Are 944s THAT bad?

[bulletproof]

deborah foreman the blond in valley girl did it for me ,

[Woodward_Dreams]

go for an old 911 ?

I actually love old 911s (although probably not bangshift approved). but i can't afford one.

Im really looking to get a car that i can autocross. Im trying to figure out my transportation needs right now as im looking for a DD and a toy. A combination of the two might be a good thing.


And as alway, ill probably change my mind tomorrow...

[Scott Liggett]

deborah foreman the blond in valley girl did it for me ,

Cute, spunky, great smile, and a rocking lil bod. Whats not to like? Oh wait, are we talking about 944's?

Like all the machines Germany has built since WWII. Great machines....when they worked. Complicated PITA to fix with pricey parts made in Germany. You know what they say about the more complicated the plumbing? The easier it is to stop up the drain.

[Deaf Bob]

So, a silly question.. Are 944's front engined, ? Or like 911's
For some reason.. I am thinking front engine/rear drivers..
Out of my size and price range... Can dream?

[SuperBuickGuy]

front engine, rear transaxle

[Silver68RT]

I had an '86 Porsche 944. I can confirm that they are fun to drive, handle well (3rd in class at the one and only autocross I've ever done) and are ruinously expensive to keep running. I paid $6500 for it, spent another $6K at least in the last 3 years I owned it, and sold it for $3500 just to avoid the next rape of my checkbook. I broke a balljoint on it, and had to buy a whole new lower control arm for $800, and they had to get it from Germany. I also had to replace the back brakes for $1100, water pump was another $800, etc., etc. I'm sure the Chevy LS swap would make for a great car if you wanted to go that way. The whole shell is galvanized, so they don't rust, and once you get rid of the Porsche mechanicals, I think you'd be left with a fun, low maintenance sports car.

[Ron Ward]

Man, I think the lines of a 944 are cool. It's the drivetrain that is a POS. Why not buy one on the cheap and put a 2.2 Ecotec with a turbo in it with a Tremec 5-speed? I think that would be cool as hell. You'd have to get creative with a bellhousing, but once past that, it'd be a badass swap!

[milner351]

Yes - power train swap - sure. but then you still have the crazy prices on suspension parts.

Learn from my most painful diesel mercedes experience - just don't go there unless you enjoy paying for special tools to change special parts that cost especially allot of money.

I think a pro touring effort starting with something else would be way better. If your goal is a fun daily driver - RUN away.

Doug - is there a car you haven't owned? lol

[Beagle]

torque tube limits hp from what I've read.

http://renegadehybrids.com/

Aluminum LS transplant.

[Deaf Bob]

Guess I'd best find a different shell to play with...
Guess the $$$ reflects the badging?
No such thing as "cheap fun"

[Silver68RT]

Yes - power train swap - sure. but then you still have the crazy prices on suspension parts.

Learn from my most painful diesel mercedes experience - just don't go there unless you enjoy paying for special tools to change special parts that cost especially allot of money.

I think a pro touring effort starting with something else would be way better. If your goal is a fun daily driver - RUN away.

Doug - is there a car you haven't owned? lol

There's actually a guy making tubular steel lower control arms with replaceable ball joints, and I think they were cheaper than the aluminum factory part. I just didn't know about them when I did mine.

The Chilton's manual was a waste of money, because everything required some special tool, just like that Mercedes it sounds like.

It was a detour from my muscle car roots, looking to try something different. I paid through the nose for the lesson, and I won't be straying again. I'd still like a Cobra kit, but that's as close to exotic sports car as I want to get.

[Russell]

How about an RX7 have similar body lines plenty of room for a small block



http://detroit.craigslist.org/okl/cto/3355182600.html[/url]

[SuperBuickGuy]

How about an RX7 have similar body lines plenty of room for a small block



http://detroit.craigslist.org/okl/cto/3355182600.html[/url]

I love the line in that ad "plenty of rust but still sturdy" ...... ummm

maybe next ad the seller will say "lightened for racing"

the reason to buy the 944 - galv. coating....

[Javelin]

I'm a member of the Porsche Club of America and owned and autocrossed a 1986 Porsche 944 Sport for 1.5 years, winning a season championship.

First, some history. The 924 is powered by an Audi/VW motor with Audi FWD transaxle shoehorned in the rear. It's slow, parts are hard to find, and it doesn't handle that well. The 944 introduced a galvanized body, a completely new aluminum suspension (for 85.5 along with a new, better interior), and the half-a-928-V8 slant-4 2.5L. The 944 is a very well balanced car that will absolutely run circles around any "Pro Touring" car in an autocross, stock. Rear 5-speed transaxle, good torque, and an excellent torsion bar IRS. Power is okay, but the car is very light so it scoots pretty well. The Turbo version (951) is a beast, but an order of magnitude more expensive. The later 944S and 944S2 offered even more power with rarer ($$$$) engines. The 968 moved to a standard transmission and a DOHC 3.0L I-4 that was very powerful, but was made for far less years. The 924S is the old narrow 924 body with 87+ 944 mechanicals including engine and suspension.

As far as parts go, the lower ball joints are replacable using steel Porsche competition units. Or you can backdate to a VW Rabbit (924) a-arm with a $10 normal bolt-in ball joint. The original clutch discs were a rubber hub that degraded, but they haven't been sold for 15-20 years so most cars should have a standard sprung hub by now. The 944 is very easy to work on and most parts prices are reasonable, especially through independent outfits like ECS Tuning. The water pump/timing belt is a bitch job, but no harder than a cam swap in a V8. Clutch is pretty easy. The wheels are 5x120mm which is an odd Porsche-only pattern, so keep that in mind. The 87+ cars used a revised braking system with ABS that swapped to the modern FWD style high offset, so if you want to run classic Fuch's or TT's than you want an 83-86.

An LS1 swap turns it into an insane car that can literally whoop new Z06's for a fraction of the cost. Standard 944 parts won't hold up though, so you have to start with a 951, and you'll end up with pretty serious money in it.

Hope that helps.

[SuperBuickGuy]

I'm a member of the Porsche Club of America and owned and autocrossed a 1986 Porsche 944 Sport for 1.5 years, winning a season championship.

First, some history. The 924 is powered by an Audi/VW motor with Audi FWD transaxle shoehorned in the rear. It's slow, parts are hard to find, and it doesn't handle that well. The 944 introduced a galvanized body, a completely new aluminum suspension (for 85.5 along with a new, better interior), and the half-a-928-V8 slant-4 2.5L. The 944 is a very well balanced car that will absolutely run circles around any "Pro Touring" car in an autocross, stock. Rear 5-speed transaxle, good torque, and an excellent torsion bar IRS. Power is okay, but the car is very light so it scoots pretty well. The Turbo version (951) is a beast, but an order of magnitude more expensive. The later 944S and 944S2 offered even more power with rarer ($$$$) engines. The 968 moved to a standard transmission and a DOHC 3.0L I-4 that was very powerful, but was made for far less years. The 924S is the old narrow 924 body with 87+ 944 mechanicals including engine and suspension.

As far as parts go, the lower ball joints are replacable using steel Porsche competition units. Or you can backdate to a VW Rabbit (924) a-arm with a $10 normal bolt-in ball joint. The original clutch discs were a rubber hub that degraded, but they haven't been sold for 15-20 years so most cars should have a standard sprung hub by now. The 944 is very easy to work on and most parts prices are reasonable, especially through independent outfits like ECS Tuning. The water pump/timing belt is a bitch job, but no harder than a cam swap in a V8. Clutch is pretty easy. The wheels are 5x120mm which is an odd Porsche-only pattern, so keep that in mind. The 87+ cars used a revised braking system with ABS that swapped to the modern FWD style high offset, so if you want to run classic Fuch's or TT's than you want an 83-86.

An LS1 swap turns it into an insane car that can literally whoop new Z06's for a fraction of the cost. Standard 944 parts won't hold up though, so you have to start with a 951, and you'll end up with pretty serious money in it.

Hope that helps.

great information (also informs the naysayers why I refused a 924 for free).... question
5 x 120 mm is BMW, most small GM (okay so 5 x 4 3/4 is 120.5mm)... how is the Porsche wheel different?