I have been looking at late 80's 944's for a while now and feel im not real sure of what im looking at...i want to buy one that can be modifyed easily and somewhat economical...should i be looking at Turbos? also, what is the difference between the Turbo S, regular turbo, 951s, etc....school me on everything about these cars and some good web pages that sell aftermarket performance parts...also, what should i expect to pay for something in my year range with decent miles, and what should i look for...i need to know everything!

 

Welcome!

Please give a clearer picture of what your budget for purchase is, what you will be willing to budget for mods and maintenance, etc. We'll go from there.

 

you need to narrow your line of questions. 951's are by far the easiest to get serious HP to the ground.

can you work on the car or are you planning on having it serviced?

take a look on the thread on adding up the recipes
and you will see the kind of prices it takes to own one of these cars

 

Like Jeremy said, be specific on budget and goals with the car. Do you want major horsepower, good suspension, daily driver, track car, can you do your own work.. etc?

Also, I would encourage you to hit that search button to the top right. Type in the phrase of what you want to know, and I am sure that there will be at least 1 thread on it.

 

wow, you guys are real quick to respond...ok, right now i have a supercharged mustang that im pretty set on selling...my budget will be around 7500-10000...most of the work i wont be able to do, but i have many many many friends in the porsche/bmw/audi world (used to work at a dealership) so the work isnt too much of trouble for me...let me know what else youd need to know...also, the car would mainly be a street warrior/daily driver, that might see the 1/4 dragstrip twice a year just for fun

 

[quote]Originally posted by MWymard:
<strong>...the car would mainly be a street warrior/daily driver, that might see the 1/4 dragstrip twice a year just for fun...</strong><hr></blockquote>
The 944 cars aren't the best cars for the 1/4. Do enough drag racing with them, and your CV joints will let you know they don't like that kinda stuff!
The 944's really shine on the track and on twisty roads. For a 10+ year old car, they are still one of the BEST handling cars on the road today!
So if you want straight line acceleration, the 944 is not for you. You will be disappointed.
Just my $0.42
-Zoltan.

 

Well.. what I would do is start looking for an '87 or newer mid mileage 951 (944 turbo) that is the color combo you want. Make sure it has good records and is up on most maintence.

You should look at several examples before you settle on one. You'll know the car for you when you see it.

After your purchase, you should get everything in good working order before you start bolting on mods. Most times, mods make bad things worse (like head gaskets, drivetrain, clutch, etc)

A good 87-89 951 will set you back $8000-$12000.

 

no no no, i dont intend on taking it to the dragstrip every weekend, maybe once or twice a year just for fun, because a lot of my friends drive TA's, Camaros, and Mustangs, and they all think the ultimate car is one that will make it down the 1/4 mile in 11 seconds...my dad has a vette and is real into crossover racing, so if anything the car will be driven on the street 75% of the time, on the dragstrip about 10% of the time, and on the crossover scene 15% of the time...anything else you guys need to know before you give me the nitty gritty

 

Well...the cheapest and lighest model is going to be the '86 951. In '87 they added standard dual air-bags and ABS, probably adding 100+ pounds to the car, and they kept getting heavier every year after that. The '86 models have the old wheel offset (23.3 mm) so to fit newer factory porsche wheels (53.3mm offset) will require spacers and longer studs, or swapping parts of the suspension with a later model. I bought some aftermarket replica wheels that look exactly like the factory 17" 993 wheels, but they have a spacer cast into the wheel so the offset is correct, and they weigh a pound or two more each wheel than the factory wheels. You can get lightweight forged wheels custom made in the old offset, too...they are just mad expensive. The '87+ models also have the automatic timing belt tensioner, all though '87+ models still seem to have their heads take a **** on them as often as the '86 models. The auto belt tensioner can be retrofitted to an '86 model, but you will have to drill into your block.

Things to look for when buying the car:
Last timing belt/balance shaft belt service - If unknown, don't buy the car, or get this done immediately after procuring the automobile.

Oil leaks - These are old cars, so most will probably have oil leaks unless they were meticulously maintained (I have spent the last 6 months chasing down the last of my oil leaks and trying to figure out my power steering leak)

Motor mounts - you will probably need to replace the motor mounts...it isn't that big of a deal, and it ties into the next one

Rod bearings - if the car has over 100K miles, I would suggest replacing the rod bearings as these cars have a tendancy to have these go out on them with high milage/poor maintainence. I did this myself in a storage shed barely big enough for my car, along with a rack of other things. If you have access to a lift or at least ample working space, it shouldn't be that hard to do. While you have the oilpan off, you can replace your leaking power steering lines, have your power steering rack rebuilt if it is leaking, replace all of your worn suspension bushings, replace your control arms (more on that in a minute), replace your motor mounts, replace your oilpan gasket, etc. etc. since all of this stuff will be off anyways.

control arms - These cars also like to go through front ball joints. When you test drive, check for front shimmy, clicking and popping noises when going slow, etc. If you get an '86 model, you can retrofit older steel control arms (I am doing this now) in place of your light alloy control arms. The steel control arms can be re-inforced, and have a replaceable ball joint that costs around $14, as opposed to sending out your light alloy control arms and having a new ball joint pressed into it for $200 each arm. This is one reason I am glad I got an '86...it will save me much time and headache in the future with this mod.

compression check - you will get a better idea of what shape the inside of the motor is in. I believe the turbo models should be 135-140 psi across all 4 cylinders in perfect condition...cylinder # 2 always seems to loose compression before the other cylinders.

Visual appearance - these cars should and will never rust because of their galvanized construction...if you see rust, run...it was wrecked and fixed with non-oem parts. The dashboards will most likely be cracked...I wonder why my porsche is the only car I have ever owned with a cracked dash...I don't know. Remember these cars are 13+ years old, so you will pay dearly for a perfect example. You can always do the earl shibe thing if your car's paint looks like ****.

As far as drag racing is concerned, I have taken my 951 up to the track a couple of times, and my best time was a 14.0 @102.2 MPH...that was with a ****ty 60' (never got a good take off) and on a 100+ degree day. I cranked the boost up a bit since then...I think I could run a mid 13 if I got a good launch, and that is with minimal engine mods (boost controller up to 16 psi, chips, cat back exhaust). I haven't had any problems with the axles/cv joints, but I don't do full drag strip take offs very often. Hope that helps,

 

that helps a ton! so im thinking of probably going with an 87 up model...can someone tell me the different types of models they made those years...i see so many different types i cant keep up...i think theres the regular 944 turbo, then the 944 NA, then the 944 turbo S, then the watercooled 944's...is that all of them? what are the differences between each one of them?? horsepower ratings? and what the hell is a 951?? im still a little confused

 

ALL 944's are watercooled. 951= 944turbo. Sometimes 952=944 turbo s.
Not sure of the years but first was the 924. Then the 924s. Then the 944. Then the 944s. Then the 944 turbo (951). Then the 944 turbo s (952).
Did I miss anything?

 

And the whole 1988 Turbo S = 1989 Turbo thing.

 

[quote]Originally posted by d richard:
<strong>ALL 944's are watercooled. 951= 944turbo. Sometimes 952=944 turbo s.
Not sure of the years but first was the 924. Then the 924s. Then the 944. Then the 944s. Then the 944 turbo (951). Then the 944 turbo s (952).
Did I miss anything?</strong><hr></blockquote>

Don't forget the S2

 

OK, what kinds of horsepower numbers do each one of these put out? and what is the 944 S2? so the best one to buy to modify is the 944 Turbo S?? thanks!

 

[quote]Originally posted by MWymard:
<strong> of the time, on the dragstrip about 10% of the time, and on the crossover scene 15% of the time...</strong><hr></blockquote>


After you pay for a clutch you will learn the hard way these are not cars to drag.