Bored with my 944

I have an '86 944 in driver condition. I kind of feel like it is neither here nor there. It isn't nice enough to put a lot of money into fixing all the little things wrong with it, nor it is junky enough to just tear out the interior and make it into a spec racer or something.

I've thought about selling it and moving onto to something else, but I really kind of like just keeping it around. Any great ideas out there? Surely somebody will say V8, but it seems cheaper and easier to buy a 944 turbo.

Alfa Milano Verde...

Still get transaxle coolness, but with 3.0l of aural sexiness.

Easier to go 944 turbo, sure. Cheaper? Possibly not in the long run since a good turbo is expensive compared to a cheap one (which gets expensive).

A V8 kit from Renegade + appropriate Chebby V8 = a lot of fun for potentially less money than a turbo.

However, it sounds like you should give it a good detailing, take some pictures and send it on down the road. Buy yourself something you do like.

m4ff3w wrote: Alfa Milano Verde... Still get transaxle coolness, but with 3.0l of aural sexiness.

Beat me to it, but I would say "GTV6" instead.

http://www.hemmings.com/hsx/stories/2009/01/01/hmn_feature9.html

That, or a 951.

Or junkyard turbo, junkyard intercooler, diy piping, megasquirt, and E85. Way cheaper than a V8 swap or selling it and buying a 951.

I am converting my 924s to EDIS based engine management getting rid of the darn speed and reference sensors and DME.

Adding a turbo to a NA is NOT easy. There really is not much space in these cars for DIY turbo so that leaves using the factory setup but that is a whole bunch of parts. Going V8 is what I think is the real answer. In fact the answer as I see it is getting a 951 with a bad / blown motor and adding V8 goodness. LS power if you have the $$$$ but I am leaning to LM power. I see a LM4 powered 951 in my future. Then down the road if I get the itch I can add forced induction and get LS power. It is probably cheaper to go LS from the start but if that is not an option I think this rout may be a good plan and it makes the car a work in progress as virtually all my "toys" are works in progress as I would get board with it if I did not have anything to improve on it.

yes some onw will say V8. It needs 100% more Ls1

I like my 87 944 Turbo WAY WAY more than my old 87 944 NA, so my vote would be sell or trade for a 951 in good shape.

It seems like 944 Turbos have come down in price. Boxsters are getting cheap enough to exert a little downward pressure on 944s.

You should just donate it to me. I'll take good care of it....or use its parts to fix mine.

turboswede wrote: Easier to go 944 turbo, sure. Cheaper? Possibly not in the long run since a good turbo is expensive compared to a cheap one (which gets expensive). A V8 kit from Renegade + appropriate Chebby V8 = a lot of fun for potentially less money than a turbo. However, it sounds like you should give it a good detailing, take some pictures and send it on down the road. Buy yourself something you do like.

If you had a 944, what would someone need to budget for a LS swap, assuming normal street prices for a used motor? (what are normal street prices for a used LS motor?) besides the kit and motor, what else would be required?

That was a great HSX article.

Time for an editorial plug: 924/944/968 buyer guide in the next issue of GRM. And yes, we also think that Boxster prices have impacted these cars. Personally, the 944S intrigues me.

In reply to David S. Wallens:

A 944S2 would be a nice addition to my collection of 4 cylinders big blocks (2.2, 2.5, 3.0)

GregTivo wrote: In reply to David S. Wallens: A 944S2 would be a nice addition to my collection of 4 cylinders big blocks (2.2, 2.5, 3.0)

An S2 would be way cool. An S seems like a better deal as they're even less money. They're slower, too, but a 944S could be one of the best $5000 cars out there right now. (Next to a Miata, of course.) And yes, I have been watching the ads. No particular reason, of course.

David S. Wallens wrote: Time for an editorial plug: 924/944/968 buyer guide in the next issue of GRM. And yes, we also think that Boxster prices have impacted these cars. Personally, the 944S intrigues me.

Sweet. While its to late to impact my purchase, I'm still very interested in what y'all have to say about them. I'm guessing the 85.1 944's aren't the best ones to get, but I couldn't pas it up @ $600 & my wife actually encouraging me to get it.

In reply to David S. Wallens:

Well, neither the S nor the S2 is particularly common anymore. An S2 is about as fast as a stock Turbo and has better throttle response and reliability. Sounds good to me.

Do I recall J.G. recommending against a 944S in a 944 buyer's guide years ago or did my aging brain just make that up?

In reply to SillyImportRacer:

Did you ever figure out what was going on with the engine noise with yours?

Otto_Maddox wrote: In reply to David S. Wallens: Well, neither the S nor the S2 is particularly common anymore. An S2 is about as fast as a stock Turbo and has better throttle response and reliability. Sounds good to me. Do I recall J.G. recommending against a 944S in a 944 buyer's guide years ago or did my aging brain just make that up?

I agree, an S2 seems like the winner. I have seen a few nice cars for sale--figure close to $10k. I am seeing some out there, which is a good sign.

A 944S is half that. As you noted, it is rare.

What I like (and what made the article neat) is that there's so many different flavors. Prices top out at $15k for a nice 968, so it's not like we're discussing zillion-dollar exotics.

On a related note, what about the world's best 924? Those cars seem popular in England. Here, not so much.

In reply to David S. Wallens:

A 924S is ok in my book. But a plain 944 looks way better, has a nicer interior, can fit bigger wheels and tires, and only costs a tad more. What's not to love?

Otto_Maddox wrote: In reply to David S. Wallens: A 924S is ok in my book. But a plain 944 looks way better, has a nicer interior, can fit bigger wheels and tires, and only costs a tad more. What's not to love?

924S vs. 944 has always been an interesting argument. Personally, I dig the flares. The 924/924S dash also reminds me of my Rabbit. However, finding a super-clean 924 for $1500 does have some appeal.

In reply to David S. Wallens:

Well, you guys seem to be way better at uncovering cheap cars than me. I certainly wouldn't pass on a nice $1500 924 and I would jump at a nice $5000 944S.

I actually bought my 944 in Oviedo a few years ago from a big rig mechanic. He had been stiffed and/or scammed on eBay on the car a couple of times, so he gave up and sold it to me for my lowball underbid.

If it had a working a/c, it would get a lot more use. Unfortunately, you can break the bank pretty quickly replacing stuff in that car.

In reply to Otto_Maddox:

No, I'm an OTR Truck driver. My limited home time has been spent repairing deer damage to my Accord. But the new radiator support is in & I have most of the parts I need to finish.

In reply to SillyImportRacer:

I still have my 87 944 NA. It's pretty complete if you need anything.

In reply to SillyImportRacer:

I still have my 87 944 NA. It's pretty complete if you need anything. I just kept it around for the small parts I need from time to time that interchange with the Turbo.