Are Early 944's Cheaper to Fix?
- Thread starter dann944
- Start date
On the one hand you won't be needing to fix any 16 valve heads, air conditioning, anti-lock brakes, turbo systems or Brembo brake calipers. You also get to use cheaper tyres.
On the other hand you will struggle to keep up with just about any modern German diesel estate car in a straight line.
If that doesn't matter to you (and why should it?) and you can live with the somewhat peculiar driving position of a square dash car, then they have a lot to recommend them.
On the other hand you will struggle to keep up with just about any modern German diesel estate car in a straight line.
If that doesn't matter to you (and why should it?) and you can live with the somewhat peculiar driving position of a square dash car, then they have a lot to recommend them.
They are also a lot lighter and yes bits like the wishbone,s ball joints fuse box and headlights are from the Golf as I'm sure are other bits.
I've got both square and oval dash cars and the driving experience is totally different.
I've got both square and oval dash cars and the driving experience is totally different.
Thats what I'm trying to decide!!!!!
Have started to change my reg no to the 2.7 - but that is probably more to do with me feeling like a change!
The manual steering with the positive roll radius gives it very sharp feeling steering but on the motorway the 2.7, with negative, is a far easier drive.
Blasting on an A road they are both great, just different.
My wife wont drive the '83, but is happy enough in the 2.7.
I think for me if I was to buy 1 car as a hobby and not had a square dash for 3 years, I would go for the early car.
If it was to be a daily driver then a later car would probably be the choice.
The above is just me thinking with my fingers!
Have started to change my reg no to the 2.7 - but that is probably more to do with me feeling like a change!
The manual steering with the positive roll radius gives it very sharp feeling steering but on the motorway the 2.7, with negative, is a far easier drive.
Blasting on an A road they are both great, just different.
My wife wont drive the '83, but is happy enough in the 2.7.
I think for me if I was to buy 1 car as a hobby and not had a square dash for 3 years, I would go for the early car.
If it was to be a daily driver then a later car would probably be the choice.
The above is just me thinking with my fingers!
Lots more mid range!
Mine has "easy breathing" custom stainless exhaust so not sure if that helps (sounds good though) and 2.7s have slightly longer lower gears.
They have very little extra power, but a lot more torque, not seen a graph but intend to soon.
The 2.7s seem to be basicly S2s with Lux fronts and an 8 valve engine - still learning about them myself!
Mine has "easy breathing" custom stainless exhaust so not sure if that helps (sounds good though) and 2.7s have slightly longer lower gears.
They have very little extra power, but a lot more torque, not seen a graph but intend to soon.
The 2.7s seem to be basicly S2s with Lux fronts and an 8 valve engine - still learning about them myself!
pauljmcnulty
Active member
The problem is that often we're comparing horses with oranges here. [&:]
Every 944 is an old car, and will have different amounts of new parts, worn parts or downright knackered parts. As a whole, that makes them all so different it's hard to say which is "better".
There should be a little more torque with a late engine, but an early one in good condition would easily feel better than a late engine on it's last legs. Even a £20 throttle cam can transform a car, an S2 can be totally different with a de-cat and chip, and you don't want to get started on how turbos vary when you start to play around.
All you can do is decide the basics: is PAS essential, do you prefer the later interior, do you want a GT-style car like an S2 rather than a nimble little Lux, is the thrill of a turbo and the associated project to improve it your thing? Then get to see a few owner's cars where you can get a really straightforward opinion, rather than relying on seller's honesty. Owner's Clubs are there in order to bring people together to help each other, if you come to any of the 944 events you'll be overwhelmed with people happy to help. [
]Personally, I think a good Lux is the pick of the range in many ways. There is always a small part of me that thinks if you want an early car with the lightness and classic-car feel, then the 924S is surely better? The only real difference is the wheel arches on a 944 looking a bit more macho, after all. [8|]
Fat Albert
New member
Funnily enough I keep eyeing up the 924S as well, but similar pricing to the early 944s...and I just wouldn't be able to sell it to Senior Management...
vitesse
Active member
Well,I am very happy with our 924S's-the grey one we have had since 1991-it has still only done 91k miles -is on original suspension,exhaust,engine,wishbones etc recently passed it's MOT again & drives like a new car.
It gives 32 mpg on long fast motorway runs,uses around 0.5l oil every 2000miles & has cost virtually nothing to run over the years.
It has a throttle cam,I have adjusted the spring in the airflow meter & fitted Bosch Superfour plugs-so pickup is very good & using plenty of welly,it's fast enough for our roads & very enjoyable on track days round Oulton Park,but will amble around in 5th at & below 30mph in traffic with clean pickup without changing gear.
The e-bay special red one is 1 yr younger has done 86k miles with manual steering & feels "messed around with" in comparison but is still a solid car with no rust(particularly in the sill areas)-it feels rattly at the front but I think this is the disconnected but direct feel,of manual versus power steering,if you get the metier.
About to lower it by 20mm ,fit turbo anti-roll bar front & appropriate bar rear,change the tyres to some that have wet grip(it came with Mohawk Slovakian Skid pan tyres which are supposed to be be a sub-brand of Yokahama).Already fitted throttle cam,left the NGK new looking plugs in for now,made & fitted an aluminium support bracket for the large cone air filter(it came with it just lying on the engine) & this last weekend took off the SS very noisy twin exhaust & replaced with a S/H correct rear section,so now can be driven without earplugs & will please noise meters.
All that apart,it is still a very pleasing drive ,pulls strongly with good response but seems thirstier than the other one-I haven't got to the airflow meter settings yet!-Good value for £950 & looks better now I've removed all of the stickers the seller had affixed.
But yes,missing those macho hindquarters.
NB;-The Stainless rear exhaust is for sale-it was new last August & comprises the SSrear box attached to the appropriate piece of the normal back pipe.Offers around £50 welcome.
It gives 32 mpg on long fast motorway runs,uses around 0.5l oil every 2000miles & has cost virtually nothing to run over the years.
It has a throttle cam,I have adjusted the spring in the airflow meter & fitted Bosch Superfour plugs-so pickup is very good & using plenty of welly,it's fast enough for our roads & very enjoyable on track days round Oulton Park,but will amble around in 5th at & below 30mph in traffic with clean pickup without changing gear.
The e-bay special red one is 1 yr younger has done 86k miles with manual steering & feels "messed around with" in comparison but is still a solid car with no rust(particularly in the sill areas)-it feels rattly at the front but I think this is the disconnected but direct feel,of manual versus power steering,if you get the metier.
About to lower it by 20mm ,fit turbo anti-roll bar front & appropriate bar rear,change the tyres to some that have wet grip(it came with Mohawk Slovakian Skid pan tyres which are supposed to be be a sub-brand of Yokahama).Already fitted throttle cam,left the NGK new looking plugs in for now,made & fitted an aluminium support bracket for the large cone air filter(it came with it just lying on the engine) & this last weekend took off the SS very noisy twin exhaust & replaced with a S/H correct rear section,so now can be driven without earplugs & will please noise meters.
All that apart,it is still a very pleasing drive ,pulls strongly with good response but seems thirstier than the other one-I haven't got to the airflow meter settings yet!-Good value for £950 & looks better now I've removed all of the stickers the seller had affixed.
But yes,missing those macho hindquarters.
NB;-The Stainless rear exhaust is for sale-it was new last August & comprises the SSrear box attached to the appropriate piece of the normal back pipe.Offers around £50 welcome.
Sorry no idea about the economy, didn't buy either with it in mind!
Also the cone filter and "easy breathing" exhaust, on the 2.7 along with someone messing with it trying to get it to run with them have completely messed up the carburation!
I've only had it 2 weeks but its running better with an original filter and I like the sound of the exhaust.
The '83 gets around 25 to a gallon but I do drive it regularly around town or on A roads -it doesn't cruise!
Also the cone filter and "easy breathing" exhaust, on the 2.7 along with someone messing with it trying to get it to run with them have completely messed up the carburation!
I've only had it 2 weeks but its running better with an original filter and I like the sound of the exhaust.
The '83 gets around 25 to a gallon but I do drive it regularly around town or on A roads -it doesn't cruise!
pixie*porsche
New member
Go and try a few and see what you think. The early cars are very different to the later oval dash cars. You should know more or less instantly which is for you!
I do think it can be dependent on what you are used to and what you want out of a car.
Some say the driving position on the square dash is "perculiar", I find my early car more comfortable than my later oval dash car. You asked A9XXC which he prefers to drive, I, too, have an early and an oval dash car and I can say I prefer the early car everyday of the week.
As far as cruising goes, I wouldn't say the early car "doesn't cruise" at all. In my opinion it will happily cruise all day long but then again I've had an MG Midget as a daily doing a 20 mile each way motorway commute everyday ...
Forget about what it's like in a straight line, the 944 was built for our lovely B-Roads [] ... you aren't going to win any awards on the quarter mile but you'll pass / keep up with much, much quicker cars round the twisties. Drive your 944 on the right types of roads and it's all the car you could ever want. I've owned over 30 cars in total and 6 being Porsches if I was only allowed one car, to do everything, out of all the ones I've had, I'd pick my current early 944. []
I do think it can be dependent on what you are used to and what you want out of a car.
Some say the driving position on the square dash is "perculiar", I find my early car more comfortable than my later oval dash car. You asked A9XXC which he prefers to drive, I, too, have an early and an oval dash car and I can say I prefer the early car everyday of the week.
As far as cruising goes, I wouldn't say the early car "doesn't cruise" at all. In my opinion it will happily cruise all day long but then again I've had an MG Midget as a daily doing a 20 mile each way motorway commute everyday ...
Forget about what it's like in a straight line, the 944 was built for our lovely B-Roads [
] ... you aren't going to win any awards on the quarter mile but you'll pass / keep up with much, much quicker cars round the twisties. Drive your 944 on the right types of roads and it's all the car you could ever want. I've owned over 30 cars in total and 6 being Porsches if I was only allowed one car, to do everything, out of all the ones I've had, I'd pick my current early 944. []
"it doesnt crusie" is in respect of the way I drive it, hence my MPG figures!
It will criise all day at 80+ if you want it to, but I have found the later car a better motorway vehicle.
Also Pixie both of your 944s have the earlier suspension geometry, in spite of the '85 car having alloy wishbones it still has the positive roll centre, this was only changed for the '87 (I think) model, with the longer front wishbones. And I think that its this change to a negative roll centre, that alters the feel of the car.
But you're quite correct - drive a few!
It will criise all day at 80+ if you want it to, but I have found the later car a better motorway vehicle.
Also Pixie both of your 944s have the earlier suspension geometry, in spite of the '85 car having alloy wishbones it still has the positive roll centre, this was only changed for the '87 (I think) model, with the longer front wishbones. And I think that its this change to a negative roll centre, that alters the feel of the car.
But you're quite correct - drive a few!
pixie*porsche
New member
Oh you were talking about MPG - I don't pay any attention to what mine does, don't really care.
I'm not sure what suspension set up the '85 has but it is nothing like the early car to drive, at all! The early car is so together, the '85 is a real pudding. I have had an '86 too a couple of years ago, which was as the '85. Owning the two cars I know exactly how different they are to drive, they do not feel the same at all!
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