Colinj

Has anyone got any experience of owning one of these??

Please educate me on these cars...I have a few grand for a fun motor & these seem to have tickled my fancy!!

davyboy

If you are considering an S then don't dismiss the normal 2.5 8 valve. There are not many 'S' about and it'll make your search harder.

If you can push yourself to an S2 even a LHD one, then thats the pick of the bunch.

Senior_AP

It's been said before, you have a few grand to buy it but do you have a few grand to run it??

Colinj

Yip I sure do, it will be a fun summer/weekend car for me & the old man & nothing more!!

We both have a reliable but boring every day car so this is just a wee gamble with costs cut up the middle!!

Ive had an insurance quote of £388 for both of us so thats no problem.

I read somewhere to expect around £700/year maintenance if running regurarly & nothing major goes wrong!! I only expect to cover a few thousand miles a year...if that!!?

Car I have in mind, nearby owned by an enthusiast - relax its 128k not 28!! lol - http://atsearch.autotrader.co.uk/www...00603221692146

davyboy

That link doesn't work.

A turbo may well cost 2k a year but a N/A 944 should not cost that much. I'd still budget 1k a year though.

I only pay £300 a year on my Turbo so you should be able to pay less than that.

Colinj

Not sure why the links not working...............its on AT, the only 944 within 40 miles of FK3 9DH

Im only 23 so insurance quote is nae bad I thought

As I said ive got an everyday car for running to work & the shops, its slow & boring but returns good mpg & costs 200 to insure - lovely! This will just be a wee toy that both me & the father can enjoy, splitting the costs & an initial £1200 or so to buy the beasty....its not big business really!! Ive owned turbo motors in the past & not bothered about all out pace!! Im after something a wee bit different for an occasional drive that doesnt cost an arm & a leg to buy - something also I could maybe work on & restore & keep myself occupied?? im not interested in tracks or 1/4 miles or anything at all so thought that the 944 would be ideal?

16vmarc

Finally getting one Kolin

GCollier

Try to get some back issues of 911 and Porsche World magazine. They have run at least two buyers guides on 944's.

As 944's go the original 'S' (2.5 litre 16 valve built from 1996 to 1998) is probably the least respected model in the range. It needs to be revved hard and even then is barely faster than a regular 'lux', and the engine is by all accounts more complex, trickier to service and much more fragile.

If you're looking to buy and run a 944 on a small budget then the 8 valve lux is probably your best bet - 2.5 litre up to 1988 for the 2.7 litre from the 89 model year. The S2 from 1988 is a better drive, has noticeably more oomph and is probably the pick of the range, but a nice one will probably set you back £5-6k minimum and again is a more complex machine to maintain (though it doesn't have the bad reputation of the original 'S').

Gary.

Colinj

Could be on the cards marcus, I want a wee project/weekend car & a 944 appeals much more than a Nova/205/golf etc

Gutmann pug

Good cars and a good change of finding a well looked after one too I should think..........

Colinj

Thanks Gary, but Im just going to stick to budget & get whatever seems most solid!! S2 is too expensive!!

Colinj

Yeah theres plenty on AT / Ebay, could be going to see one at the weekend

Gutmann pug

You could also get a well looked after well sorted TVR for that money......

Colinj

http://atsearch.autotrader.co.uk/www...ch_full=SEARCH

^^ Thats the one that has caught my eye & is only 20 miles away.....enthusiast owned!!

Colinj

What TVR for 2 grand??

Gutmann pug

Original comment said few grand?

That would get you a reasonable S2/S3

Colinj

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm TVR's something ive not even looked at, dont really know anything about them!!

Ideally 2k maybe stretch to 3 max, any more than that & it stops being a hobby & gets silly!!

Gutmann pug

I owned an S3 for 6 or maybe 7 years. Loved every minute of it. It was 100% reliable and I did about 4-5K a year in it.

Gary

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

I drove an old one (B reg), really fancied it but it seemed very slow, seemed slower than the 8 valve Golf GTI I had at the time so I didnt buy it, plus it being gold with a beige interior didnt help either. I really hope that they got faster over the years.

Gutmann pug

My S3 was the 2.9V6, so easy to maintain. 0-60 in 6.8 secs. In real life it was the same speed as the 172 clio I also had at the time.

Great car and really turned heads, yes it did before anyone says anything

Oh and its British........

You could also get a 350i or maybe a 400i ..... They are the old V8 wedges. 400i is a monster and possibly the best sounding car ever (other than a 450i of course.)