Menu toggle

944 S2 - my first Porsche?

D

duncan_956

New member
Hi,

First ever post, so here goes!!

For a bit of background, the love affair (like most people) started with the Red 930, the classic whaletail and the rivalry with the Countach and many others. The marque then became really iconic to me during the 1980's when I watched the beautiful 956's and 962's at Le Mans, our regular family outing. The first year was 1983, cheering on Derek Bell, watching the numerous different colour schemes take the first 8 places, and I'm proud to say that I've only missed one race since. From then on there's always been something about Porsche that I love.

So I've always wanted to own one, and I now find myself seriously considering it. I have done a bit of research, read a lot of buyer guides, been 'lurking' on a lot of forums and decided that a 944 S2 is a great starting place to experience Porsche ownership. I've got my check-lists so I'm aware of a number of things to look out for with the 944 (Camshaft and Balance shaft belts, idlers and tensioners, sill rust amongst many) and that good service history is essential, especially recent history. High mileage shouldn't be an issue, and always buy on condition, and ideally I would like one which has been looked after by an enthusiast, Which is why i've become a member.

So the next step is to get some experience of what it's like to own, running costs, what to expect, and to ask the forum a 'few' things. (I have been trying to gloss over the "how much these cars may cost in the first year" sections...)

Therefore I need some advice and also, I was wondering if there were any meetings in the Bucks area coming up that owners are going to, or any motor-sport events you'll be at as i'd like to have a look at what these cars are about, get some advice and find out what the car can offer!

Many questions to ask the forum, so i won't make this post too long, but thanks for any advice.
 
Hi there and welcome !

There are monthly meets in the Chiltern area - region 21. Not sure what day of the month that is though. If you want to meet LOADS of 944 owners all at once (and their cars) might be a good idea to come along to the Frontrunner event 6th April and say hi will be plenty of cars to take a look at there and no doubt many tales from the owners. Its held at Moreton In Marsh in Oxfordshire so not far from you.

I would think it would be ok for you to come along, Paul McNulty is the man to check with.

944's are great cars, if you do take the plunge am sure you won't be disappointed.
 
Hi Duncan,

You can't be far from me, Rickmansworth, so happy to meet up at one of the regional or 944 events and talk cars. You could do worse than look at the S2 on the "for sale" forum, but get there before I do!
 
ORIGINAL: morris944s2john

It does look good, but at 90 odd thousand miles also check that the car has had a recent clutch. expensive to get done professionally.
Click to expand...
Check the condition of the clutch, but no axiomatic need for a replacement at that age.

My S2 shows 135k and I have no records of the clutch being swapped, and it shows no sign of weakness. There are stories around of 170k+ on an original clutch when used with respect ...


Oli.
 
Thanks for all of the replies and welcome messages,

I have noted the Frontrunner event on the 6th (what does this event consist of?) and Paul, if the next meet is at the Ace (just down the M40 from me) on the 27th Feb, then it would be good to meet up and have a chat.

I have seen George's car up on Piston heads, and it does look like a very nice car. It seems to have had all the right work done on it, and more importantly been looked after by an enthusiast. It's been getting a lot of comments, so I take it that some of you might know of the car? The thing is that i'm a bit of a novice, so i'd appreciate any views you have of it.

First question to ask is do you advise that any prospective purchase is pre-checked out by an Indie/Specialist? I've been reading a well known 911 forum a lot, and they always recommend that a PPI check is done before buying. I know that the flat 6 is prone to oil leaks, and that the 996 engines have been know to fail, so I can see why the PPI should be done for this, but does this apply to the 944? Is any check worth doing, and if so, what needs looking at....for example a compression or leak test? Also a rough idea of how much would these things cost would be good?

Thanks for the advice about the clutch, I was also wondering about fuel and brake line replacement, after reading that they may need renewing on these age cars. Have any of you found that these have needed changing on your cars?






 
everything needs doing eventually...you do need a reasonable budget for continuous improvement [;)]

replacement of fuel & brake lines are quite commonly mentioned here - I know mine will get done in the next couple of years
 
Duncan, welcome to the forum. You've made the right first step in researching our potential purchase before taking the plunge. I'd say an S2 is an excellent choice and you seem to have the main things to look out for already down i.e. cams, sprockets, belts and tensioners.

Other things to look out for on the body front is that turbo's and S2's at their current tender ages seem to be a bit susceptable to corrosion along the bottom edge of the sills and the bottom of the front wings. You'll be lucky to find one with no signs of corrosion in the front wings but you should be able to find a car with no corrosion in the sills.

Regarding fuel and brake lines. You should regard these things as a 'replace when required or if the opportunity presents itself'. The chances are you'll be lucky and not have to replace them within your period of ownership. There is no black art to these - they are just like brake and fuel lines on any other car in terms of their replacement however unfortunately as with many things on these cars access is a bit of a pig. A good experienced indy will not make a mountain out of a mole hill with these items.

myth #1 is that is is NOT neccessary to drop the rear transaxel to replace the rear brake and fuel pipes - my indy reckons he can replace the fuel lines in a couple of hours with the tranny in place. I never got to test him on that as I had mine replaced when the suspension was being replaced and the axel was off anyway.

However the fuel lines can corrode in the area you can see from the drivers side rear wheel arch as this area is exposed to all the rubbish thrown up from the wheels. If there is no corrosion or light corrosion then if you coat the area liberally with Waxoil you should stave off the corrosion and probably never need to replace the pipes. If the corrosion is too far gone or you let it slide then they will need replacing. There are two schools of thought on this - go OEM replacement parts (hard pipe) or go the flexi route. The opinions on this forum are divided so you can do a search to see the discussions that have cracked off in the past.

Similarly with brake pipes - no rocket science here, they'll need replacing or not. Again the difficulty here is access as the pipe is routed over the transaxel to get to the rear passenger wheel. One way around this is to route the pipe across the transaxel but if you ever need to remove the transaxel in the future you will need to remove this run of pipe - not expensive or a big problem and if you have to remove the tranny it gives you the opportunity to run the pipe over the top of the tranny once it is off.

Running costs are not as bad as you might think assuming you get a half decent car. My turbo is not costing me much more than my previous Golf this year. Previous years have required a few repairs but she is currently running like a dream with no issues to sort so it's only petrol, tax and insurance. The car has passed MOT's 1st time in three of the 4 MOT's i've taken her through - the first time round it failed for a corroded brake pipe - cost £60 to sort. An S2 should get high 20's mpg (about 400 miles on 65ltrs) and well into the 30's on a run so they are not even that thirsty. Having said that you should budget about £1500 for repairs in your first year as the main reason people tend to sell these cars is because they know a big bill is on it's way. But first thing is first - make sure the engine is sound so be meticulous about getting proof that the cam belts have been changed. If not then you should have the belts changed as soon as you buy the car - it is not worth taking the risk - oh and replace the balance shaft belt while you are in there. It's on a different service interval than the timing belt so is not always replaced at the same time but in my view it is not worth not doing it and its failure can take out the cam belt, so for the sake of £30 just replace it - it needs to be removed anyway to replace the timing belt.

Anyway - happy hunting!
 
Duncan, give me a call and I can run through the coming events. I should be at the Ace this month, but with a house move I'm having to be a bit "flexible" at the moment!

If you're on the M40 then feel free to come over for a coffee and chat, I'm just off the M25 junction. For now! [:)]

Best number is O7971 83278O
 
ZGA wrote " My S2 shows 135k and I have no records of the clutch being swapped, and it shows no sign of weakness. There are stories around of 170k+ on an original clutch when used with respect ...

"

My S2 needed a new clutch at 94,000miles. The garage that did the work said it was remarkable for a clutch on an S2 to last that long. Its now up to 166,000miles and just starting to judder again and feel heavy. I reckon if I drive gently, i've got possibly a year to get it done before it goes bang and leaves me stranded somewhere.
 
John,

Interesting ... I can't comment on what is 'heavy' and what isn't in terms of 944 clutch feel, as I have never had mine changed!

I suspect a lot depends upon the way it is driven. I agree, 135k miles on a clutch seems like a very good life, but I can only suspect that it has been driven carefully, and probably mainly on a motorway in it's previous life.

I have just tried to do a search for "clutch" in 944 forums here, but it returns "No Results"! I suspect the search machine is broken ...


Oli.
 
Djcla,

I'd avoid both of those, personally, if you are not very handy with spanners.

The PH one has been standing and sounds like it was a second-choice car to the owners' restoration project. It's cheap, sure, but I wouldn't fancy either the rust or the risk on the mechanicals.

The eBay one looks like it has been somewhat 'Barry-d'. It may be a good one, but the extra (large) badges, big sound system and extra paint in the engine bay don't ender it to me. (It's sold as well!)


Oli.
 
the ebay does not look like it met reserve, never noticed the big badges or the extra paint work in the engine bay either.
 
A fine bit of advice given to me by a close friend when looking at a (slightly) iffy car once ... "remember, there are always more cars out there."

Cars owned by people who take part in enthusiasts forums are generally better loved (and hence possibly in better nick) then those who are not. Buying a car from someone on here (or another forum) is possibly a slightly safer bet than buying elsewhere.

I have never seen Ian's S2, but from the posts he has made on here in recent months it sounds like it has been well cared for ... (and I firmly believe in the notion that you should check out the seller before you check out the car. Nice people sell nice cars.)


Oli.
 
Mine is a 1991 S2, 129k miles, titanium, full leather. Brand new tyres (<1000 miles).

Perfect cills.

Everything works (even the clock....)

Had belts and tensioners done within the last year, including the important re-tension after 1500 miles. Clutch about 18 months ago, along with a custom-made stainless exhaust. Bi-xenon headlamp upgrade (easily removable; no hacking of existing wiring). Lots of other history. Oil and filter, transaxle oil, all changed within the last 1000 miles.

Bad points: paint on the wheels suffered a bit through the winter and could do with repainting or powder-coating, but no kerb rash or anything like that. I may get time to do these prior to sale.

Totally original in all other respects.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Posts made and opinions expressed are those of the individual forum members

Use of the Forum is subject to the Terms and Conditions

Disclaimer

The opinions expressed on this site are not necessarily those of the Club, who shall have no liability in respect of them or the accuracy of the content. The Club assumes no responsibility for any effects arising from errors or omissions.

Porsche Club Great Britain gives no warranties, guarantees or assurances and makes no representations or recommendations regarding any goods or services advertised on this site. It is the responsibility of visitors to satisfy themselves that goods and/or services supplied by any advertiser are bona fide and in no instance can the Porsche Club Great Britain be held responsible.

When responding to advertisements please ensure that you satisfy yourself of any applicable call charges on numbers not prefixed by usual "landline" STD Codes. Information can be obtained from the operator or the white pages. Before giving out ANY information regarding cars, or any other items for sale, please satisfy yourself that any potential purchaser is bona fide.

Directors of the Board of Porsche Club GB, Club Office Staff, Register Secretaries and Regional Organisers are often requested by Club members to provide information on matters connected with their cars and other matters referred to in the Club Rules. Such information, advice and assistance provided by such persons is given in good faith and is based on the personal experience and knowledge of the individual concerned.

Neither Porsche Club GB, nor any of the aforementioned, shall be under any liability in respect of any such information, advice or assistance given to members. Members are advised to consult qualified specialists for information, advice and assistance on matters connected with their cars at all times.

Porsche
Lockton
Pirelli
Officially approved
Oracle Finance
WEX Esso
Collecting Cars
Archant Dialogue
Back
Top