Anyone here used a 944 as a daily?

I drove my 1985.5 944 every day for a year and a half before I sold it. I loved the exhaust note and the ability to do a u-turn on a 2 lane street!
Still regret selling it
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I had a 944 as my daily for somewhere around 3-4 years before I got my 911. Loved that car. Reliable and was fun to drive. Mileage wasn't bad and it looked good. Mine was an '84 so it wasn't all that powerful or fast. But it was good looking, fun to drive and since it was a daily and saw snow, I was surprisingly amazed at how well it did. Totally agreed on the snow tires though, be sure to get some good snow tires if you want to drive it in the winter.

I had dunlop sport winters on a set of 911 wheels on mine. Drove fantastic in the snow.

Only thing I hated was keeping on top of the timing belt and balance shaft belt. It can easily be under a 4 hour job or less once you get used to it. Make sure it doesn't need a new clutch if you get one, because doing the clutch on them is noooooooooooooo fun.

Currently I daily an 82' 911 SC and love it. With good snow tires it does surprisingly well in the snow. The nice thing is you get good traction at the rear wheels due to the weight distribution with the engine back there, compared to the 944 which was good, but not nearly as "planted" but then you end up having to get used to the front being lighter for steering. Again, good winter tires are a must if you want it in the snow.

The other thing on a 911 is to make ABSOLUTELY SURE that your heater hoses do NOT have cracks. In the winter time, if they aren't pushing all the air they can, it can be a nightmare to defrost. I replaced all of mine and the amount of air pushed was night and day. But the first winter I had that car, yeesh, winter sucked.

Also, keep in mind, it will be dramatically more cold in the car if you go with a Targa over Coupe unless your targa seals are 100% perfect, and even then, it's not the same.

My 911 SC has about 180,000 miles, stills runs strong as can be, oil consumption is perfectly acceptable, and she still pulls just fine. Love that car.

 

Ive owned a multitude of 944s many years ago and just delved back in with a low mileage 968 as a daily/DE car. One month in and I am really enjoying the car!

 

I've been looking at 968s as well. Contrary to some, I really appreciate the look -- 1/3rd 944, 1/3rd 993, 1/3rd 928. I understand that it is one of Porsche's best in terms of drivers cars, but I have not had the chance to get behind the wheel just yet -- none for sale around here, and I don't know anyone who has one...but, I may just take a chance on one. I have a feeling I'll like it!

 

I have '84 944 as weekend car. it could be used as DD.. reliable car!

 

Let me know if you are ever in the Leesburg area. Be happy to give you a drive in mine!

 

Unfortunately, it will probably be a while...but much appreciated!!

F chatters are the best, haven't met a crappy one yet!

 

Thanks for sharing your experience. I agree... much more satisfying to stretch an engine than constrain it.

 

Chupacabra's idea was so good I thought I'd give it a try. So I went out and got me a 944S2 cabriolet last week.


Day 1 of 944 ownership - 132 mile drive from Pennsylvania to DC. Half twisty country roads, about half highway.

Surprises on the drive:

1) Gas mileage. I got about 25mpg on the return trip while cruising somewhere in the neighborhood of 70mph. The rental Camry that was following me got about 26 or 27.

2) I forgot how smooth the 944 motor is. And now nicely tuned the exhaust is. The Boxster may have more growls and howls, but I've got to say that I appreciate the 944s baritone hum - it's there, but not overly intrusive.

3) How drama-free it is to cruise at speed. Want 80mph? No problem. 90? the engine note is a bit higher, but the car feels like it's not breathing particularly hard. No worries.

4) Rocks. Or, more specifically, a rock. Low car + stone = windshield chip. Right about mid-forehead level directly in front of the driver. Saw it coming... oh well, I wanted to re-cover the seats, anyway.

5) Scuttle shake. Yeah, it's there. But, somehow, the car manages to shake and still feel "of a piece" while doing it.


6) The number of people I caught looking at my el-cheapo, 22-year-old car...
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Congratulations. That is a great looking car.

Just to give you a comparison, here in Australia that is a $18K-$22K car. USD to AUD is virtually at Parity by the way.

http://www.carpoint.com.au/all-cars/results.aspx?Ns=pCar_RankSort_Int32%7C1%7C%7CpCar_Price_Decimal%7C1%7C%7CpCar_Make_String%7C0%7C%7CpCar_Model_String%7C0&SearchAction=N&Qpb=1&sid=13A0E92F8415&keywords=&Nne=15&N=834%201216%201246%201247%201252%201282%204294963709%204294963765%204294678013

 

Told you so. Glad you seem to be enjoying it despite the rock and a bit of shake.

 

Wow - had no idea. US prices are about half that - with well-maintained cars going for ~10-12+ K.

Definitely a great car -- and great fun to drive. (Unfortunately, not the best choice for today's hurricane). And *what a heater* on this little car!



That's the other big lesson of the drive home -- it's easy to forget how much modern cars have "expanded" in size. The 944 is positively diminutive by comparison

 

Congrats again! There's hope, I suppose! Still looking

The market is certainly interesting right now. Seems prices are all over the map from screaming deal to "are you kidding me??" I've come across several S2s and low mileage turbos that are firmly in SC/3.2 territory. I've come across a few turbos priced (rather optimistically, I believe) in the low-mid 20's.

If anyone knows of a good deal on a solid driver SC or 3.2 or a nice 968, S2, or turbo, hit me up! Also let me know if you know anyone who wants a well-maintained, higher mileage 4 door hardtop Jeep Wrangler Sahara!

 

I've had my 86 944 turbo since 1990 and have put over 200k miles on it and everything everyone has mentioned previously has worn out and been replaced. Parts are fortunately easy to obtain and everything is fixable. The one point not mentioned by anyone is that the pistons are forged (not cast), and that helps keep these beautiful cars on the road as daily drivers.
I have easily spent more in repairs than the original cost of the car, but I'll never sell it. It's my favorite daily driver in good weather and still makes me smile. There are fewer and fewer of them on the road now, and I notice this car is more of a head turner than my 993.

 

This thread is making me contemplate having my 944 race car more street-friendly so I can drive it more.

 

You won't regret it if you do. I don't need to tell you they're fun cars to drive, and now that they're increasingly rare they get a lot of positive feedback and more than a few people asking "what is that"

 

Update...I bought a 944 back in December, and it has pretty much been in one shop or another since then being customized and fully gone through. I had the engine completely resealed, the motor mounts replaced, the entire exterior painted in the original color with gunmetal ghost stripes on the hood and top. The top is now black, which kind of makes the car appear lower. I bought MichaelB's 18" 996 turbo wheels, and they are going on tomorrow. I'll get some pics up.

I love driving this little thing! It handles like few cars its age, and not many new ones feel that composed, to be honest. There aren't many of them on the road anymore, so I don't see myself at every stoplight. Not a bad little daily driver, I must say!

I DID drive a new Cayman S today, though, and I think once it becomes feasible, I may have to grab one. Holy crap what a great car! I loved my 987 Cayman S, but this thing is just fantastic. If and when that happens, the 944 will become something I've always wanted but couldn't afford...a great track car!!!

 

I can give a 2nd reference point. Mine is a S2 cabriolet that I got in November and have DD-ed since. I had one big *bang* when a balance shaft belt let go. (Long story that involves the PO being ripped off by a dishonest mechanic). Scary and disappointing, but I'd planned on doing the belts + waterpump anyway -- just not that particular day. Add in a few seals and a dizzy/ignition wire refresh

...and that's it as far as maintenance has gone.

I replaced the tires and the windshield (rock chip) because they needed it (tires especially, pirouetting the car at highway speeds was fun, but I don't want to make a habit of it).

I've done an oil change, too. And replaced a glovebox hinge.

But that's all in ~3500 miles.

I've driven it in snow (yep) and freezing cold, rain (no leaks!), and sunshine. I'm proud of the fact that I've had the top down for at least one drive every month I've owned the car.

I know a few things are coming up: tensioner pads, air conditioning refresh, and there's a small coolant leak that I'm chasing down. But them's the breaks on 20+ year old cars.

As Chupa says, it handles wonderfully. The S2 motor makes it a nice, athletic drive -- torquey enough to be quick off the line, powerful enough to pull nicely up to triple digits, balanced and powerful enough to be fun through the twisty bits. Add to that a nice baritone exhaust hum and....

And I realize that may not sound like selling points to folks with faster or newer cars, so here's my why bother: the more I drive this car, the more I want to drive it. It's one of those cars: hop in, set out, and you find yourself driving 'til sunset. At ~$10k for a nice one, I think they're a bargain.

And, as I look out on mine today, I fancy I see something of the speedster in the roof lines...

If you have the space and the desire for a convertible you don't see everyday (i.e. not a Boxster), I'd say look for one. But be warned, if your significant other is like mine you'll soon hear the question: "where's mine"

 

How is this for service?

I live in Brisbane Australia.

I finally bit the bullet and bought myself a new aluminium billet radiator from Lindsey Racing in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA for my 1988 Porsche 944 Turbo.

I processed the Order on Friday morning 26/4 Brisbane time. That was Thursday night in OK.
The radiator left OK on their Friday, got to DFW (Dallas Fort Worth) on US Friday night and landed at Brisbane Customs Sunday morning 28/4.

A DHL courier delivered it to me safe and sound Monday afternoon 29/4 in Brisbane City.

Freight was $160 through DHL and as I was in no particular hurry, I didn't pay extra freight costs. That was just the deal.

Very impressed and thank you Lindsey Racing!

 

Wow! They certainly have some nice stuff, too.

 

8,500 miles in 3 days. Pretty impressive. It's important to acknowledge great service when you get it. God knows its not very common.

 

Very impressive. I've only heard good things about LR products and service.

 

I'm still trying to wrap my head around A Porsche needing a radiator...


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I've been waiting for someone to Post something like that.

 

Well, unfortunately, the turbo twists are just too great for my little '44. They're in the classifieds if anyone is interested I ended up having the phone dials refinished.