My 944 has been super reliabe the past year and i drive it to school and work pretty much everyday, about 60-70 km trip to school (back and forth).

I really like my 944 but it's kind of really slow lol. I have to constantly rev it up to redline to get any power especially as i drive on big hills going to school.

its been a great car and all but I want something with more grunt / speed.

now I'm onbviously not rich if I go to school so I don't have a suitcase full of cash lying around. When I got my 944 I was told it would be expensive to maintain also but after replacing the belts / water pump and some oil seals and fluids / brakes, just standard maintenance I guess, nothing big has gone wrong so far to stop me from driving it and it starts up with no problem everday.

would a 951 or a 928 be so much more cost to maintain and run?

let me be more specific, 928 I'm thinking of only the early 16 valve motors with no interference so the belts wouldn't have to be changed out right away.

thing with the 928 is that there are no haynes manuals for it but I know there are some online manuals.

also if I get a 951 it will probably be easier for me to work on than a 928 because I have gotten to know my 944 and I have some 944 timing belt tools etc.

I'm thinking of maybe getting another car this summer and possibly buying and importing one in from the states as the prices are cheaper down there.

I want to spend 6-8 thousand not sure if that would be enough to get a good condition 928 or 951 I have seen th early 928s in good running condition for 4-8 k on craiglist in the states.

not sure about the price of 951s. The ones I've seen listed here in vancouver seem to go for 10-15k.

 

also anyone know how hard it is to import a car from say Seatle to Vancouver, BC?

do you just get temp plates and drive it to the border and get the paper work done at the border?

 

When Porsche 911 owners trot out the old clichés about how, in the long term, a 911 is a relatively cheap car to run, 928 owners tend to go rather quiet.

nuf said :>

 

As they say, "the devil you know is preferable to the devil you don't know." I think the cost of ownership for a 951 and a 928 will depend almost entirely on the car's history.

That said, assuming you had two equal examples, the 951 will have lots more support via online communities and aftermarket parts suppliers. With tools and courage, you can keep these cars running at modest cost. I do not think you'll find the same level of support for the 928 simply because there were far fewer made.

 

good point. Also I believe the early 928s especially the CIS running ones have horrible fuel efficiency so probably not the best daily driver.

I haven't thought about 968s because around here they go for about 15k, but I was looking at craiglist in California and I found a couple for 7-8 thousand. I would think a 92-95 968 will be much more reliable than a 928 or 951 plus it's equally as fast as an early 928 or unmodded 951 and the best looking out of the 3.


so dumb questions say I want to come down to california in the summer and buy a 968 which would be a 92-95 are there going to be huge import fees to bring it into Canada? I'm going to have to research this.

I've heard before that only cars 15 or 20 years old can be imported into Canada? I don't think that's true though, I've seen boxsters etc imported. from the U.S.

 

here we go again...

 

lol, not trying to start an arguement about which car is better or fasters.

wondering which is easier to work on / cheaper to maintain / is more reliable.

I like the fact that the early 928 has a non interference motor so timing belts are less of a concern / worry. but that's probably the only positive in maintenance and cost.

 

It’s all about the car history...
You may buy one that needs basic maintenance for years, or you may get one that is a pile of continues parts you have bought.
It also is only an opinion on this subject.

 

i think the turbo would be cheaper to maintain but more likely to suck your wallet dry when you find out that you can make more boost.

 

Asking about 928 maintanance in a non-928 area is sure to bring false comments by ignorant people who have never owned one. Why not ask on the 928 board? You'll get some honest advice, it wont be all cheerleading.

IMO the best advice for either is to buy the nicest, latest example you can afford. I've had 2 later 32v 928s that have been the most reliable cars I've ever owned but that's because they started as nice cars. There have simply been no issues with either in many miles. A cheaper car that has been sitting outside alot and worked on by monkeys is going to be a nightmare no matter what it is.

 

I would tend to agree w/ Potomac-Greg. Obviously it depends on the cars history! Both being equal - if you are going to have any maintance or part replacement (you can't afford a pristine car) comes down to numbers; whether you are looking for cars, parts or aftermarket suppliers, you are likely to find them more plentiful for 951s then 928s. Just call Oklamoma Foreign and ask Gary how many of each car they have on the lot. Plus you are already familiar with the 944. Seems pretty easy to me? I would try to spend more like the 10K to 12K you are seeing. A 6K example of either 951 or 928 is likly to get real expensive quick!

 

In general Turbo cars are more trouble. Turbo seals, wastegate springs, boost piping, heat heat heat under the hood weathering the fuel lines, vacuum lines, etc. My rule of thumb is that you double the maintenance and repair costs over a comparable non-turbo.

928's of the 32v variety are pretty reliable, all things considered. Expensive to maintain if you use a shop but not bad at all if you can turn a wrench. I'd say without question they are more reliable than a 951 but given the higher price you might pay for parts the cost gap closes a bit. Unless the 951 is modded :-) A modded 951 is going to go through a fair bit of money.

It used to be (IMO) that it was easier to find well-maintained and carefully driven 928s than 951s, but that isn't as true as it once was. As far as reliability goes much has to do with use and care. A well-maintained whatever is going to be a lot more reliable than a ragged out and neglected whatever else.

-Joel.

 

yeah good point, i'm guessing most the 6-8 k 951 /928s I see on craiglist in teh U.S aren't mint condition and most have pretty high miles

like there was a pretty nice looking 928 for 6 k but it had like 220k miles

don't know what that is like in kms but I wouldn't want to buy anything about 250k kms like 150k miles.

I don't want a 32 valve 928 because if the belt goes then you have two heads to replace which = possibly costing more than the car.

also i've heard that say if the head gasket blows on the 928 you have to remove the engine, which sounds like a lot of labour and time even if you do it yourself.

951s are expensive here in vancouver..... theres one in a car dealer lot right now for 9k but I wouldn't want to buy a 951 from a car dealer, probably in poor mechanical condition.

other than that, I've seen them for 10-15 k here which is overpriced compared to U.S prices.

I think I saw an add for a non running modded 951 listed for 10k here.

I've seen early 928s here for 6-8 k but they are beat up, ripped interior, grinding transmission (manuals) etc.

I think I'd get a much better deal if I just cross the border even in Washington prices are cheaper.

 

like look at this add, Seatle.

928 S4 listed for 8500, that's drit cheap compared to the prices here. I could just make a trip to Seatle and save a lot of money.

http://seattle.craigslist.org/est/car/574885546.html

 

bah. 32v is the way to go. The trick is to *change* the timing belt *before* it breaks. As far as the head gaskets, they are fine if the PO changed the coolant and used good water. By the time you have a HG problem you might want to deal with the clutch and torque tube bearings, oil pan gasket, etc. anyway so dropping the motor is no big deal. You might be well north of 200K miles by then in a 928.

No point in buying anything that's been ragged out unless you are stripping for track duty. It's cheaper in the long run (and the long run might be two months) to pay more up front and get a clean, sorted out car.
$8500+ US for a 951, $10K+ for a 32v 928S or S4.

-Joel.