944 turbo ?

[J4CKO]

I fancy a change next year and I saw an episode of Wheeler Dealers that turned one into a track car and I keep noticing 944's now.

So, what are they like ? I know the reputation is good and the performance figures are still good for today but are they a massive potential money pit/liability ?

I drove a borrowed 944 S back in 88 and enjoyed it, but I don't fancy a N/A one as it wont be quick enough after my current 250 bhp Saab and remember keeping up with N/A models in an 8 valve Golf GTI.

I can do most work myself but am wondering about parts prices and availability, commonality with other cars and what to look for.

Pricing seems to be random as well, from 2 to 12 grand, will be looking at spending up to 8 and would want to remap it and possibly do some other stuff out of that.

[marky911]

Hi Jacko try posting in the Porsche forum. I'm sure there'll be a few people to help.

[DKL]

Great cars but then I'm biased!
Get yourself over to PCGB or Tipec forums (free to join) and there is all the info you could possibly need.
8k gets you one of the best, mods almost inevitable, look out for rusty sills.

Plenty quick enough and more drivable with a few cheap(ish) mods - rechip, exhaust, dual port waste gate etc.

Not cheap to run if you rely on a garage to do it all but not necessarily prohibitive.
And did I mention the rust?

[J4CKO]

marky911 said:

Hi Jacko try posting in the Porsche forum. I'm sure there'll be a few people to help.

Am I allowed in there being a commoner

[lordlee]

8k is a good budget and at that money you should have a good choice of cars with mods already done. The late ones have 250bhp as standard and are the better route to go down if you are after more power. Rust on sills and the lower rear part of the front wings are the first places to check. If they have good history you should be looking forward to a very reliable, beautifully built and great handling sports car.

[Welshbeef]

As it was snowing I watched 8 wheeler dealer episodes on sat sipping mulled wine.
Fun shows but utterly unrealistic labour costs totally ignored and on nearly all projects they are epic.


Anyway 944 turbo - I've been a fan for years nearly got one instead of the fiat coupe 20v turbo but it was a notable bit more wedge and no airbags and abs and less crumple zones which put me off.

I'd have one now really like them. Sadly I cannot believe they ruined that example a prestine example why not go for a ropey one I'd have taken that for £2,300 full porche service history every mot only blemish was a cigar burn on passenger seat.... You couldn't lose any money on it.

Rushes to eBay searching for those models credit card at the ready...

But what about a 968... Next car in the line

[rallycross]

They are really good old cars have had a few 944 turbos (and n/a 944 and 968 sport, 928 s4) the one to get is the 250'se (or S) which has LSD, big brakes, stiffer suspension.

Find a good one and upgrade it with a few nice bits (Chips boost controller dual port waste gate mintex pads decent tyres) and you have a really quick car with perfectly balanced handling.

Budget £5k for a not great one to £10k for a really good one.

Edited by rallycross on Monday 20th December 20:54

[Welshbeef]

Why modify it keep it bog STD in mint condition and in time you will own a classic which is very desirable.

Why do modifiers buy STD cars and do then up why can they not buy and do what they want to already modified cars??? Anyway that's my gripe.

Doesn't the 944 have a transaxle and is perfectly balanced??

[theironduke]

Mines not a Turbo but is a very pampered late S2.....lovely cars. If nothing else the door thud makes me smile every time.

[Ozzie Osmond]

J4CKO said:

So, what are they like ?

Old

J4CKO said:

are they a massive potential money pit/liability ?

Yes if you get a major failure. No if you don't.

J4CKO said:

I drove a borrowed 944 S back in 88 and enjoyed it

The world moves on in 23 years!

J4CKO said:

but I don't fancy a N/A one as it wont be quick enough after my current 250 bhp Saab

Neither will the turbo, but at the end of the day how fast do you want to drive in an old car?

J4CKO said:

Pricing seems to be random as well, from 2 to 12 grand

With old cars, price is all about "condition".

J4CKO said:

will be looking at spending up to 8 and would want to remap it and possibly do some other stuff out of that.

Why ruin a good - old - car?

[Welshbeef]

Buying cars of that age no doubt the original shocks will need changing in fact it's over 20years old so possibly ready for it's third set.
Clutch clearly could be on it's second or needing a third
brake pipes? Corrosion
original exhaust should have gone by now
new radiator and mew hoses just to freshen it all up
gearbox and transaxle oil change
bushes
engine mounts
door seals
window seals
distributor cap rotor arm and HT leads and new plugs while your at it
wheel bearings? Age again will be worn but worth changing if your keeping the car
violent flush
wheel refurb is probably going to be needed and will transform the car
paintwork red is going to be faded or all paint will be tired so deep polish and or t cut and possible bit of respray
engine decoke
new valve seats and valve guides
big ends and main bearings
new timing chain and tensioners along with new water pump
lambda sensor
airflow sensor
thermostat

basically all of the above are age items and no doubt most people wouldn't spend a fortune replacing them however some may need a lot of them doing others few some everything and a new loom in which case run

possibly change the loom (lol)

[GC8]

J4CKO said:

I fancy a change next year and I saw an episode of Wheeler Dealers that turned one into a track car and I keep noticing 944's now.

So, what are they like ? I know the reputation is good and the performance figures are still good for today but are they a massive potential money pit/liability ?

I drove a borrowed 944 S back in 88 and enjoyed it, but I don't fancy a N/A one as it wont be quick enough after my current 250 bhp Saab and remember keeping up with N/A models in an 8 valve Golf GTI.

I can do most work myself but am wondering about parts prices and availability, commonality with other cars and what to look for.

Pricing seems to be random as well, from 2 to 12 grand, will be looking at spending up to 8 and would want to remap it and possibly do some other stuff out of that.

Expansive questions... The PCGB 944 forum would be a good place to start (and better than TIPEC, sorry Jim): both are open to non-members.

Normally aspirated cars can be quick, the 3l 16v S2 particularly.
They can be money pits, yes.
Very few parts are common with any other manufacturers models, although availability is good.
Parts prices vary between cheap and damned expensive.
Corrosion is rife, after looking for corrosion look more for corrosion.
£2k cars will usually be basket cases, many cars are over-priced too.
The Bosch DME isnt simple re-map friendly.

If you have specific questions then youre welcome to PM me on SN.

[Some Gump]

Great cars. They can be modded easily for track work as well - some adjustable shocks, springs are a good start. We ended up taking the strain off the torsion bar at the back, and running coilovers, along with 6 speed 968 gearbox (bd and a half to fit, the splines are a different shape).

When we bought the car, it had been "upgraded" to 300hp via a chip. We makde it much faster round a track by changing the map for 260 horse, and much more drivability. Set up well, it's possible to take a few scalps, we used to regularly do track days faster than 911's, including one condescending tosser in a 996 GT3 (who the mother overtook after 2 laps of being 3" off his rear bumper).

Bigger brakes are another worthwhile addition, but be wary re. thread, because 993's run a different brake pipe thread - that nearly cought us out once =) The ABS is still pony though, no where near as sophisticated as 964 and on 911's.

You can also bring the 944t bang up to date with some cargraphics (or other BBS style loys), and a subtle front splitter - looks really good in that stance.

Corrosion wise, check out the underneath of the back end - we dropped a fuel pump and the caked on cack back there was extreme. Luckily, our car must have been waxoyled / muddy (and not salt), because it all cleaned up OK. Quite a "muck trap" near the tank though.

[GC8]

The main points to check for corrosion are the outer sills (viewed through the vent on the door pillar / B-post base; and around the rear torsion tube mountings.