Finally bought a 944

The 944 is a very undervalued sports car right now. Ive had a few over the years and recently picked up another aswell.

 

Awesome! The are great cars. Post some pics when you get the chance.

 

Then, of course... there's the 951...

 

Glad to see folks appreciating these cars. The 88 944 has the higher comp pistons compared to earlier years, so new pistons may be redundant. I had the 944 bug when it first came out; the bug remained dormant until a few years ago when I got inspired by a visit to the Porsche museum and subsequently took on a restoration project of an old 944 race car version. As I get more seat time in my 944, I increasingly appreciate its balanced handling especially under race conditions.

The 993s are nice cars as well. I think this model is the best looking 911 model, but I prefer the driving feel of the earlier Porsches such as the 944.

Enjoy the 944!

 

Congrats with your purchase. The 944 is a wonderful car.

In this months Excellence there is a good article about the 924S, the same drive train as earlier 944's.

 

congrats, saw a nice one today in the rain on 42nd and 2nd sitting at a traffic light. they still look good all these years later...

 

I bought a very nice 85.5 in Alpine White, with the sport shocks/sways, entire full leather interior, sport/heated/power seats, and color coded Fuchs with polished outer rims. I was the second owner, as I recall it was a 20K car with 6k in options when new. I paid 8K for it.

Put 50K on it in a couple years.

Sold it for a profit, and regret selling it.

Not blindingly fast, but once you get up to speed if you're a good driver you hardly have to slow down.

Just about everyone I knew did the throttle cam upgrade.

 

Although, in my case a RHD 952

Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Perfect... I'd never heard of the 952 (RH drive 951) had to look it up.

The 951/952 (aka 944 Turbo) solved the big 944 issue - gutlessness...

Fabulous car with all the balance of the 944.

 

Glad to hear that your 944 love is continuing (and growing)

I'd say put a S2 lump in the car if you have a chance. You'll love the extra torque and hp, without the worry of the turbo.

But then again I'm biased, as I'm equally smitten with my S2...


The hardest thing with that car is _not_ driving it. I killed one too many Saturdays in December by going for a "short" drive that took all day.

 

Congrats! I'm a longtime 944 owner (almost 16 years!) I have two other cars. Both are considerably faster but I still very much enjoy the 944. The control surfaces all feel nice and there's just the right balance of refinement and mechanical feel.

Something I really like about it, though, is that you can actually work the car hard on public roads. My 335 is just too fast in a straight line to do that with. Here are a couple of suggestions to improve your ownership experience.

- these cars are are very reliable when driven at least once a week; don't let it sit
- the throttle cam is a must
- keep the suspension fresh by replacing worn out bushings and shocks
- engine chips don't add much horsepower but they do "wake up" the response

 

I drove a 944 for a few years, replaced it with a 968 that to this day I regret having sold. They're great cars and I hope they continue to be unappreciated so that I can pick up another one in a few years for a reasonable sum. Congrats on your new 944

 

No problem. If you really want the car to feel a little zippier and more eager I recommend doing the following in the following order:

Throttle Cam -- Perception is reality. No more horsepower but it feels faster. (~$25)

RogueTuning MAF Kit -- This is properly engineered, plug-n-play, and looks stock. The guy actually rewrote the Motronic assembly code. It only adds 10lb-ft of torque, but it's across the entire rev-range, and is very noticeable in this car. (~$500) http://roguetuning.com/944_maf_kit_na-tune%C2%A9

Spec Lightened Flywheel -- Perfect to do when changing the clutch. Better throttle response and makes the car noticeably quicker in 1st and 2nd gears (~$300)

Offset Camshaft Key -- Retards cam timing and makes the midrange really come alive. Requires the timing belt to come off. (~$25)

Cat-Back Exhaust -- Probably this is mostly perceptive...but you will sound faster ($varies)

Cam and engine dyno tune -- Not cheap, but definitely works. ($1000)

If you do all of the above you'll probably end-up 180-190HP and have a drive train that just feels a lot more eager. The 944 will never be "fast" but this will make it feel quick to drive and greatly improve the subjective qualities of the drivetrain. Doing everything but the cam will save a lot of money and get you most of the way there -- not bad for around $1000 invested.