Paul C 944

Does anyone else get paranoid when taking thier car on a trip?Espescially with the wife. More than 100 miles(further thanAAA towing)The clutch failed on the last trip(only time it ever stranded me)I felt I had to prove to her it was worth all the money Ive spent on it.It has proved to be reliable over the last 2.5 years,but still they are old, and you can only forsee so many maintenance issues. I pack spare parts,tools ,oil,water, etc ;is it being prepared or paranoid? Anyone else feel that way.
How far are others willing to drive thier car? <img src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" border="0" alt="[cheers]" />

ERAU-944

I routinely drive my 84 944 on trips over 150 miles. i live in so fla and go to school in daytona, a good 180 mile trip. done on a regular occasion. my car has had all the routine maint and i have the service records though. i carry a qt of oil and a jug of water (i need a 911 cause i dont want to carry water, its heavy) and tools, lots of tools. never given me a bit of problem (other than that one time the heater valve broke, but come on $20) i'm not scared to drive my car long distances, just remember that spare dme relay! i drove home from orlando with no problems... then went to go to the store with mom, and on the way down my street the dme relay gave up the ghost. *whew*

be safe!!!
-Mike

hitbyastick

The worst paranioa I got was when I drove from San Francsico to San Bernardino to meet with other 914ers. The car had alread made some trouble and I just replaced the suspension. So yeah kinda scary when the windshield molding flew off half way there.

Sami951

So far I've driven trips up to about 450 miles without thinking twice about it (sorry, just had to )

(and that 450-mile trip was three days long, including a visit to the Uusikaupunki car factory (where they make the Boxster, but you already knew that, didn't you? ), an autocross competition and some track driving. A lot of fun, really )

Of course, I'm really optimistic about my car... and for a reason, over the three years I've had it, the only "showstopper" has been a coolant hose leak - and on a long trip, even that could have probably been band-aided with some duct tape. Time to go knock on wood I guess .. <img src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" border="0" alt="[cheers]" />

PCinDC

Drove my 84 944 alone from Minnesota to Washington DC with a stop in Indianapolis this past Christmas.
Picked up my new baby (87 944) in Wisconsin and drove it back here a month ago.
The MN-DC trip was somewhere near 1000 miles (a little more)
The Wisconsin to DC trip was around 800-900Miles (did it in one shot).
No problems either trip.
The 944 is an Excellent road trip car. As long as there's not more than 2 of you.

Paul
84 944 110K Gemini Grey Metallic
87 944 41K Guards Red

CPTdooberhead

Definately paranoid. Last trip I took was from NC to Ga, and bacck to NC. On my way back to NC, abotu 30 miles from home I blew a headgasket and was stranded in the middle of the night. I suppose it could have been worse, at least I was close to home

streck-fu

I've driven on a couple 1k+ trips (From Va Beach to St.Louis twice in one month). My original power steering hose came apart on the way during the first trip. I had no problemas after that.

I'm a little more nervous now. I keep jumper cables and some tools in the car whenever I travel more than a couple of hundred miles.


<img src="graemlins/burnout.gif" border="0" alt="[burnout]" />

elf89

Reading this Rennlist board makes me very paranoid about the 944. So far the 944 I got this spring has been great, but I'm always looking out for that $1500 clutch or $500 motor mounts I keep hearing about.

rpm's S2

My trip to Hershey in April totaled over 1400 miles. I drove everything from rural backroads to I-95 without a problem and the car got over 25 mpg.

phantom309

I bought my 87 from my sister in San Francisco last May - my wife and I drove it 1200 miles back to our home in Kansas with a set of socket wrenches, a cell phone and AAA for luck. We lost the AC about halfway through the Nevada desert, but aside from that it ran great. It's been fine so far except for a few of the usual quirks. I have to say though, that if I hadn't been prepared to do most of my own repair work on this car, I never would've bought it.

Matt O.

I finished fixing Argento at 1AM last Sunday morning, and 8 hours later I was on the road to VIR 220 miles away. Of course, my mom was freaked but Argento ran perfectly the entire way. Like butter.

In the past I've driven her to Orlando (about 600 miles). She'll treat you like you treat her.

Packing tools isn't paranoid, it's smart.

-Matt

dave120

[quote]Originally posted by elf89:
<strong>Reading this Rennlist board makes me very paranoid about the 944. So far the 944 I got this spring has been great, but I'm always looking out for that $1500 clutch or $500 motor mounts I keep hearing about.</strong><hr></blockquote>

$500 motor mounts?! Man they must jack the labor up on that pretty good! I paid less than $200 for the parts and did it myself a couple weeks ago..it's not that hard to do at all.

bpp944

Paul,

I'll drive my car anywhere at the drop of a hat. It's been the most reliable car I've ever owned. So far this year it's been round trip from Charlotte, NC. To Detroit, MI. (twice), Philadelphia, PA. (at least 4 times), Atlanta GA. and Tampa FL. I'm always looking forward to the next road-trip (driving up to Indy for the F-1 race at the end of the month) and tools are on hand in the unlikely event of a breakdown.

nib5

The more you drive these cars, the happier they are. My car never feels better than after a 300 - 500 mile high speed run. I carry some oil, water I find en route if necessary.

When I bought mine (as a resto project), it had a bad wheel bearing, a worn track rod bushing, a shot clutch centre disk, a broken balance belt, worn out ign wires, a crapped up distributor, spark plug gaps of 1.7mm, and what appeared to be molasses in the gearbox. It drove 200 miles (not very pleasantly) without causing any probs. These are strong cars, though obviously risk taking of that order is not advisable.

Pamela

I am (well my other half) is contemplating driving my 88 944s from San Diego to Elmira (Upstate NY) in mid October. I must say I am a little paranoid about the potential of my baby to break down on the way and leave my hubby stranded. I know that I should carry extra coolant/water/power steering fluids etc., but what other things would be a MUST to carry on such an arduous journey? Any suggestions/tips/hints appreciated. Thanks guys