RE: Porsche 944 Turbo: PH Carpool
Monday 8th December 2014
Name: Nick Noxon
Car: Porsche 944 Turbo
Owned since: July 2014
Previously owned: "The privilege to drive my mother's Audi!"
Lots of owners but it's been cared forWhy I bought it:
"Like every other 21 year-old I wanted a light, powerful, RWD coupe as my first car. After about a six months of looking at everything from FB RX-7s to NA Miatas to 240SXs (there are no good ones left), I decided to check the prices of 944s. They were just within my budget. About a month after this realisation I had the opportunity to get a ride in a 993 Turbo. After the ride, when the adrenaline in my system had returned to its normal level, it was obvious the 944 now needed to be a Turbo. I needed a 951. With some spreadsheet wizardry the man maths checked out. Soon after a tidy looking 951 popped up on Kijiji and I immediately went to see it. The car had been well taken care of by an enthusiast father and son duo, we agreed on a price of $7,500 and that was that!"
Guess what's going on here...Things I love:
"The purity and layout of the cabin. All the dials and knobs are simple and well placed. The seating position is also perfect. Tucked in between the transmission tunnel and able to move your hand a small distance to have it meet up with the gearlever. Another less spoken perk of 944s is the practicality. The hatch can swallow up a lot more than you'd expect. Proven by how I somehow managed to move myself up to school in it. The balance of the car is also every bit as good as the legends say. Drifting in the snow is an absolute blast!"
Driving position one of many lovesCosts:
"Luckily all within the established budget. The car needed a new timing belt and water pump right after purchasing which was just shy of $1,000. Then, whilst running down the 401, the AC compressor decided to seize and destroy its belt, which also runs the alternator. That plus an alignment cost another $800 to properly fix. For the winter a set of Boxster rims and tyres were another $900. Fuel has been surprisingly good, as long as the turbo isn't spooled up. Highway trips return about 26mpg while it's probably around 21 on normal roads."
And even the economy is acceptable!What next:
"The car needs a new set of front bushings and a small exhaust leak that needs attending to, so that will be dealt with when summer arrives. Otherwise I plan on attending some local Porsche meets and possibly entering some autocross events. As for modifications a cat delete and some OEM Cup rims should suit the car nicely. But really the main plan is to purchase another car next year so it doesn't have to endure another winter!"
Porsche 944 Turbo: PH Carpool
An alternative choice for the first RWD sports car but one that this Carpooler is very fond of
Car: Porsche 944 Turbo
Owned since: July 2014
Previously owned: "The privilege to drive my mother's Audi!"
Lots of owners but it's been cared for
"Like every other 21 year-old I wanted a light, powerful, RWD coupe as my first car. After about a six months of looking at everything from FB RX-7s to NA Miatas to 240SXs (there are no good ones left), I decided to check the prices of 944s. They were just within my budget. About a month after this realisation I had the opportunity to get a ride in a 993 Turbo. After the ride, when the adrenaline in my system had returned to its normal level, it was obvious the 944 now needed to be a Turbo. I needed a 951. With some spreadsheet wizardry the man maths checked out. Soon after a tidy looking 951 popped up on Kijiji and I immediately went to see it. The car had been well taken care of by an enthusiast father and son duo, we agreed on a price of $7,500 and that was that!"
What I wish I'd known:
"That the car had 10 registered owners before the father and son duo! It was a bit of a shock but it seems the car had just been flipped over a lot after a short period of time - one gentleman had owned it for just two days. I had researched 951s for about two months before buying it so I was aware of all the major mechanical parts that might need replacing."
Guess what's going on here...
"The purity and layout of the cabin. All the dials and knobs are simple and well placed. The seating position is also perfect. Tucked in between the transmission tunnel and able to move your hand a small distance to have it meet up with the gearlever. Another less spoken perk of 944s is the practicality. The hatch can swallow up a lot more than you'd expect. Proven by how I somehow managed to move myself up to school in it. The balance of the car is also every bit as good as the legends say. Drifting in the snow is an absolute blast!"
Things I hate:
"Not necessarily a hate but the exhaust note is just not as nice as I hoped it would be. Having a Bluetooth connection for my phone and music would also be nice. Lastly the dash light for the dials is pathetically dim, so they are a little hard to read at night."
Driving position one of many loves
"Luckily all within the established budget. The car needed a new timing belt and water pump right after purchasing which was just shy of $1,000. Then, whilst running down the 401, the AC compressor decided to seize and destroy its belt, which also runs the alternator. That plus an alignment cost another $800 to properly fix. For the winter a set of Boxster rims and tyres were another $900. Fuel has been surprisingly good, as long as the turbo isn't spooled up. Highway trips return about 26mpg while it's probably around 21 on normal roads."
Where I've been:
"Toronto to Muskoka a couple of times for some cottage visits in the summer. The driving roads up there are fantastic. After that the only big voyage has been from Toronto to Sudbury to move myself into school. Other journeys plus daily duties means that the car has put up with 3,500 miles in four months."
And even the economy is acceptable!
"The car needs a new set of front bushings and a small exhaust leak that needs attending to, so that will be dealt with when summer arrives. Otherwise I plan on attending some local Porsche meets and possibly entering some autocross events. As for modifications a cat delete and some OEM Cup rims should suit the car nicely. But really the main plan is to purchase another car next year so it doesn't have to endure another winter!"
Discussion
These are brilliant cars and with some minor upgrades are very quick (even though over 23 years old now).
Not had one for a while but its still one of the few cars I genuinely miss, great on the road and quite capable on track, brilliant for long distance high speed trips.
Build quality is exceptional
Driving position perfect
Great steering
Great handling
Factory fit LSD and huge 4 pot calliper brakes
300 bhp easy to achieve, engine internals will cope with 450 bhp!
Not had one for a while but its still one of the few cars I genuinely miss, great on the road and quite capable on track, brilliant for long distance high speed trips.
Build quality is exceptional
Driving position perfect
Great steering
Great handling
Factory fit LSD and huge 4 pot calliper brakes
300 bhp easy to achieve, engine internals will cope with 450 bhp!
Everyone goes on about the driving position, I found the steering wheel was pretty much on my knees and you cant adjust it.
Would love to see a back to back between a nicely sorted Turbo and the 964 from that video the other day, wonder how far apart they actually are in handling, performance and enjoyment, does the 944 warrant a video of its own ? price wise, new, they werent quite as far apart as people perhaps think, certinly nowhere near the gulf in prices now.
Would love to see a back to back between a nicely sorted Turbo and the 964 from that video the other day, wonder how far apart they actually are in handling, performance and enjoyment, does the 944 warrant a video of its own ? price wise, new, they werent quite as far apart as people perhaps think, certinly nowhere near the gulf in prices now.
Yes yes yessss PH!
I've been meaning to submit a Carpool for my 951 for a while but haven't had the time as I've been too busy maintaining, improving and most importantly driving my first Porsche but it' great someone has beaten me to it. I have owned and 'driven' quite a few nice performance cars (albeit at the more affordable end of the scale) but mine has been up there with the best; I'm nearly 12 months in to owning mine now, so I'm beyond the honeymoon period and I love it dearly. It's quick, very mechanical and exciting to drive quickly. Practical too! I honestly don't know where I'd go next from mine so I think I'll be keeping it for some time yet. I did have a brief wobble on the idea of a 996, but driving one left me cold compared to my 951.
Oh and on the exhaust front OP, if your state laws allow it remove the cat/mid pipe and have a straight through pipe welded in retaining just the rear silencer. It's very quiet under normal driving, bar a few pops on the over-run but when you give it the beans on full boost it sounds properly feral! On a recent drive out with a couple of pals in a 350z and a 996 both on sport pipes, it was the venerable 4-cylinder turbo car they were admiring the most on the sound fronts (probably because they spent plenty of time looking at the back of mine trying to keep up
)... Although personally I didn't agree and much preferred the sound of the 350z.
Prices appear to be creeping up so now is the time to pounce on a good one, if of course you can find one for sale.
I've been meaning to submit a Carpool for my 951 for a while but haven't had the time as I've been too busy maintaining, improving and most importantly driving my first Porsche but it' great someone has beaten me to it. I have owned and 'driven' quite a few nice performance cars (albeit at the more affordable end of the scale) but mine has been up there with the best; I'm nearly 12 months in to owning mine now, so I'm beyond the honeymoon period and I love it dearly. It's quick, very mechanical and exciting to drive quickly. Practical too! I honestly don't know where I'd go next from mine so I think I'll be keeping it for some time yet. I did have a brief wobble on the idea of a 996, but driving one left me cold compared to my 951.
Oh and on the exhaust front OP, if your state laws allow it remove the cat/mid pipe and have a straight through pipe welded in retaining just the rear silencer. It's very quiet under normal driving, bar a few pops on the over-run but when you give it the beans on full boost it sounds properly feral! On a recent drive out with a couple of pals in a 350z and a 996 both on sport pipes, it was the venerable 4-cylinder turbo car they were admiring the most on the sound fronts (probably because they spent plenty of time looking at the back of mine trying to keep up
)... Although personally I didn't agree and much preferred the sound of the 350z. Prices appear to be creeping up so now is the time to pounce on a good one, if of course you can find one for sale.
350Z should be a match for a standard 944 turbo, very similar performance figures, is yours tuned, if so the 350Z doesn't stand a chance, no easy boost upgrades !
I went from a 944 S2 to a 350Z, I miss some things about the 944, but I do have my weekends to myself now, which is a bonus.
I went from a 944 S2 to a 350Z, I miss some things about the 944, but I do have my weekends to myself now, which is a bonus.
J4CKO said:
350Z should be a match for a standard 944 turbo, very similar performance figures, is yours tuned, if so the 350Z doesn't stand a chance, no easy boost upgrades !
I went from a 944 S2 to a 350Z, I miss some things about the 944, but I do have my weekends to myself now, which is a bonus.
I completely agree, but a k26/6 motor with a dual port, chips and other minor mods and the 350z is toast I went from a 944 S2 to a 350Z, I miss some things about the 944, but I do have my weekends to myself now, which is a bonus.
Not by alot though! The three cars were very well matched on the starights, with my 951 just having a slight edge. With a good driver at the helm though the 996 would make mincemeat of them both through the twisties, that is until I buy a set of V3's for mine.
I never considered one of these when looking for a first car as I imagined (and still do...) that they would be too hard/expensive to maintain for a 19 year old. I ended up with an MX-5 and I'm perfectly happy with it, but reading about the 944 again I imagine it could be a great step up later in life, what with the rear seats and relatively large boot...
A quick search in the classifieds here in Portugal reveals they don't cost much more than MX-5s! I really thought they'd be much more expensive... can only imagine prices going up though.
A quick search in the classifieds here in Portugal reveals they don't cost much more than MX-5s! I really thought they'd be much more expensive... can only imagine prices going up though.
My first Porsche (now on number ten) and totally blown away by the performance in 1991 when I had mine. Handling was sublime (first time I had really experienced the seat of the pants feel) and it was great for covering long distances. Things I didn't like with mine was unreliability (lots went wrong and cost me a lot of money to fix), the dim lights (I'd forgotten about those until it was mentioned in the story) and the feeling that I had to be ton up to really get a thrill (despite the wild acceleration)..that said I keep looking at them in the classifieds, 22 years after selling mine.
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