Hey all. My 914 has to go to the doctor for a while before i can get 'er shipped out here. Till then, I'm looking for a 944 Turbo, been wanting one for a while.

what's to absolutely avoid on them? im looking for a later year model if possible, plus one thats not going for rediculously cheap (usually indicates something amiss) Anyone have experience with these?

I'll be searching in the NOVA/Maryland/DC area, or maybe Phoenix/Tucson if i can find a good shipping service.

This is until my 914 gets done, then im selling it and swapping back to the 914. so don't despair, i'm not Darksiding to the water-cooled world. just, dabbling

Yep, nice fast car....best Porsche bang for the buck.
be careful of water pump, cam belt followers (tensioners), ECU, sensors on flywheel, and any and all wiring, plastic or rubber under the hood.
944 turbos had poor air circulation under the hood. After years of heat cycles any thing under the hood can turn to potato chips(chrispy when you touch it).

If you find a nice low mileage car, that is the one you want....higher the mileage more of the above items become a problem.

Kept mine for a total of 10 months.

If I had my druthers, I would go for a 944S2 or a 968 for a daily driver but no more turbos for me because of the above....

Had an 86 Turbo....nice very very fast car,will put a smile on your face when you accelerate through the gears and probably one of the best handling production cars Porsche ever made, very forgiving if you screw up......comfortable for long trips able to eat up many miles in a single bound....Super brakes.
The 944 Turbo is very complex and expensive to repair (8 million water hoses)Recent replacement of Cam belt and clutch are a plus... if you do the scheduled maintainence and get a good one to start with it is a great car also a great track car.

Paul F.

I had a '89 944 turbo for about 2 years. I even added a vitesse turbo to it. Rwhp was 310 hp. Thought this car was going to be t*ts. Sold it because I never drove it. To me it had no soul. It was fast, but still had to wait for turbo boost to spool up. It was a very sexy looking car, front end is drop end gorgeous but it did nothing for me that my 933 cab did or my 914/3.2 did. To me it didn't feel like a porsche. If I wanted a 944 turbo again I'd buy a c5 corvette or a '91 nsx.
Buck

I'll sell you a 944S2 and I'm local. Its not a Turbo, but in some ways its better. Its 210hp 16v 3.0L. As opposed to an 86 Turbo which is about 217 hp 8v 2.5L. It came factory with the Turbo nose. Porsche only imported 2000 S2 coupes to the US over the course of 3 years. It has the same brakes, tranny, suspension as a non-M030 turbo. Unless you start looking at the Turbo S which is usually well over $10k. If you find a Turbo S(1988 and later) they are up to like 250hp. In 1988 they offered the Turbo and the Turbo S. In 1989 "I think" the Turbo S became standard but was just called a Turbo. So, they dropped the 217hp model in 88. Most of the Turbos you will find for sale will be the 86 with 217hp.

This car has a new clutch and fresh belts, (16v chain too). When you are looking at used 944's these are the 2 most importent maintenance items. I've also got good tires, new brakes, new motor mounts, cold AC, almost perfect interior, clean exterior. +much more. I would ask $8000 obo for the car. It does have high miles but it looks and drives like half the mileage. And all the nasty maintenance problems have been addressed.

This car is seriously comparable to the early turbo and in some ways better.

Heres a Pic. Also, see the nasty stoneguard behind the front wheel, those have all been replaced too.

[quote name='pfierb' date='Oct 1 2006, 04:22 AM' post='784889']
[quote name='Moneypit' post='784837' date='Oct 1 2006, 01:28 AM']
Paul F.
[/quote]

Very nice car, but it is expensive to repair. Cooling system can take all your extra $ from your 914 project kity.
Mark

Hmm, I have been considering an s2, had my heart set on a turbo tho. Im actuall in DC, but my Parents are there in phoenix. i kinda wanted to drive-before-i-buy.... i'll keep it in mind though.if i can't find anything local in NOVA, i'll see about my dad or someone checking it out for me.

seems new headers, chip, blowoff valve etc can easily give a bump in power and can seriously lessen the turbo lag. what all can be done to an s2? could you provide me with a few more pics of engine bay, interior, etc? thanks!

Honestly if you want to do engine mods, an S2 is the wrong car. The turbo is going to have way more potential. But, I would be careful. Like doing any mods, its a systematic thing. Once you do one mod, you create a new weak link somewhere and now you have to upgrade that. I would suggest, from experience, if you want a project and you have a 914 stick to that project. Leave the 944 as a turnkey driver. Otherwise you just waste your time and financial resources on the wrong project. Before you know it, 2 years have passed and the 914 still sits un done. Like I said, from experience.

I will try to get some pics later today.

Before you do all that drive a turbo there is no turbo lag it will push you hard into the seat back in a wink.....the 944 turbo will make you loose your license real fast.oh yes and your insurance rates will go to the moon.

I had the valve cover and timing gear cover powdercoated Porsche Silver, letters are done in red.


Dash is perfect under that cover. Usually they are wasted.

We have one for sale for 8500 locally.

I get 30+mpg easy going way too quick. 16gal tank, Racked up 2k commuter miles in the past couple months going to bakersfield and back for work (grrr)

Guards red, Pm me for details. Car has a story. 92k miles



Been my daily driver for 4 years. Just installed new Kumho 711's on thursday (still scrubbing them in). Its got a Guru racing chip which brings it to about 270hp (Guru rocks BTW..) Pulls like mad, the new evo couldnt take it, neither a new mustang gt.

Paul BS on insurance.

IM 19, turning 20, been insured under the turbo since I was 16 for 65 per month. vs 140 like all the rest of california teenagers with honda's pay.

How

Muahahahaha. More water cooler converts. My work here is done.

That is a very nice S2. I would take it over a 951.

Talk to Howard for that one. PS good grades help.

Mercury insurance is da bomb.

I'm partial to the 968 myself ... Pinnacle of the NA 4-cylinder front engine cars Porsche made. Although I'm seriously considering a turbo conversion in the next five years or so. Take me that long to find the scratch anyhow.

Mmmmmm 500hp. Yeah baby.

- Jon

Jon - Damn it feels good to be a gansta!
Love the avatar...

Continue the 944 discussion. jacking over!

The S2 and turbo are about a match (stock) on the hp. Turbo is alot more fun with the 'boost' when it kicks in, gets very addictive.

If you want reliability, go with the S2.

If you have money and lots of time to spend on your back or wait for the car back from the shop, go with the turbo.

As my 951 buddy/friend Jeff says:
FAST / RELIABLE / EXPENSIVE
(pick any two).

BTW, I'd like to add:

Working on a 951 yourself, doing general maintainance, anything major, or anything minor in the engine bay is a PITFA because real-estate in there is very valuable. Pop the hood on a turbo or turbo S and you'll see how tightly packed everything is in there. Clutch jobs are a bit more intricate than on a regual 944 and a bit more time consuming if you don't have a lift.

Timing belt, water pump, low-temp thermostat, rollers and A/C and P/S belts should all be done when you buy the car if you don't have a receipt of them being done within the last 15,000 miles. The belts are inexpensive and it's money well spent not having to worry about crunching some valves into the pistons.

Everything on a Turbo is more difficult from what I understand. I have done alot of work on that S2, clutch, head, belts. A 944 clutch job is probably one of the worst jobs I have ever had to do on any car. Alot of regular old 944's are going to end up in a junkyard as soon as they need a clutch. Farming that job out costs as much as the value of most regular old 944's.

Aside from that bitch of a clutch job, working on my S2 has been easier than wedging my body into a 914 engine compartment.

Turbos though, have all that turbo plumbing in the way.

I pick FAST and RELIABLE!!

Its fast/reliable/cheap. Pick any two.

jason, its really not that hard, the turbo's under the manifold, and all the intercooler and ect pipes come off in minutes.

I recall reading something about the X-over pipe making the exhaust manifold difficult to remove? Some bolts are hard to get to or something. Obviously its not impossible, theres a lot of guys doing a lot of work on those cars.

You dont really have to remove that unless your working in that area.. 1 out of every 100 times you open the engine bay to work on something... you do that.