what kind of mpg do you get from her?
what can you/me in the future expect for service costs, disks, pads ect?
Hi Sam,
oh boy that's a hell of a question...but pretty standard..it all depends on the car you buy..DO NOT be tempted by the £1000 smokers on EBAY unless you really know 944's and what you're letting yourself in for! Based on my own experience (I've actually recorded everything undertaken on my car my ownership (If you want to see what attention was required - I'll send you the spreddy)
MPG pretty good...32 usual average - 25 tottering in traffic around the M25 car park - 35-37 on a long motorway run. but that's for the 8v 2.5l Lux I currently have.
The Turbo - anything from 18 - 28 mpg dependent on use/throttle...I also had an S 16v but that was not so good - 190bhp but very peaky power delivery and poor fuel consumption compared to the 8valve.
I bought mine 3yrs ago for £2.5k - had been a garage queen covering less than 10k miles since 1991...generally very clean and polished ..but recommisioning included new tyres/steering column shaft/Tie rods/track rod ends/bushes/brakes/shocks/wheel bearings/SS exhaust/battery/Door & hatch seals/ cambelt/tensioners/water pump/clutch slave cylinder etc. so I've spent quite a few £000's to get her to this condition.
Most of the above was because the car wasn't used often....she is however absolutely rust free and had benefitted from a respray (original factory colour - Saphire...sort of metallic blue grey changing to a purple hint in the sun - really unusual.
You can break the 944 into three groups - depends what you want.
pre 86 original interior (phase 1 we could call them) These are 2.5ltr 163bhp 8v cars which are the most 'classic' feeling but really usable - actually I much prefer them to the later cars.
Post 86 (Oval Dash) 8v cars (Phase 2)- 2.5ltr, 2.7ltr & turbo 8v cars. Major redesign of the interior - lot more 'comfort bits - electric seats etc. more as the cars get 'newer' Turbos have the later nose treatment (smoother design)....alloy wishbones and improved brakes.
Post 86 16v cars (oval dash - Phase 3) these are the non turbo 2.5l 16v S and the last of the line 3.0ltr S2.....the S is rare and has the std 944 nose treatment - was not my favourite model...the 3.0ltr is the final (pre 968) development of the 944 with the Turbo style nose and in good condition is a superb vehicle....trouble is it is complex.
All Porsches will be expensive if they go wrong...however the earlier 8v's are much easier to live with and less costly to run...they are very well engineered and providing they have been maintained will usually run for 200 - 250000 miles.
Most service item costs are less than my Fiat! and an awful lot cheaper than my Alfa twinspark. For instance, the cam belt can be replaced by a competent home mechanic. It's basic nuts and bolts engineering.
Pads - again depends on your style - if you're racing -easy to blow £400 on a pad/disc combo...in reality - std front discs £40, pads £30, sevice kit £60, tyres (I run mine on Khumhos because they grip and feel like the original 1984 Pirelli's)£60 - £70 each.
Biggest issue is interior - mainly cloth, cloth/leather or leather....the drivers bolster nearly always suffers. Drivers seat covers start to fall apart at about 120k plus miles (that's all classic Porsches from my experience) - dashboards start to split due to UV light - both early and now later dashes suffer.
rust - not usually an issue on well cared for cars -check all over especially if you think there may have been repairs - the sills are the weakest point.
driving - you've got to put yourself in 1984 mode...this is front engined and rear wheel drive....like a posh capri!! but so well balanced..great fun.
In good condition, even the earliest of 944's will more than keep ahead of modern traffic....and the answer to many of the local boys with the dustbin exhaust Saxos when challanged to a race....offer them a 2 hr headstart from England to stuttgart...you'll still get there first and be fresh and relaxed - ready for the return journey!!
Hope this helps
Jon