Like the title says, I am thinking about purchasing a 944 Turbo to use as my "track car". The one I am looking at has all service history records and very low original miles. The current owner may faint if I tell him what I plan on doing to it.

Anyway, has anyone out there had experience driving these with anger? How much would realistically need to be done to make it at least comparable with a stock Z and my 6+ track events worth of ability?

Any opinions, good and bad, are welcomed.

Thanks.

 

You're going to sink a lot of money in maintenance and plan on breaking lots of parts. I had thought about buying a 951 racecar a long time ago, and I'm sure glad I didn't.

 

If you're OK with spending $ on maintainence then that's a solid car. Just be willing to pay...they're nice cars tho.

 

you guys are reconfirming my fears.

i am probably going to go look/drive it today. we'll see.

 

if u know how to fix ur car then u shouldnt be having any problems
i had my audi and changing a timing belt was 1200 bucks(TOTAL BS at 120 bucks an hour)
so i was like F*ck this german **** let me get a japanese car that i dont have to spend a fortune to get a tune up!

 

If you're going to have a track-only car, why not a purpose built track car? You may spend a bit more up front, but you'll have a much faster ride and potentially less maintenance costs. See the other thread about this very topic.

 

What year Turbo 944?I had 89 turbo S.Very fast but lots of maintance.

 

I had a non-turbo 944 years ago. The clutch center went out early; parts and labor were crazy. Lost a few friends installing it to save a grand. The timing belt tensioning was another non-owner procedure that seemed to cost a lot of money. But overall, the car wasn't that expensive to own. When it needed something other than normal maintenance, it was expensive. It never broke down and I did most of the mechanical work myself. The car was wonderful, all it needed was a big boost of BHP, which of course, the 944 Turbo has. I still have an old 930 sitting in the garage, Porsches are an illness.

BC

 

You have a new PM!

 

just got back from looking at it.

it's a 1986 turbo with 65K miles. new clutch, new pressure plate, new head gasket, new paint.

car ran very smooth at idle and when i drove it normally. when i got on it, there was some hesitation, mainly before the turbo spooled up. once it did, it was pretty fast. car has been taken pretty good care of. needs work like seals around windows, new tires, and the shifter needs to be tightened up some.

the guy is asking $8K for it.

it's close to what i am looking for, but not good enough for me to take the leap on.

scott webb...trust me, i know that argument very well. i am not yet willing to take the leap to something that i cannot drive to/from the track or even just up the street and back. i also know that my skill level and track use frequency do not warrant a purchase such as a purpose built car. neither does my wallet. however, something that i could put more wear and tear into (instead of the Z) is an option.

anyway...i think today kind of brought me back down to earth on this idea. (i did see a 1989 turbo s for sale in someone's yard on the way home though...)

sean

 

Yeah, I love Porsche but the 944 model is the one model that had the most issues with it. That's why that model wasn't around that long!

 

It's like we're twins! Before getting the Z (I have an LS, too!), I bought an '86 944T with about 70K miles on it. Before I bought it, my mechanic gave it a clean bill of health.

Over the following 14 months I spent over $5,000 getting it fixed. The second time I had it on track, a half-shaft broke. Later the turbo cooler started leaking. The odometer gave out. Replaced the shocks. I forget what else broke, but it was just one damn thing after another. It was a 17-year-old car, after all.

It was fun to drive, and looked cool, but I never found it comfortable to get in and out of, and on track it had massive understeer. (Of course, so does the stock Z.)

The best thing about owning the 944T? Everyone is impressed when you say you own a Porsche, even if it's a PoS Porsche. No one is impressed when you say you have a Nissan, even though the Z is head and shoulders better than the 944T.

My recommendation: walk away. If you want a cheap, bullet-proof track car, get a Miata. I had a Miata for 7-8 years, and spent less than $2,000 on maintenance in that whole time, with more track days than I ever got out of the 944T. It's not as fast, but it handles great, you can get one cheap, it won't cost much to run, and if you want, you can turn it into a Spec racer.

My two cents.

 

james...

after sleeping on it last night...i think that is what i plan to do. my dad wants to give me his miata (a '93 with 70K miles), the only catch is that i have to get it shipped here to NC from WY. should only be about $1000 though. my only issue is the step down in power from the Z. i have watched friends go from the Z/G35 down to a Miata, only to be frustrated by its lack of power. i guess there are always FI fixes for that though...

sean

 

Power, power, power. Everyone always wants more power. The key to having fun in the Miata is to shift gears. IN YOUR BRAIN!

Yes, the Miata won't be as fast on the straights as the Z, but if you tighten up that nut holding the steering wheel, you can become faster than an average Z driver in the twisty parts. That's the great thing about driving a low power car: it forces you to make the most of momentum and really hone your skills.

Bolting things onto your car doesn't make you a better driver. And it's more satisfying to trim a tenth of a second off your best lap with pure driving skill than ten seconds by adding FI!

And if you make too many mods you won't be able to run in Spec Miata, if you decide to go that way later.

But going for the Miata instead of the 944T is a good move. Have fun.