An unusual pair
Discussion
The story thus far ...
Well it's been nearly three years since I sold my last DC2. This will be my fourth to date and although it's the highest mileage version I've had it's the best to drive out of the lot, which is a testament to how well it's been looked after since being imported.
I let my last DC2 go due to joining the 'ride to work' scheme and not being able to justify the (at the time) horrific insurance costs for the car to be sat on the drive all week …
She was a fantastic car and is still missed to this day. I clocked over 40k and she never missed a beat. Here she is at her best.
Below: pictures taken just prior to sale. Took less than five days to go
After selling the DC2 and getting used to the old cycling malarkey I knew it wouldn't be too long until I would have to buy another car. This time it would turn out to be German.
The moment I saw the car advertised I knew I had to have it. It came with a cheap classic car insurance policy, enough turbo lag to keep you consistently focused and enough performance to keep up with or make a foolery of most modern 911's.
She wasn't exactly standard, but 944's make such fantastic drivers' cars in standard form anyway. I implore anyone to own one at least once in their lifetime. The Porsche transaxle era, 924/944/968, are such understated cars. I guess that's why I like them so much as most 'Porsche enthusiasts' turn their 911 blinkers on and completely disregard them.
She was taken on a tour of Scotland back in 2012 and performed beautifully. Sadly however I think the 2000-mile trip sealed her fate as it was only a couple of months after getting back that she started showing signs of head gasket failure. Long story short, she was sold as a project car to a enthusiast in Scotland who turned her back to standard. Last I heard she's still going strong which is fantastic to hear.
After the 944 Turbo money became I little tight, so I pottered about in my Dad's Audi A6 for a while when needed until I could afford another car of my own. I literally looked at every car I had an interest in, from 944's again to Accord Type R's, 924's and DC2's.
Eventually I settled on another 944. It was in my price bracket at the time and once again came with the wonderfully cheap insurance policy. The car is an 'S' model, and for those who don't know, was only manufactured for two years and is therefore quite rare (which is always a positive when it comes to all things Porsche). It's the first version of the 944 that came with a 16v head and produced 190bhp compared to the standard 160bhp. Upon release the car was never that well received due to the lack of torque compared to the 8v heads (hence why it was manufactured for such a short period of time). It was only until the S2 came into production with the 3.0 litre engines that the 944 became the forefront of the transaxle era (after the Turbo of course).
This is when I first got her:
The lack of torque has never bothered me, solely because I was so used to Honda's and I knew you had to know how to get the best out of them. The 944 is very similar to the DC2 in a way as you have to keep it on the boil – nothing really happens until you get to 4,500rpm. Only then does the car really start to pull. And you'd be surprised once it's moving how much it keeps up with and surprises.
The car has done 165,000 miles to date, but in that time has been very well cared for. The car itself has a few niceties. At the time you could spec the car new with select Turbo pieces. It's got Turbo anti-roll bars, Turbo rear bottom valance and uprated springs.
The car initially came with nasty modern 993 BBS Anniversary alloys. I know some of you will say 'that looks nice', but to me it's just sacrilege putting modern alloys on old cars. I therefore soon started looking for some rare 16” Turbo Teledials. Luckily some popped up on eBay and there was no time wasted in getting them bought. Luckily the 993 alloys were worth quite a bit of money, so this more than covered the cost of the Teledials and a new set of tyres. Result!
Next I set about painting them in contrasting white... Although I was happy with the finish I learnt never to try and refurbish alloys again
. It's far easier/less pain to let the professionals do it.
Over the next few months I got to know the quirks and driving characteristics of the car. I was really pleased with what I had bought. Although I wasn't the fastest kid on the block it still put a mighty big grin on my face every time I drove her.
Sadly however, this wasn't to last. Back in April, when starting the car one morning, the cambelt decided to let go by stripping it's teeth. You can only imagine my horror as I knew the belts had only really just been replaced (two years/15k miles ago). Even though the cambelt let go when the car was stationary it still managed to bend a series of valves. After getting a few potential quotes to get the car back on the road, it was becoming clear that the car just wouldn't be viable to repair.
After a month of moping and working out finances I started looking at other cars again. It was then that I saw my current DC2 come up for sale. Having seen the car on the DC2 forum before, I knew it was a good example and that it had been well looked after by its previous owners. Knowing the car was just around the corner from me, and not in Scotland where I've bought a series of cars in the past, I popped round for a viewing. I must be honest, I wasn't sure that I wanted another DC2 at the time, and it was merely the case of seeing if the attraction was still there. However, the moment I pulled up to the owner's address and saw the car sitting on the drive I was completely smitten again. It looked absolutely fantastic and by the time I had finished the test drive it was pretty much sold.
The car is not standard in it's suspension setup, but sweet jesus does it corner well. The Meister R setup is firm but very compliant. I can see why people rave about them. The car as a whole though drives beautifully, is fantastically smooth and an absolute pleasure to drive. As said before, it's my fourth DC2 to date and even though it's now done 90k miles it's the best one I've owned. I'm not sure whether any of the previous owners have had the gearbox opened, but I swear the diff is not standard either. It just seems far more aggressive compared to what I remember. But it only adds to the cars performance.
The only gripe I have are the brakes. Although fantastic in performance the squeaking is finally getting to me. The discs are looking past their best, so I think a new setup will be soon on the cards. The only items I have altered/updated is the rear number plate, a set of rear mud guards and the inclusion of a Tegiwa front bumper scoop to go with their intake that Phil fitted. No plans to date other than to enjoy the car as intended. She's running spot on having recently returned 365 miles from a full tank with mixed driving.
Well, after getting over the joy of owning another DC2 again I had to make a decision on the 944 S. I either let her go for scrap, repair her or split her for parts. Knowing the potential cost of repair I came to conclusion I would have to try and sell her as is and recoup some of my money. Luckily however, I was contacted by a small classic car firm in Hertfordshire with a possible and appealing solution. Using a donor car with a low mileage rebuilt head, they offered (all going well) to complete the repair for circa of a £1000 all in. To me that was well worth doing as a running car is worth much more in the long run rather than in parts.
For the first time ever I own two cars which are actually both running, insured and taxed. I feel quite greedy to be honest. As you can imagine each car is completely different, but I equally love driving them both. I'm not sure how long this will last, but at the moment I'm just going to enjoy it.
PS. Don't let the above stories put you off 944's as they are in general very reliable. I just seem to have had a bit of bad luck with both...
Thanks for reading.
Well it's been nearly three years since I sold my last DC2. This will be my fourth to date and although it's the highest mileage version I've had it's the best to drive out of the lot, which is a testament to how well it's been looked after since being imported.
I let my last DC2 go due to joining the 'ride to work' scheme and not being able to justify the (at the time) horrific insurance costs for the car to be sat on the drive all week …
She was a fantastic car and is still missed to this day. I clocked over 40k and she never missed a beat. Here she is at her best.
Below: pictures taken just prior to sale. Took less than five days to go
After selling the DC2 and getting used to the old cycling malarkey I knew it wouldn't be too long until I would have to buy another car. This time it would turn out to be German.
The moment I saw the car advertised I knew I had to have it. It came with a cheap classic car insurance policy, enough turbo lag to keep you consistently focused and enough performance to keep up with or make a foolery of most modern 911's.
She wasn't exactly standard, but 944's make such fantastic drivers' cars in standard form anyway. I implore anyone to own one at least once in their lifetime. The Porsche transaxle era, 924/944/968, are such understated cars. I guess that's why I like them so much as most 'Porsche enthusiasts' turn their 911 blinkers on and completely disregard them.
She was taken on a tour of Scotland back in 2012 and performed beautifully. Sadly however I think the 2000-mile trip sealed her fate as it was only a couple of months after getting back that she started showing signs of head gasket failure. Long story short, she was sold as a project car to a enthusiast in Scotland who turned her back to standard. Last I heard she's still going strong which is fantastic to hear.
After the 944 Turbo money became I little tight, so I pottered about in my Dad's Audi A6 for a while when needed until I could afford another car of my own. I literally looked at every car I had an interest in, from 944's again to Accord Type R's, 924's and DC2's.
Eventually I settled on another 944. It was in my price bracket at the time and once again came with the wonderfully cheap insurance policy. The car is an 'S' model, and for those who don't know, was only manufactured for two years and is therefore quite rare (which is always a positive when it comes to all things Porsche). It's the first version of the 944 that came with a 16v head and produced 190bhp compared to the standard 160bhp. Upon release the car was never that well received due to the lack of torque compared to the 8v heads (hence why it was manufactured for such a short period of time). It was only until the S2 came into production with the 3.0 litre engines that the 944 became the forefront of the transaxle era (after the Turbo of course).
This is when I first got her:
The lack of torque has never bothered me, solely because I was so used to Honda's and I knew you had to know how to get the best out of them. The 944 is very similar to the DC2 in a way as you have to keep it on the boil – nothing really happens until you get to 4,500rpm. Only then does the car really start to pull. And you'd be surprised once it's moving how much it keeps up with and surprises.
The car has done 165,000 miles to date, but in that time has been very well cared for. The car itself has a few niceties. At the time you could spec the car new with select Turbo pieces. It's got Turbo anti-roll bars, Turbo rear bottom valance and uprated springs.
The car initially came with nasty modern 993 BBS Anniversary alloys. I know some of you will say 'that looks nice', but to me it's just sacrilege putting modern alloys on old cars. I therefore soon started looking for some rare 16” Turbo Teledials. Luckily some popped up on eBay and there was no time wasted in getting them bought. Luckily the 993 alloys were worth quite a bit of money, so this more than covered the cost of the Teledials and a new set of tyres. Result!
Next I set about painting them in contrasting white... Although I was happy with the finish I learnt never to try and refurbish alloys again
. It's far easier/less pain to let the professionals do it.
Over the next few months I got to know the quirks and driving characteristics of the car. I was really pleased with what I had bought. Although I wasn't the fastest kid on the block it still put a mighty big grin on my face every time I drove her.
Sadly however, this wasn't to last. Back in April, when starting the car one morning, the cambelt decided to let go by stripping it's teeth. You can only imagine my horror as I knew the belts had only really just been replaced (two years/15k miles ago). Even though the cambelt let go when the car was stationary it still managed to bend a series of valves. After getting a few potential quotes to get the car back on the road, it was becoming clear that the car just wouldn't be viable to repair.
After a month of moping and working out finances I started looking at other cars again. It was then that I saw my current DC2 come up for sale. Having seen the car on the DC2 forum before, I knew it was a good example and that it had been well looked after by its previous owners. Knowing the car was just around the corner from me, and not in Scotland where I've bought a series of cars in the past, I popped round for a viewing. I must be honest, I wasn't sure that I wanted another DC2 at the time, and it was merely the case of seeing if the attraction was still there. However, the moment I pulled up to the owner's address and saw the car sitting on the drive I was completely smitten again. It looked absolutely fantastic and by the time I had finished the test drive it was pretty much sold.
The car is not standard in it's suspension setup, but sweet jesus does it corner well. The Meister R setup is firm but very compliant. I can see why people rave about them. The car as a whole though drives beautifully, is fantastically smooth and an absolute pleasure to drive. As said before, it's my fourth DC2 to date and even though it's now done 90k miles it's the best one I've owned. I'm not sure whether any of the previous owners have had the gearbox opened, but I swear the diff is not standard either. It just seems far more aggressive compared to what I remember. But it only adds to the cars performance.
The only gripe I have are the brakes. Although fantastic in performance the squeaking is finally getting to me. The discs are looking past their best, so I think a new setup will be soon on the cards. The only items I have altered/updated is the rear number plate, a set of rear mud guards and the inclusion of a Tegiwa front bumper scoop to go with their intake that Phil fitted. No plans to date other than to enjoy the car as intended. She's running spot on having recently returned 365 miles from a full tank with mixed driving.
Well, after getting over the joy of owning another DC2 again I had to make a decision on the 944 S. I either let her go for scrap, repair her or split her for parts. Knowing the potential cost of repair I came to conclusion I would have to try and sell her as is and recoup some of my money. Luckily however, I was contacted by a small classic car firm in Hertfordshire with a possible and appealing solution. Using a donor car with a low mileage rebuilt head, they offered (all going well) to complete the repair for circa of a £1000 all in. To me that was well worth doing as a running car is worth much more in the long run rather than in parts.
For the first time ever I own two cars which are actually both running, insured and taxed. I feel quite greedy to be honest. As you can imagine each car is completely different, but I equally love driving them both. I'm not sure how long this will last, but at the moment I'm just going to enjoy it.
PS. Don't let the above stories put you off 944's as they are in general very reliable. I just seem to have had a bit of bad luck with both...
Thanks for reading.
Edited by DUNNERS on Thursday 7th August 18:22
Edited by DUNNERS on Monday 11th August 19:17
Nice pair of cars there and a good write up! I had a 944 an S2 and boy what an engine unfortunately it developed head gasket issues too. I would advise anyone buying one to buy a well used and maintained one I bought a low mileage one which didn't do it any favours using it for 1000 miles a year ! They need to be used.
Enjoy.
Enjoy.
That first 944 is (or was) absolutely gorgeous! Second one's lovely too. I've always loved them and I keep toying with the idea of picking a good 'un up as my next car but I'm not sure I'd be up to the maintenance, plus I know you've said to not let your 944 stories put potential owners off but I have heard rather a lot of 944 stories...
Thanks for all the comments, much appreciated.
thatguy11 said:
That first 944 is (or was) absolutely gorgeous! Second one's lovely too. I've always loved them and I keep toying with the idea of picking a good 'un up as my next car but I'm not sure I'd be up to the maintenance, plus I know you've said to not let your 944 stories put potential owners off but I have heard rather a lot of 944 stories...
The turbos are rather troublesome - you have to do your homework first and make sure the cars have had the correct maintenance/bits changed before buying. 8v 944's in general seem to be the most reliable and problem free. You have to remember, these cars are classics now so expect a few issues along the way - it all comes with the territory ... But in my opinion, it's all worth it.Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff