911Königin

Have heard the 951's are pretty fast. Why should I buy it instead of a 997?

V2Rocket

it costs about 12 times less, and with the saved 70k you can make a monster...

plus, they are far more exclusive than 997s...always a bonus

Lemming

If I had the money I would buy the 997S. Why, newer technology.

Dougs951

Two completely different cars. If I had the $ 997.

odurandina

Karen,

well, we surely need more women around here. but, by all means, the 997 if you have the cash. but, i believe there's only one way to own one, and that's a 997 in warrenty. they have a fairly high incidence of engine failures, even without beating on them... if you're really interested in a turn-key 944 car that won't require as much attention as what's actually out there in the 944 marketplace, i would suggest a 968. then, follow a good maintenance schedule and drive it everywhere. the 968 is a considerably less fickle, more dependable car -- and keep somewhat easy (by Porsche standards) on maintenance costs. also, if you don't demand having a manual transmission, there are plenty of 968s out there with automatic transmissions, they come in hard or convertable tops and lots of color options.

if you're really serious about having a high-performance version of the 944 breed, please consider that the cars are getting past 25 years old. their reliability is less-than adequate for most of us, especially if you don't plan on getting under the hood and using your wrenches with high frequency. otherwise, older 944s can be very expensive cars to drive and maintain.

i'll also take crap for saying this, but i would also be open to contacting Eric Hill (Texas Performance Concepts). he can swap in an LSx engine into either a 944 (or 968), and make such a car work for extreme, long-term reliability, that for a 944, would most closely mimick a high-performance production car... a really good value in a swap would probably be a 1987 or later 944 Turbo that has suffered some type of engine problem, (as this is a very good platform to start with) and then install a mild, stock LS1 engine. a very dependable, clean running car can be had for less than $25 k, which is probably still a bit under where the good 997s start... good luck.


.

thirdgenbird

if i had 997 money i would be very tempted to do an ls2 swap in a 951 or 968

Reimu

We're only here because we can't afford 997's

Do some searches on the 944/951 boards and a lot of posts back then now have newer Porsches as their avatars

Techno Duck

Are you considering this for a daily, track car, weekend car? For anything other than a track car i would always pick the 997. For a track car, even the 997 is better in terms of modern suspension, more reliable..etc. However a 951 is far more disposable.... your talking between $6-13k approximately depending on the car you buy or $40k+ on a used 997.

sbolen113

That is a very good point...sad to say. However what a great car to be able to afford, the 944 Everyone is right that has said it on this thread, 944's can be Extremely costly to maintain due to their age. That being said, one that has been taken care of and has low mileage such as a Turbo S will more than likely appreciate down the road where as there are so many 996's and 997's on the road today that they will only continue to loose you money if you own one. For $20-25k you can probably find a mint/showroom condition extremely low mileage 944 Turbo S for sale. You will save $50k on the initial purchase, they are just about as fast as a base 996 or 997, they are more exclusive, and in the long run you may be able to make money on it since they're are only roughly 1,500 (give or take) examples in the U.S. Shoot for 997 money you could get a VERY rare 944 Turbo Cup, one of 9 that are in the states. That is my 2 cents... Some people just prefer the new technology over the exclusivity however, and that is just fine as well. Good luck with the decision! Any Porsche is the right Porsche

Fishey

I would go with a 951 and motor swap it to a V8 LS based Chevy Motor.

On the street overall performance really doesn't matter the 951 is more fun to drive and gives me an experience that I enjoy. The 997 is an over engineered street car with lots of grip and refinement. If you want to take them racing the 997 has just as many hurdles to overcome then the 951 with V8 swap. The main difference is the 997 hurdles end up costing far more money to net you the same result.

V2Rocket

wow, you're a dick.

Lemming

From a kid with 34 posts, none of which added to the community

piperporsche180944

Both are fine vehicles, given your intent of use better advice could be given.

odurandina

wow. +1.

not a very good post. i think some lattitude with females is in order. helping women become part of the Porsche family, and continue to learn about the cars after they get here is rewarding for everyone. some of the coolest P-car owners i know drive flagship 911s and older 928s. he should come to the 24 hours race and see all the cool Porsche women that attend. this guy has obviously not met JoAnne, Nicole or Michelle... or Cheryl Dey who drove a twin turbo 928 faster than any man alive (207 mph) in the Nevada desert. women often DO become highly knowledgable P-car owners, especially when they have an opportunity to learn. their learning curve might be different than ours. who cares? jeeze.



meaning? they were all all very involved with their 944s but also dreamed of getting 911s, and now, it's a few years later and they're driving late 911s, Caymans, etc? not exactly sure what you're saying but if it's that we grow up with aspirations to drive better Porsches, and eventually, we do, i definitely agree. but, i'm definitely keeping my car for a long time after the swap is done... some additional real estate plans are in the mix, but i also wish to get a Cayman S or 997 in the next couple of years. yes, that would be awesome.

i also think there's many cases where extremely cash-strapped, non-dedicated types pick up these cars cheap, screw around with them for a few months and get out, never to be seen again. kind of sad if they never got to enjoy them. what ever happened to that 'Luftpirate' guy? seems like he was heavily into his project until his no-start, dead dme issue came up, wasn't resolved and then never heard from again.


.

pjburges

951's are pretty fast. And can be modified with the turbo to make them really fast for not a whole lot of money compared to many other Porsches. That said, the 951 is higher maintenance than the rest of the 944 family (which by the way I think is pretty good!). Parts tend to run cheaper on all the 944 series due to production numbers and intermingling Audi and VW parts onto the cars.

For a street car consider a very CLEAN low mileage 951, OR think about the 968, it is more refined and carries as much power as the stock 951, though it has no upgrade path to higher horsepower.

For a 997, as mentioned unless you have deep pockets and/or do work yourself you may want to own one in warranty. The 997 did have engine failures. I've never owned one, but driven one hard on a couple occasions. They are in another world from the 944 series. Like comparing a 356 to a 996. The interiors are way nicer, they are quick, the ride is better. They are less direct and raw than a 951, and just in general more refined.

DRIVE BOTH AND DECIDE!