What's to watch out for with 944's? - Page 1 - Porsche General - PistonHeads UK

Personal circumstances have taken a bit of a hit lately but I'm trying to make best use of what's left in the pot and some 944's have caught my eye. I've always thought they were a good looking car but what are they like to live with? Are there any annoyances or weak spots? I used to drive my old bosses 944 (David Lloyd the ex Ferrari F1 engineer) and I remember the clutch going on that. I seem to recall it being an 8 hours in labour, ball ache of a job to repair it. Is that correct? Which are the best models of 944 and what are the differences please? Thanks in advance.

https://silodrome.com/porsche-944-history/

Many thanks for that.

Clutches take a while if you go by the book hours. In reality a competent specialist cam have it done in a day no problem. Rust is an issue on all of them. If you're buying a nice clean one make sure it's been done well. If it's not been done look very closely at the weak spots. Inner sills, windscreen surround, front wing bottoms. It's not a bad idea to buy one that needs the bodywork and budget for the work. They go on for ever and can do big miles if you look after them. The belts need doing every 5 ish years. Make sure there's no noise coming from the torque tube as that's one of the biggest jobs you can get. I've just had mine done and it wasn't cheap. Mines a 3.0 s2 which was the last of the 944 and drives really well. It still surprises me how quick they are. These must have been really great performance for the money in 1990. I may sell mine actually. There's a thread of mine on here somewhere of me fixing bits and pieces you may find interesting. It's had a few more bits done since. But it needs the front wing bottoms doing now and I'm looking around at other cars I fancy so it's potentially for sale.

What's to watch out for with 944's? your overdraft. They are money pits. Had Turbo for a decade. unless you can keep it in a garage then don't bother buying as left to Mother Nature they disintegrate in no time.

Buyers guide I wrote a few years ago is here. Still relevant even now. Worth looking at tipec.net as there are a load of 944 owners there & a huge amount of knowledge. https://forums.tipec.net/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=...

Fantastic cars, ran one to 210K miles, lived outside and was a daily driver for a few years before the family no longer fitted in it, massively practical. At this point rust is really the killer, they are getting old. As some one else said buy carefully or budget cash to fix it. In 2.5 guise they are not the fastest thing one earth, go for the S2 it’s a nice car. I always got the impression it would run for ever as it was so solidly built. For me it was probably the cheapest car I have ever owned. Ran for ten years and got all my money back. Loved it.

yep, though a money pit, having bought a Turbo when they were only a few £K, what i spent i got back in appreciation, but those days are gone now. Fantastic cars but high risk if you ask me, unless you are able to maintain much of it yourself and a hands on owner.

julian987R said: What's to watch out for with 944's? your overdraft. They are money pits. Had Turbo for a decade. unless you can keep it in a garage then don't bother buying as left to Mother Nature they disintegrate in no time. The newest one you can find is 30 years old. I doubt they're any worse than any other car of their age are they?

rufusgti said: julian987R said: What's to watch out for with 944's? your overdraft. They are money pits. Had Turbo for a decade. unless you can keep it in a garage then don't bother buying as left to Mother Nature they disintegrate in no time. The newest one you can find is 30 years old. I doubt they're any worse than any other car of their age are they? I have no experience of other cars of that age, but my hunch would be yes, worse. Not for the speed that issues arise, more so the sheer amount of issues. If you are mechanically minded and have a garage, perfect. If not, they are a money pit. Furthermore we are past 'peak 944' prices. There will be exceptions to the rule but we hit peak 944 a year or so ago.

Rust and bulls t.

Very simply: 1981-1985 ('82-'85 model years) series one: 924-derived interior which is not durable. 165bhp engine with 5sp transaxle or underwhelming 3sp slushaxle. These cars were lighter but got heavier as options were added: by 1985 everything was fitted. 1985-1991 ('86-'91 model years) series two: updated interior with later 911 seats and a 928 inspired dashboard and instruments: far more durable, but now frequently worn out. MY86 & MY87: 165bhp engine with 5sp transaxle or different but still terrible 3sp slushaxle. 1988 had a 'World' 160bhp engine and is rare. 1989 entry level model has a (new, shared with 3.0L S2) 2.7L 8v engine, transmissions as before: called 'rare' but actually far more common than an '88. Series one and series two 944s look similar, but virtually everything is different. ABS was introduced as an option for the 1987 model year car but is seldom seen. To accommodate this the suspensions and wheel offset was altered. Series one and 1986 model years cars use a nominal 23mm offset wheel, whereas 1987 model year onward cars use a nominal 52mm offset wheel and have a safer geometry in the event of a front wheel puncture. For 1987 a 16v model was introduced: the 944S, where S stands for Super. It wasn't super and Porsche conceded this. This model was built for two model years, until replaced with the 944S2, where again S stands for Super2. This was super and is a 1987 Turbo with a 3.0L version of the new engine with a new 16v head. The Turbo made 220bhp for the 1986. '87 & '88 model years: the 1986 model year car is not superior, but owners kid themselves that it is. Very, very early cars had over-engineered engines which were quickly replaced by Porsche and they drive differently because the 23mm offset suspension feels different to the safer geo. found in the 52mm cars. 1986s make up the majority of Turbos made. Porsche introduced a limited Turbo S model in 1988. Most are Rose Silver, but not all. PCGB/AFN decided to rename this the 944 Turbo with Special Equipment, which caused confusion later, with owners keen to apply special names to their cars. The 1989 Turbo incorporated a lot of the best bits from the Turbo S (omitting the thin windscreen and the Koni dampers, with the latter an option): they even had the forged Fuchs wheels, but it was neither a 'Turbo S' nor a 'Turbo SE'. The '90 Turbo lost the exotic wheels and adopted D90s off the 928GT and gained a bridge spoiler, which the S2 received in 1991 and was carried over to the 968.

Many thanks for the replies thus far. Any thoughts on this example? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/124887595232?ssPageName... MOT history shows nothing untoward and no signs of past corrosion. Ideally I wouldn't have wanted a black car but it's the stated condition that appeals.

Mark-996-911 said: Many thanks for the replies thus far. Any thoughts on this example? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/124887595232?ssPageName... MOT history shows nothing untoward and no signs of past corrosion. Ideally I wouldn't have wanted a black car but it's the stated condition that appeals. That's worth a look I'd say. Have a good poke around the inner sills through the vent and check for noise from the drive train. There's always a bit of chatter. The Interior is not original, or at least I've never seen that fabric, although it does look smart in there and is usually what let's these old models down. I think if it's as good as it looks (big if) it's a good price. I've had a quote at 1500 a side to do the sills on a 944 so if there's really no rust then it's a good find.

WTF has it been re-upholstered using? That rules it out for me - the original fabrics are available and that is vile. It isn't the only cheaped-out tart-up in evidence, either. It looks like a £3,300 car to me (accepting the 'no rust' statement, which I would take with a pinch of salt), given a £5k haircut and liberally coated in bulls t. I'm sure that this is an unpopular opinion, but I have 25yrs more experience than most and I already have more friends than I want.

rufusgti said: I've had a quote at 1500 a side to do the sills on a 944 so if there's really no rust then it's a good find. The sills are barely the start of it and all 944s have rust (outer sills, inner sills, into the rear floor, A pillar base, into the floor, battery tray, torsion tube mountings)

I don't doubt your experience but you just can't buy half tidy 944s for £3.3k anymore. Like it or not.

944 Man said: WTF has it been re-upholstered using? That rules it out for me - the original fabrics are available and that is vile. It isn't the only cheaped-out tart-up in evidence, either. It looks like a £3,300 car to me (accepting the 'no rust' statement, which I would take with a pinch of salt), given a £5k haircut and liberally coated in bulls t. I'm sure that this is an unpopular opinion, but I have 25yrs more experience than most and I already have more friends than I want. I appreciate all the comments to be honest. It's a shame the interior isn't OE and it's a negative for me also. It's also at top end of my budget on a potentially original clutch so I'm by no means sold on it anyway. I think I shall keep looking and see if anything else comes up.