Jrboulder

I'm pretty sure you have to pull the intake to do the clutch or change the starter on a 6 cyl 3-series. No thanks.

mytrplseven

I seriously worry about a Junior in college who should be 100% involved in getting his degree and studying, not working on his car at every turn. I'm not trying to be anybody's father but unless the candidate car you buy has all this stuff done, I'd say buy a Honda. If you're lucky enough to find one you can afford that has all the major stuff done, then I'd say go for it. I'm on my third and loved them all as dailey drivers. By the way, there are no "fan belts" on 944's.

87 944 C

i used my 87 8v for 3yrs as a daily driver, snow, rain, sleet, it did the job well...forget the dry pavement on backroads that was flatout awesome. the warmup time in winter is bit of a pain in the ***, but i think that's all Porsche's from 50-95. other than belts and such, since most have a sunroof, check the sunroof seals.

i know of an 84 8v that the owner is willing to sell for 2500. needs paint, has new brakes, belts, suspension, steering pump, hoses, fluids. interior is mint condition, sport seats w/o rips. it's dark red over tan. 5spd, sunrood, the hatch release still works, has new hood and hatch stuts/shocks. original radio. i think the only bad other than paint was the antena doesn't retract(stuck up). he also has the mid taillight that has PORSCHE on it.

btw: where in bethleham do you store the 911? i'm only about 30mins from bethleham.

Jay Gratton

Why not keep driving the van since it is free and put that $4-6K into your 911 to get it the way you want it. I loved my 944's and 924S' as nice weather DD's, but I wouldn't want to drive them in the winter. Sell the 924 while you are at it and put that money into the 911.
Any girl worth anything will understand completely that you re only driving the van because you are saving the Porsche. Besides, the van is a rolling motel if needed. A girl has to love that!!!!

JustinL

I daily drove my 944 for 10 years (through university and into my career) from 140,000 miles to over 300,000 miles. Great car, easy to work on. I'm glad I didn't have to drive a civic.

PorscheG96

Can't believe that I'm saying this, but I think the cost of maintenance has become too high for a 944 [or any Porsche] to be owned by a student. New parts are insanely expensive even if you do the work yourself. Is it really necessary to have a car at all for college? Get the Porsche once you have a decent job.

944meister

+1 I am a college student and drive my 944s2 as my daily driver, though I have a full class load and work 38hrs a week. I'm probably a bad influence

masterdave

Hey guys thanks for all the responses ill try and address them one at a time here. I know there is no fan belt I was in a bit of a 911 mind set while writing this.

"btw: where in bethleham do you store the 911? i'm only about 30mins from bethleham. "

For the time being the car is back home in westchester as the dorms dont have garages but if I can find a garage off campus that I can rent I may make its way down here.

"Why not keep driving the van since it is free and put that $4-6K into your 911 to get it the way you want it. "

The 4K-6K would come from selling the van, so I would not be able to put it in to the 911 and still drive the van. As for making the 911 what I want, its for the most part there. The paint is the last thing I would do, and while doing that I would do the top end while the engine was out. I also would never be able to bring my self to sell the 924s I have though about it, however it was my first car and I spent many hours under that hood. It is far to close to me to sell it.

"why not get an E30 or E36"

My dad drives the new 3 series and its nice but I still like my 78SC more. It may sound silly but I almost cant bring my self to get any thing that is not a Porsche. I look at it this way. I could spend 5K-7K on a used civic/accord/Camry/sensible 4 door/good for a student car. or I could spend half that on a 944 and have 2013959834 times the fun.

Im glad to see there are a lot of younger guys who are using these as there DD especially in college that is good to hear. I am used to showing up to 911 drives and I'm the only one under 40.

In terms of handling the work with college im not that worried. I am on the schools formula SAE team and any time any ones car has an issue we all help each other out so stuff gets done fast if we need it to.

The only reason I mentioned special tools for the timing belt was I had remembered looking in to replacing it on my 924s and some one said I needed some special tension measuring thing that was expensive. As well as one or 2 other special tools.

I know generally what to look for, when looking for a solid DD. Recent FOES, paperwork on all the work done, no rust, breaks, filters and plugs, any mods ever made, has it ever been in any accident, etc, etc. Any thing else that stands out that I forgot.

This is still up in the air as I have to first convince my father to let me get rid of the van then I have to convince him to let me by a 3rd Porsche...

Regards
Dave

odurandina

most upside down car in automotive history.... after the Porsche 928.

zerMATT951

Only because the people who enjoy them will spend silly money to keep them on the road...

944meister

my advice would be to get an 87 or newer 944, they have autotensioners so you dont have to worry about buying a belt tensioner tool, as long as the tensioner is in good shape and/or the spring holds good tension. when doing belts the only special tools you really need is the flywheel lock and the sprocket wrench.

JohnKoaWood

Both my cars have the auto tensioner, as do most I have worked on... I have a "tensioner tool" that I have never used, I double check tension using the twist meathod and have never had a problem in over a dozen or so belt jobs....

odurandina

kids busy with college/study your *** off/get to work to pay for college obligations vs/ *(now getting on) 30 year old cars with busy, quirky, moody timing sytems, ****ty H20, and PS pumps, and goofy electrical/fuel systems complete w/ manic computers/faulty alarms that will leave you for dead on the most important day of your life (that's every other day when you're in college).... oh and i haven't even mentioned the entanglements for fixing blown clutches, leaky seals, and finding a remedy for the louisiana swamp that pass for the cars's interior spaces, for when you're ready to take your sweetheart out on your first date.


pass.


turbo = run.

xschop

I drive mine everyday minus the gutless, out -of- date, money pit called the 4 banger.
BTW these cars have a rear Wiwood option now.

masterdave

In a very very strange way thats what I love about these cars they are real machines not just a bunch of nuts and bolts that get you around.