FRporscheman

I have never driven a turbo for any longer than 5 minutes, so I'm not familiar with the day-to-day quirks and behavior of boost and lag. And no, my turbodiesel doesn't count - it may be turbo, but it's slower than slow.

I would love if I could fix whatever is wrong with my car. I just need to know what the hell is wrong.

Oh, one more thing about 968s as daily drivers - parts are more expensive, and sometimes very hard to find.

MPD47

Pinion failure was only in early gearboxes and was only caused by incorrect preload from the factory. Easily fixable.

Andial951

Sell that thing and buy a mans car. I know a high HP 951 that will be for sale soon.

Jfrahm

I have found it hard to get under 20-some MPG, consider replacing your O2 sensor and other tuneup realted items maybe.

I agree, I pulled the clock cubby out and put a standard 944 cubby in. There is a clock in my head unit. I'll keep the 968 clock cubby in case the next owner wants to switch back.

As for parts cost, what consumables are significantly more expensive? The variocam ramps, sure. Cams are more likely to need to be rebuilt. Flywheel might set you back, but that might be needed once in the car's life and the clutch job is a lot easier. Maybe if you crack a headlight or foglight lens that's a bit more. But belts, brake pads, filters, normal consumables are cheap.

-Joel.

MichelleJD

I'd make the same choice.

saxman

My car(a 94) suffered pinion bearing early in its life...

FRporscheman

My car is a '95 and the pinion bearing failed with the first owner. I have recently been hearing the "jet engine" noises of a failing pinion bearing... I hope it's just my imagination. Though I think it's just the redline gear oil - I don't know why so many people say this stuff is so good. I think it's trash; it damaged our 944's gearbox and it made the shifting rougher in the 944 and my 968. The swepco in the other 968 is good stuff.


I will only sell this car when I find one that looks better. I love 944s but 968s just look better.

And besides, I've been thinking of boosting it, i.e. turning it into a man's car.




And regarding parts costs - Sure the consumables are about the same price as with the 944, but I'm talking about parts that aren't "consumable" per se but are common failure items on the 924/944/968. Say you blow a synchro... you can buy a whole 944 tranny for like $200. A 968 tranny will cost more like, i don't know, $800? Door handle broke? Happens all the time! Well 968 door handles, as we all know, are expensive. Then say you get rear-ended. A 944 bumper is practically free, and the tail lights are $10 each on ebay. The 968 rear bumper is at least a few hundred bucks, and I don't even know how much the tail lights are. Both mine are broken, and falling out, and I'm afraid to call sunset for a price.

If you manage to keep the car away from all of Murphy's influences, you should be OK with a 968, but beware any non-routine repair items.

Rich Sandor

good 968 tranny's go between $1000 and $2000 easy.

I love my 968. If it was a turbo'd 968, I'd keep it forever.

Giantviper

I would have to agree with your choice of the 968 over the boxter. Personally I thing the Boxter has too much of a Go cart like feet. It handles great but I like the solid feel with great ahndeling of the 944-968 series better.

When i campared my 88 944 N/A to my granmother's 96 boxter i like the drive of my 944 better. I have never dirven a 968 bu can imagine it to be great being the last evolution of a great line of cars.

Mongo

I'm bumping this back up after having a look at a 944 S2. I'm confused over what my future purchase will be now.

The biggest difference between the 968 and 944 S2 is the engine and transmission. The 968 seems like it's the perfection of the entire 924/944 series, but the S2 is right there. I read in a book that the 968 is no faster than the 944 S2, with the exception of maybe 3-4 mph faster in top speed. While the max speed is nothing of interest to me, I'd like to know driveability wise what would be better and more fuel efficient?

There are also way more examples of 944 S2s on the market than 968s....

I'm really confused now.

Glen Watkins

This is a true statement. Some friends of mine lined up an S2 & 968 (both cabs) and they were dead even.

Mongo

So what really would be the better deal?

I'm quite sure the performance of the 968 is plagued due to the weight gained in that series.

josephsc

If you're only looking at the 0-60 type numbers, you'll find that the S2 is fairly comparable because of its shorter tranny gearing. I think they had more of an Autobahn cruising in mind when they went to the taller gearing.

Personally, I think the bigger difference is in the styling -- but you pay quite a price premium for the 968 over an S2.

As for fuel-efficiency, I would expect the 968 to do better on the highway, but on the other hand then I once had a high-mileage S2 that was getting 28mpg highway, which is better than any of my 968's.

Rich Sandor

The 968 really shines in the corners when you are taking advantage of the extra gears.

The other thing to keep in mind is that starting in 1991, all 944/951/968's were assembled in Stuttgart as opposed to Nekarsulm, and the quality of assembly is markedly better. I've taken apart both cars and I can attest to that. Everything just feels more solidly assembled in the later cars.

The 968 will also be a few years newer, and will have parts that were newer design and stock than the S2's, which where still using up the leftover parts for the older 944s..

All-in all, the 968 is the best. A turbo 968 would be the absolute cherry on top.

FRporscheman

Apparently, I'm not the one to tell you about fuel economy. Though, if you really want fuel economy, the 944 is the best of the line, isn't it?

For me it's a matter of what the cars offer, what can be corrected, and what I'll have to live with. The 968 is heavier, but that can be fixed with a little weight reduction here and there. The S2 engine will never have that kick of torque at 4200 rpm, having 6 gears is practical, effective, and good for showing off. And most of all, I think the 968 looks better. The price premium is a fact, but if you're diligent and sometimes willing to bend your guidelines, you can avoid the premium. I bought my 968 for $9900, at 157k miles and in almost perfect shape. That's only about a grand more than a similar S2, eh? And it comes with 968 door handles, mirrors, door panels, etc!

And m030 is way overrated. The only thing it's really good for these days is resale value... but m030 cars cost much more than non-m030 cars. It's cheaper to just buy a standard car and upgrade the suspension... and you end up with something similar or better anyway. LSD, however, is not overrated. But again it brings a premium and it would be easier to find a car you like without lsd and just add it later.

I can advocate the 968 all day long, but if you are looking for a daily driver, the S2 would be a better choice because it shares more parts with the abundant 944/951 than does the 968... specifically body parts. And like you said there are more S2s around (which is weird since they made it for 3 years, and they made the 968 for 4 years).