s2 test drive

[Guest]

Well been out in my first s2. I was really impressed with how easy it was to drive, coming from hatchbacks. Real nice balance (from my one roundabout so not conclusive!), great seats, great driving position. This one had done 190k but was cheapish (£4.5k) and interior was mint (half blue leather/black porsche logo cloth). If I had found a recent receipt for new rings/coating I would have been pretty teased but recent history was a bit patchy. The suspension/steering/gearbox etc felt good, all bushes seemed fine but engine didn't. It ran out of breath at 4k, then picked up after 5.

Basically it is just a case of waiting around till I find the right one. There is another not too far from me that I might go and look at. Looks a lot tidier (as it should be for £6k) but appears to have some kind of cloth burgundy interior[&:].

The main question I want to know is 16" or 17" wheels for handling? I am not too bothered about ultimate roadholding more about fun. Cheers,

John

 

[Fen]

You're absolutely right that that car was not right. They should build to 4k and then pull hard from there to redline.

I wouldn't worry about seeing a receipt for rings on a 190k engine and the coating lasts way longer than that. My Turbo engine with 153k on the clock that is apart because it ran out of oil (hole in the sump) has no marks on the bores at all. It's getting rings just because I'm in there, but they aren't bad at all and it had a good leakdown test at 149k.

Burgundy interior is not everyone's favourite (mine included) but it isn't that bad. To be honest blue leatherette with black cloth sounds a bit nasty to me!

Have you got sensible insurance lined up now or is this just research?

 

[Fen]

Oh, I've never driven one with 17's. I know 16's are much nicer than 18's but since the 968CS had 17's then I guess it's fair to say they must be pretty good from a handling point ov view as well.

Bear in mind that the CS had different suspension than an S2 though, so maybe 16's would be better unless you fit the 968 M030 setup.

 

[Guest]

Insurance is still not good but I'm considering paying the extra few hundred to have the car over the summer rather than waiting for no claims in august. Main plan is just to wait and get the car I want rather than rush it and get the wrong colour/a bit rough etc.

Main thing I am worried with 17s is that the width is designed for cars with more power than the s2 and hence might take out some of the fun of rwd.

 

[Diver944]

It depends which 17" wheels you get. I have some from a Boxster on mine which are 7" wide at the front and 8.5" at the back, these take the same width of tyre as the standard S2 on 16s - namely 205 at the front and 225 at the rear. I had the wider 968 wheels on a few years ago with 225s and 255s and there was still plenty of fun to be had [] - just a bit more tramlining.

Fens right about the S2 engine - it should start to take off from 4k rpm onwards

One thing to possibly think about in a few weeks if you can't find a good car. If the rest of that one was mint, then a good rebuild should set you back around £1.5 k and leave you with a perfect car, and a fresh engine good for another 190,000 miles [] However make sure you get a good inspection by a recognised Porsche specialist with engine compression and leakdown tests on any car before purchase, could save you ££££s

 

[Guest]

Hmm rebuild is tempting but only if I could get the car very cheap. The car was white though and while it looked better in the flesh than I expected I still would regret not holding out for a mettalic. It looked right on original wheels too. I think first step is sell clio so I know what funds I have to play with. Then I will just wait till I find the right car. Cheers for advice I'll pop back on here when I am going to see a car to buy and let you know how it goes.

John