944 newbie quiz
Author
Discussion

spooner2

Original Poster:

15 posts

249 months

Tuesday 3rd April 2007
quotequote all
ello,

ok i've had a few old porkers in my time, mainly old aircooled stuff (356/912/914/911), i am thinking about getting a 944 for a daily hack, small budget £2-3k, i have been told different advice from different people, do i go for a good early 2.5 or buy the newest i can afford? what to watch for on the 944's? any help gratefully recieved.

cheers woolie

pope

2,653 posts

277 months

Tuesday 3rd April 2007
quotequote all
'best' you can afford is right, not neccessarily 'newest'......

The age of 944's makes belts / pipework an issue.
Front to rear pipework especially.
Any twin cam - 944S, 944S2 needs to have cams/chains/tensioner pads inspected prior to use if the vehicle is unknown to you.
S's had head issues when new, S2's no problems.
scruffy S2's are around the 3k mark, look for corrosion at the trailing edge of the sills and above rear axle front mounts, most problems are fixable fairly inexpensively, but structural corrosion......not cheap.

softinthehead

1,550 posts

269 months

Tuesday 3rd April 2007
quotequote all
spooner2 said:
ello,

do i go for a good early 2.5 or buy the newest i can afford?
cheers woolie


even the newest will be 15 years old now so age is almost completely irrelevant. how it has been cared for is far more relevant and i think should be your only search criterion.

within your budget you are unlikely to get a good S2 or turbo so a 2.5 looks sensible. many would steer you away from the 16v S as it didnt really offer significant performance gains and internet folklore is that engine wear is higher.
As usual I will fly the flag for the 2.7 lux - more torquey than the 2.5, especially low down. on paper performance is no better but I found it a much more fun drive.

look out for recent belts change, also things like cv joints can be expensive - all the rubbery bits, basically.

Look at Hartech's website which has an excellent buyers guide

adamsmeeth

847 posts

235 months

Tuesday 3rd April 2007
quotequote all
I recently got a 2.7 to do just what you are planning.

So far it has been wonderful and has not let me down.

But I have to say I'm not sure you'll find a shining example for £3k..

Happy hunting!

spooner2

Original Poster:

15 posts

249 months

Wednesday 4th April 2007
quotequote all
thanks for all the advice, the hunt shall start !!!!