944 questions

[Gary D]

Hi folks,
I'm considering one, & tested an S2 yesterday. I didn't spend any time looking around it, just had a drive. My basic impressions were of pretty heavy, ponderous steering, with a bit of play about the centre, a bit of deadness about it. It also had what seemed like loads of cabin rattles, & quite a lot of tyre road noise.
I think the mileage was around 130k.
How typical are my observations.....or should I try another.....?

Alternatively, I might just consider an early Boxster. How different are they......a much more modern car?

 

[tref]

Gary,

What are you comparing it to? Compared to a motorcycle, yes, It is heavy, slow steering etc, but otherwise, they are not terms I think many here would use to describe a good 944!

 

[tref]

Sorry... forgot to add... I borrowed a Boxster for a day - drove the 944 to pick it up, drove it, thought the Boxster was great, got back into my 944 thinking I was going to miss the Boxster, and actually felt I prefered my own 944... But that is a very subjective thing...

 

[Gary D]

Thanks for replies Tref. No, car. I'm plenty old enough to remember when most cars didn't have power steering. I don't think I've driven a manual rack since about 1990. The 944 I drove was probably the heaviest power rack I've experienced - if it was like that as a new car 10 years ago it would be panned by the press. The owner wasn't there yesterday to ask directly, but he works in a large car dealership.....I'm surprised he lives with it if it's not as it should be. Driving it briskly round a roundabout was a chore.
It also wasn't as quick as I expected. Fastest thing I've driven has 150bhp....once it got up a head of steam it was ok......but I was a bit disappointed.
Any comments on the interior squeeks/rattles.

 

[Suffolk944]

Steering should not feel ponderous and dead nor shoudl it have any play around the centre. They can have the occasional cabin squeak and rattle but if the one you tried has "loads" then the interior sounds as tired as the steering. Tyre roar is a feature (928's suffered it too) though again have found it varies with what tyres the car is shod with. Try some others would be my advice - plenty of them out there still- though of course they are not modern cars which for those that love 'em is a good thing...

 

[GlennS]

Steering SHOULD be precise with good feedback (for a car with PS, anyway) but it is a bit heavier than the current fad for one-finger wheel twirling PS. Road noise can be rather pronounced, the rear tyres aren't very far away from your ears as you sit there. Performance is good; a reasonable one should feel like a car with 200hp and go like it. Power delivery is a bit "old-school 16 valve" ; there's plenty of torque for general wafting about at lower RPM but if you want it to "go" then you need to use the gears and get the revs up above 4,000. If you're used to a modern turbo diesel or light-pressure turbo petrol that might be a factor. As for trim squeaks and rattles, yeah, there can be some - most can be easily fixed with the aid of a screw-driver and some replacement fastenings.

 

[pauljmcnulty]

The only way to judge it is to try one you know is good. I'm sure if you tell us where you are someone would let you try their steering out for feel?

It should feel noticably heavier than modern cars, in fact the reviews from the day loved the handling of the 944/968 when they were new. I'd wonder if it just needs the steering column replacing.

Remember that any 20-year old, 100K-plus miles car will be sitting on worn suspension, brakes, bushes etc. unless there's evidence they've been rerurbed.

You do get a lot of road and wind noise compared with new cars, but it's usually drowned out by the noisy gearboxes. [&:]

 

[SUSIT]

I think its the steering that sets my S2 apart from modern machines, its got so much feedback and feel. makes the car dance a wee bit on undulating roads but that is good IMHO

Mine is away having 968 castor bushes fitted so I hope to see an improvment as well, its had new front shocks and springs (Original spec) next will be Antiroll bar bushes - drop links etc. As previously said there 21+ years old and if no evidance of refurb are going to benefit from new bushes etc

drive a few and see how you get on

best of luck

 

[homesea]

The reason it felt a bit slow was because you drove an S2. If you had tested a turbo you would be writing a glowing report. []

 

[Gary D]

Thanks for the replies chaps. I'll maybe try another one.

"homesea"............[8D]

Here's another question.....in rural driving, say at 70 - 90mph.....what sort of mpg should I expect.

 

[Fat Albert]

Depends how quickly you get to the 70-90[]

I am averaging about 27mpg in my Turbo with a mix of motorway cruising and country fun

 

[GlennS]

The one time I've bothered to measure fuel economy on the S2 (cos that's not what I have it for - I have a diesel Golf for that sort of thing) it returned 30mpg over a 300 mile run whilst cruising at 70-90mph. Half of that trip I had the air brakes deployed. Fuel was 95 RON.

 

[Lowtimer]

Mine does anything between 24 mpg driving hard on the lanes to 30 or 31 mpg on the motorway. Long run average is about 28.
That is on super unleaded, usually Shell Vmax.

 

[Northern924]

ORIGINAL: Gary D

Hi folks,
I'm considering one, & tested an S2 yesterday. I didn't spend any time looking around it, just had a drive. My basic impressions were of pretty heavy, ponderous steering, with a bit of play about the centre, a bit of deadness about it. It also had what seemed like loads of cabin rattles, & quite a lot of tyre road noise.
I think the mileage was around 130k.
How typical are my observations.....or should I try another.....?

Alternatively, I might just consider an early Boxster. How different are they......a much more modern car?

Gary I really do hope you don't take this the wrong way no offence intended at all and I don't know you car history of course.

But welcome to 20+ year old cars! There will be rattles in all but the most concourse of cars, and its been mentioned but you are driving a car that is at least 19 years old and as for road noise thats all part of owning a old Porsche, you are not going to get silent running thats not what these cars are about, they are old cars with old car charm.
If you want a modern feeling quite cars then please stay away from the 944 and go for a Boxster, saying that you will still have a lot of road noise (just look how close the wheels are to your seat!)
Steering is subjective IMO, if you want a remote feel that requires 1 finger steering this isn't the car for you, I had a fair few tingles down my back in the wet on the A1 on the way to Durham tonight but that how it should be, that dead stop you talk about is 20 odd year old power steering at play, its basic but it does the job[]

Please as I said don't take this personally but if you have been driving modern cars for a while I expect the Boxster might just give you want you are looking for []

 

[Outrun944]

My current one when I first bought it the steering was like what you described (I also had some play), but knowing how good my previous one was I knew I could fix it.

Replaced the UJ's and bearings, put a new hose onto the power steering tank to ensure no leaks ... and now its as tight, responsive and postive as they come. Although the UJ was not particular cheap. Steering wise it's by far the best car I've driven (although I have a limited car history!) although it's pretty 'heavy' compared to modern cars - like the Mazda 3 and the new Vauxhall Astra I recently drove... it was like driving on air and I hated it!!

 

[Gary D]

Thanks for the continued posts guys. No offence taken. [] I've been driving since the late 70's, & didn't encounter power steering until around 1990. Current cars are an Alfa 156 (almost retired[]) & a '98 Mazda Mx5. Neither of those have light power steering compared to some modern cars, (certainly not "finger jobs") but they're nearly a decade younger than a 944......but unless I drive one that's working as it should, it's a difficult thing to quantify.

 

[Gordon Attar]

ORIGINAL: homesea

The reason it felt a bit slow was because you drove an S2. If you had tested a turbo you would be writing a glowing report. []

I would disagree with this, as the S2 is better below 4000 revs, the turbo needs winding up to get it going and less you've added a dual barrelled wasteguide or chipped it.

Both cars should feel spritely and well sorted from around £5k

 

[TTM]

There are several reasons for the steering feeling "wrong", worn steering shaft joints were the column meets the rack, soggy suspension and bushes, front track out of alignment. Perhaps the power steering just wasn't functioning properly, which will make the steering impossibly heavy.

 

[Diver944]

If you are used to older cars that don't have really feather light steering then it sounds like it may be a tired example that has not had things replaced as they have worn. Is it very cheap so gives you leeway to replace the shocks, bushes, steering shaft and get a proper alignment etc. Unless it is then I would look for a car that has been immaculately maintained and already had those things replaced.

There is no such thing as a cheap Porsche, in the long run it is often cheaper to buy a more expensive example if you know it has been maintained properly.

Just thought of a simple thing. Were the wheels/tyres standard 16" D90's and were they blown up to the right pressure?

I just did a 400 mile round trip to the east coast this weekend and put in 68 litres (15 Gallon) on my return. Works out at 27mpg at mostly 70-80mph

 

[Fat Albert]

The 156 has very high geared steering, I used to 'tack' down the drive when I drove my Wifes one after driving my old SAABs, and took a mile or so to acclimatise, so going the other way most other racks will feel slow!
Mine has a bit of a leak on the power steering and I can tell when it needs a top up, it does get a bit dead around the centre, but otherwise I much prefer the steering on my 944 to my Wife's 5 series