DOMINION

Thinking of picking up a 1989 - 1997 hatch or not 240sx but I have been looking around on ebay and other sites and for less I can get a 1984 - 1987 944. The price range I'm looking at is around $3,000.
Just wanted to know what some of your thoughts are on these cars?
This would be a daily driver and project car.
Thanks for the input and comments.

White87FC

Front engine Porsches are beautiful cars, and they're a blast to drive. The only problems I have with them is the sheer cost of parts and the need for some special tools.

DOMINION

Hummm. Thats what I was afraid of; cost of parts and special tools. But what about reliability?

White87FC

I have a 924S, which is a 924 with the complete 944 drivetrain and my trans went at just before 40,000 miles. But, one of my friends has a 944 that had 162,000 miles before anything major happened to it. It's currently down with a blown head gasket.

terrypk1

interesting 4 against 4. i am with the 240sx though. the porsche is just a pain the *** when it is broken. the price for their parts is just too high and not many aftermarket susbstitude. compared to the 240sx, which is simply a rear wheel drive civic, the 240sx has a numberous of parts availible in cheaper price. and the turning is much easier on a 240sx.
but the like civics, they are just not unique unlike rx8s and porsches. why not buy a rx7 second gen T2.

RichardK

Heee, I used to have a 924S as well.

Mine had done well over 130,000 last I heard, no problems. Used to service it myself but had the cambelt done by specialists.

I didn't like the power delivery of the 2.4 straight six in my Laurel (same basic engine), but I have a soft spot for 240s. As an ownership experience I'd say the Porsche wins every time though. Especially if you live somewhere that cars rust.

Chrisbert

Unless you are skilled in the ways of fixing German cars, and have lots of spare cash I'd go with the Nissan. It may still cost some $ to maintain, but I think it would be cheaper.

rodrigo67

I owned an 86 944 for many years. It was , no question, the best handling car I have driven. It takes corners just as good or better then the 8 without all of the computerized assistence the 8 use's. It also gives you that connected feeling to the road like the 8. I sold it with 142,000 miles on it and the only thing I ever had to replace was the alternator. I have heard the turbo's have engine issues, but was told by a porshe mech, that the non turbo engines last forever if taken care of. A very solid built car. 20 years old and still looked new.

That said, parts are expensive, but there is an aftermarket for it. The dealer wanted $585 for a new alternator. I have freinds in the car business which could get it for $385, but I found an aftermarket one for $185. Installed it myself, and hasn't had an issue since.

I also was worried about how hard it would be to work on this car and bought a do it yourself manual. This car was one of the easiest cars I have ever had to work on. Everything was easy to get too, it made sense on how it came together, and most systems have a backup manual override. For instance, if your headlight motor went out and the lights were stuck in the up or down postion, you could popped the hood and with a screw driver manually move the light up or down ( not that this is the permanant fix, but it gives you a quick fix until repaired). Same with the roof and many others on this car. You will need some special tools, but nothing most foreign cars wouldn't need.

I never owned a 240. Nice looking car with decent performance. If you think Nissan parts are cheap, your in for a surprise, but there is a huge aftermarket for it.

If in good condition, I would go with the 944

sti_eric

Another ex-924S owner here (1988 - slate grey).
Agree with what has been said here - the 944 is an extremely fun car to drive, but expensive to maintain. If that concerns you, go with the 240.

BTW, Guards Red 951 = dead sexy

Hyperborea

The turbos have a problem with cracking exhaust headers. The other big issue is that people will tweak them up for more boost and often too much boost without upgrading anything else. That leads to a lot of the failures on the 944T - sometimes catastrophic.

All of them have issues with rattling / leaking of the rear hatch glass.

Join the PCA (Porsche Club of America) and you will get a 10% discount from the dealer when you just have to buy from them - often the fiddly bits like bolts and gaskets that are hard to impossible to find elsewhere. There are also dedicated Porsche junk yards out there (I used Parts Heaven in the SF Bay Area) and they can get you decent used parts.

With a car of this age you want records of maintenance. You might not get them back to the beginning of time but the longer the better. These cars have become cheap enough to fall into the hands of those who don't bother / can't afford to maintain them. Cars like that will cost you a lot of money. Also realize that the 944 and likely the 240SX are old enough that most of the rubber bits are now dry and brittle and need to be replaced (hoses in the engine compartment to rubber door seals).

Hutchroro

I voted for the 944 but before I read your post if you are only looking to spend 3,000 dollars almost any 944 you find will need a lot of work and will be expensive to work on. Like has been said before if you do buy one records are a huge blessing but one that has been well taken care off with records will be more expensive than $3,000.

Another issue with the 944T that happened twice on mine was the heat transfer gasket where the oil cooler meets the coolent and the two can trade fluid and you end up with coolent in your engine. Im not sure if thats a problem both turbo and non turbo models have.

s13lover

I voted for the 240sx because I own one. The car is a blast to drive, easy to work on, parts are fairly cheap, and it has a huge aftermarket. The motor of the car is bullet-proof too as its been used for over a decade (Stanza, Altima, 240sx, Hardbody, and Frontier) in various forms.

911SC

A $3000 Porsche 944 will cost you $15,000. If you want a Porsche, don't buy a beater. Which is what you'll get for $3000. Porsches can be very realiable. My 911 is 26 years old. I'll take it anywhere. But if you don't have some extra $$$ don't buy one unless you don't mind working on cars. The last thing we need a another Porsche rotting away because it's owner couldn't afford to fix it. When it needs repair, as any car of that age will, labor will be expensive. Parts you can find at resonable prices, but good labor is expensive. The cars themselves are a blast.

playdoh43

porsche beater = oxymoron

Sportura_Collection

playdoh beater = totally consistent and a moron

playdoh43

^^^i see youre still bitter and holding a grudge , I dont have any interest in letting this escalade in someone else's thread. if you want to act childish go post in my thread, thanks

r0tor

iTrader: (1)

I've driven both, and actually a friends of mine has owned both... the 944 is a completely superior drivers car then the 240SX. However, once it breaks (and it will break) it will be your worst nightmare.

If you go with a 240 check for rust... it will be everywhere, just hopefully not bad in structural spots

DOMINION

I like the sound of this. I figured the 944 would be to expensive to maintain. The 240sx would not only be my project car but a daily driver. Thanks everyone for the advice on the 2 cars. I look foward to being a 240sx owner very soon.

RichardK

Or get a 924S. I don't know about US prices, but here in the UK, £2,000 is plenty to pick up a 924S - 150/160bhp, proper Porsche engine, suspension and gearbox, but the image is very tainted by the image of the straight 924 2.0 "Audi Coupe".

They really are NOT expensive to run. Only the timing belt, and regular servicing made it more complex to run than say, a Golf GTI. Oh, and the tyres were expensive.

Porsches are bulletproof if looked after, but the unloved 924 is budget money.

s13lover

Glad I could be of service.

Oh, and for the comment about the 944 being a "completely superior drivers car," I would just like to note that the IRS and AWS (if equipped) of the 240sx is shared with the 300ZX and Skyline.

cdigity

i say 240sx.
i own one, in fact, its my favorite car.
love the 8, but the 240 is my baby
new motor being built as we speek
ka24det
30 psi boost, t70 turbo
here are some pics

playdoh43

nice looking car, dont see too many of those in as good condition as yours these days. I wish nissan bring back the silvia.