Guy

Okay. I try to avoid controversy when posting but I am really intrigued and am interested in others opinion. I bought my first 944 a few months agof and wound up parting it out. Its an 85 and I couldn't help but notice a few things.

1.) It was far easier to work on in general. Interior fittings, mechanical and body.

2.) Quality seemed better in the sense that the materials used such as carpet etc. Parts seemed more modern in many ways.

3.) Electrics were way more modern but keep in mind that this is because it's the 85.5 944 and had the updated fuse panel etc

I was also shocked at how little the cars shared in common. I understand it was the entry model but it seemed more related to my 964 than it did to the 928.

Don't get me wrong. I love my 928 but I found the seemingly total disconnect interesting

puyi

What kind of 928 have you?

I have had a 88 951 and at the same time a 90 928. As I made lot of work on twice, What I have seen is a better build 928 than the 951.
Most of the parts are better quality in the 928. Also, the quality of adjustement, the quality of the mounting is really better on the 928.
It is really more confortable to work on the 928 than on the 951.

GlenL

"Build quality" is an interesting term.

I agree with puyi that the parts on the 928 are generally better and the car is assembled better.

Don't forget that the 924 was designed as a mass market car to be made and sold by VW. It's got a lot of VW parts bin stuff in it. If it's going to easier and faster to put together it's likely come apart similarly.

The electrics of the 928 are a general nightmare. Trying to do a high-end car with mid-70s technology. So many wires! So many connectors. Lots of fault points. At least the electric motors and mechanicals work once the electrics are.

StratfordShark

Interesting points. I've never worked on a 944 so can't comment, other than to say that I never regarded them as sharing much aside from the head design!

But I'm curious about what you mean by "more related to the 964 than the 928". Can you say a little more about this?

Guy

Hard to express but it has the 964 feel and logic of the way it's put together. Electrical connectors. Heater controls, fuse box, interior parts. Etc

I agree that the 928 was more feature rich making things more complicated to achieve using 70s technology.

docmirror

The drip, drip, drip of irony is lost on some posters.

Guy

I probably should mention that I purchased the 944 as a parts car

928 DesMoines

Doesn't the 944 have a similar/same head on the engine as the 928? The 928 has two of the same type heads to the 944's one. I could be wrong.

Also of note: I drove an acquaintance's 944 last spring and noted that while the interior looked a bit updated, it was shot to hell by the sun. - Another similarity. LOL.

Martin's928

I have a 1988 828 S4 and a 1985 944 NA. I do all my own work and maintenance. I have done extensive work on both cars including most if not all of the tasks common to both:: clutch, shocks, engine mounts, timing belts, water pumps/cooling system refresh, and much more. From an amateur mechanic's point of view, on balance the 928 is head and shoulders above the 944 in terms of quality. Easier to work on, more sensibly designed, more robust and higher quality parts which are easier to install.

I like my 944 but I don't really like working on it as much. I love reverything about it but mostly I love working on my 928. I really have come to think everything about it is of higher quality.

safulop

I have owned a 1985 early 944 before owning my 928 S4. In general the 944 was far more robust and broke down a lot less often. My 928 has been plagued with running issues related to the MAF, LH and associated wiring and grounds. Also various relays having to be replaced all the time.

In the 12 years I owned my 944, I never even became aware of the location of the fuse panel. To this day I can't tell you where the relays on a 944 are located. I never investigated, cleaned, or touched a ground connection either. The only electrical work I ever did on the car was to replace the battery.

As soon as I drove my 928 home, there were problems with the relays and electrical systems, literally on the way home from the PO's house. In the years since I have had several problems with the electrical systems, and have had to replace an MAF that had been rebuilt.

tmpusfugit

I would have to agree my 944 experienced substantially less "issues" than any of my 928's. When I bought my first 928 I was expecting 944 reliability with better performance and features. After all cost about 3X as much. I was a bit disappointed in that regard. Got better features and performance, but sadly, as a bottom feeder, my 928's have been one electrical issue after another coupled with leaky sun roof's, hatch releases that do not, intermittent mirror function, AC that has failed more often than worked, failed motor mounts (had that in the 944 by the way), on and on. I still love my 928, don't want to replace it with a 944, but would happily forgo the many unnecessary issues ..

GlenL

928 maintenance isn't a hobby, it's a lifestyle.

Martin's928

You guys are saying reliability is quality. Don't buy any more European cars. Get a Honda or Toyota and have the highest "quality" car money can buy....

FBIII

Had an 89 Turbo S for a short time and found it more difficult to work on engine issues vs the 928. For most things underneath the 944 engine bay is really tight. A huge advantage for 928 is clutch issues. Trans or engine needs to be removed to work on 944 cluutch.

Fox_

...and all of the plastic and personality of a $10 toaster.