Andy_E.

Ok, what'd you guys think? I've been looking at both the 951's and 944S2's. All mechanic's tell me that the 944S2 is the better vehicle, but 951 owners tell me otherwise. I know that the 951 is a little faster, and the chip even improves upon that, however, I don't know the actual difference between the two in: performance, suspension, brakes, reliability, ...

Thanks,
Andy E.

Adrian

Dear Andy,
Without getting in too deep you are really trying to compare chalk and cheese. One is a normally aspirated Porsche the other a turbo charged Porsche. Both have advantages and disadvantages. I think you need to decide what you want this Porsche to do for you. What is its purpose in your life. Turbos require a little more tender loving care. They have a few more parts on them and they are more expensive to maintain. However the 951 is a kick butt machine and it can be heavily modified fairly safely. If you want your more of a commuter type, stuck in traffic jam type auto then the S2 is for you.
In the end it is your decision and your money but I would not compare them, but to look at each one to see how each will suit you and your current lifestyle. Then if you still cannot make up your mind, get the 951.
Remember all Porsches cost more than the average auto to maintain.
Ciao,
Adrian
911C4

rpm's S2

I looked at both 951s and S2s. I bought the best car I could find and it happened to be an S2. Adrian's advice is on the money - if you want a rocket ship then get a 951. But if you are driving every day the additional torque of the S2 is nice. S2s are more rare and from what I have seen, tend to be better cared for. I think repair costs are a wash between the two - so much on the cars is identical and the rest is more related to proper maintenance than to any durability problems.

Michael Stephenson

There are two levels of Turbo - the normal Turbo (86-88) and the Turbo "S" (88-89). The "S" version is faster, has a stronger tranny, wider tires, tighter suspension and bigger brakes.

The S2 and normal Turbo have the same brakes. However, the earlier Turbos did not have ABS or Air Bags while all S2's have these.

The two cars have similar trannies, but the S2 has shorter gears. The S2 will top out at about 85 mph in third while the Turbo is good for over 100 mph in third. The S2 also has a rubber clutch which many S2 owners trade for the stiffer spring centered clutch of the Turbo when the OEM one goes bad.

The S2 has a little softer suspension and the front struts are specific to the S2. (Unless the car in question has the optional suspension with adj. Konis or the PO upgraded the suspension) The stock S2 struts are no longer available, so replacing them is not as easy as on the Turbo. (There are aftermarket struts available). I am going to install a used Turbo "S" suspension (ride height adj. Front struts, adj rear shocks and rear torsion bars) when the weather warms up a bit.

My S2 has a chip and an aftermarket ignition and with these mods the car is great to drive in the city traffic - the car will pull from nearly any RPM, but above 4,000 rpm it really screams. Throttle response is instantaneous and very predictable, which I greatly appreciate when I am accelerating through a long sweeping curve.

There are a few companies making superchargers for the S2 that will put the horses up there with a modified Turbo, however they are around $5K so not to many take this route.

I think that the S2 appeals more to the older folks - those who are looking for a high performance car that is easy to drive and that is forgiving of driver error. The attitude of most S2 owners with which I have had contact tends to reflect this.

JGriff

Unless of course, the previous owner swapped the gearbox with that from a Turbo S...

For more info, read about the swap:

Gearbox Swap

BTW, nice response. I recently bought my S2, and I'm still learning. This was great info.

Thanks.

Jim

Tom Pultz

Unless you buy an '88 S or '89 turbo, a stock turbo and the S2 will both need a lot of work to bring them up to the performance and looks standards of today IMO. I don't want to offend anyone here... but phone dial wheels? Those things were around in the mid 70s on 928 prototypes, and even the Design 90 wheels on a stock S2 look seriously dated now with 17 and 18" the norm. So, if you want a car that looks more modern... you're probably going to make some changes with either car.

One good thing about the S2 IMO is that potential engine modifications are very limited because to get more power requires spending a lot of money. Turbo owners sometimes fall into the trap of the never ending HP upgrade cycle because it's pretty easy to get a significant boost in performance for relatively little money to start... and then they get addicted to power.

The 944 turbo and the S2 both have the same brakes, and both are very softly sprung... the S2 more so (unless you have the very rare M030 version). Koni has some new strut inserts for a reasonable price that can fix this on both cars.

For a daily driver that sees stop and go traffic, the S2 is the hands down winner. The turbo has more torque at any rpm under FULL throttle, but it's the part throttle response of the big 3 liter that's nice in day-to-day driving.

I love my S2... but I've spent a ton of money on upgrades to make it what I want. If I was deciding between the two cars now and I wanted a car that I could enjoy right out of the box for a long, long time, I'd buy a bone stock 1989 turbo if I could find one... and be happy as a clam

Bottom line: If you can find an excellent example of either car, buy it and have fun.