delgad

OK so i am ready to take the leap and find the right 944, just not sure which one. On the plus side i see some good ones selling here for reasonable dollars ( guess it depends on what side of the fence you are on). I have a 20 year old saab so i understand what it takes to keep a vintage car going. The 944 would be a second or third car. A ragtop would be great than the saab could go but do not think it is in my price range. I do not think the turbo would be right for me because I would not put a ton of miles on it and am looking for less upkeep/ more reliability and think a non turbo is the way to go. Am i correct on that and if so is there a big difference in upkeep/reliability between a 944 and a s2? I have a great mechanic who I trust so that is good. I do not have the skills to do most of the work a porsche would need ( that is bad). Am i on the right track here? Thanks for the help. Don't know how long it will take to find a good one but i know it is out there. I have seen a lot the the mileage is a guess, and the AC does not work. I know enough,thanks to you folks to check the usual spots,waterpump,timing belt... sorry so long thanks for the help.

FRporscheman

Yeah, the waterpump, timing belt, and clutch are the key things to check on a 944 (any year). The waterpump and TB because the car's life depends on it, and the clutch because it's a BITCH to change.

NA (naturally aspirated) is definitely the way to go, since the turbo cars require much more maintenance, and usually more expensive maintenance. There are two eras of 944s, early and late. Early ones are from 1983 to early 1985, and late ones are from late 1985 to 1989. The early 944 has an old school interior, which is pretty nice. ALL late 944s, including the S2, have the exact same interior, which is modernized and quite nice. Look at some pics to see which interior you like.

As far as mechanicals, here's the breakdown:

All regular 944s, from 1983 to 1988, have a 2.5L, 8 valve, 150hp engine which has decent power.
The regular 944 in 1989 got a 2.7L engine which made like 180hp, but don't quote me.
The 1987 and 1988 944S had the 2.5L engine but with 16 valves, with 188hp.
All regular 944s and the 944S have the same body, with the black bumper pads.
The 1989-1991 944S2 had a 3.0L engine with 16 valves, and 208hp. This car has the same body as the turbo.

I have a 968 which is quite similar to an S2, and I also have 2 early 944s. I think the regular 944 is the best choice for reliability, and I'd go for a late one. The only thing that makes the S2 less reliable is the 16 valve stuff. The DOHC on these cars is kind of complicated and thus can be troublesome from time to time. If you can afford some expensive preventive maintenance to service this DOHC and make it reliable for a decade, then do it. Go for an S2, which has more power and a nicer body.

If you want to keep it on the cheap side, DEFINITELY go for the regular 944. The looks are almost the same, the interior is the same, the handling is for the most part the same. You get basically the same car, with an ugly bumper and less hp, for like half the price. Also, yearly bills will be MUCH less. I used to drive the 944 every day and I never got tired of it.

xsboost90

there is a nice 2.7 n/a on here fs on a different thread, i would recommend that car.

delgad

thanks for the info i can use all the help i can get. wondering what is up with a bad od, miles spins with the tenths, how does on fix this. Also any idea how hard and how many hours would it take to replace a ac compressor. one more thing how much life does a water pump have, is it miles or time in years to judge when to replace one

delgad

waterpump help how long does one last is it miles or years for a na thanks for the help.

SamGrant951

I would replace the waterpump when the belts are done everytime...the theory is 3 years, 30k. I have 3 years on my belts/wp but only 7500 miles...dont really want to replace everything d/t the mileage but its cheaper than the possible outcome which I unfortunately have experienced.

L8 APEKS

I quoted you!

Actually, the 2.7L only made 162hp@5800...something like 166tq@4800 I believe. Not much quicker than the 83-88 N/A's (87-88 were rated at 158). Just a little torquier.

The ODO is fairly common. Should be easy to find a new one and swap it out. Waterpump - it all depends. No reason to change a good one. A waterpump will make noise or the shaft will visibly wobble before it fails. I drove on a bad one for nearly a year, finally changed it though as it was making too much noise and the wobble on the pulley was very bad. I was lucky.

I love my N/A...such a fun car to drive!