what to expect from a 944
 

Hello,
I'm new to this board and am a HUGE porsche 944 fan. I was considering looking for one. I have done a good bit of "homework" on the car. Now this board has actual 944 owners, I was wondering like what to look for in a 944. What were the best years, major problems, fixes, whats a good mileage to buy one of these cars at, what can i expect out of the car, best years, etc etc.
Thanks for the insight!

RE: what to expect from a 944
 

Honestly, you should just go to the Rennlist.com 944 forum and search the archives a bit and ask there. You'll get swamped with answers by a lot of knowledgeable (and some not so knowledgeable) folks.

If you noticed my signature, you'll see I have a variety of 944's. They all have their pluses and minuses, but I would suggest that you look for the best early 944 (83-85.5) that you can find, and make sure you keep up the maintenance on it. Add a good set of the lightest tire/wheel combo you can find, a good set of brake pads, put on a set of 951 swaybars and a set of Bilstein HD struts and shocks and then learn to drive the thing. You'll have more fun and spend less money than you would with any other model in the lineup.

YMMV

Regards,

RE: what to expect from a 944
 

Some high points...
First model year 1983, saw the introduction of the 944. The "early" 944's were produced from 1983 until 1985.5, at which point the cars interior was redone to address cooling issues and interior comfort. The new interior models are what we call the late cars.
In 1986 the 944 Turbo (also referred to as a 951) was introduced. This was the first year of the Turbo and there were more of this year built than almost all of the other years combined - as such it is far easier to find an 86 944 Turbo than any other year.
In 87 all 944 variants switched to a different wheel offset. You will hear the cars referred to as late and early offset cars to distinguish which wheels will fit. Also in 87, the 944 S was introduced.
In 1988 the 944 S became the 944 S2 and the car incorporated the Turbo front end. A Turbo S model was also introduced.
I don't keep up much with the convertables, but somewhere along here the 944 Cabriolet was introduced.
In 1992 the 944 evolved into the 968.

RE: what to expect from a 944
 

The 944 NAs:

1982 (UK only) : 163 hp@5800 | Weight ??lbs | 2.5L | 0-60 8.4sec.

1983 - 1985.5 : 143 (also listed as 150) hp@5500 | Weight 2675 lbs | 2.5L | 0-60 9.0sec. (also listed as 7.74sec).
People who race 944 NAs seem to favor these cars.

1985.5 - 1987.5 : 150 hp@5500 | Weight 2637 lbs 2.5L | 0-60 8.9sec.
These are often called "944 late". The interior was much improved, performance stayed about the same. These cars are often reported to be heavier than the early cars. The published numbers could be off or the increasing number of options might weigh them down.

1987.5 - 1988 : 158 hp@5900 | Weight 2637 lbs 2.5L | 0-60 8.7sec. (also listed as 8.3sec)
The cars got a slight HP boost with no weight gain. These cars are sometimes referred to as 88 models but some late 87 cars have the higher compression engine. I like these cars, the feel quick and have the nicer looking and fitting interior.

1989 : 162 hp@5800 | Weight 2637 lbs 2.7L | 0-60 7.5sec.
Slight HP boost with a displacement increase. Probably a great 944 but I've heard that the parts are hard to find.

1990 - 1991 : 208 hp@5800 | Weight 2857 lbs 3.0L | 0-60 6.7sec.
Based on the 1989 S2. Often simple called "S2s". The 968 grew out of this engine. Great car, looks about like a 951.

Now numbers are numbers are numbers. You'd tear your car up trying to get 0-60 times like these with an aging stock 944. These numbers should give you somewhere to start though. If anyone has any other or different specs. for the 944 NA please share them. I've been trying to combine all of the different published numbers together for a while now. For the most part everyone lists the same figures. I've indicated the few places where I've seen conflicting stats.

RE: what to expect from a 944
 

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ok i thought when i read ZOD's article on model stats that i could get the weight for the 82 easy for you haha guess not but this is what i got and translated off the engine plate

zul. achslast vom (total harvest (weight at) front: 600kg
zul. achslast hinten (at rearer) 840kg

Gesemigewicht??? (couldnt tranlate this ) 1400kg

zul. zuggewicht ( TRAIN WEIGHT) who Knows what Train weight is?? 2200kg ??
God i hope 2200kg has nothing to do with the weight of my car haha ive heard they were more lite weight then the rest of the 944 thoe
Hope this was more helpful then confusing