ajcjr

i have been doing alot of research, basically narrowing it down to a boxster and 944 for a de/track car. Car will be towed to the track.

So any pros or cons to the 944. I am not looking to break the bank and from what i see you can do alot with these cars and not spend alot.

How are they for handling, speed and most of all fun.

thanks

schwank

I own both. Well, the Boxster is not dedicated to track use, but...

The upkeep on a Boxster will be considerably more money. Bigger tires and brakes, more oil capacity, thirstier motor, and more expensive parts. However it will be faster than a 944.

I love my NA 944.... it is not the fastest thing but it is very fun and nimble. Parts are cheaper and you can find an abundance of parts from people dismantling cars. Keeps the costs down. 15" tires are cheaper. My brakes have lasted forever. And I find the car very easy to work on for the most part. I have less money in my completed race car than it would cost me to pick up a base Boxster... BEFORE it was set up to race. And I feel much less concern should something happen to it at the track... I am out much less money.

That's why I am driving my 944. So far it has taken all the abuse I've given it without a hiccup. I love it.

xsboost90

boxster is faster eh..tell that to all the boxsters ive passed...

944 is an awsome chassis and the low price and tons of parts cars make them very affordable for de/track use. I keep kicking around building an n/a track car even though my turbo is half way there.

schwank

A NA and a 951 are two totally different beasts Dan

And I have a 986S

Epic2112

I think I see a recurring theme in the above avatars...

Van

I hear a lot of chatter about the new Boxster spec classes...

It's an issue of how fast do you want to go - and how much do you want to spend?

Without a doubt, a 944 track car will be the best bang for the buck in Porsche racing. But people don't always make the most practical decisions (myself included) for a variety of reasons.

Potomac-Greg

Boxster and 944 are radically different by virtue of the 20 year gap in production date. For $8,000 (purchase plus minimal prep) the 944 can make you look like a hero. I've driven heavy, high-HP cars on track for years, and last year got a 1988 944 n/a. Once I learned the importance of momentum (and upgraded suspension and tires) I fell in love. What you pass, and what passes you, will be largely determined by driver skill, but I think it's safe to say that you would be faster with a Boxster (assuming equivalent tires). I like the fact that I can beat her up, shame some faster cars, and still drive home. You can also carry a full set of track tires/wheels in the back. Can't do that in a Boxster.

If you look at lap times in the NASA 944 Cup / Super Cup, you'll see that there is a lot of overlap between n/a and turbo, in large part b/c the turbos are limited to stock boost (about 210HP) so the power gap is not great. Track spec 944s run laps similar to Spec Miatas and Spec E30s. But if you're looking to modify a turbo, you can create a real track monster.

And lastly, neither the Boxster nor the 944 will buy you much respect from the tail-draggers; so no matter what you buy, you'll be hanging out with the same people.

ajcjr

i am looking to have some fun, get out do some DE/track days. 911's are to out there for me. Right now with a family and stuff, i dont have crazy time to commit, so just looking for something to run and not have a ton of maintenance also

reno808

i have a 924 with all 944 parts i am selling REAL cheap i am located in New York. its a track car and its already gutted. The only thing it doesnt have is the bolt on roll cage which i sold a couple of weeks ago. the motor, lsd 944s tranny, coil overs have less than 5,000mi and less than 20 hours. i am looking for 2,000 obo

ajcjr

i heard i could probably get into a 944 for anywhere from 7 to 10k ready to get on the track, how often do you need tires and brakes?

ajcjr

reno why are you selling do you have a contact # and where in ny are you?

J Silverman

I went from driving my GTI as a track car to my 924S. At first I was worried I wouldnt like the car because it felt so much slower than my GTI. Then I looked down at the watch and was 6-7 seconds per lap faster! NAs are definitely dogs on teh straights. I keep a magazine in the glovebox so my passengers have something to do on the long straights at VIR.

J Silverman

If your elooking for a built car, go to http://44cup.zeroforum.com and look in the classifieds. You can pick up ready to race cars for $10,000ish.

In my 924S I have RA1s that I have been using for a year and they are a little over half worn. This is with abotu 15 track days in the last year. Rear brakes done wear at all, fronts are wearing about the same as my tires.

jaje

The 44cup.com cars are built for 944 Cup (more expensive class as it allows many more modifications including). A 944 / 924S Spec car is the budget porsche racer.

It's the HP versus momentum argument. Randy Pobst gave a nice breakdown versus the two in Grassroots Motorsports. He noted that higher powered cars while faster on the track is all about squaring off the corners in order to drag the straight versus momentum cars are where drivers are always looking for 1/10ths of a second anywhere on the track no matter the spot. He noted that the best place for a new driver to learn is on a momentum car as you are going slower overall which means if you crash or go off track you are doing it at a much slower rate of speed, it also usually means it's cheaper to race a momentum car. In the end he says he actually has a lot more fun in the slower car b/c you race the entire track including the slower portions versus the last corner before the long straight and into the corner at the end.

M758

This applies to 944 2.5L 8valve non turbo cars.

Pros... Cheap donor cars, cheap parts, simple builds, lots of 944 support, very solid once built.

Cons... The newest cars are still 20 years old and the cheapest cars may not have had the best previous owners.


The handling is really good and if you strip the car to about 2450lbs (basic removal of stuff no FG needed) the car gets tossable and reasonable fast given the low hp level. The good news is you can be fast with hp or skill. The 944 will requrie skill.