EddScott

This is nice!

Porsche : Porsche 944S2

I am not a coupe man in any way. If its not 4WD, turbo'd and has won rally championships it doesn't interest. However, the above car I really really like! Would prefer a turbo but don't really know enough about them to make a decent decision.

I've seen one round these parts with what look like Porsche split rims, Recaro wing back seats and a bit of a cage. Looked very cool IMO.

Would be a 2nd car and looks like enough room for a short 6 year old in the back

Still significantly cheaper to buy than a Lancia Delta EVO (top of my list of scoob replacements) and I would suspect cheaper to run too!

So, opinions much appreciated

The Chief

The guy who owns the papershop at the back of me used to have one, he's in the process of looking for another.

He raves about them, he said they are pretty quick but its the handling that really impresses him (and he has had some quick cars)

They still cost a few quid to keep on the road but he said the fuel consumption was not that bad.

can these be insured under classic insurance yet?

Davyboy in here is the expert on 944's btw

dpb

Also Karl 227 has one for the 'ring ,doubt hell turn up here tho cos were all to mediocre for his like

pwhittle

I loved the Turbos, but I drove one at Croft and was very disapointed. Controls felt very wooden, and didn't feel quick. may have been a duffer, being a school car, but I'd drive one before spending too much time looking for one TBH

RB5320

I cant help with the S2 as I have no experience with them, but have owned a 1988 944 Turbo S for the past 4 years. It was initially my only car, replacing my previous RB5 WR. I now keep it for sunny days and trackdays, using an Impreza turbo as my daily car.
944s in general are obviously 20-odd years old now, so lots are in pretty poor condition. Bodywork repairs can be very expensive and some mechanical repairs are pretty scary - a new clutch wont give you much change from £1000, for instance. But generally the running costs are pretty good - routine servicing on my turbo is generally about £300 per year, so less than my Impreza. Fuel economy is about the same. If you buy a good one to start off with then depreciation will be minimal.

The S2 is not as quick as the turbo, although there is not a huge amount in it. My turbo is fairly standard engine-wise (recorded 267BHP on rolling road at Silverstone a couple of weeks ago) and it is a pretty quick car, certainly a lot faster than my Impreza. I suspect that the car pwhittle drove at Croft was indeed a bit of a duffer. My car has brand new KW suspension (not cheap!) and is a delight to drive on track - corners very flat, lots of feedback, very capable of embarassing much newer and more expensive machinery.

If you are interesting in modding, then a turbo has to be the way to go. There is very little extra power to be extracted from an S2, apart from spending a few £k on a supercharger. with a turbo 300BHP can be achieved for very little outlay, with many cars running 350+ from mostly bolt-on mods.

Let me know if you have any specific questions and I will try to answer them.

Steve

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Any non turbo 944 is a nice, fine handling, well made car but will get murdered by a modern hot hatch, Turbo is still quick even by modern standards, I drove a newish 1988 S2 when I was young, I had a Mk1 Golf GTI at the time and wasnt convinced it was significantly quicker than that, certainly didnt feel it, a blast against an S1 with a standard MK2 8 valve GTI had me all over its bumper.

I considered a 944 turbo having seen a very tidy white one for sale locally but bottled and bought a Saab 9-3 Aero, couldnt face an old car, unless it was as a second car.

The Chief

I'm really surprised at that Jacko - not discounting your claims at all but having looked at the figures the 944 S2 is still a pretty quick car i.e. 0-60 in 6.5 and 0-100 in 17 and a bit which puts it on par with a standard new age WRX.

I certainly cant see a modern hot hatch murdering it - maybe matching it to a degree but murduring it, no way.

**** me what did you have done to your GTi????

bighead

iTrader: (1)

do not get 944 S2....go for the Turbo model , it is a much better car in ever way
cheaper than a Scoob to run ..... and a good one will hold its age well , it a better car than the classic 911

bighead

iTrader: (1)

Chief.....
we are used to figures like 0-60 in 3.5 etc etc
in it days the 944 turbo was one of the best performance car on the planet !

when I had mine in the 90's , you can cruise 150 mph all day long without trying

what would scooby do

. 944

968 CS please

pippyrips

My old man got a 944 S2 just asthe 968 was coming out. Got a very nice discount form the dealer and he loved it. Only downsides to the car was he got 6 points in 2 months and needed a new knee once he sold it as it was low to get in and out of!

Tart Man

<nods>

slim_boy_fat

Get yourself a tidy S2, £5k should do it. Spend some cash on suspention, brakes and seats(if it doesnt have Porsche Sport Seats) Say another £1500 total.

You will have a fine car, mechanically very good, but watch out for timing chain wear. Find a good independant and feed it decent oil.

Turbos are a money pit, once you start modding you cant stop and end up spending an awful lot of money on them. My turbo was running 350bhp and 350lbft, would go 60-100 in 5.5 seconds and would sit all day at 150 (as others have said) But it cost lots of money but i dod do things right.

Dont bother with a 968CS unless you have deep pockets, they are expensive to buy, all will have been sewriously thrashed on the track and will require a high standard onf maintainance to keep in good fettle.

Simon 69

If you need to improve the brakes on an S2 then youd be better spending the money learning to drive better. The original Turbo brakes fitted to the S2 are quite an improvement over the 911SC brakes fitted to the original 944, which were superb...

davyboy

I like being called an expert!

Not much to add to what has already been said. They do make great track cars though, even as standard.

While other cars start to fall apart after a few laps, the old porsches really were engineered well!

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

It was a series one 8 valve I had a go at, the 150 bhp one.

Drove the other one, 1988 car, would that be a S2 ?, certainly didnt feel very fast at the time but I was perhaps confusing performance with noise versus refinement.

Went in a 928 around the time, didnt drive it but that did feel quick, a 1980 911 turbo nearly reduced me to a gibbering wreck, I had never experienced acceleration like it

EddScott

Cheers for the advice. I am tempted but I want a Delta EVO more.

I've got a week up'north shortly so will be spending the time wandering about driving a number of each car.

I dare say I'll not like either and get another scooby - I can see it now!

The Chief

Jacko - i went in a 928S when i was a kid and it was the first proper fast car i had been in, even though i'd been in RS2000's and 3 litre Capris, this simply blew me away.

Joing the slip road of the local m-way my dad opened the taps and the sound - oh my god the sound and the acceleration was (at the time for me) unreal.

I'd never experienced anything like it.

I'd be really tempted if they were not so expensive to keep on the road

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

When only a 1980's money pit will do eh !