Dennis Burford

Hi guys,

My oldest son, about to turn 21, is wanting to give up his Audi A4 Quattro 5 speed (sell it to my youngest, just turned 18) and buy a 944.

Can you give me some advice? Point me to good reference materials? I've been entrenched in my 928 for a few years now and love the car, but know very little about the 944, except that it too is a d*mn good looking car.

5 Speed is mandatory (did they even make an auto 944?) but will probably steer him away from the turbos.

Thanks,
Dennis

ChrisJ951

Yes they did make an automatic normally aspirated 944, but most are 5 speeds. I would google a site called clarks garage that is specific to the 944 and 944 turbo. Maintenance is key to these cars, timing belt, water pump, rollers are key. Also if the car is high mileage and the clutch is original that will be something to look at. Get a pre-purchase inspection from a mechanic of your choice. Also the 89 944 is a 2.7 liter and is the best year.

pnbell

Well a 944 is a 928 cut in half...

-Engine is Half
-Size is Half
-Cost is Half
-Repairs are Half

Ha ha!

Have your son get as nice a 944na as he can possibly find! With tons of records! Zero Leaks! Recent Belts and WaterPump neccesary!! Around $5,000 should can buy a very nice one. Avoid the Turbo... Turbos are Awesome! But, Cost More, Harder to Work on, Very simple to get Reckless Driving Tickets with, and Not as Driver Friendly.

Plus after your son "does and learns" all he can with the 944na, he can buy a Turbo, and be very well prepared!

I would reccommend a late model 87+ and depending on Money, an S or S2.

Yes there is an Auto... Lame...

EJZero1

What timing! I've got a very nice 89 2.7L 5-spd I'm about to list for sale in Colorado!

Will be listed separately soon instead of (further) hijacking this thread.

Dennis Burford

Thanks for the advice, we'll be getting underway with our search for a 944na in a couple weeks I think. EJZero1, will look for your post, I'd love an excuse to drive the 928 out to CO https://rennlist.com/forums/images/icons/icon7.gif

V2Rocket

if you can work on the 928 the 944 will be easy for you.

Dennis Burford

Thanks Spencer. That will be nice. I've worked on my own cars all my life and I do my own 928 repairs, and I can tell you, it can be very challenging. 10 hours on my back to do my motor mounts as just one example. But saved me a ton o' cash as well. My hopes is that the 944 will be something HE can work on, with a little help from me at first.

Rudeboy42

He should have no problem learning how to work on it himself. I've been learning on mine myself and have come a long way in the past year and a half since I bought it.

Fishey

Its like Selling AIDS for Herpies no one really wins.

ernie9468

I suggest you visite this place before jumping on the band wagon www.clarks-garage.com like mention 944 NA are pretty nice cars for what they are either in 2.5 or 2.7 8 vavles application ,but I would seriously look for a 944S2 16 valves if it's in your budget .Not only do they have more HP (208) versus 163 for the -89 2.7 - and 188 for the-944S , but the 944S2 has the turbo body plus all the suspension goodies of the 951 .For a 21 yrs old kid look will be very important ,944S2 are very nice all around cars without the raw power of the 951 & the maintenance hassle & cost.I'm 95% sure that after a couple months of ownership your kid will want to start upgrading the car so why not buy him one that is already done.This way he can concentrate on the car esthetic & maitenance instead of trying to fit it with bigger brakes /different suspension set up ect ect which will cost in a long run.But before you buy an S2 you'll have to realise that the 16V has different need then the 8V NA,the (timing -bsb -water pump & all associated parts) will be the same maintenance as the 944 NA which has to be done every 3-4 years or 40,000 k miles whatever come first.The difference will be the head (tensioner-upper & lower pads & cam chaine) which is simular to an 928 S4.At what mileage they should be service is still subject to different opinions but (let say around 130,000 to 140,000k miles they should be check & if needed be replace.Don't matter what you buy the golden rule here is to get PPI from a mechanic or shop that has experience with the 944s ,GL.

V2Rocket

944 motor mounts take less than half that

there really arent many jobs on the 944 that should take more than, say, 4 hours, even if you are a very patient, methodical mechanical monk who catalogs and cleans every part before putting it back in. a belt swap can be done in 2 hours start to finished and driving, if you your way around. fuel pump swap takes literally 1 minute. spark plugs and filters can be changed during commercial breaks so you can get back to watching "vecinos" or other telenovela of your choice (i assume the rest of you watch these as much as i do )

find the nicest example of a 944 within your price range, look for a previous maintenance history, and enjoy. since you own a 928 your wallet is already easy to open, and the green flat wrench is the most important tool of all.

racer

Not sure if modern safety issues like ABS and Airbags are, but Base cars are hard to come by with those options. With the S2, both were standard. Pre S2, they were optional on some (like the S) and maybe standard on the Turbo? I can't keep em all straight at the moment.

When I was looking I wanted 1) a new/recent replaced clutch (based on the est $2K for a shop to replace) 2) recent belts/wp service and 3) for my climate, a solid working, cold AC.

Lots of the inexpensive ones are filled with deferred maintenance, which makes me believe that all 944's are $10K cars.. pay up front for a nice one or spend it on constant upgrades.

fwb42

Tell us where you are located. Some locals may help you out.

Excelerate

I know the turbo had standard dual airbags since '87 and was the world's first car to do so. ABS is optional up to '88 IIRC, but I'd almost be afraid to have these old style 1st generation airbags in my car seeing as they're probably quite primitive and violent compared to todays 2-stage SRS bags. Can someone with more info chime in?

wanta944

Love my 89