NYPorscheChik

ok, bear with me, this is my first post on rennlist.
i am in the market for my first play car... preferred a 944s2, but a 1992 968 caught my eye.. i am completely unfamiliar with these.
what is a fair price to pay ? 110K miles, recently serviced, never tracked,never autocrossed (which i will do..) new belts, brakes, engine mounts... owner only had it one year, serviced by shop close to me.

who can educate me on these, or should i stick w/ what i am familiar with.
thanks.

V2Rocket

IMO it'd be over $10k. They have the same basic engine as the S2 but the head has VarioCam, a form of variable valve timing which makes another 28HP on the top end of the RPM range.

If all the service history is accurate you're getting yourself a good car. Any pics?

User 41221

Without more info, I'm guessing that if its in decent shape with records, that car will bring $11-14k. Things to watch out for:

1) Chain tensioner/cam wear. This MUST be inspected prior to purchase, as any wear there is expensive to fix, and MUCH more expensive to fix if it breaks. PM me if you want more info.

2) 6 speed trannys had a ring and pinion problem, but with that mileage on the car, I'd guess that this would have been addressed by now. Typical R&P failures occurred in the 30-40k mileage range.

3) Hall sensor connector failure. Not a huge deal, but it seems to be cropping up frequently for 968 owners these days. I know that the connector on mine crumbled due to age. Nothing catastrophic happens when it fails but the engine won't run at optimal performance and will feel sluggish.

4) Timing/balance shaft belts. A critical component on these cars, but you mentioned that they had just been done. Just make sure its a good shop that did the work, or you'll likely have leaking seals and an out of sync balance shaft that will cause vibration issues that will drive you crazy.

968's are "best of the breed" in my opinion, you'll love it! More power than the S2's and better fit and finish. Altho, a nice S2 would be preferrable to a beat 968, in my opinion.

Regards,

Nader Fotouhi

I have heard some people complain about rod bearing being weak point on pre-94 968. If you buying a car to AutoX (leads to track bug), "VASteve" put a link here to a nicely set up track prepared S2 a while ago. Do a search and see if you find it.

GL

reno808

Any pictures? Do plan on doing the work your self?
Get a turbo its FASTER

Techno Duck

NYPorscheChik, i am the same guy that was selling the 944 you inquired about. You said you owned a 944 before..the 968 is essentially the same with the exception of the cam chain tensioner which needs to be checked every 100k miles or so. Also some 968's had problems with the ring and pinion on the transaxle, but odds are at that mileage it was already taken care of or was not a problem to begin witih. I am pretty well versed in these cars and if you want a second opinion, i dont mind taking a ride out to look at the car.

Are you looking at the white 968 cab that is for sale in Huntington by any chance? I live right in Syosset and have seen it around a few times.

BTW, i took a ride down to Captree sunday.. didnt get down there till about 10am so i probably missed you.

And regarding what Steve said, the 968's really are better built i think compared to the 944, 951 and S2's. Even the sound of the door closing is different, in a more solid way. I guess its because they were built at Zuffenhausen like all the other real Porsches . Its a fantastic car and really a great engine. The low end punch of that 3.0L is awesome and paired with the Variocam it has a pretty solid top end as well.

FRporscheman

If you are familiar with 944s then the 968 will be a piece of cake. It's basically a 944S2 with a facelift. There are a few differences (updates, really) here and there but overall it's the same car.

It is said that early-1992 cars got cast rods, all others got forged rods. I have never heard of them failing. Many people race stock bottom ends with no issues so autoX would be perfectly fine. The rod bearings shouldn't be a specific point of concern... no more than on any other 944. I'm sure you know the 944 generally has oiling issues to the bearings under extreme situations and the #2 bearings are prone to failure, but the cars with "normal" lives will probably never have issues........

It's not the variocam that adds 28 hp - the resonant intake adds a lot of power/torque. I'm not sure, but I think the separate gains in power would not equal the gain from both together.

Having autocrossed my car a few times, and just from daily driving, I really feel the lack of low-end power/torque. The engine relies on high-flow and resonant intake pressure to produce its impressive power - at high rpm. The car is a DOG below 2000 rpm... not ideal for autocrossing. I've toyed with the idea of buying an aftermarket intake with a much smaller plenum.

Go test drive one for sure!

110k miles, in good condition, with no special options (lsd, rare color, etc) can be somewhere between $10k and $12k.

alex

We all like to argue about what is the best in the 924/944-51/968 series, but the ultimate for me is the 968. Performance mods will be harder to come by and more $$, but they are beautiful. If the car checks out and you can do it financially (keeping in mind the upkeep that these older cars require), I'd do it in a heartbeat. You're looking at a 16 year old car with 110k, so thats just under 7k per year. Not bad.

alex

The curse of the series.

NYPorscheChik

hey Techno Duck
yes i saw you pulling onto Ocean Pkwy off the RM causeway... i had to run to work, ... hope you ran into our crowd... DC was there w/the RS America, gang from PPBB and my buddies w/2 new caymans.
i'll be back down the 20th, dry roads permitting....

wealth of information provided by everyone, i'm a little overwhelmed.... i'll need a day or 2 to re-read all these.... thanks.
i'm not familiar with the white cab you speak of.... guy in dx hills has the 968 i was looking at.

like any P-car, either you love it or you hate it.
i have a '04 anniversary boxster s - i love it to death. not everyone does. no worries. love the one you got. it's my "baby", so no track/autox for her.

which metro events do you run???????

Techno Duck

I did meet up with Don briefly while i was checking out the Shelby Mustang with the insane 395's on the back .

I have only run the Metro auto-x events for the past 3 years or so. I still plan to do all of them and hope to get a couple DE's under my belt this year.

FRporscheman

True, all 924/944/968s have little-to-no punch in very low rpm but for the 968 I believe it's the worst (I have driven 944s, 951s and 968s). The intake plenum is enormous, and the added volume of the resonant pipe make the total volume of the intake very large. This volume needs to be filled with air as the engine sucks air in, and it takes a while. It produces what feels like turbo lag.

The 951 feels sluggish at low rpm due to actual turbo lag. The intake plenum is fairly small on these cars though.

The 944 feels sluggish at low rpm due to actually being a slug. But seriously, I think the 951 intake on an NA would give more pep at low rpm, but that's just my theory.

NY, what sort of duty/mods would you have in mind for whatever you buy next?

76 911s

[QUOTE=Techno Duck;4959764]

And regarding what Steve said, the 968's really are better built i think compared to the 944, 951 and S2's. Even the sound of the door closing is different, in a more solid way. I guess its because they were built at Zuffenhausen like all the other real Porsches .QUOTE]

The door sounds different because of the heavier door panels, and the extra outer door seal. I actually think 944/951 doors sound better as they sound more mechanical, and less mushed rubber.

alex

[QUOTE=76 911s;4961807]theRE is something quite distinctive about the way the 944 door sounds. My cousin used to be able to tell from inside of his house when I got there from the sound.

FRporscheman

+1 the 944 door sounds much better. The 968 door has boring muffled sounds. Opening, all you hear is "puck" and closing all you hear is "cluck". It's lame. The 944 door sounds give that car character... like you're opening an airlock.