83 TX 944

I've driven a 86 930 cab, there weren't many made. The steering repsonsiveness that you speak of, is all in the manual rack. Man did that thing have goobs of power though!

UDPride

OK Im chiming in since I have one turbo of each.

The 951 is much better car to just get in and drive anywhere. Around town. Out in the country. On the highway. The power steering makes the car a breeze to handle in a parking lot. Its small. doesnt attract attention, has a lot of power, and by and large is pretty reliable if you take care of it.

The 911 or turbo, just based on my experience though has a build quality that is way beyond anything in the 944/951. They feel like tanks because they feel substantial. Everything is solid. The body panels feel like sculpted artwork. The transmission feels like it just came off the race track. It just feels like the guys putting it together spent about three times as long on it. I wouldnt say the 911 feels slow either compared to a 944. I dont know where that is coming from. Id say the 944 feels more nimble at slower speeds because its easier to drive -- easier for ppl like me. Find any good driver who knows how to drive the ***** off a 911 though and theyll tell you theyd drive nothing else. Thats beyond my skill level so it doesnt mean anything to me.

I think the 944 is a much more forgiving daily driver. The 911 feels like it will last 40 years though if you maintain it. Different but equally pleasurable. I woudlnt give up one for the other.

AndyK

UD - That is one nice looking 911T! Those wheels are killer looking! I don't care if it was slower and harder to drive--that to me is what the ultimate "Porsche" looks like!

Blue S2

Yeah, i still have my eye on a 930!

epbrown01

The 911 deserves its status as performance car icon, but up unitil the 90s there are areas where the 944 beats it: handling, shifting, creature comforts, and sheer day-to-day drivability. The heat and air are better, the gear shift is lots better than the 915 in my SC, and the cargo capacity is more practical. The 911 is lots of fun as a weekend/good-weather driver, but I prefer my 944.

Emanuel

nineeagles

JMO but I just like the 944 styling....the 911 is very very cool and they deserve all the respect they get and more....I am just partial to the body styling on the 944....I owned a 924 and when I started to learn
more about Porsches I looked around and realized that.... I WANTED A 944.....I could have held out for a 911 or a 928 or even a 951 ....but one day I saw a 944 and I thought...thats what I want...thats what I got.....I still love it better than a 911.....no substitute.....

Alex Cook

There's no denying an old 911 is a unique experience. I love the 'fighter pilot' cockpit with the central rev counter, the German text on the dials ("oel / druck"), the feedback through the manual steering, and of course the buzzsaw howl of the engine as it nears the redline.

Overall though I think the waterpumpers are a more complete package - you can't argue with 50/50 weight distribution for great handling! Add in the value for money equation and there's no contest.

Saying that, if I win the lotto, I'd have both

Serge944

Nothing can explain the feeling of taking a turn at 3x the speed limit in a 944.

500

I have been lucky to drive a 951, an '88 Carrera and a '92 C2 all nice examples, and all driven quite close together in terms of time. The 951 was most like my WRX, easy to drive and fast. Felt at home right away and the driving position of the 944 series cars is really excellent.

Both 911's were highly exciting, but more difficult to drive. I felt that I would need a long time to get really comfortable and smooth in the car. The ergonomics were so-so for me but I was just so excited after both drives. It felt like something extra special. The urgency and sound right across the RPM range was tremendous.

In many ways one can see that the 944 is the more modern design, and a good 951 is a fantastic performer, but the 911 is something different. I think I would need to really learn and adapt to the car to be able to give a proper appraisal. I can believe that it would be a love it or hate it choice for many people. At any rate, I find it hard to imagine just casually driving a 911.

Thanks,

Allan

KLR

I just drove an 88 911 for the first time a week and a half ago. It was interesting, as this is a nice example that is probably a 2 on the hemmings scale and could be a 1- with a little effort. I expected the car to feel archaic, but it actually seems pretty similar in terms of interior fit and finish and sense of era. The cockpit feels more like the interior of a single engine cessna, with the upright windshield and dashboard design. It didn't feel nearly as fast as my 951, although the I did prefer the manual steering. There's not a lot going on down below 3500 rpm, and a lot less happening north of 3500 rpm than in a 951. The transmission is super vague: even with the G50, I didn't feel that the car slotted very solidly into gear or that the lever centered adequately. Quick shifts require some faith. I did dig the bottom hinged pedals. Overall, I came away feeling no great urge to buy one, which had been my fear before driving it.

Conversely, the fellow who owned the 911 took my car for a spin afterwards, and seemed to get a kick out of the accurate, "short-throw" shifter and the turbo. I don't actually think that my stock shifter has a terribly short throw, but he was impressed. I do have a new lever, so by comparison to his G50, mine does feel quite solid. Anyway, we were doing well over 100 on a two lane road within a couple of minutes and he was grinning pretty wildly, so I came away with the impression that he may have liked mine quite a bit.

Back in my boy, driving home with a nat king cole cassette tape in my blaupunkt reno, I was as happy as a pig in ****.

bloodraven

I drove a '02 GT2....that thing is a beast....scared the **** out of me!

Blue S2

Yeah, the new 911s are totally different monsters. (of course they are great...they are watercooled!!!...)

Im sure if i had more time in an old 911 ide get more into it, but no car ive ever been in has a better fit for my body than a 944. Everything is perfectly where it should be. I just get in and feel 100% like the car is attached to me!

thegroceryclerk

I drive a fairly built VW Golf everyday, I drive a '78 911 Targa almost every couple days, and I've driven a couple 928s. (Sadly not a 944...yet!) But whoever stated the 911 gearbox feels somewhat unprecise, I agree with. Its hard to tell whether the car is in gear, at times, but its something you get used to...and becomes 2nd nature. The build quality on a 911 is awesome. That said, I've driven a 928 of the same year and the clutch/shifting felt much much more race inspired.

Dunno why though, but I'd take a 911 in a second over a 928.

FSAEracer03

The best generation IMHO was the 993. They felt more nimble and sporty thanthe 996, which feels strangely boring and touring-like. Well, ok, not "boring," but certainly not as exciting as the 993. It drives without much feedback to the driver, numblike. Driving an older 911 is more visceral and base compared to the 996.

I can't wait to get my paws on a 997 to see how it feels.

UDPride

Keep in mind the 4spd 915 tranny in the 930s is the exact same tranny in the 800hp 935 race cars. It feels like a mack truck because its tough enough to handle mack truck type horsepower. Ive never driven a base 911, but the 915 in the 911NA and the 915 in the 930 are completely different trannys from everything Ive read in the other forums. Yeah it def. feels notchy. With the 944s you can slap the gearbox around with your pinky. Much much easier to drive, especially when you arent in the mood to "drive like a man". The 911 makes you drive it like a man all the time. The steering in a parking lot is brutal, remarkably though the responsiveness at speed is quite incredible. When you row a gear in a 911 you can just feel the entire 3000lb of car taking in the input. Somehow that raw feel is quite cool. I feel like the 944 would make for a better autocross car, but the 911 feels much more like a race car to me. The sounds it makes, the feel through the gearbox, the forward vision, the floor mounted pedals, the tach in the middle, everything feels born at the track. The build quality on mine is unreal and Im one who thinks Porsche build quality is not as good as its reputation. Mine feels hand-made in every way down to the last bolt. For 3x the price though I guess you SHOULD feel that. I dont feel that in the 944, though in many ways the 944 is simply better. Especially in the HVAC department. Mostly the AC department.