Oppo, Looky What I Saw this Morning!

"K-Roll-PorscheTamer" (k-roll390)
06/09/2014 at 11:32 • Filed to: Porsche 944

Ze Porsche gods are speaking to me now; I must haz ze !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! !!

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

(Photobombed by an HHR) -_-

I was leaving my new morning job after working out and I saw this parked by my ST. HRRRGGG!! A sexay 944 S2 in white!!

I did the smart thing and took some pics of this very clean car.

And then, I don't know why I did this, but I left a note on the car:

(Conveniently I brought this book to read while I was riding the bicycle in the gym) Made a very nice writing board!

And then I left and had myself a nice burger.

How's your morning Oppo? :)

DISCUSSION (29)

Vince-The Roadside Mechanic > K-Roll-PorscheTamer
06/09/2014 at 11:35

So you vaguely said "Call me about your car damnit I want to buy it!!!"

STREPITUS > Vince-The Roadside Mechanic
06/09/2014 at 11:38

Oi! What with the no Woodward and such!

Vince-The Roadside Mechanic > STREPITUS
06/09/2014 at 11:40

I don't understand that phrase it is to fancy.

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > STREPITUS
06/09/2014 at 11:42

Oh, yeah, this was not a good weekend for me. :(

I had a last minute wedding that my mom dragged me to and the 911 broke down as well. And I had to take my dad to work Saturday morning because his Dodge Magnum is getting work done. I'm very sorry. :-(

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > Vince-The Roadside Mechanic
06/09/2014 at 11:42

That one was for me. :P *sad face*

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > Vince-The Roadside Mechanic
06/09/2014 at 11:43

Nope, I thought I said "call me about your car because I love Porsches and we should totally talk some time."

Vince-The Roadside Mechanic > K-Roll-PorscheTamer
06/09/2014 at 11:46

I almost talked to a guy about his early Saab 900 in a Kohl's parking lot Thursday. If I would have talked with him I probably would have tried to buy it. It was an early convertible Which I love.

STREPITUS > K-Roll-PorscheTamer
06/09/2014 at 11:47

No worries. Theres always next weekend. If all works out at work and the weather is good, I'll have 2 Mustangs out simultaneously next weekend.

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > Vince-The Roadside Mechanic
06/09/2014 at 11:50

I'm not much pf a fan for convertibles... :/

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > STREPITUS
06/09/2014 at 11:51

Lets hope the weather is good! I don't think I'll have to take my dad to work this Saturday if he picks up his car this week.

Vince-The Roadside Mechanic > K-Roll-PorscheTamer
06/09/2014 at 11:52

I just started to like them. I want that saab so now I am probably going to go to that parking lot every other day to try and find it. Oh and tell me what to get. http://oppositelock.jalopnik.com/you-can-pick-o…

yamahog > STREPITUS
06/09/2014 at 12:02

Oh no, you can only drive one at a time! Surely that nice lady you live with could help you get both of them to that Shell station :)

Jeremy H formerly Kalakaboooom > K-Roll-PorscheTamer
06/09/2014 at 12:12

I have a 944 and an ST.

I expect to be completely broke within the next 6 months.

On another note, kudos to the owner of the 944 for getting the 1 piece front bumper. Mine still has the piece of shit 3 piece nose sticking out expensive as shit to replace one, I plan on swapping them out.

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > Jeremy H formerly Kalakaboooom
06/09/2014 at 12:18

Really?? Broke in 6 months?? Why is that?

Also, every S2 came with the Turbo-style front bumper. :)

Jeremy H formerly Kalakaboooom > K-Roll-PorscheTamer
06/09/2014 at 12:25

Well, I just got the ST, so, doing all the awesome bolt ons, plus a clutch job for the 944 turning into just going through and redoing everything, some things I would expect to be expensive on the 944 aren't really that bad, like a whole CV axle only runs about 100 bucks.

And yeah for some reason I forgot the S2 part there. I hate the 3 piece set up, it looks so funky, and every piece costs 500 bucks.

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > Jeremy H formerly Kalakaboooom
06/09/2014 at 12:28

I see, you almost scared me out of the prospect of owning a 944! :P

How is it, cost-wise(yearly maintenance, repairs ect.) and insurance-wise to own one?

Also, I'd much rather have impact bumpers than the Turbo-front; impact bumpers are gorgeous to me. :)

Jeremy H formerly Kalakaboooom > K-Roll-PorscheTamer
06/09/2014 at 12:37

Haha, well, I've owned it for about a year now, it's spent a lot of it's time non operational though, mainly because of that shit storm of a winter we had, I didn't work on it for the entire winter.

I live in Virginia, but I am 25 with no accidents, I pay about 390 dollars every 6 months on the 944, and it's just a N/A. I pay 20 dollars more every 6 months for my wife's 2007 300.

Maintenance, I would say it isn't TOO bad, for a German car, things like wires and all that are pretty pricey though. It's fun to flog these cars, but if you break something, god help you. Motor mounts run 200 bucks a pop from an OEM (You want OEM/Genuine Porsche otherwise you'll be replacing them again in a year), and are kind of a pain to get to. If you have a oil pan leak, you have to drop the crossmember (which is the only thing holding up the engine, so you need a cherry picker), and you need to get an actual oil pan gasket from Victor Reinz, it's fucking huge, it has something like 26 bolts for the pan. If you don't have to do a clutch/oil pan/motor mounts, it's actually not incredibly bad, I would say it's worth it.

A few things to keep in mind though if you get one, I own an 86, so I don't know when they rectified a lot of these problems, the first one, is the power steering reservoir/pump, 9 times out 10 they will be leaking, because people put PS fluid in it. Wrong, you need ATF Dexron II/III in it, and only that. If it's blown you'll have to reseal the pump, and most likely the rack as well, isn't a huge deal, just a pain, and if the reservoir is leaking, which it most likely will, it's leaking onto the passenger motor mount. Which means after a while with all the heat that MM gets cooked and you have to replace it, there's a lot of things on these cars that is like a domino effect, you gotta fix this, but to do it you need this first, and so on.

A full clutch kit will run you about 800 dollars, and if you had a turbo, it's 25 hours of labor to do it. If you do it yourself, and it's your first time, I can almost guarantee you, you'll have at least 40 man hours into it, theres just so much that can go wrong, things go fit back properly, shit doesn't want to come out.

And you can do your own timing belt changes, but it requires a 600 dollar Porsche tensioner tool, which is why most people don't do it themselves, also, you need to do it every 30k miles, factory says something like 40k, but it's an interference engine, if it snaps and the engines on, boom, hello top end engine rebuild.

Eh, I liked the front bumpers at first, but eventually something will happen and you'll have to replace it, and it isn't cheap to do. I don't think they make them anymore, you've gotta find used, they are made of fiberglass and flimsy as well, I haven't seen a 100% intact piece run for less then 500.

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > Jeremy H formerly Kalakaboooom
06/09/2014 at 12:47

Ok then....Howabout for an 18 year old with a clean record and no accidents?

All these things worry me now. I was originally thinking about picking up a Fox Body 5.0 LX Hatch but then there's also the chance of having one of these. And clearly the Stang would be the more logical and cheaper choice right?

I'm looking at '85.5 and up cars, for the power steering, I'd probably de-power it. Any handywork under the car for now wouldn't even be done by me, especially the clutch. I can do simple and small things though(oil, brakes ect.)

Does this sound like a bad idea to you? I'm scaring and talking myself out of this again. :(

Jeremy H formerly Kalakaboooom > K-Roll-PorscheTamer
06/09/2014 at 13:05

Depending on where you live you could do alright, but you are looking at bare minimum 400 dollars every 6 months.

And I'm sorry to break your heart my friend, but unless you have deep pockets, or a tool set and a willingness to fix the car yourself, don't buy a 944. I bought it before I understood the implications of what I was purchasing, but I said fuck it and dove right now. As it sits now, I plan on completely disassembling pretty much the entire car, fixing/refurbing what I can then putting it all back together. The 944, all things considered is a bit of a simple car, but if you don't have the confidence to work on it this car will tear you apart.

Never just cut a power steering belt, take out the rack and put in a manual one, luckily for the 944's the racks are the same from like 83 to 89, and you can pick up a manual one for like 150, and turn around and sell your PS rack for the same, so you don't lose any money.

If you plan on eventually wrenching on the car, then go ahead and pull the trigger, especially considering it wouldn't be your main vehicle (You can never use a 944 as a reliable DD and not go broke), but if you don't wrench on it yourself man a 944 will cost you so much money.

If I were you I would just go with the Fox Body, that one will be expensive too, but parts are cheaper and it'll be easier to work on. I love my 944, but I'm also considering just selling the god damn thing once I'm done with everything, especially since it's a non turbo, you start asking yourself if 150 hp is even worth it. Especially now that the toyobaru twins offer exactly what the 944 does, but more reliable, and not as expensive.

I would say go for it, but I'm a crazy son of a bitch that can't ever say no to a good challenge, and owning a 944 is a constant challenge.

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > Jeremy H formerly Kalakaboooom
06/09/2014 at 13:26

I've got a tool set and I'm wiling to get my hands dirty on a 944. It would be a summer-daily/project car. I too like a good challenge and this would be the hardest challenge I've ever faced. I will wrench on it eventually, once I could have someone go over it with me and talk me through it.

I was originally considering Fox Vody because I've longed for a 5.0 Hatchback and there's no other car that fits that description that I'd want.

The other thing is that I would also be taking out a loan to purschase one of the cars. I could afford the loan, it's what happens after that which is nerve-racking. I don't have a deep pocket either, it's just a want that I want to have now if that makes any sense.

Jeremy H formerly Kalakaboooom > K-Roll-PorscheTamer
06/09/2014 at 13:43

Well the great thing about 944's, is there is a community full of active people, and will answer any question you have. Clarks-garage.com has a walkthrough for almost every single thing you would need to do on a 944, and then you have pelicanparts.com and 944online.com for the parts and forums, and then only944.com for some interesting parts like a well made aftermarket short shifter. And when you wrench on a 944 you are going to need a lot of tools, breaker bars, full allen head set, full triple square set, full metric set, metric size 13 is a favorite for bolts on this car, and you will definitely need a torque wrench.

If what you want is raw power, then there are three choices when it comes to a 944, one, dont get one. Two, make peace with the fact a stock 944 motor doesn't make a lot of power. Three, rip out that engine, put in a 951 transmission and drop an LS1 in it.

If I were you I wouldn't take out a loan for one of these cars, it really is not worth it for that. These cars do not keep their value, and you will spend what you paid for the car in parts. I do understand what you mean, but classic German cars are not cars that you pull out loans for, this car could destroy your credit because you'll be stuck with it, a loan, and expensive parts to buy. I'm not trying to scare you or be a jerk about it but I don't want to see you stuck with a car payment on a car that you can't drive because you can't afford to fix it. I bought this car as a means to use as a daily, then the clutch started screwing up, I ended up renting cars, using my roommates car, and then buying a piece of crap honda to get me around because I realized I couldn't fix this thing quickly. Then I finally broke down, purchased a new reliable car, and made peace with the fact this car is almost more of a headache then it is worth.

In the end you're going to do what you want to do, but my advice, is get yourself the reliable daily driver first, then when you have the money, pick one of these up, and use it as a fun car.

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > Jeremy H formerly Kalakaboooom
06/09/2014 at 14:51

Like you I've got a reliable daily driver.

Kinja'd!!!

What cars would be better to take a loan out for, if any? Something fun, cheap, classic and recognizable? Some American Muscle perhaps?

I'm also on Rennlist and Pelican Parts too.

Jeremy H formerly Kalakaboooom > K-Roll-PorscheTamer
06/09/2014 at 15:01

Ah, sorry for whatever reason I thought that you didn't have an existing DD.

By all means then, get the car, you'll regret getting it more then once, but the 51/49 balance ratio makes up for it.

I would still advise pulling out a loan for it, reason being, if you meet some sort of catastrophic incident, pull out a personal loan for that, that is just my advice though, it's got to do more with having wiggle room if you know what I mean. Like my wife kept telling me to buy a car, but I refused to take out a loan while I had an existing one, so I kept going along with a shitty Honda until it was paid off.

How do you like your FoST?

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > Jeremy H formerly Kalakaboooom
06/09/2014 at 15:11

I love my FoST! I've got the FRPP Exhaust and I'm getting a Cobb Tune Wednesday. Best car I've ever had(I've only had two :P )

I was planning on getting a personal loan for sure. Not sure what the difference between auto and personal is, or how it even works, but I've got the summer to figure this out and do the math so hopefully there won't be any complications or problems.

Do you have any plans for your FiST? Bolt-ons and whatnot?

Jeremy H formerly Kalakaboooom > K-Roll-PorscheTamer
06/09/2014 at 18:41

I'm not too sure what the difference is since I've never got a personal loan. But if you grab up a 944 that was made in the 80s, unless it is a pristine condition turbo you won't be paying above 10k. I mean I got mine for 2900.

Nice, I think I'm going to go with the MRT exhaust with mine. I haven't done anything yet but I'm going to get the v3 access port (think that's what it's called) and an intake first. But the first thing I want to get is the Cobb RMM. My FiST makes so much wheelhop and torque steer when I slam it in first. I looked up the how to video for it, it's like a 15 minute. I'm planning on doing everything I can to my FiST, including throwing on a bigger turbo, I want to try and get past 300hp on it.

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > Jeremy H formerly Kalakaboooom
06/09/2014 at 18:54

I don't want to pay any more than 3000. MRT sounds so much like rally car! :)

I love ze wheelhop(not really) and ze torque steer( -_- )

I'll need the RMM for the tune but that'll have to wait a while. I'm buying an Accessport V2 Wednesday Gonna do stage 1 93 octane.

What do you think of my options so far?

http://porthuron.craigslist.org/cto/4507931967…

http://detroit.craigslist.org/wyn/cto/445252…

Jeremy H formerly Kalakaboooom > K-Roll-PorscheTamer
06/10/2014 at 08:49

Yeah, I think the MRT is the best compromise for sound and performance. Just keep in mind if you pay 3,000 for a 944, you are getting a 3,000 dollar 944, it will be in working condition but there will be issues, if you would like I can tell you every thing I found wrong with my 944 and every thing I've done with it, I think it would help you learn what to look for when looking at them.

Yeah that wheel hop is a pain in the ass, but oh my god, when these ecoboost engines are revving up high and they got some good traction, they are gone. And they don't offer a V3 accessport for the focus? Going with Randy's tune?

The first one from Port huron, it looks really clean, the gapping looks good, and it has legit Fuchs wheels on it. It looks like the steering wheel is fucked up some how, I don't know why he'd take a picture with it like that, and those seats look damn good. But it says it was just transferred from New York, so get the suspension checked, control arms run 500 bucks a pop in this car. I would definitely check it out, because the body looks good and the interior looks good, if you bought it and it is an absolute mess mechanical wise, you could part it out and make 3k off that pristine interior alone, only one problem, it's a square dash model, oval dash models are what people want. And since it's an 83, you are looking at probably 130 bhp, pretty slow.

The second one looks pretty good, looks like some road rash on the lower front valence, theres no pictures of the interior or engine bay, but for 2k it could be worth it. Heres the thing though, it has 90k miles. If he hasn't had a timing belt change just done, then go ahead and skip it. But I would check that one out as well. But for 2k, expect a lot of problems with it, or, you just have someone that has no idea what they have.

surgesilk > Jeremy H formerly Kalakaboooom
06/10/2014 at 09:40

Damn this just scares the crap out of me. I had a 85.5 944 for two years as DD and I don't think I did a damn thing to it except change fluids. (well, 'repairing' the front spoilerwith super glue and the plastic from a gallon of milk...don't judge it was on the back, you couldn't see it every month because I loved driving over parking spot stops) Sounds like I got lucky.

Jeremy H formerly Kalakaboooom > surgesilk
06/10/2014 at 11:05

Yeah sounds like you did get pretty lucky. The thing with 944's is they will make noise and all that, then the noise goes away, and you don't hear about it until it breaks. Something I've noticed though, is the more a 944 is driven, the better condition it's in. Because people like to just park their 944's and not drive them, so as a result parts go bad but they never get replaced since they are never driven. When I bought mine, the previous owner drove maybe 200 miles in two years, I put on a thousand miles in a month and problems started showing after about 2000.