buying first porsche

[Guest]

Hello folks

I am in the process of selling my Triumph Stag and once sold I will be looking for a 944 cab,(the next in my list of vehicles I want to own) my question is, do the s2 turbos suffer from bad lag as I have seen written, (I have owned a saab 9000 aero which was very quick on the open road, especially when turbo was boosting, (very addictive) ) and does this make them more challenging to drive, or is the preference for a normally aspirated s2 which I have read is nearly as quick and is easier to live with.

The car will be a toy for weekend use and hopefully the occasional continental trip so maintenance costs should not be too much of an issue.

What sort of mpg can be expected from a sensibly driven s2 turbo and non turbo

My other thought is although more expensive is the turbo more depreciation proof due to the small number in uk?, how many non turbo cabs were made for uk and do you expect prices of these cars to fall much further?

Sorry for all the questions.

I look forward to your replys

Finally, any one want to swap their s2 cab for a Triumph Stag ??!![]

Thanks

Mick

 

[Diver944]

Just to clarify things:

There are two Cabrios in the 944 range. One is the S2 Cabrio that has a three litre N/A engine, the other is the Turbo Cabrio with a 2.5 litre Turbo, externally the only difference is the Turbo badge on the boot. There were 100 RHD Turbo Cabrios in the UK, but I haven't seen any figures for the S2 Cabrio. They seem to be less common than the Coupe Turbo and I know there were just over a 1000 of those.

Running costs will be virtually identical and so will the MPG, both can average 30mpg on a long motorway cruise but around town will drop in to the teens. A Turbo driven hard on boost all the time will also be in the teens [8D]

As for price you must judge every car on individual condition but I think it's fair to say that the Turbo Cab will (and does) command a higher premium that the S2 Cab. There are very few around and the really REALLY good ones will be easily over 10k and should stay roughly there or thereabouts. When I bought my first 944 in 1998, Turbo Cabs were in the 15-20k range so that's not a bad loss over 10 years

The lag can be very bad because the wastegate gets very weak very easily. It is quickly improved to be better than new with a small £100 valve called a Boost Enhancer which stops the wastegate opening early and reduces lag considerably

 

[poprock]

Porsche never made an S2 Turbo. Unless you find a very rare custom-built one, you'll need to choose between the 3 litre 944 S2 or the 2.5 litre 944 Turbo.

Almost all 944 cabriolets are S2-based, I think Porsche only ever sold 100 or so Turbo cabs in Europe.

The 944 Turbo does suffer from lag in standard form, but is easily modified to remedy it. The S2 is smoother, with a 3 litre engine rather than a turbocharged 2.5 "¦ but doesn't give that boost thrill.

*Edit: Erm "¦ what he said. Aye.

 

[pauljmcnulty]

As Paul said....[]

Turbo cab owners look away now, but the S2 cab is by far the best-balanced 944 cab in my opinion. Huge pose value, more relaxed and useable driving experience and half the price of the turbo cab.

Check the bodywork, as they were "apparently" not treated well once they left the factory to be converted into cabs. The recent corrosion survey confirmed this, but to be fair most cabs have led more sheltered lives and a good one should be really rust-free. As always, search the last 12 months on this forum and the S2 buying tips will be obvious!

Maintenance costs should not be high if you buy well, but don't be surprised if a service ends up at the thick end of £1k. That's not because they are expensive cars, but that at nearly 20 years old you will run into unexpected problems with things like fuel and brake lines, brake calipers, clutch cylinders, suspension bushes and a myriad of other little niggles. But, after a Stag you'll be truly amazed at how a car can be both better and cheaper! []

Of course, buying a cab also means you can laugh at the rest of us with our endless " my sunroof leaks, won't close, seal is gone" problems!

 

[Frazerb]

Mick,

Good choice!!! I have the S2 flavour and love it!! I am glad the 944 experts have kept you right on the turbo details and lag etc. There were approx 4000 cabs made in 1990 for the entire world and approx 1000 came to the UK with 1824 going to the US. (if I remember correctly).

The cab is a great car but do find the best you can - I saw a couple of shockers tail end of last year made up to look good. For an S2 cab I would expect you to pay anything from £6K to £8.5K. the cab does have the benefit of virtually an extra skin on the underside but my advise like many others would be to get it checked or talk to the previous service / repair outfit.

Any owners type questions fire them over - there are also another couple of discussions on-going at present to do with Cabs so chek these out if you have not already.

When you get one post the pics!!!!

Regards...FB

 

[Guest]

Thanks guys,

very informative and swift reply,

I notice no one wants the swap![]

I will post pics as soon as I get a car and of course join club

I will check out other topics running

I certainly plan to get a specialist inspection done on any potential buy, has any one any recomendations, I did read that you can take car to a porschre dealer to have check, and if the vehicle passes you will have opportunity to purchase a porsche warranty, is this correct and would it be recomended

Thanks

Mick L

 

[poprock]

ORIGINAL: MICKL

I notice no one wants the swap![]

I'd swap you a 944 Lux for the Stag, but that's neither an S2 or a soft-top, so I figured you wouldn't be interested "¦ []

Got a friend up here in Glasgow with a red Stag. The sound it makes when he starts it up in the shared garage is magnificent!

 

[pauljmcnulty]

I certainly plan to get a specialist inspection done on any potential buy, has any one any recomendations, I did read that you can take car to a porschre dealer to have check, and if the vehicle passes you will have opportunity to purchase a porsche warranty, is this correct and would it be recomended

Hi Mick,

I'd be surprised if this applied to cars over a few years old, but worth checking!

Don't know where you are based, but RPM independant specialist in Tring had a nice-looking blue cab in last week, might be worth a look. Mention us and they will treat you nicely! They'd also happily inspect a car.

 

[Guest]

Thanks paul

I have seen adverts for that one, but I dont like to waste peoples time looking at cars that I am not in a position to purchase until stag has sold. Maybe it will still be there when the stag has sold.

I checked out RPM website, they seem to know what they are talking about, servicing menu seemed reasonable too.

 

[Diver944]

ORIGINAL: MICKL

I did read that you can take car to a porschre dealer to have check, and if the vehicle passes you will have opportunity to purchase a porsche warranty, is this correct and would it be recomended

It is correct but not for our age of car as the maximum Porcshe warranty you can get is 10 years.

You can still get a 117 point inspection (I think it's 117) done by the OPC for a few hours labour but a lot of us worry that most OPC's do not have fitters experienced in our cars so will miss the common problems on a 15-20 year old car.

 

[Ronin944]

Hi Mick,

I'm selling my turbo cab:

http://www.porscheclubgbforum.com/tm.asp?m=316872&mpage=1&key=&#316872

If you are interested and want to take a look at the car or ask any questions give me a ring.



Regards
Simon

 

[wblackw9]

Good luck with looking for your 944. A fantastic car as i owned one myself and miss it still. Just a quickie. Your not from the Rayleigh area are you?

 

[mik_ok]

ORIGINAL: Diver944

There are two Cabrios in the 944 range. externally the only difference is the Turbo badge on the boot.

And the original D90 alloys ~ the latter having the std turbo width 1/2" wider front wheels and 1" wider rears (compared to the S2).

 

[Guest]

Hi wayne

yes I am in Rayleigh

Mick

 

[Guest]

Hi Simon

I have seen your car on piston heads, nice car but I think it will prob be a little over my budget, I will wait until my stag has sold before I go looking with a vegance, Having the cash will hopefully put me in a realistic bargaining position.

Good luck with your sale.

Regards

Mick