Talk me into a 944 vs a 928!

[big_h]

Guys, I have been to see a few 944 s2 recently and thought I had found the perfect example black 97k miles with all the right spec and history. Although the car ticks all the right boxes as classic design etc etc it dosen't quite give the "wow" factor I was hoping for, then I made the mistake of looking at a few 928's. Now I have always wanted one (and can remember when they first apppeared) but I know that the 928 can all to soon turn into a vast money pit!

Having owned TVR's and RS6's I am accustomed to large bills but will the 928 dwarf these perhaps I could be content with the sublime handling of the 944's and explore the limits of the car on the track...... or perhaps I should look at the 968's .....arrgh cr@p this isn't easy as I thought it would be.

H

 

[DavidL]

There's a PH thread on exactly this currently - not yours is it?
Never had a 928 but like the idea of a GT - apparently ruinously expensive if they go wrong, but then 944s aren't exactly cheap if you are paying someone else.
944 don't have the V8 noise, or frankly any noise at all without help but to me it would depend on what I wanted it for. A 928 for long motorway trips should be sublime but for day to day travelling a 944 must be a more preferable option.

 

[Gordon Attar]

For the last 10 years the best piece of advice I have heard repeated is if you buy a 928, buy a second one to use as spare parts as the cost of parts is horrendous.

The 944S2 can be run at a similar price to most everyday cars as long as its in decent shape, if you want a bit more wow look at a 944 Turbo and tweek it or if you like the 944 shape, have look at a 968 which might will cost you double and may even partially satisfy your 928 cravings.

 

[944Turbo]

A 928 will need twice the plugs, twice the leads, almost twice the oil, so basic servicing is going to be more expensive. However if its a 928 you want then you won't be happy with a 44. The 944 charm is more subtle and if get a good one it will grow, but it you want thunder and can afford it go for the 928.

 

[John Sims]

There is no doubt that the 928 has something. It was the car on bedroom walls when I was a lad. You can't beat the sound of a V8 and the later 928's are real monsters. If there wasn't a 911 the 928 would be the iconic Porsche. Obviously it is the car of pimps ("Risky Business") and ex-patriot drug dealers ("The Business") but some people like that association. It also doesn't float as Tom Cruise and Regional Director Chris Clark have both proved.

They do have a spectacular amount of things to go wrong and most of them can and do.

On the plus side, they tend to be the domain of the enthusiast now so most of the fixes are well documented and well tried. 944's, on the other hand, are cheap performance cars so, inevitably, tend to fall into the hands of hot rodders. 928 owners seem less inclined to use the interweb - they probably have little time for such things as are fabricating special tools with which to remove that well known but elusive nut buried in the bowels of the engine.

What do you want to do with the car? If you are into restoration, the occasional Sunday cruise and enjoy chatting to fellow enthusiasts, while holding a pint with twigs in it, get a 928. If you want a daily driver that you can leave anywhere, thrash within an inch of its life at every opportunity and still have it coming back for more, get a 944.

 

[Peter Empson]

ORIGINAL: John Sims
Obviously it is the car of pimps ("Risky Business") and ex-patriot drug dealers ("The Business") but some people like that association.

Said by a man who also owns a Jaaaaaaaag []

 

[Suffolk944]

I would also suggest (at the risk of receiving the wrath of S2 owners) that for a 944 with some extra wow factor you should look at a Turbo, particularly one thats had a few moderate tweaks breathed upon it (Scott here on the forum is currently selling his car which is a fine example of the breed) . Also depends on your budget of course.

I keep getting a hankering for a 928 and a couple of months ago I finally got to drive one that was up for sale. I drove there in my Turbo and to be honest in contrast the 928 (despite the V8 rumble) didn't wow me overly at all. Don't get me wrong they are lovely cars but they really are cruisers rather than "fun" cars. Just because they have a V8 in them it doesn't make them either TVR style bite your head off snarlers nor even some kind of Germanic version of the American muscle car. As others have said it does depend what you want the car for. If its for a spirited blast round B roads and the like then it really should be a 944 you look for. It may not have the immediate drama of a 928 but buy a good one and you will soon come to appreciate the depths of its abilities.