2.7 Million Miles and still runs great!
12-29-2011, 11:40 PM
#16
Pretty simple really.
944 Life cycle:
Owner 1: leases it for 3 years.
Owner 2: Lives beyond their means and buys it barely used. They own it for 6 or so years but can't really afford it so they don't keep up on maintenence or fix anything that breaks.
Owner 3: Buys it at a used car lot and DDs it for 5 or so years. It has something wrong with it so it gets parked in a garage. It gets sold to a teenager several years later.
Owners 4-7: Several Low income people (read teenagers) who buy it because it's a "Porche" and thrash the hell out of their "whip".
From there it goes one of two ways:
Owner 8a: After being crashed or belt failure it is parted out and lives on in our cars.
Owner 8b: Someone buys it thking "what the heck" and becomes a RL member and the car is slowly rebuilt.
944 Life cycle:
Owner 1: leases it for 3 years.
Owner 2: Lives beyond their means and buys it barely used. They own it for 6 or so years but can't really afford it so they don't keep up on maintenence or fix anything that breaks.
Owner 3: Buys it at a used car lot and DDs it for 5 or so years. It has something wrong with it so it gets parked in a garage. It gets sold to a teenager several years later.
Owners 4-7: Several Low income people (read teenagers) who buy it because it's a "Porche" and thrash the hell out of their "whip".
From there it goes one of two ways:
Owner 8a: After being crashed or belt failure it is parted out and lives on in our cars.
Owner 8b: Someone buys it thking "what the heck" and becomes a RL member and the car is slowly rebuilt.
12-30-2011, 10:14 AM
#17
Pretty simple really.
944 Life cycle:
Owner 1: leases it for 3 years.
Owner 2: Lives beyond their means and buys it barely used. They own it for 6 or so years but can't really afford it so they don't keep up on maintenence or fix anything that breaks.
Owner 3: Buys it at a used car lot and DDs it for 5 or so years. It has something wrong with it so it gets parked in a garage. It gets sold to a teenager several years later.
Owners 4-7: Several Low income people (read teenagers) who buy it because it's a "Porche" and thrash the hell out of their "whip".
From there it goes one of two ways:
Owner 8a: After being crashed or belt failure it is parted out and lives on in our cars.
Owner 8b: Someone buys it thking "what the heck" and becomes a RL member and the car is slowly rebuilt.
944 Life cycle:
Owner 1: leases it for 3 years.
Owner 2: Lives beyond their means and buys it barely used. They own it for 6 or so years but can't really afford it so they don't keep up on maintenence or fix anything that breaks.
Owner 3: Buys it at a used car lot and DDs it for 5 or so years. It has something wrong with it so it gets parked in a garage. It gets sold to a teenager several years later.
Owners 4-7: Several Low income people (read teenagers) who buy it because it's a "Porche" and thrash the hell out of their "whip".
From there it goes one of two ways:
Owner 8a: After being crashed or belt failure it is parted out and lives on in our cars.
Owner 8b: Someone buys it thking "what the heck" and becomes a RL member and the car is slowly rebuilt.
I got my 944 Turbo it was in much better shape, but still needed some work. What I have learned with these cars is that when you fix things the proper way they last a really long time. If you cut corners then you will be always chasing the last fix. Someone once told me to visualize the whole system you are having an issue with. If you can afford to replace the parts that always fail at one time you will have no issues for a long long time. I have done that for a few things and now my car is really starting to come together.
I'm still impressed by how many of these cars are around. There aren't too many of the 1970's 924's, but there are a ton of 944's still. They were built to last IMO. They just need to keep up with maintenance more than you would say 1980-90's honda. The bodies are made from galvanized steel which is awesome as far as I can tell. My 924S didn't have any rust and it was all dented up and beat to hell. I would like to see how long the 951 I have can last. With me driving I would assume a long time, but hell who knows. These are some of the best cars money can buy IMO. They are big in the interior perfect for 2 people and a couple of bags, have a huge sunroof, have decent power, get good MPG, and overall are fun to drive.
12-30-2011, 12:13 PM
#18
Rennlist Member
I think a great deal of that P1800's longevity can be put down to it not having much plastic. No urethane bumper covers, the dash is 99% steel, the interior pretty simple. Just not a lot to go wrong in the first place. I didn't see if the P1800 had overdrive, but I'd bet on it. Mechanically, no electric fans, no fusebox full of Bosch relays, mechanical fuel pump, carb vs EFI... not surprised he didn't have a lot of problems. I'd be curious if he replaced the seat cushions a couple of times?
What I find amazing is that it isn't rusted to bits. A Northeast car driven all year without rust? I suspect he did a lot more underside washing than they are letting on, or lives in the country where salting isn't as common or pervasive.
I'd also bet he does mostly highway driving. I had a friend who lived 1/2 mile from an interstate on-ramp 85 miles from work, and work was 1/2 mile from the off-ramp. He went 250,000 miles on brakes, on a Dodge Omni POS, never replaced the clutch, shocks, belts, or even the battery. His driving was nearly all on the interstate, out in the styx, no stop-n-go.
What I find amazing is that it isn't rusted to bits. A Northeast car driven all year without rust? I suspect he did a lot more underside washing than they are letting on, or lives in the country where salting isn't as common or pervasive.
I'd also bet he does mostly highway driving. I had a friend who lived 1/2 mile from an interstate on-ramp 85 miles from work, and work was 1/2 mile from the off-ramp. He went 250,000 miles on brakes, on a Dodge Omni POS, never replaced the clutch, shocks, belts, or even the battery. His driving was nearly all on the interstate, out in the styx, no stop-n-go.
12-30-2011, 12:52 PM
#19
Addict
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
My first car (many years ago) was a 1971 Volvo 142E which had the same (think it was a B20) motor as the P1800E. Great car ! Bought it from my uncle (who collected em) with 153k on the clock.
Rebuilt it due to lots of RUST and gutted and redid the interior (while in high school)....drove it for about 3 years...and sold it back to my uncle for the $500 I paid for it with 187k on the clock....it ran for about 10 years after that !
My S2 came to me with 'good bones' but in need of lots of neglected upkeep...so I fall into the 8B category above.
But now that it's up to date....it's a very solid car....as much so as my old brick !
In large part I attribute this to the 3.0L motor...which in my eyes is one of the best 4cyl cars I've ever owned.
Rebuilt it due to lots of RUST and gutted and redid the interior (while in high school)....drove it for about 3 years...and sold it back to my uncle for the $500 I paid for it with 187k on the clock....it ran for about 10 years after that !
My S2 came to me with 'good bones' but in need of lots of neglected upkeep...so I fall into the 8B category above.
But now that it's up to date....it's a very solid car....as much so as my old brick !
In large part I attribute this to the 3.0L motor...which in my eyes is one of the best 4cyl cars I've ever owned.
12-30-2011, 01:40 PM
#20
Burning Brakes
problems this Volvo didn't have:
A/C (doubt it came with it)
power steering (ditto)
timing belt (well, OK, but I can't imagine he hasn't rebuilt the engine once)
Most of you have rose-colored views of old cars. I have several, and they're not Swiss watches by any means, nor were they built for any kind of longevity. The average lifespan of an American car in 1969 was five years; let's say Volvos were built to twice that standard. It was still dead in the Carter administration.
I think they glossed over the foot-thick stack of service records...
A/C (doubt it came with it)
power steering (ditto)
timing belt (well, OK, but I can't imagine he hasn't rebuilt the engine once)
Most of you have rose-colored views of old cars. I have several, and they're not Swiss watches by any means, nor were they built for any kind of longevity. The average lifespan of an American car in 1969 was five years; let's say Volvos were built to twice that standard. It was still dead in the Carter administration.
I think they glossed over the foot-thick stack of service records...
12-30-2011, 01:48 PM
#21
Addict
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
Correct...
Mine had no AC and no power steering
It was however built like a damn tank. While in college this thing served as a battle cruiser for everything from keg hauling to donuts in the dorm lot to christmas tree theft (long story !).
The only issues I ever had with it other than normal wear/tear were related to the distributor plain wearing out.....and having to be replaced.
Beyond that it was unreal.
Mine had no AC and no power steering
It was however built like a damn tank. While in college this thing served as a battle cruiser for everything from keg hauling to donuts in the dorm lot to christmas tree theft (long story !).
The only issues I ever had with it other than normal wear/tear were related to the distributor plain wearing out.....and having to be replaced.
Beyond that it was unreal.
12-30-2011, 02:10 PM
#22
Rennlist Member
Pretty bird, I am not 100% about B20s however the b230 engine which is related to this engine has a timing belt. It is not an interfernce engine, so throw a belt and put a new on and away you go. As for a/c and power steering a good bit of the p1800s had both these options (not a cheap car in there day).
12-30-2011, 02:30 PM
#24
uhm i got my 944 when i was 17 and now im 21 and i had no mechanical exsperience and now im almost a master tech. out of college and living the dream. my 944 was restored by me then moded by me. not one wreck and ive rebuilt everything. and its my world. ive even painted the car myself. low income yes for us young guys. i have 20k in my car is 4 years. i see a long future for my car since i wont get rid of it and it will be in my family for awhile.
not all young people are bad you know. just unexsperienced is all.
and BTW the 944 is one of the sexiest porsches and great on gas and not to slow. not to mension when you doing suspension like i did and get some 17in turbo twist. its a road killing machine. i dont see why these cars cant last a long time. i got mine (7 owner) with 350K miles. and ive put almost 60K on myself. yes i repaired the odometer.
not all young people are bad you know. just unexsperienced is all.
and BTW the 944 is one of the sexiest porsches and great on gas and not to slow. not to mension when you doing suspension like i did and get some 17in turbo twist. its a road killing machine. i dont see why these cars cant last a long time. i got mine (7 owner) with 350K miles. and ive put almost 60K on myself. yes i repaired the odometer.
12-30-2011, 02:40 PM
#26
uhm I got my 944 when I was 17 and now I'm 21 and I had no mechanical exsperience and now im almost a master tech. out of college and living the dream. my 944 was restored by me then moded by me. not one wreck and ive rebuilt everything. and its my world. I've even painted the car myself. low income yes for us young guys. I have 20k in my car is 4 years. I see a long future for my car since I won't get rid of it and it will be in my family for awhile.
Not all young people are bad you know. Just unexsperienced is all.
and BTW the 944 is one of the sexiest porsches and great on gas and not to slow. not to mension when you doing suspension like I did and get some 17in turbo twist. It's a road killing machine. I dont see why these cars cant last a long time. I got mine (7 owner) with 350K miles. and I've put almost 60K on myself. Yes I repaired the odometer.
Not all young people are bad you know. Just unexsperienced is all.
and BTW the 944 is one of the sexiest porsches and great on gas and not to slow. not to mension when you doing suspension like I did and get some 17in turbo twist. It's a road killing machine. I dont see why these cars cant last a long time. I got mine (7 owner) with 350K miles. and I've put almost 60K on myself. Yes I repaired the odometer.
I bought my 84 when I was 17 and spent a lot of time and money on it. It was literally the best decision I ever made. I'm almost 19 now. I don't think I will be owning a 944 for a while (Next P-car either a 964 or a 986S) but they are really really great cars.
12-30-2011, 02:52 PM
#27
Drifting
Thread Starter
12-30-2011, 04:16 PM
#28
uhm i got my 944 when i was 17 and now im 21 and i had no mechanical exsperience and now im almost a master tech. out of college and living the dream. my 944 was restored by me then moded by me. not one wreck and ive rebuilt everything. and its my world. ive even painted the car myself. low income yes for us young guys. i have 20k in my car is 4 years. i see a long future for my car since i wont get rid of it and it will be in my family for awhile.
not all young people are bad you know. just unexsperienced is all.
and BTW the 944 is one of the sexiest porsches and great on gas and not to slow. not to mension when you doing suspension like i did and get some 17in turbo twist. its a road killing machine. i dont see why these cars cant last a long time. i got mine (7 owner) with 350K miles. and ive put almost 60K on myself. yes i repaired the odometer.
not all young people are bad you know. just unexsperienced is all.
and BTW the 944 is one of the sexiest porsches and great on gas and not to slow. not to mension when you doing suspension like i did and get some 17in turbo twist. its a road killing machine. i dont see why these cars cant last a long time. i got mine (7 owner) with 350K miles. and ive put almost 60K on myself. yes i repaired the odometer.
12-30-2011, 04:27 PM
#29
Pro
Sorry Cole, but the 944 and for that matter no Porsche is as reliable as a 4 cylinder volvo. They are absolutely built like tanks and cheap to run and maintain. I have had 6 of them ranging from my current (abused before my ownership)'93 940 Turbo wagon to 240s. They are undoubtably the most reliable and stout car ever made. I know that they are not the sexiest machine, but they are none the less great cars.
BTW, I am the last person that will bash the 944 series car. I have owned mine for 9 years and it to is a great machine, however they don't take the abuse nearly as well as other cars.
BTW, I am the last person that will bash the 944 series car. I have owned mine for 9 years and it to is a great machine, however they don't take the abuse nearly as well as other cars.
12-30-2011, 05:44 PM
#30
Rennlist Member
Sorry Cole, but the 944 and for that matter no Porsche is as reliable as a 4 cylinder SAAB. They are absolutely built like tanks and cheap to run and maintain. I have had 6 of them ranging from my current (abused before my ownership)'92 900i to 900 Turbos. They are undoubtably the most reliable and stout car ever made. I know that they are not the sexiest machine, but they are none the less great cars.
Fixed it for you.
Yet no Volvo or SAAB will drive and handle like my 951. Let alone win it's class at Le Mans. Horses for courses.
