PlayGun

Hey everyone, new guy here. Figured I would post my hello post here since I am looking at 944's. I am looking at 944's between 84 and 89 model years. I am alos looking at Corvettes in the same model years. IDK why but I keep looking at the 944 cars. I can afford one and my friends says he can out drive the same year Vettes at the local track day events. For basic info I am 34 and I am looking for a good daily driver that just feels good to drive. Can you guys just give me your opinions and basic info on these cars, bolt on mods, suspension tweaks, coil overs? Are these little cars quick? and are they dependable? I can pretty much tell they are fun to drive.

odurandina

welcome...

learn about your timing system. buy a car with everything recenty done if you can....

if you find a clean car where the belts are past 3 years, work on getting everything up do date (before you drive). change your fuel lines (the ones in the engine bay, soon). anything made out of rubber should be replaced. leaks are ok if you own your own driveway.... make a sincere effort to keep the fluids up and fuel filter changed.... always keep oil topped off. always run synthetic; 15w50 in the summer and consider running 5w50 or 0w50 in the spring and fall, but definitely in the winter. rotella t is also good stuff.... don't be surprised if the odd head gasket fails (aging 4 cylinder p-cars do this).... watch your oil cooler hoses and ps steering hoses. never drive on a dry ps reservior. pray for happy days before the clutch goes (it will happen, but all is not lost)..... the drive will be always be a good one.

PlayGun

Thankyou, could you suggest a thread for the timing systems on these cars? I will search for one as well.

Grandpa#3

Welcome to the Forum. Rule of thumb is a "Cheap Porsche is an Expensive Porsche." You will end up paying one way or the other. Always buy the best one you can afford that has good Documentation of Work Done, when it was done, clutch, transaxle, CV Joints, etc.. We all use Clark's Garage.com for maintenance help. If you can do the work yourself you are money ahead. If you have to have a shop do the work you, better have DEEP pockets. The only 944 you can hop up is the 951 Turbo. The Turbo is the only one beating a Corvette. The 951 has more maintenance than a regular 944NA and are harder to work on the engine exhaust system. Most of us on the 944/951 forum do our own work as we enjoy working on cars.

http://www.clarks-garage.com/purchase.htm

http://www.clarks-garage.com/shop-ma...ure-index3.htm

ernie9468

^^ + 1 very good advices Grandpa#3 ,but mine will differ a littles from yours.PlayGun if I were you I'll start looking not at an 944 2.5 NA or a 951 turbo but at a 944 S2 16v.The S2 has everything the 951 has (suspension- drivetrain-body) but without the complexity of the 951 motor.The power plant is 3.0 ltr NA with aprox 208 hp versus aprox 240 hp for the early 951. If well maintain those 3.0ltr are very dependable.You don't really need to tweak the suspension on an S2 if you plan to use it on the street has a DD since like the 951 they are pretty well sort out rigth from the factory.The draw back buying an S2 is that you'll have to look harder to find one since there wasn't to many produce.Like any Porsche you buy the lastest examples with as much documentations & work done on it is the one you want to look for.The golden rule before buying is to get a PPI from a shop or mechanic that knows those car like the back of their hand before handing your money out.Once more maintenance records are a must.Btw keeping those car stock is also a golden rule,over the years I've seen peoples completly ruining very good 944s by going over board with mods.

J Berk

I'll second the S2 !

Then again....I am obviously partial !!

F40LM

Yep do the work yourself. The more work you do one these cars the more you appreciate the engineering.

Do all the research you can on here and Clark's. All models have goods and bads. It's up to you to decide what is more important. The basic 944s are good for instance if you want something that is easier to work on and parts cars are still pretty easy to find cheap. The turbo's are fast and fun, but more $$$ when they break. The S2s are great cars for those who want more modern, better performance, no turbo worries.

michael

odurandina

really ? who dat ?

mine blew up long before i could get to screwing it royal.

Butters944

Royalty?

PlayGun

Thanks guys, for mods I was just going to do CAF, exhaust, and I would probably do a bowl blend and a little messaging on the head, not much, and I may take it down 30 thousandths. That was all I had planned, I just want a fairly quick car that handles well. I am looking for a naut to 60 in the 6.0 range.

max_boost951

I being one who works on Corvettes, DONT buy a C4, sluggish, heavy, no power havin bulldozer. Opti-spark is a good idea on the vette but you shouldn't put it behind known leaking water pumps. As far as suspension the 944 could run circles around the vette, power it may lack unless you go turbo. There is not doubt in my mind a 944 is better. Only c4 I would buy is te ZR1. I have an 86 951 slightly modified and wouldnt ever trade it to a corvette.

dillon410021

^ Very nice car by the way when seen in person as well as the 911 to match it

V2Rocket

the one thing the vette has going for it is just how stupidly easy it is to get more power out of it...

cam/heads/exhaust can get you over 100hp easily...maybe more.

and if you get the 944 you dont have to run synthetic. the way i see it, synthetic oil wasn't really around when the 944's bearings were designed in the early 1970s (same bearings as a 928), so the bearings and their tolerances were made for dinosaur blood. not to mention synthetic still is more expensive than dino, although some of it is coming close because of the high price of oil...

Butters944

+1, I wouldn't run synthetic. So I've heard, synthetic is kinda thinner and will work its way through seals and create more leaks

Voith

Synthetic will not work trough seals, its a common misconception.