SDDave

Yeah... I've made that mistake before!!

Don't do it, man. Don't do it!!!


Dave
San Diego

6ocyclehum

Actually- I had considered the 968. I sort of "wrote it off", due to there not being too many to choose from, nice examples cost Boxster S money, and not as many mods (as the lower priced 951). They are beautiful, and the low end torque I would really like. I didn't know they had that much better low end torque. Guess I really need to drive one.I suppose the higher cost is sort of supply and demand as they are kind of rare.I might actually have the chance of testing one out, not super far away, hope I get to. 6 speed is also cool. Are these pretty similiar to the 944 series as possibly needing lots of high dollar work?

I also had considered the 928- I like the styling on them, and a big Porsche V-8 would be cool! Scarface sold me on that one back in '83! However, the later quickest ones (I'd want a quick one) seem to be pretty high dollar, and don't have bullet proofing or flying saucer scanners.

Looking for a car is almost more fun than owning one- I can't wait to get out and drive some fo these cars- I need to check out a 928, now that I think about, to keep things complete!

I'm suprised how much older Porsches retain their value. I've been into old Cadillacs and Jags for a long time. My current '95 XJR, (have a 9 year old little girl, so I've needed sedan-types for awhile- she's getting older now though- haven't needed a car seat for a while=coupe/sports time!!) is supercharged and has an excellent sport suspension, which I have enjoyed so much I now am looking for a pure sports car. Jags are the kings of depreciation! One of the reasons I love them so. I can pick up a $90,000 sticker price XKR that is only 4 years old for about $28-32K, with some smart shopping. That's a lot of car for the price! In my opinion the Jag XKR is one of the best looking cars ever- period (certainly a little resemblence with the 944/968/928 Porsche body style). They drive fantastic. Very fast, excellent handling. Total GT, though. In fact, this is what I was after all along, but they don't have manual tranny options. REALLY wanted a manual! Also- $28-32K is more than I can swing right now- I'll need to wait until they are down to around $20K, and sell off my daily. Still plan on this, just going to have to back-burner it for awhile... Lots of people are afraid of Jags- due to the high maintenance/reliability issues, so they drop in price quick- I love it!

I also have a '68 Cadillac convertible, that is being "restored" by yours truly. 525 ft lbs of torque! The '68 is sort of the "Anti-Boxster"! I'll bet I could get a Boxster in my trunk- might not be able to close it, though. Anyway- Ive got the interior ripped out, and am getting ready to redo it, and finish off the convertible top frame install (car was a coupe a year and a half ago), paint and body, and probably lots of other little stuff. I've owned it for 12 years, bought it as the second owner at 40K miles (70K now). It finally began needing some serious work, about 3 years ago, starting gettting ratty seats, and original paint was starting to crack (I lived in Phoenix with it a few years- this did not help the paint). It had a vinyl top originally, and the older Cads get rot under the vinyl after a while. I had it removed and repaired about 6-8 years ago, and the place didn't do that great of a job, filler started cracking out, rust reappeared, etc. I decided to cut out the cancer- so I removed the entire roof. I got a '68 conv parts car and pulled all the factory conv bits off. The older Cads were almost identical in the structure from coupe to convertible- one of the few cars that were. Frames are identical. There are a few brace pieces between the wheels well (have them, now) and the windshield frame was obviously different. When it's done, very few people will be able to tell it's a conversion.

Anyway- sorry to get long winded on the non-Porsche content. What I'm getting at, is I've decided to get rid of the Caddy when it's finished and replace it with a Porsche. I've really gotten kind of bored with the Cad after all this while. Wish I could keep it still- but don't have the room.

I picked up my first Jag for $700. It was a Jaguar-certified P.O.S. Paint made Earl Scheib look great.
I spent most weekends, and many weeknights, fixing it up/repairing/keeping it running. Finally got smart and bought a parts car. So- I know where you guys are coming from with the "getting a bad 951" advice. Don't really want to do that again (plus my back is not nearly as good now).

I had been looking for regular 944 Turbos to keep prices down, as many have been modded , even mildly, and can keep up or better a stock Turbo S. Still the Turbo S would be fine, if the price was right...gotta drive one.......
The 944 NA I drove was maybe an 84? Had fairly decent low end- chirped the tires going from first to second. I just assumed the Turbo would be a big improvement across the board- but the low end torque may not be as good, huh? I was still impressed, even with the low power, by the engine/trans and handling. Sure do sit low in them, though!

The regular Boxster was just a monster in the handling department. Very addictive! Really felt "glued"- I can only imagine the "S" version. The only performance thing the regular version lacked to me was low end speed and grunt. I wonder if these cars will end up with lots of mods available like the 944's have, down the road? They seem like the obvious heir.

I may just end up with both one day....Looks like many people on here have a habit! Right now, my current house limits me to three cars, but that won't last forever. First time I've had a garage, and that's pretty killer to have! Having a garage also helped spark my current project- figured I'd put the garage to use. If I lived in the country, I'd end up with a junkyard....

You guys in the West make me jealous (I've lived in CA and AZ)- boy do I miss those roads!!!!!! There's nothing quite like them close around here (KY). I wish I could get back ASAP- if only I could convince my wife and real estate went the way of Jag values. Those roads were made for these cars. I went back for a visit summer before last, my daughter was born in Phoenix, but she didn't really remember it. Drove from Phoenix and ended up as far west/north as Santa Cruz, trying to stop everywhere cool in between.Love the Phoenix to LA drive . First time I'd driven Hwy 1- pretty sweet! So many good ones...

I'm saving $, and am going to race to finish off the Cad and sell it by the end of summer (will be tough-but not impossible). That will give me some time to drive as many of these Porches as possible. Think I'll pick up a Porsche shop manual or two. I'll keep posting on my driving results. I'll also keep my eyes open for that "killer deal". Winter is usually the best car buying time- especially for a convertible, but don't know if I can contain myself that long. Again- thanks for all the great advice!

V2Rocket

If you want an unbridled, kick-in-the-*** feeling of power every time you get on the gas, go for the 951. If you want a more comfortable car that can still go fast, go for the 986. The 951 is as close to a track car as you can get with leather seats. The 986 is a cruiser.

SDDave

There are quite a few available at the moment- check out some of the 968 boards and ask around.

As far as driving one- again, check the Rennlist 968 board, or any of the others (968forums.com, etc) and see who's close by. Most people are typically happy to help someone out.

Regarding mods... WOW. There are a LOT of available modifications for the 968. Cylinder heads, chips, suspension upgrades, interior work, exhaust... ALL the fixins!

As far as cost of ownership- FAR less than a 951. Parts are on par with the 944, by and large. But the system is much simpler than a turbo-ed car, with less to go wrong and cost you money. Most owners report pretty bullet-proof cars, and low mileage examples can easily be found.

If you've thought about it... think about it some more!

Dave
San Diego

Pzkw993

Just a brief nerdy note: The Boxster is a considerably stiffer platform than the 944/951/968. The front-engined cars trace their ancestry to the EA425 project of the early Seventies, while the Boxster is a modern designed-via-CAD vehicle.

I'd like to have a Silver Rose Turbo S, though!

333pg333

Well depending on your budget you can modify the 951 quite easily to develop well over 400whp and keep it reliable. The 951 was way over-engineered for it's day, especially against other Porsches in the stable. Chances are you will spend a bit on maintenance, but if you do some preventative you will find this less so. Also the Boxter is a pig to work on so if you do suffer any issues that will be a lot more expensive to repair. Last year at the track the Boxter 'S' was the car to beat in my club for our stock 951's. This year we are hunting 996 turbos, 997's, GT3's etc. Part of the attraction is doing it in a 20 year old platform and one that they look down their noses at.
Depends very much what you want to do with the car also.
Good luck, nice choice to have!

Vampyre

Hmmm, I had a couple of 944's and I would say Boxster for sure, Mid engine road holding is great!

Tom R.

i am probably going to keep only one of my 944s. If things go the way i want I will sell my 951 and keep the S2 after swapping the sway bars, roll bar and momo seats. Then i would put konis in the S2.

I prefer the low end torque of the S2 to the kick the 951 gives me.

judd944

let me know if you need help looking at a car. I have had 6 944's and my part time DD is an 86 944 (non - turbo) I am in your area. (Georgetown but I work in Lexington)

dennis a from pa

I take issue with the statement that the Boxster is a pig to work on...It is relatively simple once you know where every thing is and how to get the lid off the motor and access to the front of it behind the seats. Yes it may take 10 minutes more to replace an air filter, but it is not really tough.

axhoaxho

I have a 986S, a 951, and a 997S.

If money is not the factor, I would lean toward my 986S over my 951. There is something to like about a mid-engine roadster with a flat-six singing just a few inches behind my ears.

On the other hand, the 951 does give me the old-school raw feel of Porsche. It is amazing how the car is designed and built by hands originally decades ago, and still can out perform many new cars on the road.

With best regards,

Silver986

944 turbo is the best car - 220hp TO THE WHEELS in stock form with the baby stock K26/6 turbo. With about 3k from Lindsey Racing you can have EASY 300hp/330tq - very easy to work on the car.

1998 Boxster = 170hp to the wheels. a ****ing nightmare to work on and upgrade.

fivepointnine

Boxsters are actually very very simple to work on!

I owned a '83 944 for several years and put over 30k miles on it!
mechanically you have to deal with motor mounts, water pumps, timing and balance shaft belts (and re-tensioning) oil cooler intermix issues, and rubber centered clutches (these are the issues I had) dismal interior quality (try and find one without a cracked dash or split seams on the seats) lots of little things that always went wrong (odo/speedo gear and cable, door handles, dash lighting, etc) build quality and material quality on my Boxster S is 100% better....

BUT I still want another 944........they drive awesome, are very comfortable for long distances, look great still and are just a FUN car.

racer

Both will be fun. If kept long enough, both will cost money to maintain and enjoy.

It seems the me that most 951s have a lower entry cost.. but they are more likely to nickel and dime you. As you noticed, most 951s are no longer stock. imho, once not stock, their reliability starts to go. Also, they are 20 years old. Vacumn lines, fuel lines, rubber parts etc are all either in need of replacement or should have been replaced.

The Boxster S is a much more modern car (suspension design, HVAC, rigidity etc), but it is a convertible. If you don't like the idea of the soft top you could locate a Hard top for it.. but its still a covertible ) My boxster was pretty easy to access and since it is modern, it doesn't really need frequent attention either.

Be sure to read up on the engine concerns on BOTH cars (#2 rod failures, IMS etc).. neither is as bulletproof, imho, as the aircooled dry sump motors were.

Brockmeister

I've had 3 944's since '95 (85.5, 86, 88) and I've driven a 951 and boxster S. In July I bought a '99 boxster. IMHO, the boxster refinement, handling and modern appeal made the choice easy for me. It also seemed to be a natural progression the the modern 911 I will eventually buy.