My intent was NOT to flame, my intent was to bring you to REALITY.

Your not a "member" either............Sooooooooooo.........are ya REALLY serious?

DON'T YA THINK YA MIGHT PREFER A ...........Hon DUH!

 

wow, so much for this thread.

Atleast you dont' want a burnout king, these cars just don't like that treatment. I'd say get an NA have fun, learn the car. Maybe get a 951 later. I've been in 944NAs since 2000. I push the limits quite often. In the turbo, never have. 951 Obsession has it exactly, I mean exactly right. The NA I would say is a more effortess car to drive and more enjoyable. The 951, more work, faster, more of a brutally fast car. I love them both, don't get me wrong. These cars are a little tricky to drive them fast, the 951 is faster to start and the turbo is more sensitive to throttle input and decides when it wants to spool. I'll ride the line and limits in the NA, the turbo, well, could come alive a little unexpectedly when you don't need or want it to. Keep in mind, I do drive faster in either car than most sane people, I just have a lil more respect and reservation when it comes to the turbo. There's been times that I knew I wouldn't make a corner in the turbo, it never missed a beat, beautiful. There's been times in the NA that I wished I was in the turbo. Up to you, hope to help.

 

Ken made a good point excusing his approach If you have decided to go for a 944 then good for you. If you are undecided, well you have found a good place to read up.

The 944 is a relatively easy car to work on. Granted that I am an engineer in the IT industry and the in the 944 is the first car that I have really gotten my hands dirty on it wasn't that tough. In the past I had done lots of bolt on work on american cars. These cars are not the same. Do the reading and you can do the work. There are a lot of good resources available about maint and repair. I think that Chris 924S has got a great thread with lots of links. I'll even post a few for giggles.

* http://www.paragon-products.com
http://www.weissach.net
* http://www.944online.com
http://www.automotion.com
* http://www.lindseyracing.com
http://www.gt-racing.com
* http://www.pelicanparts.com
http://www.germanautoparts.com
* http://www.rennbay.com
http://www.thepartsbin.com
http://www.9xauto.com
* http://www.performanceproducts.com
* http://www.speedforceracing.com
http://www.importpartsauthority.com
* http://www.paragonproducts.com
http://www.midwestelectronics.com
http://www.Eastwood.com - For glass scratch repair kits
http://www.powerhaus.com

I am not sure if you noticed but Ken lives in WA as well and is regularly a great help and increadible resource on the boards. I wouldn't drive fast in his neighborhood as he might chase you down and you won't know what color 944 he will be driving to avoid!

Good luck and welcome to Rennlist!!

Michael

 

I say get the N/A its a great starter car and daily driver. I have an lightly modded S2 and I love it. But its not my every day car I have to run Premium fuel in it and at 3 Bux a gallon here in Wa State it gets expensive(Filled up the first time in two weeks and it was almost 50 Bux) the N/A can run on regular unleaded and is really cheap to maintain and easy to work on. I am lucky as I do alot of teh work on my car myself, but I also work at the Porsche dealer in Bellevue so I get parts for cheap and labor at a decent rate. Other wise I don't think I could afford a S2 or the turbo, parts are just too expensive for these cars. I say stick to a N/A first, learn to work on it then when your driving skills are up to par and you can do alot of the wrenching yourself then get a 951 or an S2.

If you are in Western Washington and wanna go for a ride PM and I'll see what I can do

Brandon

 

I stay out of these flame wars at all costs, but I can't sit back...

Ken, you are a huge jerk, you need to get a life and think back to the time when you were 16, looking for your first car. I commend James for picking one of the best brands cars in the world to be his first! You sir are a jerk, and give all of us a bad name.. shame on you… jerk!

James, WELCOME TO RENNLIST! If you wind up with a 944 (or any porsche for that matter) you should pony up $15 to become a member. It helps support the community that we all enjoy here. With respect to the car, a 944 is a great choice. If you have the money to spend, buy the best example that you can find, timing belts and water pumps are big deals on this car, so if you have records for them even better. Owning a Porsche is an adventure! If you have the time to learn, and the willingness to jump in and do your own work, it will be both a rewarding and satisfying experience for you.

EDIT: In Mike's long list of links, I can beleve he left this one out: http://www.clarks-garage.com/ be sure to check out the shop manual, it will give you a better idea of what you're getting yourself into.

~Eric

 

YOU SIR............are CORRECT!.........you SHHOULD'VE sit back.

I like many others before me.........are really....REALLY getting tired of ...........PUNKS! ........What EVER happen to the REAL....... PORSCHE 944 ENTHUSIAST?........The cars have become SO cheap (cost wise)......ANYONE can afford them now...........ain't that something!

It WAS a LONG time ago........when I WAS 16! AND.........I STILL CAN REMEMBER IT! ..........."BAD NAME"..........YEAH........YOU WOULDN'T HAVE A CLUE EITHER! ..........YOUR DEFINITION OF "BAD NAME" is NOW Required!

"I commend James for picking one of the best brands cars in the world to be his first!"

If.........you TRULY believe this........than........you need more experience and education........yourself. NO...........YOU get a LIFE. You obviously haven't experienced it yet! You must be under 20 years of age.........yourself!

All things said and done..........TO EACH THEIR OWN!!!!!!! no matter.......WHAT......their experieces and age is!

PUNK!.........WE ALL ARE........IN OUR OWN WAY........DON'T YA KNOW!

I'm just in a Pissy mood tonight.........not interested to much in "stupid" ****.

And THIS..........IS..............MORE ...........STUPID .............****!

Have a nice life..........."punk"

 

So is this about James looking at a car, and wanting the advice of the experts? or is this about you being upset that your 85/1 944 isn't as exclusive anymore, because any 'punk' as you so tastelessly put it can buy one now. I understand, because there was a time, a long long time ago when I typed into a search engine "Porsche 914 and Nitrous Kit". It's not a proud moment in my life, but you have to start somewhere right?? And for the record, with the knowledge that I have gained, from talking to people on the internet, I have rebuilt a '75 914 2.0, done a full tear down and rebuild on a '78SC, and I am about 2 weeks from turning the key on my fully rebuilt '86 951... Every 'punk' has to start somewhere.

You wanted a definition, so you’ve got one, your post has given all of a bad name, because quite honestly you come across as a complete and total snob.. If James had come on here and said "I want to make a 944 beat my friends turbo civic in a street race" I would have given it to you, hell I would have jumped in on the fun.. But he came on here, and said he wants a 944 as a good first daily driver, and hell HE MAY WANT TO DO SOME TRACK TIME.. And this is somehow a bad thing? If you think it is, you need to sell those 944's and go hang out with the same people who told me if I backdate my '78sc to a ducktail, it "would not be a true Porsche anymore"

And for the record, I am not under 20, and I have spent enough time in this world to know when someone is out of line.

Sorry about your pissy mood, nothing personal, I'm done.. I'm out..
~e

 

Thanks dude, I do live in western washington, near sumner and auburn, if you know where that is. Also thank you to the people that don't call me an asshat for wanting a porsche. NO, i do not want to "street race" or any immature things like that with it, i just want a fun car to drive. Believe it or not I would actually enjoy working on this car if I got one. I would also gladly pay the $15 for a membership because i like the people on here (not really the same story for granite, but w/e) Any more input would greatly be appreciated. Yes, I would like to do some track stuff eventually, just for fun, are there any good websites for buying high performance parts, or anything like that? Thanks, James

 

I must admit, I came on way to strong, and I agree with Eric, in the fact that I was outta line here.

I owe an apology to Eric, and especially to greenshoes for treading on your post. I must be getting to old. I'm finding myself being just like my father was. I should know better than to be this way.

Please accept my apologies. Ken

 

We all enjoy the "fun runs" in these cars. I guess that is what set him off, mentioning that he might go through some twisties fast(like the rest of us, excluding jjjr, he's never had his hood insulation up to temp{inside joke}). I'd bet I break the speedlimit 90% of the time I spend on the roads, especially with twisties. Ok greenshoes, run while the dogs are on to me....j/k

 

We all have our moments when we respond in a way we later regret. I admire Ken for apologising, and James, you're gonna love Rennlist and Ken IS a great guy, has made a lot of really helpful posts. Us older guys (especially once we've had kids) get a little sensitive about road safety

Michael's list of vendors (a few posts above) is very good, and if you browse through them, you will become familiar with many of the popular upgrade parts.

Many are recommending a non-turbo 944. I think that would be a good choice. For $6K you should be able to find a good car with excellent service records etc. A car that is good to go from the start. As you are 16 and interested in learning to work on cars yourself, the NA makes more sense in that way too. I would suggest the following stategy:

1) Research the 944 to become familiar with the model evolution and differences in various years. Rennlist and the various links you will find are a good starting point. There are some good books for not much $. One I would recommend is "Original 924/944/968" by Peter Morgan (Amazon link) . Very easy to read and very comprehensive. With this book you will be able to know important model year differences which is helpful when looking at cars.

2) Start looking at every for sale 944 you can. Try to resist the urge to purchase the first nice one until you've seen a good number of them, so you will develop a good feel for the range in condition that you will find.

3) When you have found a choice (or two) that you are really interested in, arrange to have the candidate car taken to a specialist for a PPI (pre-purchase inspection) before making an offer. This will cost maybe a couple of hundred dollars, but it is WELL worth it. A good PPI will tell you the true condition of the car and what expenditures to expect in the near term. It is important that the person performing the PPI is knowledgable in these cars. I would suggest posting in the appropriate regional forum and/or contacting the PCA (Porsche Club of America) to get recommendations on what shops are good for this.

4) After you made your purchase, address every issue that may have been turned up by the PPI. As mentioned in an earlier post, pay specific attention to the water pump and timing belt. If there is an item you feel is too advanced, don't worry about paying to have it done professionally, it is easier to learn on cars at your own pace and getting into a big job (e.g. new clutch) too soon, may discourage you. I think you want to DRIVE the car first, and work on it later.

5) Drive the car for a while. Polish the paint. Fall in Love

6) Start modding and improving the car with very simple tasks. Since you are 16, there is only so much you've probably been able to do on a car to date, so start easy and work up. Easy might be upgrading your brake pads and replacing the fluid with something like ATE Blue. (Disclaimer, any part of the car you work on, especially the brakes can be critical. I would recommend having you work reviewed by someone knowledgable, not that you're not, but when you're learning, safety is #1 and experience takes a bit of time)

7) You're on your way. You will find that modifications for power for the NA are few, the place to make real gains is in suspension (stiffer springs, better shocks, roll bars etc.) and maybe in the braking system. Not that those are not already very good (they are) but there are many options for making an even sharper feeling car. Plus, improving handling and braking ahead of performance is the sign of a well thought out upgrade plan.

Best of luck!

(P.S. Post about cars you are looking at, as many of us on here may also be able to take a look at a possible purchase and give good feedback.)

 

Ken~ Apology accepted. I am sorry for calling you a huge jerk.

James~ You should have the resources in this thread to start looking for your perfect 944, good luck on the car hunt, and don't forget to post pictures!

 

definately the best thing to do if you really want help trying to find a good example. Posting a detailed look a a car on here will usually result in a complete teardown of everything pro/con

look and see what you can find, let us all know.

welcome, good luck, most of all... enjoy working on and driving the car, thats what this is all about....

 

greenshoe, if you have the time, you could probably find an S2 for the price you're looking at. it'd take a whole lot of patience, and you might have to travel a bit.... but they are out there, and imo, they probably make a perfect DD, and an awesome little track car with some suspension mods and something that's failry reliable if you take care of it........then again, you can have basically that if you buy a good condition n/a. but arent there more suspension upgrades available for an S2 then there are for an N/A?

 

I've been hearing "S2" alot, what are they?