Cajun

Hey guys and gals...

I know that this topic has been covered before (I did search!) but I did not find a whole lot of clear information that could help me make a decision, so here goes:

I have the opportunity to pick up a 951 turbo S with around 65k on the clock for a reasonable price. The car is mechanically sound with only a few minor cosmetic imperfections (which don't concern me). I would be buying the car from a small specialty shop near where I live. This shop does specialize in Porsches, and I have a good relationship with the owner (My familiy and I have bought Porsches from him in the past) and he has represented the car as mechanically sound and capable of standing up to what I would be using it for.

Here's my situation: I recently opened an office in another part of the state...actually 150 miles ONE WAY from my residence. I have been commuting to this office approximately twice a week. All of the miles are highway and I average between 65mph - 80mph the entire distance.

For the past year I have been doing this commute in a Honda Civic and although it is a good commuter car, I am bored out of my skull with it. I have been looking for something more "fun" and "grown up" to commute in, and I came across this 951 and now I am smitten.

Assuming this car is in tip top shape, what kind of fuel mileage could I expect? How do these cars behave on long commutes? Aside from changing the belts and waterpump every 30k, what are the other wear items I should be mindful of? Finally, is this a good idea? Or am I asking for a headache? I know these cars can be dead reliable if they are taken care of, and this particular example is the best I have seen by far.

Thanks in advance for the responses.

Thom

Long commutes is what these cars were designed for. You should get about 28mpg at legal speeds, but to be honest the gearing will feel too tall for average speeds so low and on a stock engine the response in fifth gear at low revs is worse than poor. A 944 S2 may feel way more satisfying in such conditions.

If the car really has only 65k miles and its condition reflects, it may still be a great buy and will be very reliable for what you want to do with it.

Tedro951

On steady 70MPH trips I get 25-26 MPG. This is running 77-80 on the speedometer. If you run 70 on the speedo, MPG will be a little better, but your GPS will reveal why...

Reliability: Its an old, complicated (for its time) car. Vacuum and coolant hoses would be the first thing I'd do. Wiring is a crap shoot. Some haven't had problems, some have. All will.

Its a cool car, but I'm not sure its the best choice for a 600 mile a week, I have to be there, commute.

It IS a great car to take a 30 minute ride in after a long drive in a civic, though.

Go get it and lets see the pics!

George D

If the car is in great mechanical shape, and you plan on keeping things fairly stock, these cars are great. Expect to spend about 2K per year on maintaince just to keep things running as new. Some years you'll spend $500, but the next year you'll spend $3500. I love taking my car on trips to the mountains. These cars shine on the highways. Fast once moving. Back in the day, they were one of the best cars from point A to B.

User 41221

+1 on the long distance abilities of these cars, assuming you can resist the temptation to mod it and its up to snuff mechanically AND you stay on top of the maintenance. At this point tho, you are dealing witha 20+ year old car, so some things that you might not be expecting will start to crop up, such as cv axles, the fuel screen in the gas tank, fuel injectors/lines, electrical relays that have the potential to drive you crazy or make you go broke.

Cajun

Thanks for the input gentlemen. I already authorized the shop to go through the car and make a list of any and everything it either needs or potentially would need in the forseeable future. If I am going to pull the trigger, I might as well have a full understanding of what I am getting myself into.

I have owned a '83 Euro 944, '87 S4, '76 911s, and 78 SC....still have my '88 930, '86 3.2, '81 SC (which has made this trip more than a few times), and my wife's Boxster... I realize that these cars can require attention, but heck, there simply is nothing better than a PCAR out on the road. I thought about getting another 928 but the fuel mileage was less than desirable...The 968 never really grabbed my attention, but the 951 seems to be the perfect mix of power, economy, and most importantly, SPACE!!!!

BTW, the car I am looking at is Silver Rose/Burgundy. I have always wanted to try one of these!!!!

slap929

Going to have to be added to the registry with the rest of the Silver Rose crowd. I have a 951S and love it. Hope you will enjoy the car as much as I have with mine.

chrenan

You should be able to cover your 150 mile commute in slightly more than an hour in a well maintained 951.

azbanks

^ +951 ^ depending on traffic.

I've done a lot of trips from Phoenix to LA, Phoenix to San Diego, Phoenix to Las Vegas, and Phoenix to Tucson. The 951 is a great long distance car.

hally

Highway driving is good, but highway driving to a race track is the ducks guts!

Jfrahm

The 951S comes stock with M030 suspension and does not ride as smoothly and comfortably as a non-S. Having had one I do not consider it a relaxing ride on the highway. Considering the per-mile cost of maintenance, tires and depreciation it'd probably make sense to rent a car for these drives compared to racking up the miles on (what was once) a low mileage 951S. If you enjoy the drive, fine, that's a good reason to get a car like this but the car is more a street/trackday car and twisty road barnstormer and will just be turning sticky tires to dust on the highway while you enjoy a rough, noisy ride with a mediocre stereo and AC.

If you get it, make sure you get the fuel lines done, particularly the little jumper line that loves to cause a car-b-q. Also check the speaker boxes in the door, they rattle irritatingly if they have started to break off.

-Joel.

jc in rb

Its the best car for the job.

Baptizo

For that kind of a "commute", I'd stick with the Civic since it's very practical, cheap to maintain, and gets better fuel mileage.

I'd use the 951 for other types of driving or for the occasional commute to the office but not every time - it'll get old sooner than later.

Colt45ccg

I have a 110 mile roundtrip daily commute. I put 15K miles on my 65 K mi 951S in the first 10 months- biggest mistake I could have made. Why put that kind of mileage on a cool car like a 951? It's not exactly cost effective to drive this car that freqently- I saw about 25 mpg a tank, and while it was fun to drive... the road debris and wear made it not worth it.

DrZ1

For a 30 min commute, make sure no exhaust or fuel smells, as that gets old. Also check the cruise control, as it is flakey. I used my 951 as a DD for 4 yrs, and retired it for a 330ci. It resoved these and a few other items that were a nuisence. But most importantly it allowed make to take some time for a few upgrades.

Steve