dstt

all 944's are $10k cars.. pay up front for a nice one or spend it on constant upgrades.

You can take that to the bank- about the most accurate statement about 944's I've read.

ernie9468

Heck of a good deal on Pelican, it's a 94-968-6spd w/lsd ,interior has sport seats ,all major service done on it, including cam tensioner & pads ,has 127k miles asking $11,900.oo.Hope it does find a good home.

Yummybud924

I think the base 944 and 951 would probably be cheaper to maintain than the S and S2. the belt job ont eh S and S2 seems more complicated with the chain running the two camshafts. I've heard of chain failures on S and S2 models.

base 944 is pretty easy to do any repair on except teh clutch. I have done every repair on teh car other than clutch. unlessy you have a lift a clutch replacement on jack stands is going to be really difficult imo.

other than that I think the 944 is an easy car to work on.

Dennis Burford

Thanks for all the great posts and advice. My son, Eric, is in San Luis Obispo, I'm east of Placerville, which is east of Sacramento. He is a starving student and I am a starving state employee, furloughed and pay reductioned nearly into bankruptcy, so budget is definitely not in the S or S2 range. The only way I can afford my 928 at all is to do all my own work. I'm afraid it will be the same for him and the 944. I think he would be very happy with a nice base $4K or $5K car, upgrades be damned for awhile. If all 944's are truly $10K cars then he may need to rethink his strategy.

Yummybud924

try to find an early 944 83-84 with manual steering if you want an affordable 944.

most of the powersteering racks on 944s leak and need to be replaced. also later 944s the ball joints in the control arm are not replaceable unless you rebuild the control arm. replacments are expensive 300+ each vs 20 bucks for a ball joint for the early 944s with the steel arms.

i'm sure you can find a pretty nice 944 for 4-5 k that has been taken good care of. replace the water pump/ timing belt tensioners about 500 in parts. change all fluids, check teh brakes and it should be good to drive and they're pretty reliable unless you have bad luck like me......

oh forgot, motor mounts are almost always shot also and most likely need replacing. and oil pan gaskets may also be leaky and need replacing which is time consuming.

Yummybud924

if he only has 4-5 k to spend in total then probably a bad idea to buy a 944 because if something major like a clutch needs to be replaced he'll have to save up for a while to have it done.

I think a 944 is really only a good car for someone with teh time and space to work on them themselves. if you can work on the car yourself and shop around for parts they are not that expensive to own.

Darwantae951

What?! Blasphemy!!!

V2Rocket

there are rennlisters in that area, one i think goes to cal poly, should he need help.

and i wouldnt be opposed to making a trip out towards santa barbara someday soon in an 'emergency'

Dennis Burford

Hi Guys,

Just pulled the trigger on this http://sacramento.craigslist.org/cto/2308030366.html very nice 944, 138K miles, needs motor mounts but that is it! Interior near mint (one crack in dash) paint good, car is solid. Flew through smog check.

I'm going to research an after market non-hydraulic motor mount like I put in my 928 (Anchor 2698). I'm also going to look into a short throw shifter option like I put in my 928, these tall shifters are a little ungainly. My kid is stoked and can't wait to come up from SLO to get his new ride.

I'm sure I'll be back here frequently for help ...

pnbell

Wow very Cool! Good Luck!

You have Manual Tranny 928???

LUCKYJACKASS

Good looking car. Good luck with it...I am sure he will enjoy it!!!

sydneyman

man i love fuchs! i wish those fit on later cars... but they would look a little silly on the 968...

Dennis Burford

Hi, Yes pnbell, I have a manual tranny 928. It took a little while to get used to the shift pattern, but now it is completely second nature. And a friend of mine pointed out that 1st is in a great position (spring loaded over left and down) because there is almost no need for 1st gear in a track car, which we all know the 928 really is at heart. Driving the 944 home last night I had to force myself to remember where first gear was, and found myself trying to start off in 2nd a couple of times.

Marcquito

I would suggest nothing less than an S2 or a Turbo. The later year you can afford, the better. The best condition and well cared for... the better. Don't let the 951 scare you away - if you're working on a 928, the turbo will be easy.

Darwantae951

I don't think the maintenance pushed him away from the turbo...