mnypit944

I think you will find the guys on the BMW board similar to everyone here. They will tell you not to bother, just to buy an M3 to begin with. I am running a 99 328i Convertible with nothing but the M3 suspension and exhaust, and a cold air intake and short shifter and can keep up in most cases with most M3s. When HP is that close, driver capability and quick shifting is everything.

ANd no that does not mean I street race. I do, however, take everything I own to the drag strip on occasion just to see and my times are close or the same as the M3 drivers that fancy themselves racecar drivers..

josephsc

I LOVE the ~150k market. This is the level where potential buyers who do not know these cars back away easily -- precisely because of the potential for the horror story. Not a turbo, but last summer I picked up a 170k miles S2 from a Rennlister, put in maybe $1k in parts to make it really pretty (only $300 came out of my own pocket, most others were parts I already had). A visiting friend's been using it as her daily driver for a year w/o any problems. More recently I picked up a 165k miles 968 cab from a owner who kept fanatical care of the vehicle. The problem with these cars is that once you own it, it's hard to get rid of 'cause no one would buy it from you.

However, like you mention, I would not recommend a 150k mile car unless the person has already been rather intimate with these cars.

And yes, recommendations have to be tailored -- but if you're new here and don't identify yourself, you will get treated like a "newbie" until we get to know you. But once we get to know you, you'll find that we're friendly bunch.

BTW, welcome to Rennlist!

mnypit944

I know enough about these cars to not shy away from a 150k Turbo either if I could find one. Unfortunately they are in the $6k and up range too. However, I would probably not give up my quest to make mine better even after finding one.

Blue S2

150k+ mile Porsches are the enthusiasts best kept secret! HAHA, everything should be new by then! If its still running, its probably not gonna stop yet either! I would not hesitate to buy a super high mileage Porsche as long as I got its history as well. Most people wouldn't dare buy a car with such high mileage!

I have a friend who just bought a super high mileage BMW 3, '94 or '95. Fixed one sensor and the car is brand new! He's put another 30,000 in a year and a half or so and he's having a blast! Just gotta be aware of what you are getting into.

Campeck

well yeah.

bah, you get the idea. shorten and aftten the runners. there.

89AZ944

MnyPit-

If you have mechanic skills and are serious about "upgrading" your 944 for around $4000, something you might want to consider is an engine swap. Look what Matt did with a 968 engine swap:

http://matt.type944.com/3liter944.shtml

Or if American Iron is easier for you to work on look at what can be done with a small block V8:

http://www.renegadehybrids.com/944/944sbc.html

When the 944 turbo came out, the need for "bolt on" performance parts for the NA 944 essentially went away. I think that there are ways to increase HP on an NA and many methods have been described here. But unfortunately the "ease" of "just buy a Turbo" has killed any aftermarket parts for SUBSTANTIAL horsepower/torque gains.

I often wonder if Porsche had not come out with the 951, then perhaps the Callaway turbo kit would still be readily available........

apierce918

150k mile cars are just getting broken in. mine is now at 202k and i trust it to go anywhere (with fresh meat i would anyway) i bought it at 192k, and have put about 2800$ into it, and its all been preventative/bored/why not purchases, nothing because something was broken... yet :/

FRporscheman

My 968 has 155k and it runs so smooth it amazes me. Dad's 928S has like 45k and it is frequently troubled. Moral of the story: history and model are more important than mileage.

My first car was a '81 diesel benz. I drove my mom's 944 once and crashed it. Moral of the story: even a low-hp car can get you into trouble, if you don't know how to drive. Get a car you can learn with, that won't break your heart when you crash it, and that isn't fast enough to kill you when you crash it.

mnypit944

I read over the 968 conversion and it never finished to see if it ever started. Dissapointing. Would have liked to find out what the problem was and what problems had to be overcome.

A small block in a 944 is like strapping about 300lbs of weight to the nose of the car. Kinda throws off the balance a bit doesnt it?

I have been looking for differant engines to that fit in there. It is not as easy as it sounds to find one in decent shape inexpensively with all the accessories necessary.

People install turbos and superchargers to differant cars all the time. WHy cant we just do this? I understand the compression thing, but if you are careful with your boost, I would think it would work. The only issue I can see is getting enough fuel in there. I cant beleive that would be all that hard on a 23 year old car. The electronics cant be all that complicated, can they?

Anyway, just a thought.
John

Mike C.

L8Apeks, I'd like to hear more about the cam you plan to put in. Is it going to move that power way up in the rev band? Will it significantly impact fuel milage and emmissions? I'd fork over $450 for a cam that gets me 190 hp if it's usable on the street.

Campeck

not true. I cant remember which chevy engine it is. lt1 ls1 whatever. but one of em only adds like two pounds to the front of the car.

Techno Duck

The JME cam (http://www.jmengines.com/index.htm) claims a realistic 12-18bhp, this is on an otherwise stock engine. The description of the least aggressive cam says 3600-6500rpms is the optimal powerrange with a 900rpm idle. This cam is also $650...not absolutley terribly priced considering i dont plan on selling the car for some time, and an extra ~10+ hp would be nice to have available.

I would really like to hear from anyone who runs the JME cam to let me (us) know the drivability difference compared to an otherwise stock car. I sent JME a email late last night, still waiting on a response. It makes me wonder however if you loose much power in the lower RPM range from this cam however.

mavfan

dont forget http://webcamshafts.com/ are they any good too? i've thought about it seriously from time to time.

mnypit944

Must be the LS1. THey are all aluminum. The LT1 is cast iron with aluminum heads and most other small blocks are all cast iron.

Lots of plumbing and electrical. And you have to have a funny looking hood scoop.