I test drove a 968 with a 6 speed today for my brother, and it was very disappointing. There didnt seem to be anything wrong with the car but I was not impressed at all. I have owned and driven several 944's and 951's and loved them all, but the 968 didnt feel that much more powerful than my dads 1984 944. I hope this was just a bad car that I drove because my brother really wants a 968. Has anyone else ever driven a 968? if so what did you think? The 968 I drove idled and ran smooth, shifted good, it just wasnt what I had expected. My 1980 928 feels way faster and smoother and it has 170,000 miles on it. The 968 only had 96,000 miles on it

 

Lane,

Your dads '84 944 was light so it is a bad comparison for the HP to weight. The 928 has 700lbs, 2600 vs. 3400 and double the HP of most stock 968/951/944 It really isn't an apples to oranges type of comparison.

968's though are good looking and comfortable cars from what I have read.

Try taking a look at http://www.968.net and see what they have to say.

I know that the S4 in my garage will stay there for a LONG time as it is exactly what I wanted

Michael

 

I drove a 6 spd 968 a couple of years ago evaluating for another buyer. I too, was underwhelmed with it. I had about the same impression you describe. There wasn't anything wrong with it. It just didn't have much remarkable about it. The most surprising was absolutely no torque. It seemed worse than my '84 944 I had years ago.

 

I have driven various 968's. I will add a Cab to the stable at some point in time. The car handles wonderfully. Great balance. You have to work the revs to get the engine power. The low end torque will be considered non-existant if you are comparing to a 928. The HP (240) is still pretty reasonable for a 3100 lb car, remember that was over 10 years ago. In spite of the balance shafts in the 3.0L, I find the 4 banger to be a bit thrashy. Nonetheless, I love the look and uniqueness of the cab. The coupe doesn't do anything for me.

 

I knew I liked ya Cameron!...

I've looked at 968 cabs now for 5-6 years, at one time a few years ago I was very serious. The Cab is an incredible looking car... the coupe doesnt look much if any different than the 944 it replaced. Not that it looks bad, just not near the WOW as a cab. I would definately own a 968 cab for the right car & right price. I'd say after driving them, especially for any 928 owner, that you'd have to get the manual tranny... the auto is just a turtle.... virtually NO torque at all. Probably a great around town car for your wife or daughter. The head of service over at Brumos Porsche bought a 968 manual coupe for his son to drive, for whatever endorsement that is. He was the 1st one to suggest staying away from the auto. They do handle great though. Prices continue to come down too.

There is one other cosmetic thing to consider now that they are aging. The lower panels of the car & the front & rear clips are not metal. Therefore, certain colors can start to show a nocticeable faded look on the lower sections... Almost bought a white cab about 4 years ago that was a few states away, only 30k miles on it, so they wanted top $$ for it.... but after seeing it & even in the pics, you could see the white color showed different shades & they didnt want to account for a new quality paint job I'd had to of given it.

Here's a pic of a nice looking red/tan/black 1994 968 cab..........

 

Here's the rear of that same car.....

 

Mel,

You are obviously a man of exceptional style with impeccable gusto for fine automobiles.

 

I look forward to sharing a beer with ya Cameron & yakin about 968 cabs & 928s at Sebring in a few weeks!

And to add about the 968 cab. I truly think it has a distintive somewhat "sexy" style to it that will become a classic as far as Porsches go. One of those styles that stands the test of time & always looks good.. HEY>..... like a 928!

 

I looked at 928s, 944s, 951s, and 968s, before deciding on getting a 951. Everyone has their own prefrences, but I don't think you can go wrong with any of them.

 

I agree with ya there 100%... would love to drive a 951, bet those babies can scream!!!!!!

 

The thing is that the 968 should be faster than my 928. My 928 only has 220 hp and weighs more than the 968. the 968 has 236 hp, and from what I have read 968's go 0-60 in the high 5 second range. The point that I was trying to make is that the 968 was slow, and didnt feel any faster than a stock 944 with 143 hp. I also wasnt compairing the 944 to the 928, I was just using it as a baseline. My 928 is a 1980 so it weighs around 3200 lbs and the 968 weighs around 3000 so the two should be very compairable, even though the way they make power is very different.

 

Lane
Keep in mind the 968 makes its 0-60 time using a drag style launch....high rpms...dump the clutch & your off! With all the torque of the 928 its 0-60 & 5-60 times are much closer....I like comparing the 0-60 & 5-60 times to determine how streetable the power curve is...example the Mazda RX8 does a high 5's 0-60...buts its complete lack of torque makes its 5-60 around 7.5 seconds!!!

 

The 968 is as heavy as an early 928, or heavier depending on equipment. And the engine have to be revved quite high, they have more power down low than a 2.5 l 944 but it is not as rewarding because of the weight. Once you get them over 4500 rpm's and take them all the way to the 6800 rpm rev limit they are fast.

 

I have driven 951's, I have owned 914's, rabbit gti's, 944's, and tons of other cars, so I understand that the power is made higher in the rev range on a 968, but the fact that it didnt feel any faster than an early 944 was strange to me. Everything I have read talks about the torque in 944 s2s and 968's and it didnt impress.

 

I own a '86 944 racecar, '92 968 Cab and a '83 928S all in stick shifts.

The 928 has the best torque from the V8 but 0-60 is in the 7 second range but feels like it has much more pull due to the torque. This is stock.

The 968 is faster with 0-60 in the 6 second range but does need the rev's up higher plus it has the variocam which kicks in higher. It also has the 6-speed tranny so that helps with the speed also. I've autocrossed this car for a season with PCA and it handles great and has great power and torque in 2nd gear without having to downshift into 1st. The car is also stock.

The 944 is fast due to chip, straight pipe to low restriction exhaust and suspension work but not as fast straight line than my 928 or 968. If I put the same tires on all three cars, the 968 would win in straights and on turns in my opinion.

If you test drive the 968, warm up the engine and then make sure you run it at higher rpms above 3500 and see what you think. I think you will feel the pull and put you back in your seat.

Cheers,
Mike