Doug&Julie

So I'm looking at a couple (ok, a few) options for my next car. While I'm leaning to a 924S (solid car, low entry price, can pay with cash), there are two 944S2s somewhat local that look to be in really nice shape. One is an 80k mile coupe with a $9.5k asking price and one is a 70k mile convertible with a $12k asking price.

I've owned one 944 (an '88 n/a) and it was a pretty good car (ok, in five years I paid for the car again in maintenance and repairs...almost $13k...but it was a good car). What could I expect with an S2? Will I be paying for the car over again in a few years? Or can I expect to get by with just typical maintenance? For a while I'd use it as a 70% daily driver...I would still have the Subie for bad weather. But someday it could become a 100% driver. Any thoughts on that?

For what it's worth, in this price range I'd rather have a Boxster, but 66% of the Boxsters I've owned had their motors replaced, and if it happened again I wouldn't be able to "afford" that. So, while a $3k bill for new valves or something would really suck, it still wouldn't be $12k for a new motor...thus my thoughts on an S2 instead.

Appreciate all comments.

Thanks!

racer

I would expect a similar maintanence cost/need with the S2. The S2 is a nice car though.. about just the right power/tq and brakes to make it a really fun car compared to the 8V. I went through the whole FEWC family a few years ago (test driving them from a 924S to a 968 -I'm just not a turbo guy) before actually settling on a Boxster.. but the boxsters frailty wore on me and so it was sold. I revisted the 944 series cars recently and decided on a low mileage, well maintained '87 944 N/A.

As for a daily driver, you know its 20+ years old. It can be done, but will accelerate the "maintenance" needs - even the little things.

Given your history of aircoolers, it is NOT one. I too have found the simplicity and durability of the aircooled cars to be without peer. I don't expect quite the same level of durability with my 944, but I hope it proves me wrong!

PorscheDude1

In that price range, consider looking at 968's.
A little more refined and the last of a breed.
Mine has been very reliable and never left me stranded,
outside of a few flat tires.

Some may say the variocam is an added headache, but they rarely
fail. If it needs replacement it's only another $200 on top of an S2 cam chain tensioner replacement.
With any older sports car, records and upkeep are king.

Any used car is a crap shoot. I tend to stick with what I know.

DANNiE

Im thinking 9K is too much for an S2... Maybe Im just lucky... But I only paid $2500 for mine and it has 70K miles and I bought it from the original owner; granted I got the car through a friend of a friend but still I think anything more than 7500 is too much for a car with more than 50K miles on it... now if it had like 20K miles on it then yea maybe 9K is worth it... and I mean it should be flawless... I saw a really nice convertible S2 on ebay a couple weeks back with 968 mods on it for only 7800... so shop around... shipping a car is about $400-$800 bucks depending on where the car is and who the shippers are...

krazykarl

So sad, market has really fallen in the year since I bought mine if they're selling for only 5-7k.

Personally I wouldn't use a 20 year old Porsche as a daily driver. If it's your only mode of transportation it can get awful expensive to have it repaired by a shop every time there is an issue.

JohnKoaWood

For what it's worth, I used my N/A as a daily driver until it spun a balance shaft bearing, and have been using my 951 90% daily since buying it last December.... I drive 150 miles a day, and have absolutely no regrets on using my 20+ year old Porsches as daily drivers...

PPI, PPI, PPI, have a GOOD PPI done, and you should have little worries... I love the looks I get at work when people see me get out of a Porsche, and then they find out it is an 87....

Wipeout

I love my '89 S2 as a DD; it's great fun. I don't think we're talking that much more than a later model turbo/na for upkeep. Main difference is the tensioner, but even that isn't overly expensive and should be part of every other belt job, more or less.

Doug&Julie

Thanks all for the comments. I think I'll just have to plan to have a second car, no matter what I do here.

Regarding pricing, I agree the market has fallen but there are so many bad apples out there, to find a really good one is difficult. I'm willing to pay a little premium for a car that is a) near perfect and b) something I can actually touch and feel before I buy. Not that I'm afraid to buy 'cross country, I just feel better seeing it in person first.

FYI here's the convertible -
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...standard=false

And here's the coupe -
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...standard=false

DANNiE

I think the convertible is a very sexy car; but Coupes in general I like more because there is no worry about top issues... But then again the coupes have sunroofs and they leak too but its always costs more to repair a convertible...

As between the 2; the white coupe has service records and claims to have the water pump and timing belt done within 4k miles thats a hell of a job to do right so its a plus that its already done... Note tho he didnt take many pics of the interior; not that its a huge deal as long as it runs well... But im betting if you start the offers at like 6000 grand and see what he comes down too... the worst that can happen is he says no...

I was real lucky the guy i got mine from didnt even want to sell the car but hes got 2 new cars and rent to be paid so he sold it to me for cheap and i told him im not going to sell the call so its really the only reason he sold it to me for the price i got it for; no doubt tho the market for the S2 is still high for a car thats pushing 20 years old... i dont think ive seen one S2 sell on ebay for less then 5K so that is a more realistic market value for the time...

Doug&Julie

Yeah I can't decide if I'm a convertible guy or not. I love them on a perfect day. And I've loved my Boxsters, but I think that's more about the car's dynamics than the fact it's a convertible. (A few drives in my brother's Cayman S confirm that.) Of course, I consider the huge sunroof on the 924S/944 cars a big plus, and I won't buy a car w/o one. So maybe I'm a fresh-air guy after all?

Another reason I like the convertible idea is, looking back on the cars I've owned, a coupe might seem too "familiar" and a convertible will be a new way to experience the 944.

So much to think about......

JakeS2

My 2c on the S2:
- Keep it stock and it'll last
- Do the regular maintenance so you don't need to fix it that much

I've always loved the S2 - sadly mine blew the engine (due to SMT6 OR ProMAX chip OR K&N or..) - but now it's been brought to a life - and what a new life it is - running the best "'44" engine -> 968 powerplant.

On the value side ; a convertible is better bet than coupe.