This is my first post on this website so excuse the noob questions.

Having owned a 15 year old VW Golf, I know what it takes to keep a fairly old car on the road. Lately I have been considering a 944 (possibly a second gen) non turbo as a replacement for my Golf. It would have to suffer a daily commute of 25 miles each way and a New England winters (with snow, sleet, freezing rain etc. all in one day).

My question is this:
1) What is the general parts availability/price
2) What to look for as a potential trouble spots when looking at a potential car to buy
3) How is the gas mileage,
4) How is the overall durability

My Golf has been as solid as any newer car out there. I can't count the number of times I saw much newer and better cars break down in the middle of the road, while my car keeps going day in and day out. Reliability such as this is extremely important to me, so can I expect the same of a 944?

Thank you in advance for shedding any light onto my ignorance.

 

1) Fairly high, though the used parts market is so flooded with parts, that you can buy a lot of stuff used for little to nothing
2) You definitely want records showing recent waterpump/timing belt job and recent clutch would be nice. Those are all very expensive jobs. $1500-2500 at a shop for each
3) Guys claimed to make 28-30 on the highway if you stay out of the throttle. I have my turbo tuned to do about 26-28 if I am gentle
4) Durability is good IF you can find a car that has been well cared for. The problem with 944's is that any high school kid can afford to buy one, but they can't afford the maintenance, so the cars go to hell. I know numerous 944's that are around the 300k mark. I have also seen nightmare 944's that have buried people financially.

Overall, if you can find something that has been well cared for and has full records, the cars can be extremely bulletproof. Buy the best example you can afford. There is nothing more expensive than a cheap Porsche.


edit: and one more quick thing: I would never own a 944 without having a second mode of transportation. Even if something simple breaks, it may take a week to get the replacement part off the internet (most parts will NOT be available locally).

 

A 944 is a very good daily driver. It is attractive and crisp in appearance despite its age, it handles well, is comfortable, and stock as a stone has sufficient power.

These cars are not cheap to maintain in prime condition, but not expensive either, but if done well they are just really satsifying cars.

 

Thanks for all the good input. I have been looking at some websites I normally use to source german car parts, and have seen some of the prices for some items. I can definitely see the difference in prices as comared to the same items for my Golf. One thing that I haven't been able to get an answer on is: how are the 944 RWD cars behave in snow, is there an LSD os any other foul weather aid?

 

LSD can be kind of nasty in the snow on decel so you have to watch it there. The option code stickers are found on the inside of the rear hatch near the left taillight. Look for option code 220, that would be the LSD option. They aren't bad in the snow as long as you stick with the stock rims and don't shove some big fat tires on them. I use to drive my turbo daily, and have driven it in 8 inches of fresh snow before, but I also grew up driving in the tundra, lol. It isn't bad for an RWD. Put a little weight in the back and you would probably be just fine. After I put on fat tires, I remember getting stuck on a flat parking lot in an ice storm because it couldn't get traction, lol.