Personally, Id go 944 base or 944T. 944s you can drive ***** to the wall and have fun, accepting that you're driving a slow car fast(like a Miata). Turbos in my opinion are the trifecta between power/handling and styling. My 944S2 left me feeling in purgatory between a slow car and a quick car. Ultimately, I decided it was too slow for my likings. If power is one of your concerns, go test drive a BRZae86. I recall doing pulls with several of them and the S2 would marginally and I mean barely pull away from them. Turbo S2 is another story I'd like to soon find out about.

 

Hey Justin! Terry from Seattle here--the guy who sold you the S3! I was just about to weigh in on this thread when I saw your post and my old yellow beast in your avatar. It was known around here as the Mighty S2

Folks--the S3 is a 944S2 into which I installed a 968 motor that had been built to the hilt The car was originally a regular S2, but i swapped in the 968 motor after the S2 motor blew up on track. In all the car was run in DE's by me and my daughter for 14 years, on both the east and west coasts. Late in its long track life with me, it had a series of . . . episodes. Justin bought the wounded beast and nursed it back to health, for a second career as a race car in Canada.

So glad to see the old gal again.

 

Oh--and for my two cents on the regular N/A, S2, or 951--having owned and/or driven multiple examples of each, I find I tend to like whichever one I'm in at the moment. That sounds like a cop out, but it's true. They are all awesome cars. I guess, if forced to have only one for a regular driver, I'd pick the S2.

 

That's what I thought too !
But with an even lighter 924S car, and a Short Stroke 3.0 Engine and a Torquey 8 valve head etc..all designed for hard street use.

www.924srr27l.co.uk




R

 

Update: The search for an S2 continues. At this point, I've driven 944 NAs, 951s, and a 968, but never an S2. I've liked them all, but I think the S2 would be the sweet spot. Reasons:
968 felt great, loved the engine, but don't love the styling
944 NA: Awesome, but not a change from my Miata from a performance perspective
951: Amazing brakes, felt neutral and awesome on boost, but so dead outside of it.

The S2 seems like the best balance, but good coupes are hard to find for under $15k; I just lost one to a PPI. There are some nice 951s popping up locally, including a one owner 89. Again, if anyone out there has a solid S2 that fits the above description, let me know.

 

I've got an S2 w/ a 968 engine... Its pretty great! You won't regret it. The turbo is a great car too and there are a lot more to choose from so i wouldn't kick a good one of those to the curb either. Don't count out the 968, its really just a beefed up s2 and it really is better IMO, the engine makes it.

Don't over rely on a PPI, these are 30 year old cars now. Unless you are willing to pay absolute top dollar you won't get a perfect one, if it has a decent body/interior the rest is pretty workable for a home mechanic.

 

Have you driven a chipped 951 with an exhaust? Those two things make the 951 a completely different car, ad a maf setup and it is a very streetable car

 

Is that a rhetorical question?