sunburst

After a hiatus of several years, I'm ready to get another pcar - it's been too long!

Former cars include a 73 911S, 74 914 - 2.0, 86 944 and a 90S2. I'm starting the search for a later S2 - hope to find a low miles (under 75k), straight and (basically) stock car - question is, should I widen that search to include 951s?

To anyone that's owned both - how much more regular maint/upkeep is involved with the turbos - now that these cars are pushing 15+ years old? My experience with the 86 and 90 cars was, at the time, not much more than gas and tires and service per the manual.

The car will be a fair weather/weekend toy (kinda like the 595 Daytona but with room for the wife and kid!). I'm not a mechanic, but I do enjoy getting greasy on a job I know I can do.

Let me know what you think. Thanks.

sunburst

(as in tobacco... as in '69 les paul!)

Luis de Prat

I presently own one of each and it really depends on the miles/maintenance on each particular car up until now. A badly treated S2 can cost losts more in maintenance than a stock, well maintained 951 with comparable miles.

As the Bruce Anderson maxim goes, "buy the best car you can afford." You'll save a lot of time and money in the long run.

The 951 is my personal favorite. I just can't get enough of that rush of acceleration. The S2 is also a wonderful car, and I really enjoy it around town, but if I had to keep just one of them it would be the turbo.

d993

It depends if you're going on the track or street.
The S2 is a much more popular choice for the track, mostly for it's linear powerband.
But the 951 is not to be overlooked! It has a LOT of potential.
Vitesse Racing has a stage 3 kit for the 951 that will waste the new 911 Twin Turbos! Yes, it makes over 400whp.
A friend of mine just ordered the kit from Vitesse, and I'm anxious to see the results. I'm sure I'll be adding a 951 to my collection shortly, thanks to Vitesse Racing.
It has to be the most Bang for the Buck on any Porsche.

Tom R.

Where are you located? If I test drive a GTO in the next few days and get a low enough price (like 24k) I may part with my 54k mile stone gray 89 S2 for more than I paid for it six months ago.

944S2NUT

Tom, can you PM me what you might be asking for your S2?

944S2NUT

Bought my 1990 S2 in fantastic shape and I still poured about 6k into her, to bring it up to showroom spec. Just need a new paint job on her to complete my beast.

I had the T/B, rollers, Cam chain tensioner, new koni yellows, fix a few minor oil leaks, brakes, thermostat, rebuilt the ebrake cause some moron drove home with it on , replaced the awful tape deck , all the bushings, and redid all the plumbing un the hood (a few hoses were starting to rot so I did them all).

You should try getting in touch with Wes Shu, he is selling a 1991 S2 with full M030, LSD, and sport Seats.

The car is in great shape and has low K.

PM if you need his email.

theedge

You dont need a new paint job you ******

And Weissach LOVES you

Gator_86_951

If you are only going to drive around on the street, I say get the S2.

UDPride

944S2 is like Peter North. 944 Turbo is like Ron Jeremy. Peter is clearly the better character actor, but if you need a money shot, you go with Ron.

944S2NUT

Don't they both look the same So that would not only make the S2 the better actor but also them money shot aswell

Macfreak007

UDPRIDE you absolutely kill me!

I have driven the turbos and the S2's. Personally I really like autocross, so i might be interested in the S2, but boost is verrrry addicting! Drive both, see what fits your fancy... The cars, not the **** stars of course!

CPTdooberhead

Why not expand your search to include 968's?

sunburst

Thanks all for the replies.

You're spot on, Luis - "buy the best car you can afford" is key with these cars.

I loved my S2 - but if the right 951 comes along I won't rule it out based on anything I've heard here.

Unfortunately, I'll also probably never totally forget the "porno for porsches" analogies. Personally, I'd be more inclined to think of my car(s) in terms of Tera vs. Jenna - but that's just me...

sunburst

(as in tobacco... as in '69 les paul!)

sunburst

ECU - can't quite put my finger on it about 968s - but the fact that the company ultimately wasn't committed to the car must have something to do with my ambivalent feelings about them.

It's a fine looking car, no mistake, but apart from the more "modern" mirror/door handle treatments, there's not a lot between an S2/951 and a 968.

Also, decent examples seem to be priced out of sorts with the car itself - I understand they might be more desirable (and worth more) to collectors but from a driver's pov a well-sorted S2 doesn't give up much in terms of street driving. And a 951 seems to offer a lot more upside potential on the performance side.

sunburst

(as in tobacco... as in '69 les paul)

Nabeel

I don't know about the company being not commited to the 968. After all, it was the only car in the series that was assembled in Stuttgart with the 911s, instead of at the Nekarsulm (sp?) plant which also built Audis. With that said, since the 924 was already 15+ years old by the time the 968 came about and the Boxster concept car debuted to rave reviews during the 968 production run, I guess Porsche may have not intended to produce the car for a very long time anyway. The styling updates also include a completely new front and rear end, not just door handle/mirror upgrades. Add in some mechanical 'upgrades' like the 6-speed manual, variocam, etc., along with greater refinement, and I think the 968 really is the best overall car of the series.

With that said, it is debatable whether they are worth the price premium over the 944S2, which is also a fantastic car. Lots of the upgrades are nice, but may not be everyone's cup of tea. I know many don't like the 968's styling, or feel that there is no need for 6 gears versus five. In that way i guess the 944S2 makes a lot of sense and is fantastic as far as bang for the buck goes.

Speaking of bang for the buck...the 951 is an already fast car which can be made VERY fast for reletively little money. Boost is addictive, and those cars are extremely fun. I personally prefer the daily driving characteristics of the 944S2 or 968, but the 951 is the best performance buy of the group. For a track car, I'd be looking at a 951 while for a daily driver I'd be mroeinclined to go the S2/968 route.

Anyway, best way to see which one you prefer is to drive them all! Best of Luck with everything.