thf944

Just curious, what is the difference between a turbo and n/a 944? Of course the drivetrain and suspension/brakes are better, but are there any differences in the chassis? The reason I'm asking is that I recently came across a couple of n/a cars that are real cheap (need work), and considering buying one as a project. One is an 85.5 with auto trans. The other is an 86. Both are $2000 or less.

I will want to go with a turbo motor with my project and I also plan on an aftermarket suspension. Should I buy one as long as it hasn't been wrecked, or should I wait for a 951 that needs work? Thanks for your input.

Danno

"what is the difference between a turbo and n/a 944?"

Hmmm... see these threads on how to convert a 944NA to Turbo:

<a href="http://forums.rennlist.com/cgi-bin/rennforums/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=15&t=010631" target="_blank">Topic: the turbo</a>
<a href="http://forums.rennlist.com/forums/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic&f=15&t=010631" target="_blank">Topic: the turbo </a>
<a href="http://forums.rennlist.com/forums/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic&f=18&t=001126" target="_blank">Topic: 944 to 951 conversion, worth it? </a>
<a href="http://forums.rennlist.com/cgi-bin/rennforums/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=15&t=004673" target="_blank">Topic: Turbo add on ? </a>
<a href="http://forums.rennlist.com/cgi-bin/rennforums/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=18&t=000965" target="_blank">Topic: Can you add Turbo to a NON-Turbo 944?</a>

"should I wait for a 951 that needs work?"

Uh, actually you would be better off buying one that doesn't need work. Don't know what your salary/hourly-rate is, but most likely it will take you less time to just go to work and earn the money to buy a decent 951 to begin with. If you want a fixer-upper, the amount of time that you'll spend fixing it will be more than time it would take to earn the money to buy one in that fixed-up state (or to pay someone else to fix it even).

Now that's just the value of your time, not the cost of parts either. You can go out and buy used/rebuilt/new parts at several hundred or thousands here and there and before you know it, you may have spent twice as much in parts as it would have been to just buy a decent sample of a 951 in the beginning...

icat

Ditto!

In the mid 90's I sank almost $9k into an 83 944 POS and when I got through I still had a POS (but it did look nice). Anyway, I got smart and bought a primo 86 951 in 97 for $10k. Much better buy. Leave the "needs work" cars for parts and buy one that runs. <img src="graemlins/burnout.gif" border="0" alt="[burnout]" />

thf944

ahhh,I see I need to spend more time on this forum. I coulda answered my own question. Thanks for the info (and especially the picture!). Sorry I made you guys relive it. Thanks for bringing me back to reality. When I see something cheap, I just start thinking about what I could do to it...


And no, I won't ask you which is better, the 951 or 951s. I know the difference, and I know which I'm gonna get. I'd hate to tear apart a perfectly good limited edition turbo s, but an 89 turbo is fair game right?

I think I want an early turbo, because I plan on replacing a lot. I will be spending more time on here. You guys have some good info.

Ahmet

The 88S and all later model turbos are the same. The last year the turbos were imported to the US is 89 unfortunately. 89 models (and up to 91 for the rest of the world) are not called a 'turbo S', but share the essentially the same specifications. So you'd be looking for a non S turbo of 1988 or 87 or 86...
Ahmet

Danno

"And no, I won't ask you which is better, the 951 or 951s. I know the difference, and I know which I'm gonna get. I'd hate to tear apart a perfectly good limited edition turbo s, but an 89 turbo is fair game right?"

Depends upon what your goal is. A TurboS is a sweet car that you would get if you were to keep your car stock. If you're going to be upgrading it, then get the non-S. Because with the difference in cost, you can upgrade a non-S to have much better performance than a TurboS.

thf944

yes the s is a great car. i used to have a co-worker who had an '89. it was fast.... then he did a bunch of powerhaus upgrades and boy was it fun!

i don't think i could leave it alone, i just put a bigger motor in my gti and its supposed to be a daily driver, so a weekend fun car will not be left stock. i think i'll have to look for an 86-88 turbo, ok condition but not perfect.