JE_951

I am a college kid and LOVE my 951. THen agian I just dropped $6k on parts+ full engine rebuild/machining so I must really love it to spend ALL the money I have haha.

On the flip side A friend of mine has had a 951 for a couple years and hasnt had a single problem from a high milage car. If you get a well maintained car (whether 50k miles or 200k miles) then it will last awhile for you. That is, if you treat it well. I know how hard it is to go the speed limit when all your friends are doing clutch drops and 100mph "cruises" down the highway. these kind of things will take a toll on the car...

If you want power and a indestructable car then do what I originaly wanted to do and get a fox body, spend $2k in upgrades and have a 400hp car that you can beat up for very cheap. this is my next project.. haha

I do however urge you to get a 951 since they are amazing cars and you can tell people that you are in college struggling to get by and drive a turbo porsche...

Bullwings

I agree with everyone else about not getting the 951 as a college student (unless your parents are very well off and supporting you) and if it's going to be your only car.

I got an '86 951 with 59K miles on it with full service records and have put about 8-9K miles on it over 2 years. Even in that condition I've run into a few problems and even considered selling the car, but rennlisters convinced me that it was a good car. Actually, they sort of reminded me why i bought the car in the first place, and that's to have a fun car that's a blast drive on weekends.

If it's your only car, you'll be in great shape from all the walking and biking you'll be doing. My car ended up spending 3 months at the shop for some maintenance and modifications at the same time, since they were already taking it apart.

myskyon

ok now one thing i have noticed is that the people that are saying its not reliable dont seem to drive thier cars that much. and from what i have experenced is that the more you drive it the way it is supposed to be driven and check everything your book tells you too then you will not have that many problems as some people are saying. i use may car as a daily driver and fun car for the weekends too. i do hit speeds at the top of 4th gear and well into 5th gear. i am not afraid to drive my car. the only "problem" i have ever had was a cooling hose blow from being 20years old. that is it. every thing else should be done out of preventitve maint. IE change your oil or use Porsche aproved oil, check your hoeses for squishyness, replace then if just plain old, replace all vacume hoses if not done allready, have your injectors cleaned and flow mached, replace the belts, and drive the car like it was designed for.... take it to the red heel tow it down gears going into corners get on in the corners. just drive the car and you will see how well it will last as the most damage is caused when a car SITS and is not driven. it is a lot worse to have the car sit than it is to drive the hell out of it. well i shure hope you get one and really enjoy it.

hosrom_951

In general, Daniel and Bret are right; However, i was a college student when i got my 951, but the owner did so much work on it, it really was stupid if i did not purchase it. He did all the regular stuff such as water pump, belts, rollers, clutch, rack, brakes all round and so on.

He was selling it for approx. US$9,510, but since he knew i had experience in the 944 and i would take care of it when it required attention, he sold it to me for US$4,350. He was leaving the country and was in a hurry, and he knew i would take care of it (which i am).

Drove it for almost two years with no problems at all, just oil, filter and plugs. I was working part time then, so when it needed some repairs, i was able to cover it.

Bottom line, if you really want one, do you're homework, watch out for the killer deals out there and make sure you check the car from the inside out.

AL951

I would disagree wit the idea that this cars are expencive to keep running. If you can change you oil every 7500 miles, check your fuild and your tire pressures every 2 weeks, you will catch any problem before it becames a very expencive problem. It is a 20 year old car so you should expect some things to go bad. It also helps if you can do basic mechanic work. Just drive it hard, but dont abuse it.

I have with my current car about 5 years.I have sink a total of $2000 in that time. That money went to a MAF +chips and turbo up grade and some other mis. stuff (it puts down about 310 Bhp). I going to need tires and a t-belt soon. But $500 for tires, and maybe $100 to do a timing belt divide on 35K miles of smiles, to me it is a cheap car to manitaine.

Regards,
AL

gt37vgt

seems that 340 hp is that max point were it gets expensive . i wouldn't go near a 951 if you don't do your own work. but a blown miata or e30 4 cylender is probably more fun per buck

LFA951

Don't get a 951, get a Toyota, Mazda or a Honda!

Chris White

Well, not really....
Cheap & Reliable... not usualy...
Cheap & Fast... not really fast for long...

So, it looks like 'Cheap' is a problem for a 951. 'Cheap' NAs are a possiblity.

nkgosselin

I've driven three 951s as daily drivers and even with paying for maintenance they are cheap to run.

I don't beat the car or track it, but it does see 6k RPMs every morning getting on the highway.

Remember to, there is virtually no depreciation on these cars, a hidden cost people don't usually factor in when they are deciding how "expensive" it is to run a new car vs. old.

sawood12

My 951 is mildly modded (I reckon around 260 - 270 flywheel HP) and is my daily driver in the UK - every day, all weathers, rain (and lots of it), hail, sleet, snow and a bit of occasional sunshine. My car so far has been 100% reliable. No major problems whatsoever. As has already been said there are always minor issues with the car and I have a continual month on month spend of about £50 - £100 ($100 - $200) on minor bits and bobs that are deteriorating due to age and wear, though some are cosmetic so is not necessary, but other than that the car is amazingly cheap to run, considering, and ultra reliable. I also track the car occasionally so i'm not exactly pootling around town - I am driving the car fairly hard. I think the key to successfull 944 ownership is to buy the best one you can - if you start off on a bad foot you'll be forever chasing your tail and emptying your wallet. Also these things respond well to being driven regularly. The chap I bought my car off used it occastionally and in my first few months of running her she suffered all sorts of minor intermittent niggly problems, but after a few months everything settled down and it just runs. I plan to keep the car for a few more years yet and inevitably the daily driving will take it's toll so i'm fully expecting a full respray at some point and maybe an engine and/or gearbox rebuild but even with all that lot my total spend on the car will be comparable to friends of mine who buy nearly new performance cars every few years or so and take the inevitable depretiation hit, and I know who is getting more smiles per mile!

I personally think they are reliable and cheap if you get a good one of course! Regarding modifying. I don't think you can necessarily say that by increasing HP to 300rwhp is going to have a detrimental effect on reliability - it all depends upon the mod. There are good mods and bad mods. There are good mods installed badly and bad mods installed well. There are many parameters to consider. I personally think that if you start off with a good platform, choose a good mod package, install and set it up well then there is no reason why you shouldn't maintain comparable reliability.

lart951

My 944T was reliable after I spent $ 38000.00 rebuilding every single part of it.

95ONE

Mine has been reliable for about 5 years now. You can Rely that something is going to fail. Before I owned It, my very good friend had it. Broke constantly. Small things. Out of all the upgrades, bushings, seals, belts, etc. etc. etc. I just added the starter to my replacement list.

Still love the hell out of the car. Not much of an issue for me. Throw it on the lift, and 20min. later, It's switched out. But... Not if I was in college without a shop, or without the know how.