would a 2-3k porsche 944 be ruinous?
Discussion
Been fancying another mx5 as a weekend toy however on browsing ebay I see porsche 944's are quite cheap with quite a few up for 2-3k
Now would one of these be ruinous as a toy? are they likely to go bang and have major bills? what are they like to insure? maintain? etc etc.
I know i am probably going mad but they do look tempting.
Now would one of these be ruinous as a toy? are they likely to go bang and have major bills? what are they like to insure? maintain? etc etc.
I know i am probably going mad but they do look tempting.
Buy well and they are cheap to run, use less petrol than a Mazda MX5, go faster, corner better. Danger areas are; rust now the youngest are 20 years old, especially the sills and back panel, the clutch is expensive to replace. The engines are very strong, can easily do 200k miles if looked after.
It really depends on what sort of condition the car is in, backed up by the service history. From onwing one (well dad) even good cars can be sometimes expensive to run, he was paying approx £2000 all ina year to run it. This said, the 944 is an excellent drivers car, its supremely comfortable and the engine will go on and and on and on providing you keep it well maintained (its not uncommon to hear of cars completing over 250,000 miles) 
If I were you though I would wait a little longer, up the budget a bit more and get yourself into an S2 3.0 which is what we had
If I were you though I would wait a little longer, up the budget a bit more and get yourself into an S2 3.0 which is what we had
Depends what 944 you are looking for with that money - a Turbo can be had but expect to spend a load more on it to get it up to scratch! Probably similar with an S2.
A 2.5 na, assuming you dont buy it with your eyes shut you could do fine.
On all of them Rusty sills on the outside mean rusty inner sills which can be quite pricey to fix, apart from that parts aren't ludicruous (unless you buy a turbo) but certainly more than an MX5!
If you are practical a lot can be done yourself, always shop around for parts as you dont need a specialist parts supply for them! EuroCarParts and the main dealers for example are worth a call.
It will cost more than an MX5 to run however I find them more comfy, more useful size wise and very useable daily car (I own both and have used both daily, prefer the Porsche)
Have a look over on TIPEC Forum for more buying info, have a look at Clarks Garage website and Rennslist as well for more info on the cars.
I have a 944 TUrbo which has given me some sizable bills over the last few years but party that is my fault because I brought it cheap and always try and upgrade parts as I go!
There is no such thing as a cheap porsche - but they are nice to drive and own. If you are on a tight budget then go for an MX5 as they are dirty cheap for pretty much anything
A 2.5 na, assuming you dont buy it with your eyes shut you could do fine.
On all of them Rusty sills on the outside mean rusty inner sills which can be quite pricey to fix, apart from that parts aren't ludicruous (unless you buy a turbo) but certainly more than an MX5!
If you are practical a lot can be done yourself, always shop around for parts as you dont need a specialist parts supply for them! EuroCarParts and the main dealers for example are worth a call.
It will cost more than an MX5 to run however I find them more comfy, more useful size wise and very useable daily car (I own both and have used both daily, prefer the Porsche)
Have a look over on TIPEC Forum for more buying info, have a look at Clarks Garage website and Rennslist as well for more info on the cars.
I have a 944 TUrbo which has given me some sizable bills over the last few years but party that is my fault because I brought it cheap and always try and upgrade parts as I go!
There is no such thing as a cheap porsche - but they are nice to drive and own. If you are on a tight budget then go for an MX5 as they are dirty cheap for pretty much anything
Edited by AndyCowman on Saturday 19th May 18:01
Strawman said:
Buy well and they are cheap to run, use less petrol than a Mazda MX5, go faster, corner better. Danger areas are; rust now the youngest are 20 years old, especially the sills and back panel, the clutch is expensive to replace. The engines are very strong, can easily do 200k miles if looked after.
Any chance you could have a word with my S2 and explain this Miles Per Gallon thing, it does about 21, none of them use less fuel than an MX5, except if the Porsche is switched off and the MX5 has its engine running.J4CKO said:
Any chance you could have a word with my S2 and explain this Miles Per Gallon thing, it does about 21, none of them use less fuel than an MX5, except if the Porsche is switched off and the MX5 has its engine running.
Depends on what sort of driving. On a run a 944 is surprisingly economical (an early one managed 10mpg better than my E30 316 on the -ahem- high speed run on the way back from the ring).I've considered this after seeing some really well kept examples at the various sunday services over the last couple of years. I suppose for all of us that are interested, it is getting a good one right away so due to their age and rarity one from a long-term private owner may be best. Are there any specialists that deal in these?
davepoth said:
J4CKO said:
Any chance you could have a word with my S2 and explain this Miles Per Gallon thing, it does about 21, none of them use less fuel than an MX5, except if the Porsche is switched off and the MX5 has its engine running.
Depends on what sort of driving. On a run a 944 is surprisingly economical (an early one managed 10mpg better than my E30 316 on the -ahem- high speed run on the way back from the ring).They are brilliant old cars with superb handling and a level of build quality that you rarely see these days.
No reason for one to be expensive to run buy wisely check for lots of good recent history.
I've not had one for a few years but recently bought a nice S2 and had forgotten how good they are!
If you budget for a bit more you will get a nice S2.
No reason for one to be expensive to run buy wisely check for lots of good recent history.
I've not had one for a few years but recently bought a nice S2 and had forgotten how good they are!
If you budget for a bit more you will get a nice S2.
J4CKO said:
Mine typically does shorter journies so not surprising but think it could be better than it is, have changed the Lambda sensor hoping that would help, need to check for leaks !
Agreed around town it isn't great, about 22mpg, but on a long journey I've see 35mpg from mine, a 944S, which tallies with the figures herehttp://www.carfolio.com/specifications/models/car/...
The quoted 90kph/ 6.7L per 100km which is about 42mpg, I've seen as well.
Further plus points, the tyres are small by today's car standards and a common size, so relativity cheap, as are lots of the consumables.
J4CKO said:
Any chance you could have a word with my S2 and explain this Miles Per Gallon thing, it does about 21, none of them use less fuel than an MX5, except if the Porsche is switched off and the MX5 has its engine running.
I usually get 29 or 30 over the life of a full tank from my 300 hp tuned Turbo.AndyCowman said:
lots of stuff
almost all of which I agree with, except for this:AndyCowman said:
apart from that parts aren't ludicruous (unless you buy a turbo) but certainly more than an MX5!
I suspect what Andy may mean is that once you get into the world of modifying a Turbo you can spend as much money as you have, and then some. But 95% of the parts are either the same as S2 parts or similarly priced. You have a significantly more complicated exhaust system on a Turbo, of course, but there's not much else that costs a lot more to buy on a Turbo, parts-wise. Main thing on any 944, as with any 911 of similar age, is to look past the shiny paint for the corrosion, and to find one that has genuinely been maintained properly, and not on the often heard basis that "it's a cheap car so I don't see why I should spend any money on it".
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