If You Transitioned from a 944 to a 911, How Did It Happen?
08-31-2004, 08:23 PM
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If You Transitioned from a 944 to a 911, How Did It Happen?
My very well sorted '87 944; which I bought from my sister-in-law with only 59K miles and on which I have spent too much ($5500 to buy in 4/01 and spent another $5K since) has now blown its headgasket. The car JUSt had the Tbelt, Balance shaft belts, watyerpump, Tstat and front oil seals done. Fixing the headgasket and "While I'm in There" valve job, new guides, etc will be another $1200. Like I said, my car is very nice, well sorted, but it is a 944NA. Not the car of my dreams to keep dropping $1000 here and $1000there. I am considering biting the bullet and selling out. I'll get raped, but I'll be out and will most likely pursue an SC, maybe a Carrera.
Is this how it happened to you? How bad a financial bath did you take? Yes, I know it comes with the territory with Porsches. But if it does then at least it should be on a car I dream about, huh?
Is this how it happened to you? How bad a financial bath did you take? Yes, I know it comes with the territory with Porsches. But if it does then at least it should be on a car I dream about, huh?
08-31-2004, 08:56 PM
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I have just the opposite problem. I have an '86 na that I brought back from the dead for relatively short money that is such a great car that I'm having trouble imagining how the money pit '75 carrera is going to be any better. I keep thinking I should get out of the 911 and just enjoy the 944.
08-31-2004, 09:11 PM
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I transitioned when a garbage truck behind me decided to blow through an amber light I actually decided to stop for. (I'll never do that again!) Totalled my 86 944 Turbo. I transitioned to an 89 911 Targa.
08-31-2004, 09:14 PM
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Too bad you're in MA, you might really like my car, though yours is a late '44 too.
Here's the thing, I really like the way mine drives, and of the several 911's I've driven I don't like the "feel" as much. But they are totally different cars and I suspect you've got to become accustomed to a 911, "don't like" is probably too strong a statement 'cause I've always loved the look of the 911.
I have driven a '78 SC, an early 80's SC Targa beater - but it was impressive mechanically, an '87 Carrera Targa w/ SSi's and running strong, and a 92 964 C2. All nice, all a little different, none of them feeling as neutral as my lowly NA. But I suppose that was the point of the '44 anyway, an accessible sports car that would make the not-so-good driver think he was...so good...at a more accessible price! Still, I keep thinking of Sc's, Carrear's and dare I think it, of RSA's. Man, the 964 has grown on me!
Here's the thing, I really like the way mine drives, and of the several 911's I've driven I don't like the "feel" as much. But they are totally different cars and I suspect you've got to become accustomed to a 911, "don't like" is probably too strong a statement 'cause I've always loved the look of the 911.
I have driven a '78 SC, an early 80's SC Targa beater - but it was impressive mechanically, an '87 Carrera Targa w/ SSi's and running strong, and a 92 964 C2. All nice, all a little different, none of them feeling as neutral as my lowly NA. But I suppose that was the point of the '44 anyway, an accessible sports car that would make the not-so-good driver think he was...so good...at a more accessible price! Still, I keep thinking of Sc's, Carrear's and dare I think it, of RSA's. Man, the 964 has grown on me!
09-01-2004, 12:03 AM
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Dan,
Been there ,done that.
Paid too much $ on a 44 na in less than good condition. Sunk another 5K into mechnicals and still needed a paint job. Decided to sell it last year. Lost approx 4.5 k in the "investment". I bought a 928 S4 on a whim when the wife saw it in a local paper for cheap $. Still got that one, invested ~ $800 in mechnicals so far.....then last Nov got the buying bug again... this time a 911. Looked hard for around 2 months and found a verry nice 82 SC for 16k. Bought it ,love it , and the bonus is it is sooo easy to work on. So far i've put ~ 5k miles in it (more than the 2 years I owned the 44) and I've found the P-Car for me. I love the way it drives and the steering feedback. The attention it gets is nice as well. I say Go for it!!
Tim
Been there ,done that.
Paid too much $ on a 44 na in less than good condition. Sunk another 5K into mechnicals and still needed a paint job. Decided to sell it last year. Lost approx 4.5 k in the "investment". I bought a 928 S4 on a whim when the wife saw it in a local paper for cheap $. Still got that one, invested ~ $800 in mechnicals so far.....then last Nov got the buying bug again... this time a 911. Looked hard for around 2 months and found a verry nice 82 SC for 16k. Bought it ,love it , and the bonus is it is sooo easy to work on. So far i've put ~ 5k miles in it (more than the 2 years I owned the 44) and I've found the P-Car for me. I love the way it drives and the steering feedback. The attention it gets is nice as well. I say Go for it!!
Tim
09-01-2004, 05:10 AM
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I switched from an 84' 944 N/A to '79 911 SC, in spring this year. I loved the 944, but it always felt it lacked power in acceleration. A 944 turbo, is very rare in my country and if one is for sale prices are to high.
I also get more and more into the 911 look, and in february i took the 944 for a drive on a sunny winter day to the local porsche shop to see the '79 SC. I got a 30 min test drive and i was sold.
I handed in the 944 and bought the 911. I only got 2/3 off market price for the 944, and the 911 was a bit pricy, but i got 6 month 100% guarantie, since the dealer has had the 911 in service since '92 and knew the car in and out.
As to service bill's. The only one i have had to pay so far was new exhaust cross tube.
The 911 SC is more difficult to drive than the 944, but also it is the most fun car i have ever driven (except for some 2003 models Porche's). Only thing i miss now and then from the 944, is the more space in the cabin since i use it as daily driver, and i cannot fit a bike in the 911.
I also get more and more into the 911 look, and in february i took the 944 for a drive on a sunny winter day to the local porsche shop to see the '79 SC. I got a 30 min test drive and i was sold.
I handed in the 944 and bought the 911. I only got 2/3 off market price for the 944, and the 911 was a bit pricy, but i got 6 month 100% guarantie, since the dealer has had the 911 in service since '92 and knew the car in and out.
As to service bill's. The only one i have had to pay so far was new exhaust cross tube.
The 911 SC is more difficult to drive than the 944, but also it is the most fun car i have ever driven (except for some 2003 models Porche's). Only thing i miss now and then from the 944, is the more space in the cabin since i use it as daily driver, and i cannot fit a bike in the 911.
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09-01-2004, 10:21 AM
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Knowing exactly what I wanted, I saved my money diligently and kept my eye's peeled. About a year later a super good deal popped up on the autotrader so I jumped on it.
Last edited by bpp944; 09-01-2004 at 10:27 PM.
09-01-2004, 11:13 AM
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I paid a high-but-fair price for my 85.5 944 NA, which was in pristine condition with low miles. Since they had not yet been done, I immediately had the belts and waterpump replaced, and did a few other things to make sure everything was in top condition. A couple of months later we ended up buying the '89 C4 for my wife ("You got your Porsche, and I have wanted a 911 since I was 5 years old..."). After driving the C4, the poor little 944 NA felt like it was not running on all cylinders. I had tasted 911's, and the 944 NA just didn't do it for me anymore.
Ended up finding the '87 Carrera for a great price (I had wanted the G50 tranny and hydraulic clutch, which started in MY'87), and bought it. Sold the 944 for what I had paid for it, so I ate the money spent on the mechanical and other work (probably less than $2k total). Sold the 944 after only 2 days of local ads, and never looked back.
Tom
Ended up finding the '87 Carrera for a great price (I had wanted the G50 tranny and hydraulic clutch, which started in MY'87), and bought it. Sold the 944 for what I had paid for it, so I ate the money spent on the mechanical and other work (probably less than $2k total). Sold the 944 after only 2 days of local ads, and never looked back.
Tom
09-01-2004, 12:36 PM
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Not quite the same as your story...I bought my '88 944 na in late '93 for $12k. I owned that car for just over five years and spent around $14k in service and maintanance (and one blown belt related valve job). After five + years I was simply ready to move on...to a 911.
My first was the '72 I still have (now a project car). I bought that thinking if it had any problems, I didn't have to fix it and would only put money into it when I could. It's been a lot of fun, but never a daily driver.
Eventually I sold the 944 and bought a VW Cabrio (Julie loved them - don't ask). But it wasn't long before I decided I missed driving a Porsche everyday, so I traded the Cabrio on an '84 Carrera with factory Turbo Look. I've shuffled Porsches around since then, but I'll never regret "moving on". I loved my 944, but to be honest, I don't care if I ever own one again. The 911, however...well, I'm always shopping!
My first was the '72 I still have (now a project car). I bought that thinking if it had any problems, I didn't have to fix it and would only put money into it when I could. It's been a lot of fun, but never a daily driver.
Eventually I sold the 944 and bought a VW Cabrio (Julie loved them - don't ask). But it wasn't long before I decided I missed driving a Porsche everyday, so I traded the Cabrio on an '84 Carrera with factory Turbo Look. I've shuffled Porsches around since then, but I'll never regret "moving on". I loved my 944, but to be honest, I don't care if I ever own one again. The 911, however...well, I'm always shopping!
09-01-2004, 01:19 PM
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Thanks guys. A lot of the same sentiments I am running through are included here.
Because I bought the 944 post-divorce after 20years of marriage and my pockets were turned inside out, I tend to associate getting through that time financially (emotionally?) with the car a little bit (hey, what can I say, I am a car guy!). The ar was in good though negelcted shape (kinda like me) nobody wanted it (ditto) and I poured the money into it and brought it back. It gets comments now occasionally (unfortunately, not ditto :>) I really don't have space to keep it if I do buy a 911; I've got an '02 Dodge Ram QuadCab 4x4 that takes up all extra space. I think if the right deal comes along I'll end up buying a 911 and selling the 944 afterward. Until then I'll fix it, and just drive it
Because I bought the 944 post-divorce after 20years of marriage and my pockets were turned inside out, I tend to associate getting through that time financially (emotionally?) with the car a little bit (hey, what can I say, I am a car guy!). The ar was in good though negelcted shape (kinda like me) nobody wanted it (ditto) and I poured the money into it and brought it back. It gets comments now occasionally (unfortunately, not ditto :>) I really don't have space to keep it if I do buy a 911; I've got an '02 Dodge Ram QuadCab 4x4 that takes up all extra space. I think if the right deal comes along I'll end up buying a 911 and selling the 944 afterward. Until then I'll fix it, and just drive it
09-01-2004, 01:54 PM
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My 951S caught fire on the way to the airport and burned to the ground. Replaced with 73RS replica and never have looked back (for a track car). The RS is only 1 sec quicker but has tons more feedback, involvement and fun. But the 951 cannot be beat for the purchase price (but the maintenance costs were WAY higher than any 911).
09-01-2004, 03:04 PM
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Grant, sounds like you turned lemons into lemonade! Turned a Car-B-Que into a 73 RS replica!
Maybe I should get a declared value insurance policy on my car and park it a lot under that 75 yer old tree in my front yard. You know, the kind like my neighbors have that keeps splitting and dropping HUGE limbs onto the street. Mine hasn't done it yet, but its probably due!
Kidding of course, I wouldn't murder my car...but it would be sweet to pick up like $10K or something more in keeping with what I THINK it is worth and twice what the market says its worth.
Maybe I should get a declared value insurance policy on my car and park it a lot under that 75 yer old tree in my front yard. You know, the kind like my neighbors have that keeps splitting and dropping HUGE limbs onto the street. Mine hasn't done it yet, but its probably due!
Kidding of course, I wouldn't murder my car...but it would be sweet to pick up like $10K or something more in keeping with what I THINK it is worth and twice what the market says its worth.
09-01-2004, 05:54 PM
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Wow, everyone here's the opposite of me - I often think if I'd bought the 944 first, I'd never have bought a 911. I like driving my Porsches as daily drivers (rotating each week) and the 944 is the best at it. I had the 911 first and driving it during Chicago winters absolutely sucked - the heat isn't up to the temperatures we get, and so I started looking for other cars to drive and decided why not another Porsche? And yes, while it's gobs slower, that just means I get to use all of it's performance more often than the 911 and 928. But mine hasn't had any serious mechanical problems (yet) - though I'm going to be dropping a couple of grand into it to sort if cosmetically. Maybe my attitude would be different if it'd been a money pit.
Emanuel
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09-01-2004, 06:59 PM
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A nice little old lady in a Ford Focus decided to try and drive over my hood, which caused the demise of my 89 944S2. After a year of driving my wifes "it's not safe enough for me and the baby" Golf, I found a nice 90 C2. No where near as practicle as the S2, and not as roomy for daily driving, but definitely serves it purpose as my mobile happy place very well. And believe it or not, the AC actually works well.... unlike my S2, and the 951 before that........
-Eric
90 C2
NER/PCA
-Eric
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