+- MacResource (https://forums.macresource.com)
+-- Forum: My Category (https://forums.macresource.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=1)
+--- Forum: Tips and Deals (https://forums.macresource.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=3)
+--- Thread: How (Un?)Reliable is a Porsche 944? (/showthread.php?tid=40471)
How (Un?)Reliable is a Porsche 944? - microchip13 - 09-26-2007
Just curious about the thoughts on 944s.
TiA!
Re: How (Un?)Reliable is a Porsche 944? - BigGuynRusty - 09-26-2007
Jeezo!
Stay away!
Get a Toyota, save your money, buy a nice car!
BGnR
Re: How (Un?)Reliable is a Porsche 944? - Racer X - 09-26-2007
not to be flippant, but Porsche and reliable aren't often used together. My sister-in-law had a 944 in the early 90s, and a 928 before that. She now drives a Honda.
Re: How (Un?)Reliable is a Porsche 944? - voodoopenguin - 09-26-2007
Here are 15 personal reviews by owners. Reliability seems to be OK for them.
http://www.reviewcentre.com/review212326.html
Re: How (Un?)Reliable is a Porsche 944? - OWC Jamie - 09-26-2007
Well you won't get 100,000 miles to a set of plugs sort of reliable.
:-)
10 years ago I might use one as a commuter car in nice weather.
Like a corvette, I wouldn't take one out of the garage when there is snow on the ground.
Re: How (Un?)Reliable is a Porsche 944? - davester - 09-26-2007
Yeesh! The newest one you can get is 16 years old. You would be out of your mind to buy a Porsche (or most any car) that old unless you had at least 50% of the car's value on hand to pay for repairs and maintenance.
Also, have you checked with your insurance company yet as to what their rates will be for that car? I'd guess that they will either be through the roof, or they might not even agree to insure you if you buy one.
Re: How (Un?)Reliable is a Porsche 944? - ADent - 09-26-2007
If you do your own work a Porche shouldn't be THAT bad.
If you take it in to a mechanic, ask the local shop what a water pump or alternator, or fuel pump or exhaust replacement will cost.
Even a 20 year old Toyota will need significant work after awhile.
Re: How (Un?)Reliable is a Porsche 944? - Filliam H. Muffman - 09-26-2007
I will swear you have asked this before... http://forums.macresource.com/read/1/289563
Well not exactly the same question but similar and you got some related input. They can be iffy. A lot of people bought them as cut price Porsches and skimped on periodic service and repairs. Looking at a couple of message boards, it looks like steering, motor mounts, and clutch problems are accepted as typical.
Porsche Club of Americal - http://www.pca.org/tech/tech_qa.asp
Automotive Helper - http://www.automotivehelper.com/cat394/
A well cared for example can be a very nice car. In general, cars with low prices on the used market are priced that way because they either are very expensive to repair or are unreliable. Be prepared for a steep learning curve if you plan on doing your own repairs, assuming there is a decent pool of parts cars in the local junkyards. Reliable Porsche mechanics are used to pricing repairs for owners that make $200,000 a year and know nothing about cars.
I say buy a generic Civic in the low end of your price range if you want a car that is cheap and fun to drive, then put on springs, shocks, and high performance tires, or buy one with those modifications already installed. The 1989-1991 Civic Si is legendary in the SCCA Solo II STS class, but I would hesitate to recommend one that old in your area without a *LOT* of inspection and a very detailed service and repair history.
Re: How (Un?)Reliable is a Porsche 944? - Harbourmaster - 09-26-2007
Advice from a former VW & Porsche Factory Trained Master Mechanic (who was working on these things at the dealer when they were new) that's me of course, before I got this cushy gig spinning wrenches at FedEx... :-)
It depends on the car and it's owner(s).
There are basically 2 kinds of Porsche owners, the first group buys the car as a status symbol...beats the hell out of it and never does the scheduled maintenance, then bitches and complains when they finally have to bring it in to the shop to fix something that probably would not have broken had they done there maintenance, and only fixes something that is broken that renders the car inoperable. Generally they will not keep any records of repairs on the vehicle.
The second group are the enthusiasts, real Porsche lovers. This group treats the car like a member of the family, lovingly lavishing care and maintenance on the car at the appointed interval without fail and keeping spotless records of everything they do!
It should be readily apparent which group the car/owner falls into when you go to have a look.
Stay far far away from one in the first group but give the second group some consideration.
The latter models of 944 were actually quite nice and had very few problems (same goes for the 928) stay away from any Porsche with a sunroof!
Re: How (Un?)Reliable is a Porsche 944? - deckeda - 09-26-2007
Investigate not just the regular parts cost, but also the stuff that'll annoy you that right now you consider minor, such as weather stripping, trim pieces, that cracked dash etc.
On another note,
I think it's a classic design, and look. In the early 90s I finally had enough money to consider a 83-87. I test drove one and the bloom faded from the rose. All those years of reading how great they were paled when I got behind the wheel. My biggest memory of that test drive is actually that the radio antenna was a distraction (driver's-side fender, always more in the line of sight than where it belonged, on the passenger side.)
Edit: come to think of it, it was a '87 924S. Maybe the antenna is on the other side for a 944?