rennlister as it certainly seems owner/operators here know and care more about their cars.

Thank you.

M758

Hmm,
we have lots of thoughts!

What are you interested in?

Comparisons between 928 and 944? Well there have been a few and most conclude the cars have very different driving charater. Most guys here prefer the 944 feel. Of course that is probably why we have 944's. 928 guys... surprise surpise prefer 928's.

There are many 924/944 variants and each type will fill slightly different driver needs and expectations. We could go into all those types here, but that will take a while.

So lets start with you expectation and goals with the car.
Lets also determine your price range.

Predator

Drive both, then make your choice based on what you want/afford. Other peoples' opinions are just that.

Dave951M

They're all great cars, but with different characteristics. I was about to buy a 928 before I started looking hard at the 951. Try to get an opportunity to drive good examples of each before plunking down the green.

MileHighRush

Thank you thus far!

I am looking for a Porsche that I can drive frequently but not as a daily when weather is inclement; my truck can do that. I am trying to keep my budget around $8K so I can deal with maintenance issues both preventative and predictable.

Please continue with your help.

Dave951M

For around $8K you can get a pretty good 951, a so so 928. Remember to leave to $$ to attend to maintenance issues that are sure to have been ignored by the previous owner, known on the boards as the PO. If you aren't familiar with mechanics, consider a PPI, prepurchase inspection. It can reveal some faults that can cost big time later.

M758

So at an 8k budget you have the following options

Really nice 944 NA (83-88)2.5L 8v 150hp with a 2-3k back in your pocket
Really nice 944 NA 89 (2.7l) 162 hp with a 2-3k back in your pocket
Nice 944S 2.5L (87, 88) 16v 188hp with 1-2k back in you pocket
Poor to Ok 944 turbo 2.5L 8v 220hp (86-88)
Ok 944S2 (89-91) 3.0L 16v 208 hp

Maintence will be similar on all cars and driven mostly by the condition of the car.

2.5L 944 NA's are not powerhouses, but still nice an fun to drive if you don't both with stop light drags. Not many power gains

944S are more powerfull 944's Not huge power either, but provide an added puch in the upper rpm bands. These cars are a little rare however.

944 Turbo (951) can be power houses, but in general can be very costly if you follow the power mod trend. You can however be reward with 350 rwhp not that much money. These cars lack low end off boost power.
Finding a nice 951 for 8k can be little tough as you'd really want 10k to get a nice stock one. It can be done however.

944S2's have almost the power of stock 951's but a very limited upgrade path. Tend to make good casual / in traffic drivers as they have plenty of low-end / mid range torque. Prices might, be just where you are looking

944 Turbo S have 250 hp, but are just outside your price range. 968's are also nice, but you need to figure closer to 12 to 16k for those.

S. Kuwatch

Suggest you have a chat with a local, non-affiliated(dealer employeed) Porsche certified mechanic. Anywhere they race Porsches ( read everywhere) you can find these guys. They were trained at, and by dealerships and after establishing their reputation strike out on there own.
They know the positive, and negative aspects of all the water cars, and can give you an educated projection of ownership costs. I origionally thought I wanted a 928, S, or GT, but wound up with a 951 after following this process.
Still not a "cheap" car to maintain, but I was assured it was far better than the 928.
Regardless of what you decide, you'll go into it with your eyes open.
Be happy with whatever model you chose.

MileHighRush

M758,

I thank you for the effort. I am interested in a lower powered Porsche if it is very nice and will allow me to treat it the way it should; maintenance, cosmetics, etc. Thank you. The search continues.

M758

here is one from fellow lister

https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...hreadid=141406

MileHighRush

I like these two as well. They aren't far from me and seem to be very nice. Your opinion(s) please. Thank you!

http://autotrader.com/findacar/image...record=1&#main

http://autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?ca...r=&cardist=109

M758

Cars seen nice, but priced at the top end of NA market. It is very hard to tell if they are worth those prices from the pictures.

My guess is that they are not quick sells (i bargans) so look, but take your time and look at many more too.

MileHighRush

M758,

Quick question. What would you pay for them if they are as advertised. I know, it's a hazy question so I have no problem with a hazy answer! Thanks very much.

Nabeel

Absolutely no bias here.....

https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...hreadid=142922

M758

Hmm,
I have 84 right now that was show car. Second owner car. I have won probaby 8 shows with the the car and PO probabyl won a few more.

Car is red with tan cloth and has 16" fuchs (7&8) with 79k miles on it.

Hmm,,, I want no less than 6k for it, but probably try to buy it for 5k. It is really hard to tell of those cars are nice as mine, but assuming they are you would need to make an adjustment for mileage. Given that I'd probably push for 4500 to 5k, but could be persuaded for more if the car was "perfect" and a PPI came up clean.

There are alot of 944's out there and you can and should be VERY PICKY when dealing with cars in that price range. A nice better than average car should go for 4.5k a just ok car is closer to 4k. Needs some work 3500. Needs lots of work, btu drives 2500 to 3000. Needs ALOT of work 1500.

Only the very BEST get over 5k especially the early cars.


By comparison Nabeel's car seems rightly priced given the condition and miles. Being a rennlister helps to bacause that lowers the chances the current owner is an idiot that could possubly leave you with a car in major need of repairs.