bloodraven

the 944 s was released in 87-88 and i believe made it to 89

Race

right now i have a 1992 chrysler lebaron that ive taken from nothing to something. when i got it, the trans was out, the engine was reverse and backwards sitting on a piece of plywood, and alot of other stuff was in a box (accessories etc). ive since then fixed it completely with much help from my cousin, who has taught me alot of what i know. the car was my daily driver (my only driver) for awhile, but then i stopped driving it because of the shifter cable needing replacement and also that the oil pan RTV was leaking due to some busted bolts. im going to fix both of these thigns in the future though. why did i fix a lebaron? it was a GTC 3.0L with a 5 speed, and i wanted the almost perfect leather interior. if you want to ask me something about it or other stuff ive done, let me know. id rather keep this thread based on the 944 so i can learn as much as possible from you guys that have them. thanks.

pcarphanatik

1. Of course they are worth it. NA is a great model if you are on a limited budget; just make sure the car you purchase has a good maint. history and that you have a few hundred extra bucks on hand for some of your own preventitive maint.

2. It is alot of work/money to turn an NA into a turbo. (do a search) If you want to do a straight out swap that's probably the best way although it is still going to be several thousand dollars. Start calling junkyards, look at the rennlist classisfieds and browse ebay for your pricing question.

3. DSM cars are in the same league power-wise and have their own idiocracies as well. Make sure you take a hard look at some E36 BMW M3's too; they have like handling characteristics and the six cylinder engine is robust and reliable although it may be completely out of the question given your budget.

4. Don't base your decision on Porsche "quality and engineering". These cars and the parts they are made from are based on some of the best 70's and previous technology. Alot of wear items are starting to need replacement everywhere on the vehicle and these can 5&10 you to oblivion. Also if the maint. is not up to date major service may need to take place. I'm not just talking about timing belt, accessory belt, waterpump, rollers and seals....for this car that is a routine maint. item. I mean can you afford a $1200 clutch and pay someone for the labor or do you have the patience for 10-12hrs of diy? It may never happen to you, but be aware that there are a number of horror story scenarios.

5. If you want to tune for 300-400hp it just won't happen with an NA w/o a boatload of cash.

6. DSM, Porsche 944 or M3 will all make you happy....drive as many of each of them as you can and decide for yourself which one you absolutely must have!

*Take a look at Paragon for the Koni's.*

michaelathome

You would comfortably put a $2000 951 on the road as a daily? Better you than me.. LOL

Michael

pcarphanatik

If you bought your 951 for 2k and it is 100% reliable then you got a damn good deal!

Race

1200 for a clutch? are you serious? i found a few sites with clutches for 600 or so, but i thought that was insane! i didnt think it would be so much.

bloodraven

heh..didn't notice the part about 2000...dummy me...however..i did pay 4000 for mine

Ian Carr

Finding a 86+ N/A is possible for 2000$. You just want to make sure when you go to buy the car that the timing belt and all other belts have been replace in the last 10k miles (they seem to go about every 30k miles ) the water pump is a big problem in these cars, make sure it idles nicely. Do compression test on the cylinders. Check miles and basically any thing over 135k miles has had a new clutch or needs a new clutch. I just found this article in our local listing paper in connecticut for 2000$ ( http://bargainnews.com/viewad.cfm?Sh...63&TheDealer=0 ) So they are out there you just need to look around and make sure you get the car that YOU want!

-Ian

p.s. bloodraven i paid 4000$ for mine too then 5000 miles down the road the engine needed to be rebuilt. So you need to make sure that the car is in good working order because these cars are no le barons.

Race

ive spent some time looking through your meet pics, pictures on cardomain, and just anything i can get my hands on really, and i really love the wide low stance of the 944. i really like the newer 944's front and rear ends as well, and the 86+ interior is the greatest. the dsms are excellent looking outside, but imo, they lack on the interiors, the dash and center counsol are a more boxy retro 80s look, were as the porsche is something of elegance.

Ian Carr

i love the dsm interior so much more than the 944. It is like a freakin cockpit for the driver and it is very spacy and has a lot of leg room for the passenger. (friend has a gen 1 eclipse turbo with lots of gauges and a EBC so it looks really cool in the driver seat.

pcarphanatik

You're right I'm a bit on the high side, but if you count all the "while you're in there" items it will probably approach $1200.

You could always get just about any part from the junkyard off a low mileage car too. If you are good at finding the best deal then a Porsche will definetly be a fun car for you to work on. If you are one of those people who always pays retail prices and has a mechanic do all their work then it could be very expensive.

Not trying to scare you...just straight-talk man.

bloodraven

I have been driving it daily since november, and have put around 20k on it since then! Still runs as good...good compression and everything. Now, my first 951....that thing was a peice that I got ripped on.

Race

for a very long time now, ive researched and asked people about different cars, what is fast for a low budget etc. ive realized that for a low budget, it really doesnt matter if its fast or not, because it just wont be fast. now, as far as quality, reliability, handling, appearence, etc, those are different storys...it really all depends on the car and if you get lucky. im not sure if i want a dsm or a 944, but i definately like both cars. i think id rather have the 944 though, if they had some slight performance things you can do to them. if they are fast in the corners, thats good enough too.

Ian Carr

Race. One plus to owning a 944 is this website. I have looked and there is no forum that really matchs this one, with so many people that have a good idea of what they are talking about. i mean look you have had this post up for what 30 minutes and already have lot of responses and it is 1:13 am here in CT! This website (even though we are in a low stage right now :X!!) is great and you will find almost any thing you need.

One problem with the porsche is you do get the "while you are in there parts". Say you needed to do the clutch. While you are in there you should definitely replace the master and slave cylinder and the line going between those. it is just lots of little things that add up when owning these cars but many would agree it is worth it.

-Ian

Race

well see, if the car sounds good, handles good, and is some what fast in the corners and something that i can really learn on, then this is the car for me. its a whole other class from the DSM as far as quality goes imo. the interiors, gauges, non-shiftcables, everything is some what of an elegance. it should be because the price of a 944 new was arround 50 grand? and the dsm was about 19000...

my dad used to own a 1981 corvette. it was a 350 and had the 4 speed. i asked him why he never fixed it up (made it faster etc) he said it was fast enough, and it was his favorite car he ever owned. you look at the 81 corvette, its a reletively fast car, but its nothing crazy like a ferrari 360 or something. maybe i should be like him and go with something decently fast, and very enjoyable to drive. i definately will testdrive both the talon and the 944, but as far as performance goes, did the tranny hold up well? from what ive read, seems like alot of stuff goes wrong with these cars. BTW, i am a fixer my self, i hate taking my car to a shop unless it is realyl worth it.