As I am in the process of trying to pick up a cheap one.. I have been thinking of taking it to the Auto-X. With my work scheadule and intestines, I cannot do long races or rallies anymore, but a morning of killing cones sounds like fun.
I have never done it before, so it is a steep learning curve for me. Could this cheap 944 be competitive in a stock class?
8th place at Nats in ES a couple years ago. so, yeah, it can certainly be competitive in the local level. just add driver.
They were all the rage back when you could buy one new. The 50/50 weight distribution being one of the big benifits. Here is a picture of a friend's 944S parked next to my MR2 back in 2001 or 2002.
No such thing as a cheap one. Water pump/timing belt job is over $1,000 just in parts, same story on a clutch. Have money before you get one, because you won't have any by the time it's running...
P71 wrote: No such thing as a cheap one. Water pump/timing belt job is over $1,000 just in parts, same story on a clutch. Have money before you get one, because you won't have any by the time it's running...
i call BS. clutch parts are about $450 plus shipping for Sachs brand, as seen here
and the timing belt kit will run you $205 plus shipping for Conti (made in Germany) as seen here
and the water pump with gasket will set you back $125 plus shipping, shown here
So, that's $780 in parts, not $2000.
Bottom line is these cars run good and handle great, and nearly 30 years after their introduction they're still very sexy in the right color combination. Stay on top of routine maintenance -- Porsche, not Honda -- and you'll love the car.
and if you get a pre-'87, I'll sell you a set of phone dials with 225/45-15 Hoosier A6's (half worn) for $300 plus shipping.
Man prices sure have come down in the 2 years since I've had to work on them. Rebuilt water pumps were $400 + $250 core, timing kit (with all the tensioners/rollers) was $250, plus a thermostat, a snap ring, o-rings, coolant, regular belt, etc. Clutch kits were $999 plus shipping.
It's still an expensive, slow, POS of a car when bought "cheap". Do yourself a favor and buy a NICE one that's already sorted.
Slow is relative to the year bought. There are faster versions (S version, or '89 2.7 liter), you just have to buy the right one, and they're no slower than the other cars in it's class. Maintenance isn't too bad if you do the work yourself. If you have to pay someone else Porsche rates, it gets expensive. They really have more maintenance than a similar year 911 so be prepared. Some parts are dirt cheap, some are very expensive. I've owned several and they are nice driving cars, you just have to be prepared for the upkeep. They've been cheap for so long though, many have been really neglected.
As for autocross, they take a very different driving style than others in it's class. It's biggest problem is getting it to turn in like a Miata (although rebuilding the control arms does wonders). It isn't going to happen, so you give up a little speed there. It does put it's power down better, so you have to play to it's strengths. The biggest thing to get used to is that you have to manhandle it to get it to go very quick. Unlike what you might think, they are not a scaple type of autocross car, you have to work, drag, beat it, and throw it around, forcing it to do things it doesn't want to do. It can be a lot of work. On a real track though it's a different story. Long sweepers are a dream.
On a local level it would be a great car, nationally I don't believe you'd ever win in one. Most of the ones that did well nationally back in the day were the S2 3 liter cars, and they are in a different class, but the 2.5s still did OK.
Hijack alert! So what about a cheap 944 with an engine swap? What fun things can be done without breaking the bank?
There is a local guy who runs a 924 in ES and does well and haves fun.
I spend time looking through classifieds for 944's in need of motors. I REALLY want to put a 5.3 chevy in one: it's relatively easy, and because you keep the 944 transaxle, you don't need to look for an "expensive" transmission (T56) Nathan
TJ, check out http://www.porschehybrids.com/ for an entire site dedicated to engine swapped 924/944/928's done on the cheap since they essentially started out dealing with the issues related to the Renegade Hybrids V8 kits.
Basically, getting the proper bellhousing is the trick, the rest is basic fab work.
The only drawback in my mind is the power brake booster goes away. Not a huge deal as the brake system just needs to be setup differently. Some have adapted the hydroboost system and I believe someone else adapted a 90-degree solution from the hotrodders.
I loved my 924S (mechanickally the same).
I had some "electiical issues" but that was probalby the age of the car.
When ordering electrical parts, order two.
Grounds need to be ;looked at cleaned re done. Re solder the DME
Belts hoses rad water pump will all be needed if not done recently
Bearings in the impeller shaft can go just get a rebuild from George at 944 ecology
Plan on an accusump or some other supplemental oiling as the rod bearings are a maintenance item and when tracked they can fail quickly as the oil runs up the Sid of the pan (twars the passenger side) and the motor starves for oil. This is mainly due to the motor being set at a angle (about 35 deg or so)
Ball joints in the newer cars don't like huge tires and lowered suspensions. The older steel A Armed cars and the early 924s (1987) seem to not mind this as much.
To get it into autocross shape plan on. Dealing with the oiling problem accusump is the best way for little $$$. Cross Drilled cranks and what not are another rout but the $$$$ starts getting nuts.
Koni shocks, Koni Struts (yellow sports) Don't cheep out here.
Weltmeister bars front and rear. There are other options here but this is a sure winner and completely adjustable.
Iboc front springs (lowering the car about 1 1/2 inches stiffened it up a bit with the progressive rate)
You can put weltmeister torsion bars in the rear but this is a real pain to get set up correctly. If you are thinking of this go to a coil over set up (trust me on this) More $$ in the short run but up and working in a couple hours instead of many many hours of work to get new bars set up.
Porterfield pads (or Hawk's) seem to work well. You can spend a lot of $$$ on upgrades to the brakes to an s or 951 spec and some swear that it is an important upgrade. I have had the stock brakes in my 924s with the better pads and never had a problem. I am not saying not to make this swap but I have not seen a need yet. If I was just starting out (when I used alot of brakes this could have been important) I now use alot less brakes so this is not that critical in my book but still nice to know it is there if you want that little bit more sense of security I guess.
If you get an older car (pre 85.5) plan on swapping the tachometer and the speedo around to put the tachometer in the center.
Remove the rear seats as they are useless anyway. Now you can install a bar. some real seats and 5 points.
These are the major mods that really improve the car.The list little things goes on from there.
They are great cars!!! I love my 924s it is a blast on track or killing cones. I really dont remember what a stock one drives like. I think I would be disappointed.
njansenv wrote: I spend time looking through classifieds for 944's in need of motors. I REALLY want to put a 5.3 chevy in one: it's relatively easy, and because you keep the 944 transaxle, you don't need to look for an "expensive" transmission (T56) Nathan
What about SM2 with a Cayenne engine swap? 
340hp / 310 torques. Engine costs as much as the car though...
I went back and looked at it again now that the snow has melted. Between a pre-case of both buyers and sellers remorse (I would have to lose a car to keep three) and how the car looked in the daylight and snowfree... I decided against it.
I got lucky with my $900 Saab.. I doubt I could repeat that with an $800 Porsche
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