I have been fortunate enough to own both an S2 and an 89 951. I think everyone has already captured the important considerations, particularly Dave120 and Brent 86.

The S2 and 951 I acquired were both in stock form, and after enjoying them in stock form for a while I ended up modifying both to the fullest extent possible. The S2 ended up with a modified K&N air filter, APE chip, modified exhaust, 968 valves (lots of head machining), and bored throttle body (work and maintenance done by Charlie Murphy at Intersport in Tysons, Va). I loved that car. It was cat quick, sounded great, and handled very well and predictably at the limit.

After three years of ownership, I noticed a pristine 89 951 advertised in the Washington Post and decided to test drive it just to see what the fuss over the Turbo was all about, having never experienced the rush (albeit delayed) of a turbo coming on full boost. Biiiig mistake The experience was addictive and starkly different than the feel of driving the S2. Notice I said different, not better. In stock form, the overall speed of the two cars is very close, giving an off-the-line edge to the S2, mid-range punch to the Turbo, and high rev staying power relatively even.

However, I caught the horsepower bug in a big way and ended modifying the hell out of the 951 (rebuild w/all the goodies). That car was a blast and more powerful than every single car I ever encountered on the street (except the car I now own). It was expensive! to modify, about the same cost to maintain in stock form as the S2, but all that goes along with the territory.

You really have to decide what kind of driving you will do. It appears that you're located in central PA, which should present some great driving opportunities, both on twisties and baren highways (although I got a nasty ticket driving back from Hershey once in the 951, had a radar detector built in and never had another problem with tickets). If you drive very hard on the street (not necessarily fast, but hard cornering, braking, etc.), then the 89 Turbo is a good choice, as it comes with great brakes and the M030 suspension. If you can find an S2 with the M030 (very rare), and you don't think you will yearn for more power, then the S2 would be a good choice.

I don't know if the archives capture his prior posts on this subject, but long-time Rennlister Tony Garcia has always had some strong thoughts on this subject, and in fact his thoughts persuaded me to make the jump to the Turbo. At the time, he gave me a fairly detailed analysis of the relative performance of the cars by looking at dyno charts from an S2 and a modified 951, mainly providing his belief that a well-modified Turbo is not that much down on power/torque at low revs in comparison with the S2. After modifying my 951, I'd have to agree with him.

Great decision to have to make. Good luck!

 

I currently own a turbo. Everytime I drive that car it makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. It is wicked fast even in stock form. This weekend I drove a 90 S2 Cab. I was thinking about buying it as a daily driver. Needless to say I am not considering it anymore. I didn't know what to expect when I drove the S2 but apparently deep in my head I was expecting close to turbo performance. Well that simply isn't what an S2 is. It is quick but to compare it to a 951 is simply not fair. I know that the cabs are heavier then the coupes but there was simply no comparison.

I am not saying that a S2 is a bad car but when you are used to a 951 the S2 just does not compare. I do agree that the practical choice would be the S2 if not for any other reason but maintenance.

Just don't expect to get turbo performance. I think that from 0-60 the S2 is a full second behind a 951.

 

IMHO after driving a 951 around, the shorter gears in the S2 get annoying The S2 is an extremely FUN torquey car.

 

I never drove the 944 S2, but I can tell you that my 951 is a great car. If it's Hp you want, by all means get the 951. They do look exactly the same and the 951 has more Hp potential. I think it's also great for driving it traffic. It may have less torque on the bottom, but it will make up for it on top. I think the S2 is more rare. <img src="graemlins/yltype.gif" border="0" alt="[typing]" />

 

I have both. I prefer to drive the turbo. More headaches so far from the turbo, but I've also had it longer. There is also a 968 in my family, I prefer the turbo over it too.

just my $.02

 

Someone else posted this previously but for the life of me I couldn't find the thread. So credit goes to whoever did the original post.



Karl.

 

I stand corrected it is 6/10th to sixty. It is like 2 sec. from 0-100. For a Turbo S.

The car certainly didn't feel that fast.

 

My initial search for my first P-car was focused on 911SC's... it was extremely difficult to find one that wasnt beat to ****, and I didnt want to spend $15K on a car and then another $15 fixing what had gone wrong in 25 years of abuse. Thats when I drove my first 951. Wow... I didnt like the color - white (it was an 86) but Ill never forget the feeling. I found exactly what I was looking for in perfect, PERFECT condition - a beautiful black on black 1987 944 Turbo (rare find in my area). Ive driven a buddy's S2... and while it may be more practable... I cant see trading in the Turbo for an S2 for any reason. Thats only my opinion though.

Two cents cashed

 

Stuttgart, We have a lot in common,

My first drive in a 944 was very memorable, not for the speed but because of the build quality and handling. One Saturday many years ago I was bored so I decided to take a look at a 951 that was for sale at a local Mitsubishi dealership. I also didn't like the color ( was a white '86 model), but damn that car was fun to drive even with the salesman keeping a close eye on me. After doing time with my first 944 I bought the turbo and am very happy with it (also a black/black '87). I miss the higher compression and instant throttle response of my old N/A, but when the boost kicks in I forget all about it.

I can't comment on the S2, but had the recent opportunity to drive a 968 coupe which was a bittersweet experience. That car was a blast, very solid, very well built, but they are simply out of my price range. However the low end torque of that engine would make me rethink my decision if I was deciding between it and a turbo. Personally, I don't think you can go wrong buying either car.

 

I have a 944S2, and while I've ridden in several modded 951's on the track, I've never driven one. (Just to get my perspective on the subject matter).

If you plan on modding a car for more power, the 951 is the way to go. There's not much room in the S2 to modify, and most tuners shy away from the Porsche 16V powerplant.

However, the S2 has great low end torque, which means wonderful corner exit speed! The S2 is also a great learning car for the track: it is considered to be a momentum car (just about every non-turbo Porsche is considered a momentum car), but with 208hp, and 207 ft/lbs of torque at lower RPM's, it's got globs of torque to speed up with!

If you plan on getting into racing or track driving, then the S2 is a great car to start with: it will teach you the right way to drive a car on the track. A 951 can do that too, but you can turn faster lap times with a 951 even if you make some mistakes, or are sloppy in your driving: with a 944S2, you make a mistake or are sloppy, and it shows in your times.

Just my $0.42.
-Zoltan.

 

One thing I think worth mentioning is abs and airbags. I have an 86' 951 and have enjoyed every second of my driving. I've spent a good chunk of money in my first year of ownership to keep the car tip-top. One thing is for certain if you'll be working on your car the 951 isn't bad you just have more component's to remove. I drove a 90' s2 at a dealership in NH, although the car needed some work it had great low end torque and the ABS brakes were a nice touch, wish I had them on my 86'. The airbags help the interior look more updated as well and increase your safety. Make sure you know how the car has been cared for, I got lucky and found a private seller who knew a friend of mine. Looking back I would have been happy with the S2 but the 951 I found was in much better shape so I went with it.

 

Several things I'd like to mention in reference to some of the responses, but above all, YES, this is definately an opinionated decision...

Type LT- air bags- I admit the AB interior looks slightly better, except the wheel- I have a Momo now. I DO like ABS, but, I'm a little leary of having those explosive bags pointed at me, considering they're at least 12yrs old w/03's being introduced. Not to mention that Porsche was one of the first to employ AB's- THE first to have driver AND passenger- least they were smart enough to cover the "death seat." This was before automakers started w/safer AB's b/c of people being injured, so ours are FULL FORCE...

Luke mentioned gearing- I thought the S2's was the same except for 5th? Am I wrong?

S2's w/RARE M030- they still had 16" rims didn't they, like 951s? Was suspension JUST like Turbo S? I ask b/c 968M030 was better w/17's, etc- did they have Turbo S brakes and ZF LSD? You need to decide what options are important to you before deciding. Oftentimes people pay more for a Turbo S, but end up replacing most of what makes it unique- turbo, susp, brakes, wheels, etc...

The avg 1/4 mile time for a 951 is ~14.5. The Turbo S was 14.2, except for the mythical 13.5 from Porsche's manufacturer's data. The one tested in C&D turned an impressive 13.9, but, it was a customers car- he had specially ordered the shorter FD AND had driven it for a month or so- therefore, the car was at least somewhat broken-in. Everyone knows a broken-in car will perform better than brand new- I realize there are other variables, like production variances, etc. The S2 in list Karl provided (Thanks Karl- cool list), is the fastest S2 I've EVER seen- the tests I've seen are usually ~14.9- I THINK I saw a 14.7 once, but a 14.4? That's runs EVEN w/a 968, which has shorter gearing, vario-cam, & more HP/TQ...

I LOVE S2's though- the first 944 I ever drove was an S2- it was NICE- didn't FEEL as fast as it was- it felt so flat, but I'd look at the gauge after a few seconds, and think "DAMN! Hit the brakes! Wait- is that MPH OR KPH?"

Sorry so long, but there are LOTS of options- it's nice, but there are almost too many options w/these cars- I think a lot of the stuff could be eliminated and made things simpler (and cheaper for those of us who are addicted to performance). EX: OD cars- ALL should have come w/LSD IMO- even cabs- one less thing to be concerned with- they are sports car after all...

 

Yeah, I agree with you Robby about that 14.4 1/4-mile time on the S2...QUITE optimistic. I recently took my '89 S2 out to California Speedway to the Street drags. I'm a newbie to drag racing, but I know about playing with different rpm and wheelspin combinations to get a solid launch. My best of three runs was a 15.113 @ 92.5 mph. I'm convinced I could get it into the high 14's with a perfect launch and with a lower ambient temp (it was over 100 degrees that day).
I'm going back in February when it's cooler, just so I can have a slip that says "14.9" on it!

 

[quote]Originally posted by Robby:
<strong>The S2 in list Karl provided (Thanks Karl- cool list), is the fastest S2 I've EVER seen- the tests I've seen are usually ~14.9- I THINK I saw a 14.7 once, but a 14.4? That's runs EVEN w/a 968, which has shorter gearing, vario-cam, & more HP/TQ...</strong><hr></blockquote>
Heh, not anymore! A guy over on 968.net just posted 13.9 @ 101 in his stock 968 @ 3500 feet.

 

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Originally posted by Kool:
<strong>I currently own a turbo. Everytime I drive that car it makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. It is wicked fast even in stock form. This weekend I drove a 90 S2 Cab. I was thinking about buying it as a daily driver. Needless to say I am not considering it anymore. I didn't know what to expect when I drove the S2 but apparently deep in my head I was expecting close to turbo performance. Well that simply isn't what an S2 is. It is quick but to compare it to a 951 is simply not fair. I know that the cabs are heavier then the coupes but there was simply no comparison.

I am not saying that a S2 is a bad car but when you are used to a 951 the S2 just does not compare. I do agree that the practical choice would be the S2 if not for any other reason but maintenance.

Just don't expect to get turbo performance. I think that from 0-60 the S2 is a full second behind a 951.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">You test drove a cabby big diff in wieght man. Of course its not gonna be as fast as a coupe. You are comparing apples/oranges. Try drivin the coupe and see how you like it.