944S As Daily Driver..... Realistic?
Discussion
Hi, title says it all really - interested in opinions as to how practical it would be to run a late model 944 as my transport. Also any info on servicing/repair/running costs - I can do general servicing (oil/filters/plugs/brakes etc) myself but major stuff like clutches/cambelts/shims etc would mean a trip to a specialist.
I do around 10k private miles a year but this is dropping y-on-y and I have more than one vehicle so could be kept down a bit if need be.
Thanks in advance...........
I do around 10k private miles a year but this is dropping y-on-y and I have more than one vehicle so could be kept down a bit if need be.
Thanks in advance...........
_gez_ said:
I'm no expert on this model but read a buyers guide in a recent porsche mag. It was on the S2 as they reckoned it the changes made to that model were worth having. Just checked in the little boys room and it was the April issue of 911 and Porsche World.
Cheers. Back issue on its way! 
S2 is definitely your best option as a daily.
Lux or an S would work fine but are (slightly) more compromised for day to day use.
Turbos work fine too - I know I do it.
It all depends on how you like you cars to drive. If you get a turbo modifications tend to follow....
Bear in mind they can get a bit pricey to keep tip top unless you can do it yourself but get a decent on and it will be bearable. Pennies to buy currently (sadly).
As always get over to pcgb and tipec forums (free to register) and there is alwasy lots of advice.
Lux or an S would work fine but are (slightly) more compromised for day to day use.
Turbos work fine too - I know I do it.
It all depends on how you like you cars to drive. If you get a turbo modifications tend to follow....
Bear in mind they can get a bit pricey to keep tip top unless you can do it yourself but get a decent on and it will be bearable. Pennies to buy currently (sadly).
As always get over to pcgb and tipec forums (free to register) and there is alwasy lots of advice.
V8 Disco said:
This is promising... and I'm open to suggestions as to the model - only quoted the 's' as I had read it was considered the best of them. Quite like the idea of the turbo but worried about longevity.
Thankyou for replies so far.
I would say that the consensus is that the S is in fact the worst of them. The S2 however would indeed make a fine everyday driver, I know a number of folk who use them in that way. Thats not to say that any 944, whether it be Lux, S, S2 or Turbo couldn't be a daily driver. Thankyou for replies so far.
I've owned a later (oval-dash, mid-1985-on) lux and an S2, either is fine as a useable car. Early Luxes, without PAS, might be a pain around town on a daily basis.
It's what you want from it and the type of driving you do that needs to be considered. The S2 is heavier, better-equipped and faster (on paper), but not anywhere near as nimble or "fun" as a lux. If it's more a long-distance relaxed journey you do then the S2 is perfect. For b-road blasts the lux is arguably better. Either will easily cruise at well over the motorway limits, and either will pass cameras at the appropriate speed, just that the S2 is more relaxed on the motorway and the lux more fun at everyday speeds.
Both should get you close to 30mpg under mixed driving. I used to say that you'd maintain a Lux for about £1K per year, perhaps £1.5k for an S2. That might need increasing a bit, as costs have risen, but bought well they are unusually strong and reliable for their age and miles. Just do the reasearch, and ideally get someone to go over their car with you to show you what to look for.
It's what you want from it and the type of driving you do that needs to be considered. The S2 is heavier, better-equipped and faster (on paper), but not anywhere near as nimble or "fun" as a lux. If it's more a long-distance relaxed journey you do then the S2 is perfect. For b-road blasts the lux is arguably better. Either will easily cruise at well over the motorway limits, and either will pass cameras at the appropriate speed, just that the S2 is more relaxed on the motorway and the lux more fun at everyday speeds.
Both should get you close to 30mpg under mixed driving. I used to say that you'd maintain a Lux for about £1K per year, perhaps £1.5k for an S2. That might need increasing a bit, as costs have risen, but bought well they are unusually strong and reliable for their age and miles. Just do the reasearch, and ideally get someone to go over their car with you to show you what to look for.
Google [bot] said:
Who suggested?
Agreed the S2 though.
This:Agreed the S2 though.
Jon951 said:
I would say that the consensus is that the S is in fact the worst of them.
S2 would make a great daily driver. Quick enough, strong and smooth 3.0 engine, well maintained lasts for ages.Turbo is recommended to have oil changes every 6k miles, short interval might put you off. Turbo SE special edition (1988) had 250hp, 1989 onwards Turbos benefitted from this upgrade.
The S tends to be seen as the "worst" because you have the added complexity of a 16V system grafted onto the earlier 2.7 block - yes, the S2 has the 16V as well, but the S2 has a bigger engine, more power and the newer body style so therefore is seen as less of a compromise.
As mentioned above they're astoundingly cheap right now for what they are. Heck - you might even class it as an "investment".
Stick on a set of winter tyres like the Germans do for the cold temperatures and you're flying.
Mine has been through 2 winters now as a family car, the last on brand new summer tyres and all was fine; although I had to pull over once to help push a volvo out of some snow.
They are completely practical as the boot can take surprisingly vast quantities of stuff, Christmas took a couple of attempts to pack for, looked a bit like Santa's sleigh.
Car now has 200,000 miles on it and still going strong. These cars are unbeliveably cheap and don't need to cost the earth to run, but I wouldn't say they are an investment and may well never be.
So go and do it you won't regret it.
They are completely practical as the boot can take surprisingly vast quantities of stuff, Christmas took a couple of attempts to pack for, looked a bit like Santa's sleigh.
Car now has 200,000 miles on it and still going strong. These cars are unbeliveably cheap and don't need to cost the earth to run, but I wouldn't say they are an investment and may well never be.
So go and do it you won't regret it.
delays said:
Google [bot] said:
Who suggested?
Agreed the S2 though.
This:Agreed the S2 though.
Jon951 said:
I would say that the consensus is that the S is in fact the worst of them.
S2 would make a great daily driver. Quick enough, strong and smooth 3.0 engine, well maintained lasts for ages.Turbo is recommended to have oil changes every 6k miles, short interval might put you off. Turbo SE special edition (1988) had 250hp, 1989 onwards Turbos benefitted from this upgrade.
The S tends to be seen as the "worst" because you have the added complexity of a 16V system grafted onto the earlier 2.7 block - yes, the S2 has the 16V as well, but the S2 has a bigger engine, more power and the newer body style so therefore is seen as less of a compromise.
As mentioned above they're astoundingly cheap right now for what they are. Heck - you might even class it as an "investment".
Stick on a set of winter tyres like the Germans do for the cold temperatures and you're flying.
Anyone you choose will be fine, just buy on condition there are some real dogs out there.
delays said:
S2 would make a great daily driver. Quick enough, strong and smooth 3.0 engine, well maintained lasts for ages.
As mentioned above they're astoundingly cheap right now for what they are. Heck - you might even class it as an "investment".
Cheap and Porsche ?, IF you get a good one and IF you do some of the spannering yourself maybe, but lots have been run on the cheap for years and they usually get moved on as a big bill approaches, not really a car to buy without plenty of money spent in the last few years.As mentioned above they're astoundingly cheap right now for what they are. Heck - you might even class it as an "investment".
V8 Disco said:
This is promising... and I'm open to suggestions as to the model - only quoted the 's' as I had read it was considered the best of them. Quite like the idea of the turbo but worried about longevity.
Thankyou for replies so far.
All are good. But to re-cap:Thankyou for replies so far.
The Lux. This has the seperate front bumper, and the 2.5 litre engine. Later enlarged to 2.7. The latter is quite rare
The "S" This has the seperate front bumper, and the 2.5l engine but with a 16 valve head. A cause of worry, as Porsche decided to only power one cam from the cambelt (itself a worry...) and the other camshaft powered via sprockets and chains from the first camshaft, halfway along the camshaft.
The Turbo A 2.5 litre engine, but with a Turbo, Newer, wrap-around front bumper and a lot of other upgrades.
The S2 This has the wraaround bumper of the Turbo, and the 16v head of the S, but with the engine enlarged to 3 litres.
Dont ask whether the S2 or Turbo is the better car. Been down to death, and the generla concensus is that they are nicely different, and its a personal preference.
Only the Turbo and S2 were availalbe in cab format (the former very rare).
Some cars exist which have 3 litre engines with the Turbo, and my 2.5S actually had a 2.7l block. WE discoverd this when I did the cambelt change, and found the belt was tight enough it didnt need the tensioner. Very worrying!
Anyhow, Lots of performance mods for the Turbo less so for the others.
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