Evan70

Ok, don't know how many of you guys have owned both an 88/89 944 Turbo S and a 968, but I'm thinking about selling the 951S and getting a 968 coupe. The main reason is my wife just doesn't care for the 944 front end, and likes the looks of the 968 much better. Am I going to be seriously dissapointed with going to a 968 powerwise? Keep in mind, that my Turbo S is making about 280rwhp, which looks to be about 80rwhp over what a stock 968 makes. Also, the Turbo S has the M030 and LSD which seem to be somewhat hard to find on the 968. Also, I've done basically all the mechanical work that can be done on the 951S (clutch, headgasket, rebuilt turbo, etc), whereas I may have to do all that work again depending on the 968 I find.

Oh yeah, guess I should mention that the car is/will be used as a daily driver and DE car (but no autox).

Thoughts, suggestions?

cooz

tell your wife to be patient....the look of the front end will grow on her.

buy her a history book on 944's. if your car is set-up and sorted, it would seem you should stay put and "Like" what you have.

btw, i have a 968 and a 993 and I don't think you'll be happy giving up your HP if it's important to you now.

RajDatta

Evan, the 968 will buy you looks but besides that it will disappoint you in power/handling and braking compared to your turbo S. This is compaing a stock 968 to your M030 951 S.
Boost is addictive and you might think you are not an addict until you no longer get your dose, lol. You will go through the withdrawal. I see a lot of ex 951/S owners go through it and in the end they end up with a $50-80K 968 turbos .
Raj

Jason Judd

Evan,

I had an '89 951 and now I have a '95 968 coupe...I love it. My wife also didn't like the sharper angles of the 951. The 968 does look more up to date.

Oh yeah...I turbocharged the 968! My wife still likes the look of the 968, and I like its performance. All 3 of us won...The third person being my mechanic!!

Raj said it right.

Jason

josephsc

As a daily driver, I liked driving the 968 -- no turbo lag, I prefer the styling and you get the "wow" factor from on-lookers. But then once you get behind the wheel, styling doesn't matter at all.

For spirited driving (highway and track) the 951S is superb, and offers much more upgradability. You won't get anywhere near the 280rwhp you're getting now without spending big bucks on the 968.

IMHO, there's alot to be said for knowing a car inside and out. I would not sell a car just because you don't like how the front end looks -- just go out for a nice drive and get those thoughts out of your head!

Evan70

Yeah, I finally got the wife convinced that we've got too much into this one right now to get rid of it. She made me promise to get the seats done though.

steve g

Your car would look great with 993/968 seats.

Todd951968

I own both a 951 and 968. I bought the 968 first, about 6 years ago and found it to be pretty quick for the time (late 90's). It was about as quick the car it replaced (an LT1 Pontiac Formula). Then, as the years went by, horsepower cars grew to the point where the 968 just wasn't enough. So, I thought long and hard on what to get to replace it. I wanted to stick with Porsche but just wanted something different, hopefully faster. I thought about getting an 80's 911 but figured it was no faster than my 968 and would only provide a different feel/drive. Then, about a year or so ago, I decided to get a 951 AND keep the 968. They are both stunning to look at; the 968 is white with linen sport seats and the turbo is black with black sport seats. However, there is ABSOLUTELY no comparison between the two when it comes to grin factor on the highway or track. Despite both cars having indentical seats, blindfold me and I know which one I'm in when I floor the pedal. The 951 has about 300hp vs the stock 968 240 or so and it blows it away. There must be more to turbo power than the figures suggest because the turbo feels ALOT faster.

I feel the 968 looks better by a slight margin. And it definitely gets more attention and has more cache with the valet parking attendants. The edge in handling goes to the turbo, if you know how to manage boost going around corners. But, the 968 is easier to drive around town with more torque.

At times I think they are too much alike and that I should trade one in for an older 911 to expand my Porsche experience. But, for now, I feel I have two of the best Porsche cars you can get for the money. I don't think I could trade both in and get a faster Porsche, so, I'll keep them both. Turbo speed is addictive, as someone else mentioned.

Randy_J

Like Todd951968 I too have a 88 TurboS and a 92 968 Cab Tip. The 968 is a nice cruiser with great handling and good around town... it still turns heads and is decently quick, but nothing compared to the TurboS (mods to around 300 crank HP). THe boost is still mindboggling 17 years on.. absolutlely addictive.

If I had to give one or the other up, no question the TurboS stays. There are a lot of cars that can do what the 968 does (so many 986's around now for cheap) but good TurboS are a tough find. Just something about pressing the go pedal at 70 mph and getting the feeling as if you are being shot out of a cannon that cannot be replaced with a NA motor.

sayporsha

I currently own both, and although I think the 968 is a cosmetic evolution from the 951, it is a step backwards in performance. I recently totaled my 951 track car and set out to find a 951 roller to transfer the engine & drivetrain into. However, I found a mechanically-challenged 968 coupe at a bargain price and found a solution: transfer the 951 bits into the 968 and have the best of both worlds. I love the 3.0 and would love to pressurize it to enjoy the HP and TQ I'm accustomed to, but I don't have the deep pockets for it. This works for me.

Todd951968

I agree, combining the aesthetics of the 968 with the power of the 951 is the ultimate evolution of the 924/944/968 line. Boosting the 3.0l is probably the most exotic but more costly than transplanting the 951 motor into the 968 chassis.

I am seriously thinking about boosting my 968 but would need to do it with an eye on keep the price within reach of , say $ 7,500- $10,000 (not including car), and maintaining reliability. But, as they say: with Power, Durability, and Low prince; you can get any two in combination but not all 3.

Has anyone out there done a conversion for this budget or know that it can be done? I know SFR sells superchargers for about $ 6k or so but can the stock 3.0 handle it with longevity? Turbocharging my motor would require lower compression pistons for decent boost.

I suppose using the 951 motor is always possible, but, I'd like to see both an aesthetic AND performance improvement over the 951, if possible (practical).

944Sknight

have you guys ever thought of getting a 968 Club Sport instead of tinkering on tweaking a 968? there are only two around in the U.S..One is in Colorado or Arizona and the the other is in North Carolina which is on sale the last time i saw in the ads.

tifosiman

I think the first one you are talking about is the blue one that belongs to Rich Tillotson? Nice car. The second one, for sale, I think is the green one that has been converted to pass US regs and still remains that way. That means that it really is nothing special to drive compared to a standard 968 (Since the special thing about a 968CS is the decreased weight).

Along your train of thought, a US spec 968 that has been turned into a decently close 968CS clone would be nice, fun, and cheaper/easier than importing a 968CS. But no way would it have the performance of a decent 951 with a simple chip and a few mods.

Andial951

The main reason is my wife just doesn't care for the 944 front end

What a friggin wuss.......you think u could hide from us 951 owners on the 968 board......I have a pic for u.

Damian in NJ

The North Carolina car had no body mods done to meet US regs-as I recall, it did get US papers but nothing was done to modify it-so it wouldn't weigh any more being in 'US' specs. I think the car is back in Europe now anyway.