Hi all.

I'm a troll from the 996 board. What do you think about the 968 as a daily driver (snow not an issue)? I had a 944 S2 which, at least the one I owned, was a piece of junk. Weak build quality, reliability, low end power. The 968 design in my view was a big step up. Were there other changes that make this a good choice to drive daily? Is it possible my 944 impression is tainted by one bad car in an otherwise solid model? Among the 968's, which are the ones to own/avoid?

I'd welcome any and all thoughts. Thanks.

-- Michael

 

I use mine as a daily driver and it's great. No complaints what-so-ever. I put snows on in the winter and this thing goes through pretty much anything barring ice (but then what would) and deep snow which doesn't happen very often around here. I get better gas mileage too than my Durango (no big surprise there).

Richard.

 

Tried your 968.net link...it did not work. Must have to be logged in or something....Post some pictures

 

Well. You probably had a bad apple, that was not maintained properly before you took possesion (or you were the culprit?). S2's are know to be fairly bullet-proof provided that they are maintained properly. As a matter of fact, there are less issues to beware of on an S2 compared to a 968.

In regards to build quality, I think the two are on par with each other. Yes, the two were built in different places but they are similar in build quality, all things equal and taking out the effect of the 968 simply being a newer model.

I don't know if I would say the 968 was a "Big step up". It certainly was a more refined version of the S2, with more HP (thanks to the vario) and some different body panels, and a new 6-speed trans. Porsche touted it as being 80% new or something like that, but to me it was nowhere near that amount. It was a S2 that was polished up to be a stop gap until the Boxster/996 lines could be ramped up and sold.

I like 968's a lot, don't take any of the above as a bash on them. I think they are the end of the normally-aspirated 944 series, and thus they are the nicest and most refined. But I wouldn't go so far as to bag on the S2 like you did and think that the 968 is a completely different animal.

In regards to daily driver capabilities, I think any car from the 924-968 lineage is a compromise in the winter. Yes, one can put snow tires on them but still you are left dealing with a low-riding, 2WD sports car that is not designed for it.

 

I agree 1000% Tifo!

 

The S2 and 968 are both great daily drivers, and very reliable if properly cared for. My first S2 had 170K on it and never let me down. My current one has 140K or so on it. Maintenance is pretty trivial if you stay ahead of it, although the 968 should get some extra care in the variocam system that might be kinda spendy. S2 build quality is generally great, you must have found an abused example. Find a good car and take good care of it, and rack up the miles.

-Joel.

 

I use my 968 as a daily driver and love it. No problems so far but I was also careful to buy a car that had been maintained properly. I have all the service records from the two POs. Great cars that will turn heads.

 

I own a S2 cab and a 968 coupe. My S2 is my garage queen so I bought the 968 to be my daily driver. These cars are too much fun to drive to leave in the garage all of the time. My 968 was pretty rough when I got it but after much work and money I now have it on the road as my daily driver. Actually my wife drives it every other week and loves it. We have been driving it nonstop for a few months now and everything is great so far. It will be interesting this winter to see how it does. I doubt it could be any worse than my Camaro was when I was growing up in Iowa.

As far as bulid quality, I do not see any difference. The 968 does have more power and seems more updated but that is what it was supposed to be. I like the looks of the 968 a little better too but I get many more comments about the S2 cab.

 

Both my 944 and my 968 have been daily drivers, both with well over 100k miles. I would not hesitate to jump in any time and drive them anywhere. Heck, I made sales calls in Minnesota from Chicago in the dead of winter in the 944. Great cars that spoil the driver. Also, they are resonably comfortable relative to Porsches of the period.

They do have to be brought up to good mechanical condition and PM's become more important with any car this age.

With the conversion of my current 968 to club racer, I am driving it a bit less now and will really miss it (cage, obnoxious spring rates, etc.). 5+ years of tooling around in these cars has really spoiled me for anything else

 

As requested...

 

That is a beautiful car!

 

My fiance was doing ~80 miles a day on our 968 (before I wrecked it) with absolutly no problems, and it had 90k miles on it when we bought it. The low end torque issue kind of sucked here in San Francisco on the steep hills and it was a little rough going over the MUNI (light rail) tracks -- but I don't think either of those things are problems in Atlanta. Enjoy!

 

Mike:

spend the extra money and get a premium car with no problems or gremlins. there is nothing more expensive and dissapointing than a cheap porsche.

I love my 968 - and i use it as a daily driver at the moment. As long as you have decent street tyres and clean injectors with a new 02 sensor, you'll get awsome mileage. lots of lower end torque which makes for awsome city driving. I would hesititate to call it a "big step up" from the 944, but a well kept low mileage 968 will make an older 944 with high mileage feel like a piece of **** car.

On the highway and longer road course race track, the 968 feels gutless in comparo to my 275hp 944 turbo. Ideally I'd have a 968 turbo. (968 turbo RS clone..) But then I am a boost addict...

As far as models go, in North America you are limited to a coupe or cabriolet. Get whichever suits you and you envorinment more. In the RoW, you could also have a Sport, Club Sport, and (super rare) Turbo S model. Again which model you'd choose depends on your personality. A Club Sport is short on amenities, but performance oriented and quick as all hell on short road courses! Try to get an m030 car is you can, and definately get the LSD.

IMHO a Porsche without LSD is like a girl with no vagina...

 

I agree 100%. I don't know what Porsche was thinking when they made some 951s without LSDs.

 

If you're able, tell me more about the Sport and Turbo S models...didn't know there were variations on the 968. And, LSD was an option? Wierd. Other than looking for the suspension option, what mods are the essentials? Finally, is the sunroof just a tilt roof, or does the whole thing pop out?

Thanks again, all....these replies have been great!

-- Michael