greenshoes3

ok, i've decided that my first porsche will be a 944 after much debate. My friend has had one for a year now and loves it, and im sure that will be the same for me. Now for the questions, Sometimes my mom lets me drive her car (97' mercedes e420) and i must say it is damn fast lol, to match the speed and acceleration of it, would i need just a regular 944, or a 944 turbo. Is the 944 turbo worth the extra bucks? What year should I be looking for reliability? Yes, I will be able to afford maintenence on this car just to answer that question because I know how expensive these cars can get. Thanks, James

swimmingly

If you can afford maintenance, get a turbo. In fact, get a '89 turbo s.

L8 APEKS

Hey james!

Well, let's see...N/A 944's are NOT fast, and that E420 would kill a 944 in a straight line for sure. 944's are about equal to 1989 Acura Integras and Civic EX's and the like in a straight line. Trouble is, there is very little aftermarket support for the 944 when compared to the Hondas/etc., so while you *could* tune an N/A to be pretty quick, it is VERY cost prohibitive. Example? On a 944, Headwork ($500) + cam ($650) + new lifters ($525) would get you perhaps 15-20 peak HP, and set you back nearly 2 grand.

For that reason, most people looking to go fast in a straight line will tell you to "buy a Turbo", because it's cheaper overall if you're trying to go fast.

My personal opinion? I love my NA. It's fun to drive, easier to work on than the Turbo, and with a few mods it's decently quick (it's on par with most of the VTEC cars off the line). I've had a few 13-second cars and my 944 doesn't feel slow in comparison mainly because it's so enjoyable to drive. However, if I had money to burn, I would have bought a 951.

I did have the faster cars when I was younger, and screwed up my driving record pretty badly. Unless you have very good self control and you make mature decisions (ie, you won't street race every moron that revs on you), get the NA, because the 951 can get you into a lot of trouble. Just the old geiser in me coming out I guess...even though I'm only 27. heh.

MOST IMPORTANT, get one that was well maintained and preferably has service records and a traceable maintenance history (ie, shop records, etc). If you end up with a beater 944, it could easily cost you MANY times over what you paid for it to get it into good shape! My car was 2300 bucks, and I'm 4800 bucks into it in less than a year. Budget accordingly! And good luck!

Chris_924s

Sean hit the nail on the head. I spent 4 grand-ish on my 924S and have put twice that into it in the last 8 years. Daily driven and reliable.

More modified = less reliability.

The question you must ask yourself is what is your purpose for this vehicle? Daily driver, track car, spec racer, boulevard cruiser?
YOUR answer will determine what you should get.

greenshoes3

mainly daily driver, but id still like it to go fast like all other males lol

L8 APEKS

Well, I don't know what "fast" is to you...

I have a later model (2.5L with 10.2:1 compression...they got a 2.7L in 89 with a little more power). It's a bare bones model as far as options (it had no options...lol), so it's a little lighter than some others. Good base for a club car I thought.

Anyway...after replacing some basic tune up items (TPS, O2, CTS, etc), I went with a K&N filter, 2.5" exhaust with 2.5" cat, Centerforce DF clutch, lightened flywheel, Nology ignition coil/wires, NGK iridium plugs, Welt throttle cam. This woke up the car quite a bit, and it's quick enough to get in trouble with. Only other thing I want for the engine is a chip. It has enough power to keep me happy.

Past that, I plan to focus on losing weight. Ditch the A/C since it doesn't work anyway, get lighter seats, etc. Suspension work is also quite expensive on these cars...I don't know WTF they were thinking using torsion bars in the rear. It's not a 4x4 or a 1960's muscle car for cryin out loud. heh.

I think an NA might be enough to keep you entertained, and then if you decide you want the Turbo, you'll have a better idea as to what to expect in terms of maintenance, etc. An NA is a good "warm up" car before getting a 951. That's what I planned to do. But honestly, I like my NA so much I decided to keep it. I'm not gonna ditch her for a 951.

You can go plenty fast in the NA...and besides, fast is relative. There will always be someone faster. I learned a little while back that it's pointless to try to keep up with the Jonses. Eventually, you'll just end up broke, and the best you'll ever get is 2nd place. I just know I'm never hurting for more power when I'm carving the canyons.

500

Right on Sean,

Fast is relative! In it's day, the N/A 944 was considered fairly quick. By today's standards, it is a little slow in straight line performance. Having said that, it is still a really nice car to drive. A lot depends on your overall purchase budget. I would much rather buy a really plum N/A than a marginal 951, unless I was specifically looking for a project.

Another thought is to try to drive samples of both first. When I picked up my '87 S (not turbo...) a year ago, I really enjoyed the way it drove, even though it was badly in need of a comprehensive tune up, the car still felt lively and the driving position and balance are great. My point of comparison is my lightly modded WRX, which runs with a stock 951 (non-S) in a straight line. No doubt faster than my 944, but the 944 felt in some ways sportier and neater to drive.

Either way, you will make a good choice if you search carefully, have PPI's done and understand (as you do) that these are 20 year old cars, and $ will have to be spent on on-going upkeep.

Good luck and welcome to Rennlist!

greenshoes3

i'm assuming that the "NA" is the regular model. Whats a 951? I do enjoy a cars "feel" more than speed, so if a 944 is known for that, than i'll probly end up getting one. Do they stick to the road well? Thanks, James

Techno Duck

Yup, the n/a is the regular 8-valve models. The 951 is just the factory designated name for the 944 Turbo.

I have a n/a myself. I could have afforded a 944 Turbo, however extra insurance and the extra maitenence probably means it would be sitting in my driveway right now on jackstands until i could afford to do any maitenence or repairs.

The n/a 944 is extremely easy to drive. No real surpises like the turbo which can be 'fiesty' when the boost kicks in on corners. They do hold the road very well and when you do reach the limit they are still fairly stable cars. They are not terribly fast in a straight line, but enough to get anyone in trouble. To put things in perspective, they do 0-60 mph in about 8.3 seconds. By no means will you be winning many drag races with it, but you will be having a great time on the back roads and hitting the off/on ramps. Thats way better than going fast in a straight line i think!

95Juan

n/a= naturally aspirated. 951= factory designation for the turbo. like my girlfriend said "when they put a turbo in it, they give it a different number". but anyway. yeah, in my opinion, the 944 feels a hell of a lot nicer. yes, the 951 is a lot faster, but the 944 has a genuine "throwability" to it, like you can just turn into any corner (with the right tires) and know that you'll come out just right. for me, it was always the best feel. the 951 does take turns "better" and faster, but it has more of an "on rails" feeling as opposed to the 944's ability to properly communicate a threshold. i never feel like my 951 is ever gonna give up the death-grip it has on the road, but in the 944, i always knew when the breaking point was coming, and it's fun to experiment with it. i'd say get a 944 base model, an 85.1 or earlier if you like super-80's dashboards and lighter weight, or an 85.5 or later if you like more modern dashboards and a slightly bigger aftermarket.

ENJOY!

mroberts

Where are you located ?

500

Good questions!

NA = normally aspirated (i.e. not-turbo)

951 = Porsche's internal designation number for the 944 turbo. Parts that are specific to the turbo with usually have a part number beginning with 951.

All 944 series cars posess excellent balance. Different springs, shocks and roll bars were used in various years and models, and there is many ways to tweak or upgrade things (bushings, camber plates etc.) Many (knowledgeable) folk consider the later cars (S2, turbo, 968) to be some of the finest handling cars you can buy period. Earlier 944s are not much behind (and as said above, are upgradeable in the suspension department)

EDIT: Sorry, I've repeated a bunch of stuff already said, I had begun this response a while ago, got side-tracked and then came back and clicked submit...

greenshoes3

thanks for the sharp replies, I'm loacated in Washington State, and there are plenty of backroads near where i live going through some farm landscapes, thats where i usually go fast because there are never police there. So no, I will not be using it to drag with, I dont think that dragging requires any skill besides spending money. I am thinking of doing track stuff, but nothing huge. Any more info on these cars? I'm planning on spending approx 6k, waht should I expect for that price? (YES I WILL HAVE MONEY FOR TAKING CARE OF PROBLEMS, lol) Any more info would be greatly appreciated. thanks, James

Granite 944

First of all...........HOW OLD ARE YA? Second of all........I HOPE THE ****......YA PLAN ON KEEPING the SPEED CRAP on the TRACK!

"So no, I will not be using it to drag with, I dont think that dragging requires any skill besides spending money"

You really have no CLUE...........DO YA? If you have to EVEN ask these questions............Your NOT a canadate for a "real" car. Maybe you should clear it with your mommy and daddy. Or do they even give a damn?

greenshoes3

screw you, i asked for help not to be flamed