SO , after looking at every possible 914 in my area , driving a few , running away as fast as i could from a few other's . I though Is a 944 , or 944 turbo a competitive car

Price / performance / fun / or otherwise ,

And mainly , is it more , same , less . Expensive as a 914 ,

And I know it's stupid but More / less / Same as practical a car.?

Having never driven a 944 , I'm puzzled buy it . and they seem to be easy enough to pick up for not that much money ? 2-16 k

And I know a 914 is 40yrs old approx

what are common problem's with the slightly older : 20-30 yr old , 944 .


Any helpful info would be greatly appreciated .


Like the car's with pic's attached n info , what's a better buy ,

Just for example I used a 5k 944 an a 3k 914 but you can find

3k 944's and 5k 914's as i'm sure your aware of .





Porsche 944,1984,new tires,brakes,service,power steering,oil change.Ac blows cold.Mechanically sound with a few interior issues.Have spent 3k in last year on restoring mechanical condition.Runs very well. link below

http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/cto/1125559237.html




or
1971 porsche 914 targa-top 2.0eng 4spd 1owner all original dual webber - $2900 (riverside ca)
this is an all original 914 removable targa top has the 2.0ltr engine has 4 speed trans,dual webber carbs,this car is all original has the original paint original wheels original interior,the car has been sitting in my dads garage for years car needs a little t.l.c but is all original and hard to find has matching #s dont know too much about it but feel free to call anytime at (951)224-4823 ask for george

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lgb/cto/1129282513.html


I also came across a 914 that I have not seen up close yet ,

but a daughter is selling it for a mother who's husband used to work on it but just up and decided to store it away for no reason , claims she has a clean title and all paper work . 3k , currently does not run ,

It could be a great one of a kind find OR total BullSh*t but I figured I'm mention it any way .


and this last link is just for fun .


http://www.bustedcoverage.com/?p=13898

I guess it depends upon what you want.
A 944 for short money will need work. If you dont do it yourself, it can cost alot to bring it to a shop.
Timing belt on a 944 get changed every 30k...that is a $2500 dollar job to pay for it...and fewer guys want to touch them.

A 944 NA will not really go up in value...to many of them.
A 944 Turbo...priced right (not 5k) will be a good buy IMHO...its a fast collector car that will go up in value...someday.

The 914 is hovering in value right now...but its a collectable that turns head.

RIch

No way , 2500 $ timing belt every , 30k, That is something I'm looking to run away from, fast .

Well you seem to want a Porsche , pick one , dive in , spend the money , if you don't like it , unload it for what you can get out of it , look for another type of car to buy / build / customize / restore / drive . There is certainly enough info ot there as to help you make a decision , just do it , live and learn , not every car is a lemon and certainly not every car is a cherry , that's what the labour of love is all about , love it or get rid of it , move on to something else to occupy your time .

Jaxdream

I had both a 88 944 NA and my 70 914 (with some mods). Not matter what you get if you don't turn your own wrench then plan to have a repair fund set aside because they ALL will need repair sooner or later.

I loved my 944. I spent $6k for it two + years ago. Low mileage with 62k on the clock and most of the repair history. I spent another $1k the first year in preventive repair ( new timing & cam belt) replaced clutch on AC compressor. Now that I have helped a friend do his timing belt it is really no big deal. Best info for "how to" repair work on a 944 is the website clark's garage.

The things I liked about my 944, actual rear seat that my then 5 yr old coudl fit in. AC for those hot muggy days. That cool 80's styling, nice 50/50 balance. I could drive at 80mph all day.

Things I didn't like about my 944....um NOTHING it was a great car, but I did sell it with 85K miles for $6500 to by a 914 racecar

What do I love about my 914. It's cool, handles great, great AX car, the sound of the engine, The looks it gets when driving, the stories I hear about people that used to own one. The best no matter how crappy a day I have, just a 5 minute drive in it and I start feeling better.

I will have another 944 again. They are great cars as long as you take your time and find one that has been taken care of and you remember they are old cars and they WILL need repair sooner or later no matter how nice a car it is.

Consider that the 944 is at most ('83 MY) 25 yrs old, galvanized body work, a/c, back seats, IARP (is a real porsche), ....

Like stated, pick your car whatever you like and go from there.

944's are a pain to work on(always), as the 914 is a joy to work on(most of the time).

I looked at the 914 in Riverside. It's a total POS.

Nice a little Steve Prefontaine "to give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift"

I noticed from the picture it had a flat tire , and 4 speed stick , Is that like code for

a certain gear in the transmission doesn't engage .

Thanks for letting me know , save's me the trip .


And just to clarify when you say total piece of shit ,

rusted out , bad floorpans , cobb webs , totally rotted

needs , a quick 5k invested right away ?????????????????

I noticed from the picture it had a flat tire , and 4 speed stick , Is that like code for

a certain gear in the transmission doesn't engage .

Thanks for letting me know , save's me the trip .


And just to clarify when you say total piece of shit ,

rusted out , bad floorpans , cobb webs , totally rotted

needs , a quick 5k invested right away ?????????????????

Had a 944 in the early '90's, was the second owner. Was a great car, the timing belt, water pump and clutch diaphrams were common problem areas as I recall. Also, they did an interior update in '85 1/2 that is preferable over the earlier style. Not so fast from 0 to 60, but would go 60 to 100 in a flash. Very comfortable long haul driver (unlike a 914). I still think a 944 (or 964) convertible is one of the most beautiful cars. I remember going to the Porsche museum a couple of times in the '90's and the factory was just across the street. Tons of 944 convertibles parked all over the area, so cool. Also, the 944 S2 is probably the most valuable and will retain value over other models. Anyhow, if you buy one, get one that has service records and hasn't had a bunch of owners. Since they are cheap, any and many idiots have owned them until they break. A great place to look would be the PCA classifieds.

pca had alot of great info , for me . but not sure how I log in ,

i'm not a web master but , didn't see any sign up icon's ?????????

Looks like you have to join to shop. I'm probably wrong, but I thought it used to be free to look at the PCA classifieds. I didn't try it, but maybe you can drill down to the local chapters and maybe see some ads there. In any case, good luck with your search, and don't fear the timing belt thing, it's not a 30k interval, more like 50k if I remember right. Best to look for one that was recently done and documented.

I have a 944 turbo for a daily driver. I enjoy driving the 914 I have for just dropping the top and crusing around. Two very different and both fun cars.

Either way, be ready to turn a wrench and you can operate either fairly inexpensively ***

The 914's are pretty straight forward, pleanty of threads on this forum on buying.

The 944's - Go late 85 for interior and suspension upgrades. Allway buy with as much papaerwork as possible. Belts should have been changes or plan on changing. Do the water pump if need to while you're there.
***BEWARE OF THE CLUTCH - especially in a turbo. This is a big job and the parts will run $800. Labor if I recall correcly is booked at 22 hours. This is not a fun job to do.

If you get a 944 that is non turbo, it's alittle easier to work on, but not real fast after driving a turbo.

The big difference is that a 944 is a real, modern, everyday car. I drive a lightly modified 944 turbo every day and it drives like a Honda if you're just cruising around and outruns C5 vettes when you want it to. I have a 914 with a 3.2 and I love it like a child but the turbo is way faster. You're really going to want to drive them both and make up your mind. I also race a normally aspirated 944 and it's a fantastic racecar. Dead reliable and easy to work on (turbo's a different story). If money is tight, get a nice 944 N/A and just make sure to keep on top of the belts and you'll be fine.

Very true. I had the clutch done in my turbo last year and I went ahead and did rod bearings and oil pan gasket and maybe a few other things. All said and done it was close to 5k. Nowhere near that bad in the N/A. Half the labor for the turbo is getting the turbo plumbing out of the way.