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Dear 9541 Dreams..hope that your ride home is uneventful..and thanks for the head's up on the interior resto service. When I get to the stage of re-wrapping my steering wheel I'll give them a call. Right now the rear end assy is calling..
So for kicks I quoted with Hagerty. I have Geico with multiple cars, and they have always had the best quotes for me. But in this case I got much better coverage ( 0 deductable) and much much better road side assistance for 1/2 the price. My agreed upon value is 1k over what I'm paying, and if I invest more in it, I'll raise it when needed.
Also, unlike I've read, they didn't care of I drive it to work. It's just cheaper the less you do. They called me about it, we talked, and I saved $53 dollars by adjusting it accordingly. And they issued my policy on the spot.
I have to say I'm impressed they called me to make my payment SMALLER.
Anyway, just passing on my experience. I suggest checking them out if you haven't. Saved me a ton.
Well, she's mine! About 2 hours into my 9 hour drive home! And while she has issues that will need sorted, she hasn't missed a beat yet. And holy crap! Boost rocks! Yikes at times! I keep having the limited skip kick in when I catch second! Woo hoo, loving my 951!!
Yeah, it needs some TLC! These head lights and hood are going to drive me nuts! But it runs well, and is a solid start!...Plus gives me something to play with!
They all need some work, they are after all 30+ years old now. At least you have the basis of a good, unmodified car to build on and improve, plus an active forum here to help you get there.
We made it home and she's tucked away inside the garage! I just can't get over what a beast that turbo turns the 2.5 into! If I could see straight I'd share my thoughts and experiences from my first day with my 951. But that'll have to wait...
So after 10 hours of constant driving, here's my thoughts so far on a stock (aside from a short shift kit) 951.
It took some time to get used to the turbo lag, and how that makes driving a different experience. But the first thing I noticed was how amazing the gear box is on these!!! Most cars it takes me some time to figure out when to shift, and what works best when, and at what speed. The thing I found most amazing about this 951, is how natural the shifting is. It just makes sense, I didn't have to hunt around for the right gear, or experiment with what worked best. It was like the car was geared for how my brain works!! It was the most natural shifting experience I've ever had! The short shifter may have something to do with how WELL it shifts, but doesn't effect the gearing. I've never been so impressed before!
Coming from an automatic 944, I really can't compare apples to apples here. But personally I was very happy with the performance outside of boost as well. Coming out of the hole in first was a little underwhelming, but not terrible. The experience was on par with most 4 bangers I've driven. Once moving I was very happy with the performance and response. Like many have stated, the turbo lag does limit the usefulness of the extra power around town. Once the boost hits, it's time to slow down because your going 20 mph over the speed limit! Once it hits it takes off like a rocket! This thing is SOOOOO going to get me a ticket! You blink and your doing 70 in a 35!
This is for sure a highway car. It loves the room to get into the boost and stretch it's legs! I was really impressed with how strong it will pull in 5th. At one point around Little Rock I was getting pissed off with traffic, and found out you can go from 73 to 105 quicker than you realize. I also discovered it accelerates faster than my GPS can keep up. GPS was saying 90, I looked at speedo and was doing 105! Oops!
And entrance ramps are like the funnest thing you can do with your clothes on! Once this thing gets going it's like being strapped to a rocket! I can't imagine what it's like for you guys running these up north of 300 HP!!! I almost got myself in trouble a couple of times giving it it's legs getting on the highway!! Wow, just wow!!!
All in all, I'm loving my new 951, even at 30 years old it's more fun than I ever imagined!! I see why you all love yours!
In other news, I have a laundry list of things that need addressed. Some like RIGHT NOW! I'll cover them in the order I see as most pressing!
1) Gotta get new dash lights! The PO said one (or two) of them come and go. Once it got dark last night, they were on a go. I couldn't see the speedo or temp and fuel AT ALL! A new reflector and a led kit are priority #1!!! Going to do OD gear while I have it apart as well.
2) Brights. They work, if you PULL the flasher stalk. However, if you push it forward, all lights go out. Cool if your trying to run from the cops, but not so much if your trying to see at night. On the bright (pun intended) side, the low beams work REALLY well with the fog lights. No problems seeing in the dark. But still need brights!
3) Heat shields. He showed me one offender, rattles like an old tin can. It's up under the exhaust, and he told me a mounting tab is broken off. He's tried to JB weld it, but it won't hold. I'm going to have to figure out something. You can't even go through a drive through, they can't hear you. There is also another offender somewhere, I haven't' had a chance to run it down yet, but it comes and goes. That ones is louder, but it comes and goes when it wants to. It's LOUD, but when I've tried to track it down it stops!!! Ugh! But these have to be fixed QUICKLY.
4) Idle. Imagine that, a 944 with idle issues! Who would have figured! With AC on it idles low (700 rpm?), and hunts some. Up and down, up and down. It also almost wants to die sometimes. It doesn't, but it acts like it wants to. It's not terrible, but it shakes like a fat girl twerking!! He replaced the engine mounts a few years ago, but used aftermarket so they may already be going.
With AC off it idles much smoother without much hunting. Idles just over 1k. Then the heat shields REALLY start going nuts. Almost louder than the car! I've already done the "find the idle problems" tango with my 87. Now I'm going to have to get this one dialed in!
He did replace all the vac lines with silicone lines. That's about 95% of what was wrong with my 87. So this might be a bit deeper.
5) Oil pressure gauge. Going to have to read more on this, but when moving it's ALWAYS on 5 or above. Idle it drops down to 2.5-3. I'm going to have to research this more. Maybe an issue, maybe fine. I've read it both ways. More research needed. Oil temp doesn't seem to matter.
So those are all the "have to get this done NOW" things she needs. Really, not too bad considering what I paid for her, her age, and all other things considered. I count myself lucky!
04-11-2017, 09:54 AM
