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Hi all! Just wanted to share my new to me 89 S2. According to the VIN I believe it’s the 9th US car made. …00009
Its a true time capsule with only 16k original documented miles. The car was originally owned by Porsche and used for emission testing. Then sold “new” by a central IL dealer. There seems to be some other interesting details about this car, but I’m still trying to sort that stuff out…
This is my first transaxle car, but I’ve had/have many other Porsches.
I’ll be getting it out on the road to make a list of things it needs before the real “clean up” starts later this week!
Amazing! Good thing it was white, ha, ha. It's very odd to see phone dials on an S2.
Yes, it is odd! It I’m 99% sure they’re original. As I said this was PCNA car and serial number 00009. The original dealer information brochure for 89 showed phone dials on an S2 as well!
May I suggest that you have the front fascia, lights, fenders and hood be covered with paint protection film?
Especially with the original paint in that nice condition!
Love S2s, they are my favorite of the transaxle cars.
How is the engine maintenance compared to earlier 2.5L cars ? Are there lots of additional sensors ? And also parts that are unique to the 3.0L ?
Thats always what scared me off buying them. But they look and sound awesome.
@SJJ28 : Wow! That is what I wish my car looked like. Maybe someday. Beautiful, beautiful example.
@RetroStyle : I don't know what the maintenance is like on the earlier cars but with respect to parts there are definitely some that are unique to the 3L. That said, they are not unique to the S2 and 968, as some of them are shared with the 928 32V cars (the S4, GT, and GTS), so there is some reasonable availability to pull from vendors that are focused on different models, as well as the more standard suppliers (in the US, I have no idea about SA).
Cheers
Last edited by Zirconocene; 10-18-2021 at 10:04 AM.
Love S2s, they are my favorite of the transaxle cars.
The S2 is really good for normal day-to-day driving as the torque and gearing are really great for "around town" and you can wind it out in 1st and 2nd and not break the speed limit by too much. Do that in the 951 and you are going 80 in no time.
How is the engine maintenance compared to earlier 2.5L cars ? Are there lots of additional sensors ? And also parts that are unique to the 3.0L ?
Thats always what scared me off buying them. But they look and sound awesome.
Aside from keeping an eye on the cam chain tensioner pads, maintenance should be about the same as a 2.5 NA, which is to say you still have all the same issues with belts, rollers, balance shaft seal oil leaks, clutch, etc.
Obviously the 3.0 engine is much different than the 2.5 NA and compared to that engine it does have many unique parts, but in 24 years of ownership and 155K miles nothing engine-related has broken and my engine essentially uses no oil between changes. I have a Cargraphic NGT exhaust system with 100 cell cat and it does sound nice when revved!
What about things like knock sensors ? Lambda Sensors ? Are they problematic as the car gets older ?
I remember once somebody telling me that in the later cars (S2 and Turbo) to achieve the power there was lots of reliance on various sensors and the computers, and when they start to go wrong with age the problem can be very hard to solve. He said his car spent a lot of time with various Porsche specialists to find issues he wasnt able to find himself.
Completely put me off the S2 (since im no good finding electronic issues) so i started looked for a 2.5L car instead. Though having that massive 3.0L 4 under the hood still is quite appealing to me.
What about things like knock sensors ? Lambda Sensors ? Are they problematic as the car gets older ?
I remember once somebody telling me that in the later cars (S2 and Turbo) to achieve the power there was lots of reliance on various sensors and the computers, and when they start to go wrong with age the problem can be very hard to solve. He said his car spent a lot of time with various Porsche specialists to find issues he wasnt able to find himself.
Completely put me off the S2 (since im no good finding electronic issues) so i started looked for a 2.5L car instead. Though having that massive 3.0L 4 under the hood still is quite appealing to me.
If the thought of an S2 is appealing I'd go for it! I've only had a few issues with sensors: 1) faulty Reference Sensor at 134K miles, 2) faulty Throttle Switch at 144K, 3) faulty Radiator Thermal Switch, just recently replaced. The O2 and knock sensors have never been replaced. The last emission test I had (no longer required in WA State) was back in 2014 and it was still running super clean with 0.00 idle CO. The knock sensor electronics is incorporated into the DME, unlike the 951 which has a separate KLR box. Maybe I've been lucky, but I really haven't had issues with electrical gremlins.
That doesn't mean I haven't had pretty much all of the typical 944 problems, but overall the car has been remarkedly reliable. Yes, in 24 years and 125K miles I've replaced a lot of stuff that wears out, but most of my overall expense has been by choice too as I've gone through numerous expensive suspension, wheel & tire, and brake upgrades on my car, and I've purchased a ton of spare parts for future use too. My Excel "maintenance & parts list" spreadsheet is over 1600 lines... ugh. It is a Porsche after all, and we all know they have many design flaws (Porsche would call them a feature, ha, ha), even on the newer cars... which can cost a lot to fix.
I'll second what Tom said, and go a little further.
Indeed, these cars are old so things like the engine harness will be in various states of disrepair. Still, they work just fine even when it looks like they shouldn't. A well maintained car with reasonable miles won't present this as too much of a concern.
Other things will eventually poop out, the reference and throttle position sensors among them. The good news is that they are quite easy to replace, as compared to some other cars, and there is continued work in the community to find and implement alternative parts which avoid the Porsche tax.
The only other thing that weighs on my mind is the longevity of my DME but even that has a reasonable aftermarket replacement that is a plug and play swap.
I really wouldn't be overly put off from these cars by fears of electrical gremlins. This is a robust, helpful community with lots of folks that will always be willing to lend a hand and expertise.
The S2 is really good for normal day-to-day driving as the torque and gearing are really great for "around town" and you can wind it out in 1st and 2nd and not break the speed limit by too much. Do that in the 951 and you are going 80 in no time.
This!!
Getting on the highway, you can do a hard pull 1st to 2nd to 3rd....when you are winding out 3rd gear, ready for 4th, you are only doing 80 or so mph. That is causing speed where I live. so it is nice to stretch the legs of the s2, row some gears, and not be in danger of going to jail.
I too consider the S2 a favorite … had an 89 for a year around 1995. That this car has PCNA history is cool … they were a much smaller company then. Maybe at a bigger operation a car used for such testing would have been crushed afterwards? Dunno. I appreciate the low VIN. A Porsche to be cherished.
10-17-2021, 02:05 PM
New to me..944S2
