ebsalem

Hi Gang,

New to this forum but have been a rennlister since there was rennlist. All my experience is air-cooled.

anyway the question is it's time to replace the mazdaspeed protege as the daily driver. BrownCar (72 RS wanna-be) won't work for daily stuff. If a 944 or 968 was the in the picture what would or should I plan on money-wise to keep the car going.

I'm on-call 24x7, in the snow belt so it needs to work. Always.

Is this too much to ask of an older car?

thanks,
e

czar

My first NA 944 I had in high school, and I drove it probably 20,000 miles with no problems other than minor maintenance (e.g., wires, cap & rotor, oil changes, sway bar bushings, etc.). I drove it in the snow, delivered pizza, etc. Overall, I think I got lucky because there weren't sites like this to help (I can only imagine what my pants would have looked like if I'd broken a timing belt).

It was pretty good in the snow for a RWD. I think with proper care, it would do well by you. The only major complaint I have is with the electrics. Had a bunch of problems on my first one (e.g., wipers, HVAC unit, lights, etc.) that I have on my newer one now, but with a little time, those things get sorted out.

As for money to keep it going...hmmm, I'm sure there are others on here with a lot more experience in that department, but I keep a spare $1500 or so in the bank just in case. If you can do your own maintanence, then it's just the parts, and with your RS, you know how that can be. If you look out for big things like a recent clutch, TB, etc., then you're looking at smaller things (most likely) to keep it running like suspension, ball joints, etc.

FYI, I'm using my '88 S as a daily driver now.

Not so sure about the 968's. Still a little out of my range for a 2nd car.

Good luck

ubercooper

I use my 944 n/a as a DD, but even with snow tires you should be careful. If you are on call 24/7 with snow involved, I wouldnt trust it. Let me rephrase that, I wouldnt trust the repairs and things that COULD, but most likely wont, go wrong. But if you want one, than go for it!
My .02

jgporsche

the PO of my 944S used it as a DD for over 13 years.

ebsalem

Ohh, I wan't a 944. the issue is being on-call and Murphy's Law.

It's funny, my wife has a '97 Taurus, and I've got the '72 911 and a '03 Mazdaspeed Protege. The 911 is always the most reliable car. If it could handle road salt there wouldn't be another car. It's the only car we have that starts in any sub-zero temp, it always gets us home.

thanks for the 411.
e

white924s

I'd say it could probably work as a daily driver, but keep in mind 2 things - first, its rwd, so that's obviously not ideal for snow and also all 944's are at least 18 years old, so minor issues will come up more frequently than on newer cars. On the other hand, you can usually find 944's in good shape for reasonable prices and they're a lot of fun to drive

ubercooper

16 years old actually, they stopped the s2 in 91 then the 968 came out in 92
sorry, im an ***.

porschefig

I've used 924/944s year round for the last 6+years. Averaging 10,000+ miles a year (15k+ lately but less during hs). My 924 started up to -40*F (with ether) and my 944 has always started (but never dealt w/ temps that low).

My only comment right now is that the electricals get finicky in the cold and moisture. Also, prior to fully warming up they act very sluggish and will some times do odd things at idle (surge, etc.) If you have room for it in a garage you will be MUCH MUCH better off than I am!!

P.S My 951 will NOT be used in the cold (need to update my sig..and will post pics, etc come spring)! I really think winters are too hard on these cars, and you shouldn't put a nice or even decent Porsche through DD status in the winter. IMHO

FRporscheman

My mom has been driving a 944 daily for well over 10 years. Before she owned it, it belonged to my uncle, and he also used it frequently. I owned a 944 (project car) for 2 years, and after I finished repairing it, it never broke down. I used it daily for almost 2 years without any problems except a dead battery (it was an old one anyway). I now have a 968, I've had it for 11 months, and it has never let me down. Thank the maker!

With a 944:
Like everyone else says, just change the belts and water pump as soon as you get it. Try to avoid cars with bad clutches - very hard to repair. Sunroofs often leak or break, hatches sometimes leak. The late 944 has a much better defroster.

With a 968:
If it's a 6-speed, make sure the pinion bearing was replaced - they always break. Change the belts, waterpump, cam chain and cam chain tensioner pads as soon as you get it. Clutches are easy to change. The 6-speed has reverse on the top left, next to 1st, if that makes a difference for driving in snow. IDK.

Rally Guy

I've got a "rule of thumb" that's served me well - and I'm sure I got this from somewhere else - I think Peter Egan at R&T. It's the "one good car" rule. Always have one, relatively new (no matter how cheap) FWD or AWD car (for those of us in snowy areas) that you KNOW will start, make heat, clear the rain and get traction - is under warranty or is dead simple to fix with easy access to spares. For me - that could be somethign like a Mazda 3. (But happens to be a BMW330xi)

Then feel free to indulge in the purchase of ANYTHING that strikes your fancy - running or not - reliable or not. Which you've done with the 911.

By this rule - the 944 doesn't qualify as a DD. I tried it with my 944S2 in winter, the first year I owned it. Several no-starts, NO traction, wipers failed, and generally finaky performance. Which is too bad because it has heated seats and THE best heater I've ever experienced. But the odds of this car failing somewhere or getting stuck are just too high for me - so I go with something safe and reliable as a DD.

When conditions get REALLY gross - I take the rally car - since a) it has REAL AWD and b) I can't care less about dinging the already bashed up body work.

RK

PS. The 911 will get WAY better traction that the 944. Rear weight bias is a GOOD thing in the snow. The 944 (at almost 50/50, is NOT good in the fluffy stuff at all - compared to a RWD/RE or AWD car.)

harrisonrick

You want your cake and to eat too...Porsche in the summer, Porsche in the winter.

If your loaded, buy a Cayenne Turbo S...the ultimate winter-beater!

Rally Guy

Another idea would be to pick up a 964 C4. Relatively reliable and AWD but not under warrenty or new.

But really? You need a new WRX.

RK

ronbo56

I bought my 86 944 NA in September, so no NJ winters yet. I can't see using it as my DD in a must-run, must grip situation, however.

Because of the light weight and equal F/R balance you may be SOL when it comes to winter traction unless you are OK with studded snows. On the other hand, you can easily address starting/running issues the way we used to with English cars: buy two. Why not? They're only $5k apiece. Heck, buy three!

Um, or a Jeep.

Jay W

I drove my 87 944S through several inches of packed snow on the highway with more coming down like a blizzard to work without getting stuck last year. I was however very careful to make sure I took a route that avoided any large hills. I had 20 foot plumes of snow flying up from my rear tires going down the highway. It was really fun, especially when I drove past a 4X4 that had spun out onto the grass in the center of the highway. Should have honked my horn.

harrisonrick

I got caught in a snow storm in my first 944, an 83, it had pirellis on it....was like driving a skateboard with a rocket engine on it...damn scary. Mind you, the tires were directional summer tires....