968 - what a great car!

[NJH]

Well I ended up hating the 968 tiptronic we had and was glad to see the back of it despite it representing a £9K+ loss for the 10k miles I got out of it, yet I fell in love again with my 944 S2 race/track car last summer. I think this says a lot about my overall feelings towards these cars, they make much better track/race cars than road cars IMHE.

[FraMac]

NJH said:

Well I ended up hating the 968 tiptronic we had and was glad to see the back of it despite it representing a £9K+ loss for the 10k miles I got out of it, yet I fell in love again with my 944 S2 race/track car last summer. I think this says a lot about my overall feelings towards these cars, they make much better track/race cars than road cars IMHE.

I've been more fortunate with the outlay on mine, having said that the front wishbones were not cheap, neither were the camshafts.

The pinion bearing started roaring on the way back from Le Mans a few years ago. We got home without issue, and the bearing going was a mixed blessing, as I took the opportunity to have a motorsport flywheel fitted, limited slip diff and new new clutch. So it worked out as being uncheap in the end, but I was (am) happy with the outcome.

I really enjoy the drive, but completely get the comments about it being a track car / weekend thing.

[jackal]

Sandy59 said:

Bit like these Steve ??

Looks like my old CS ?

[FraMac]

blade7 said:

Was that motorsport flywheel a DMF ? If not it may be worthwhile fitting an S2 crank pulley.

No, single.

Apologies for my ignorance, what would the S2 crank pulley do?

Thanks in anticipation.

[Sandy59]

jackal said:

Sandy59 said:

Bit like these Steve ??

Looks like my old CS ?

Mine is the furthest away one which I'm sure I bought before you sold yours, the other belonged to a guy Ritchie who I believe did a lot of work on it before selling a couple of years ago.
If I remember correctly yours was sold as pretty much concours ??

[FraMac]

Many thanks indeed, not something I was aware of.

The later 968s (which I think include mine) I believe had a mod to make the oil pick up sturdier, but i'll go check. In the same mod group reinforcement was done to the security around the door locks, to stop people slipping them.

Thanks again, i've had the car 10 years, and still I'm learning about it. The difference in noise from the dfm vs motorsport I had been warned about - in truth I haven't noticed it.

[GC8]

Youd be well advised to brace the pickup on these engines irrespective of whether they have any modifications or are completely standard.

[NJH]

Interesting because later 944s had a plate installed over the lock mechanism inside the door to help stop people stealing the car. I found it a real PITA to work around when working on my race car.

[pikeyboy]

GC8 said:

boy said:

GC8 said:

Heavy? Surely its lighter than a light thing?

There are far too many posts like this: bought one, didn't like it, wasn't what I expected, sold it.

Well I kept it for a good three or four years so I didn't just buy it and then sell it within a short period of time.

I ran it on road and track along side my Caterham Fireblade (413 kg) so compared to this and the AH frogeye sprite I used to race which weighed 580kg it felt heavy, even though a CS is a light weight sports car.

I also never really got a sense of occasion when taking it out, when I had my E30 M3 every time I used to start it up and reverse it out of the garage it felt special, my CS never really did for some reason. My caterham certainly does feel special although I cant use it as much as a CS as its quite extreme, even for a caterham where as I ran the CS everyday for a while.

I believe the subtext to be that my reply was rather harsh and I agree. Apologies.

GC the apology isn't required.

I liked my CS and the handling balance is just how I imagined it. They are very flattering to drive as a result of the balance and for a road car that can be driven to and used on track out of the box with minimal mods and yet be so accomplished they are hard to beat.

[FraMac]

GC8 said:

Youd be well advised to brace the pickup on these engines irrespective of whether they have any modifications or are completely standard.

Many thanks. Something else to look at. I overfill oil slightly on trackdays "just in case".

[GC8]

Overfilling will usually get you home, but you need to drastically overfill. If you lose oil pressure and adding a large amount of oil restores the pressure, then its almost certainly a fractured oil pickup pipe.

This has happened to a number of people that I know now, on completely standard cars.

[FraMac]

GC8 said:

Overfilling will usually get you home, but you need to drastically overfill. If you lose oil pressure and adding a large amount of oil restores the pressure, then its almost certainly a fractured oil pickup pipe.

This has happened to a number of people that I know now, on completely standard cars.

Thanks again. I have not had any issues so far, oil pressure is consistent, and I tend to try and prevent problems, as it's always been cheaper than fixing them! Big maintenance planned for 2015, so something I can ask the mechs to look at while they're spannering about.

Thanks.

[FraMac]

Thanks - no forged pistons, and currently no supercharger (although I still have all the bits and pieces if I want to fit another one).

If the person you were talking to had the particular car I am thinking of, it was running between fifty and seventy-five brake more than mine (if i remember correctly).

One of the features that appealed to me when I had mine fitted was that the development car that was putting out similar power to mine had run for over 12 months without incident.

[FraMac]

Unfortunately it sounds like the same car - LHD Clubsport in yellow (no sunroof) with electric windows to make living with the full cage easier. I lost touch with the car about six years ago, so there is every chance in the meantime it's moved south.

[PomBstard]

Excuse me for butting into this thread, but it seems like the best place to pose a question. I'm likely to be in the market soon for a 944S2 or 968 (not sure what model you'd call it, but lets say 'not CS'). Which would you take as a weekend car for 2-3 years, with perhaps a session or two on a track?

Heart says S2 as I much prefer the looks and would be a bit cheaper to buy, but can't ignore the fact that a 968 would be around 5 years younger, have a bit more poke, and has benefited from additional development. I'll be buying on condition, and have access to a well-respected independent specialist mechanic close by. I've not had a decent blast in a 968, but have tried a few S2s and came very close to getting an exceptionally tidy S2 a couple of years ago. The appetite's never really gone away.

[NJH]

Easy to answer that one, best 968 Sport you can find for decent money. Should be sub £10K as they don't have the halo of the CS despite being effectively the same car.

[FraMac]

blade7 said:

It was in Devon before it went abroad, the owner had another engine fitted and sold it soon after I think. A properly built forced induction 968 would be a great car, but I've given up looking for a tired £4k 968 to build one now .

I really enjoyed mine with SC added, suspension upped, brakes, other stuff listed above (and more). If you're interested i'll send you the dyno readings, but if you've parked your plans maybe best I don't ;-)

One of the posters on 968uk (Chris, who posts as EDZ something) spent a while building his own and I remember he had some challenges along the way.

Big differences on prices the last time I looked for 968s (you are undoubtedly more up to speed than me). Tips had started asking for better money than previously.

I bought mine with the intention of driving it, rather than an investment, and I have not been disappointed, and I've become quite attached to the old bugger.

Out of interest i'll have a look and see what they're changing hands for tho.

[FraMac]

I like the turbos, and very different to the SC. The SC on mine seized, and it was when I was spending less time on track, so I didn't bother replacing it and put the car back onto 17" wheels instead of 18" at the same time.

[FraMac]

Sure

[FraMac]

I bought mine about 10 years ago from a private seller - paid a similar amount to what the Cambs dealer was looking for. I was all set to travel to Surrey to look at a black sport, and our local Porsche Indy mechanic pointed me towards the CS I bought less than a mile from where we live (Sth Manchester).

There seemed to be a stack of 968 s for sale three or four years back, from some well worn ones to really nice examples - less so now. I don't know if this is because they continue to be bent on a regular basis, or the market has settled down a bit.