Hello from Herts

pezz · Jan 11, 2015

Hi There,

I just joined and thought I wold say hi to all.

I am currently porscheless but hoping to buy one these beauties for the first time, soon and so have been doing all my research and general reading to establish which is the best for me and am leaning wtih interest towards a late 80s 2.7 lux or a 16v, if I can find one

I have read initial thoughts from 944 owners about the 2.7 and 16v but still leaning towards the 944s once I convince myself that the extra 16v head complexity is worth the risk...if backed up documented maintenance.

I have seen a fair few from traders but thinking that a previous club or enthusiasts car is a good bet and so if anyone knows of any decent cars for up to approx 3k with work done, I would be interested.

Thanks all

Regards

Dek

pezz · Jan 11, 2015

Would also like to thank PaulMcNulty for giving up his time today for a good chat and a spin in his 944... Am very impressed with the S2..

pauljmcnulty · Jan 11, 2015

An absoloute pleasure. Apologies for talking so much and forgetting to offer you a coffee! [&:]

It would be interesting to get people's feedback on the relative running costs/driving pleasure of the 2.5 and 2.7, and including the S if you've driven them all.

DavidL · Jan 11, 2015

I had an S as my first 944. It was fine. As long as the chain and slippers are ok then I can't see it should be that much more expensive than the 8v cars.
Whether its a better car is very debatable but I haven't driven an na 8v car other than my turbo with a big turbo leak when I first bought it!
Certainly you had to cane it to make it go and that was relative but it was a nice car to drive.
I saw mine advertised with a broken something a couple of years back, anyone come across a grey S E219UAV I think?

Swindon_Mick · Jan 11, 2015

I also had a 944S as my first Porsche - if I remember correctly the additional power from the 16V head did come in quite high up the rev range (which is not uncommon for 16V engines of course). Fitting a Promax chip in the ECU smoothed-out the power delivery and made it a very drivable and deceptively nippy car. Have you ruled-out an S2 - those extra 500cc make a big difference...

Good luck in your hunt

Mick

andy watson · Jan 11, 2015

Hi and welcome,

Hopefully you will be one of us very soon, ear to ear grinning 944 owner!
Taken from a reply I made over on the other Forum debating S or S2, we will need Mike Pollock to compare the 2.7 & S2

As a daily the S2 will be a lot less tiring, more torque and less gear changes, as a weekend sports car the S is a lot more fun, involving and no slouch when driven how intended, there is not much to compare between the S, S2 and 220T all in standard spec of course, in performance, top speed or the various levels of trim.

Driving style, the S is really only suited to a spirited lets go for an enthusiastic spin where as the S2 will accomplish this as well as the lazy relaxing poodle or start stop town driving.

Front end looks, speaks for itself which do you prefer got to be a major factor in any car purchase.

Condition, these days probably the the most important aspect, these cars are falling into the hands of owners who want a Porsche, but cannot really afford to do so, if you are not handy with a spanner they can still be quite costly at times, check inside as well as outside on the sills, bottom of the front wings especially on S2.

History, a wad of service paper may not be a lot of expensive maintenance, check the belt changing history etc, both cars need to have had the cam chain tensioner and slipper changed.

Seller, has the car been cherished, was it pride and joy and why sell also you can get a good feel about the car from the seller.

Mileage is not something to worry about, they will go on well over 200k if maintained, buy on condition before mileage.

Of course all the above is only my opinion........

Good luck and let us know the outcome, what ever model you end up with you will not be disappointed great cars, great fun, great community.

Mike_Pollock · Jan 11, 2015

Hi and welcome.

Paul is pretty good if not as a host.....

No 944 is slow, even by todays standards, but the do perform differently.

Not had an S , but had a 2.5 8V and a 2.7 (3 years each with 4 month overlap) and an S2 for 9 months again with a 3 month overlap with the 2.7.

Forget the interiors - they are all the same in the different colours!

If as everybody says the 2.5S needs revving to get the power, for a daily driver the 2.7 will be so much easier to live with. Loads of torque easy to make quick progress, my sort of car, I loved mine, only sold it because I could afford an S2. Which is just more of the same with even more power and torque, very noticeable above, shall we say 60......

As a weekender the S could be fun, but its not my style.

As the others have said - buy on condition above all.

Lots of us would be prepared to assist with a more experienced eye, so don't be afraid to ask.

Above all, enjoy the experience.

Suffolk944 · Jan 12, 2015

Hello and welcome !

Whichever variant you end up choosing they all genuinely excellent cars in their own right. The S does seem to be a bit more prone to losing a few horses from under the bonnet of not kept in fine fettle than other the 8V and S2 but as a weekend fun car I would say that they would be an excellent bet due to the need to use all the rev range to extract the power. Bit like a turbo [

]

As they are also perhaps a little unloved (unfairly) when compared with other variants I suspect they might offer the best chance for a real bargain...[

]

pezz · Jan 12, 2015

Wow..

Thanks for all the messages there, I wasn't quite expecting that first thing Monday but welcomed all the same.

Thanks Paul, I could've chatted for longer but aware of the time and the fading light .

It's great hearing all the differing opinions..it will really help but ultimately yes I need to check for condition and the best buy for the money.

As this will be a weekend car and maybe a trip to and from work occasionally, I don't think I would mind the S for spirited drives when I felt the urge for one. When just poodling around I can drive it under the Hot zone; Herts is generally quite hilly though so as long as there is enough torque to get up hills without having to drive it at the limiter in 2nd or so, that will be OK. If not, then I think I would prefer the 2.7

I have set my limit at 3k + 1k for initial maintenance which would rule out any S2 that I would risk buying

I am interested in ECU mapping though generally and so the Promax on the S and maybe even the 2.7 could be interesting but ultimately I need to test them I guess.

I have phoned various adverts regarding cars and they seem to be disappearing from under my nose but will be patient until I have tried and tested.

So if anyone know sof any well maintained and documented history examples of 944s and 2.7s.. please let me know

Thanks again for the warm welcome

Derek

MRGT · Jan 12, 2015

Hi and welcome

I owned an S for 3 years a couple of years ago and during that time covered approx 40000 miles using it as my daily driver. I never felt that it lacked for any 'go' but it went better the harder it was driven [

] . I also fitted the promax chip, and whilst it didn't feel massively more powerful it definitely felt a bit smoother all through the rev range. It also generally managed around 30-32 mpg which was a suprise.

Working in Exeter and living on Dartmoor at the time I never felt that it struggled going up hills [

]

Unfortunately I have now fallen for the dark side (otherwise known as boooooost ! [

] )

Mike_Pollock · Jan 12, 2015

Theres a nice looking S somebody has posted as being for sale in red on one of the facebook pages - I know nothing more about it as yet but will keep you posted.

andy watson · Jan 12, 2015

Hi Mike,

Not an S unless the rear valance has been changed, all S's had the Turbo rear valance as std equipment, looks a very nice car though

pauljmcnulty · Jan 12, 2015

Not an S unless the rear valance has been changed, all S's had the Turbo rear valance as std equipment

Might this be the thing I learn in 2015? [8|]

I thought Peter Empson's had a toast rack, but now I'm trying to visualise every S i've seen.....

Paul190H · Jan 12, 2015

Welcome and good luck with the hunt. Have the S2 and love it, the front was a factor for me, love the cleaner lines.
Cheers
Paul.

kcbart · Jan 12, 2015

The 944S I had in the late 80s (1986 "D") definitely did not have a rear valance.

pezz · Jan 13, 2015

Thanks again for all the replies, appreciate it...This caught my eye but just need to lever the price down a bit

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/321624466997

Also interested in taking a look at the red S thats been mentioned too please?

Thanks

andy watson · Jan 13, 2015

ORIGINAL: kcbart

The 944S I had in the late 80s (1986 "D") definitely did not have a rear valance.

Hi Keith, well that is interesting as I have never seen an S without the rear valance, did you buy it new? or did the original owner have it deleted, although why anyone would want to do that?
I wonder if it was because yours was an early car 86? most of the cars are 87/88's

My knowledge only stems from the various books that I have and the official Porsche Cars brochure, 6th item up on left hand page............

Suffolk944 · Jan 13, 2015

ORIGINAL: pezz

Thanks again for all the replies, appreciate it...This caught my eye but just need to lever the price down a bit

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/321624466997

Also interested in taking a look at the red S thats been mentioned too please?

Thanks

That ebay car looks a good prospect - just as long as you like Burgundy ! [

]

My first 944 was Zermatt Silver and had teledial wheels - that S looks very smart and well cared for (potentially at least !)

kcbart · Jan 13, 2015

Hi Andy,

I think the answer must be that earlier ones didn't have the rear valance as standard. I bought it when it was 18 months old from the first owner - I can't imagine he would have removed it. The silver one referred to above is a "D" reg and doesn't have one.