Porsche 944 Reliability and Buyer's Guide
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 ก.ค. 2024
- How reliable can a 35 yr-old Porsche 944 be? And what do you need to know before you buy one? Find out in this video! #Porsche944
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Hears all the problems they can have....still want one hahaha
They're fun cars!
Just ls swap it
@@thefoxoropeza7906 might as well just buy a corvette or Camaro or firebird
@@thefoxoropeza7906 yeah...problem with that is the perfect weight distribution ratio is ruined.
Just bought one
How many 35 year old cars that obviously haven't been properly maintained by previous owners expected to be 100% reliable?
I had a similar car when new and over a 15 year ownership I accumulated 379 K with minimal issues.
Maintained it by the book and drove it sensibly.
Never failed to start or left me stranded.
Ever seen a toyota
@@christiansalazar4765 heyy this description sounds as good as a Toyota to me
My 944 has over 325,000 miles on it and still runs great. Have had to replace a few things over the years, tho. Love this car forever
Do u still have it?
This car will definitely be worth more in the future
Best looking car from the eighties. Period.
There's a few on par! Trans am,camaro iroc Z! But i agree with you
My 83 928 disagrees!
@@BoGanora what’s the difference between the 944 and 928
@@BoGanora I have a 944 and I have to agree…that 928 is even more iconic imo.
I own 3 944's the first one I bought in 1992 (the 2.5 like your one) the second one I bought was a 2.7L and the third one i bought was a 3.0L S2 Cabriolet.
I still have all 3 and if I added all the problems I've had over the years they wouldn't amount to the problems you've had is the last 7 months.
I think you're mistake was to buy a car that was clearly not looked after, I doubt yours had any service history.
Rule of buying a 944 or infact any classic car is it must have a ducumented service history.
If you don't know your way around car mechanics have it inspected by a professional. While mine are not daily drivers (I have 11 cars in total) I have covered 140,000 km between the 944's alone.
Would be cool if u showed all ur Porsche’s on your TH-cam channel would be very cool because I want to but one
best thing is to start with a well taken care car with all up to date service records. In other words, try to buy the best condition, lowest mileage you can get, and it will be a reliable car, even as a daily.
Not buying a $5,000 car means you'll put well over that into it, and you'll never get it out. Why I decided for an 89 with almost double it's value in recent maintenance.
Found one on Craigslist for $4000 and 51k miles
You dont have to do belts on this car every few months. That is a major misleading statement. Porsche recommends 40k miles for the water pump and belt service. New rollers every other change. I have built plenty and currently own and early and late car. Not a good idea to scare people. These are great cars and not all that expensive to maintain.
How much is a decent conditon one worth?
@@Ermy1996 you're looking at about 5k-6k for a good condition naturally aspirated, and about 11k or more for a turbo.
its about every 40k for belts and every 80k for water pump
Found a NA 944 for $1k. No headlights/blinkers. Considering picking it up and either DD it or flipping it.
@@caligana I have a question for you. I spotted an 89, N/A, 2.5 W/Auto Trans here where I live for only 1,800 Bucks.
It's got 175,000 Miles and is black with white interior. Looks Immaculate inside and out from photos.
Engine and engine bay look very clean too from pictures.
The only thing is the add says it has a major coolant leak. I have not looked at it or called on it.
Is it a reasonable price for that 89 based on how involved it might be to fix coolant leak??
Thanks for any advice.
It’s should be reliable now, you have already replaced everything! You basically have a “new” car with old school style and Porsche performance. Put a spare DME relay in the glove box, it’s not likely to leave you stranded. Save the manual!
Manual Drive - by J Mags I agree. If the car wasn’t taken care of you have to go through it to get it up to par. After that it will be reliable!
Sorry but I totally disagree! If the car wasn’t taken care of like yours Yes! you’ll have to fix the missed maintenance. But once you fix it your not going to have to fix it every month. I bought mine as my first car at 17 years old. I had to fix a bunch of things the first six months of ownership and rebuild the motor because it snapped the timing belt. I thought I had made a terrible mistake. After the first six months fixing things I’ve had it for 5 years and haven’t had any issues with the car. I am going to rebuild the suspension because it is tired and my sunroof stopped opening and closing. But these things are the same with any classic car. Do understand the reason I don’t recommend this car to friends as a daily is because the parts are expensive and because of that you do want to keep up with the maintenance. But a lot of people abuse and prove these cars in rally racing and on the track and they take it extremely well. My 944 has been way more reliable then my truck. I’m always having to work on my truck. It’s also not my DD anymore now that I’m putting more money into it. I DD it for three years.
I may do exactly what you did. I'm 17 year old and I love to work on things. I also love the older cars in how they were built and designed. I recently found a 944 for extremely cheap. It does have some problems that I would need to fix but I think it will be worth it.
Im 17 and buying one too lmao
Some advice: buy a good one, ideally with full service history.
All the issues you describe are due to bad maintenance or no maintenance at all, e.g. the oil cooler problem you mention was fixed by a factory upgrade back in 1986 (or maybe even earlier). And there are lot more factory upgrades available, even today! I just got a newly designed water pump for my 1987 944.
After ever 29 years of owning one and after 470 Tkm I can say with some confidence that they don't go wrong. Mine never has... Btw: timing belt needs to be replaced every 80Tkm. Oil leaks can occur every 10 years or so. Rust can be a problem on the rear wings (in Europe at least).
Can they reliable every day drivers? Yes, if maintained according to the book. Are they comfortable? Yes, I used mine regularly on long distance travel (OK, European long-distance, but still) e.g. from Cologne, Germany and Turin, Italy and I enjoyed every one of these trips.
As an encouragement for you: 944s can be very good (comfortable, reliable and fast enough) and if you fix the issues on yours properly, yours may become a good one too!
You can't judge a car as unreliable when it's 35 years old and neglected. I bought an '87 924S...essentially the same as an early 944. Before hitting the road with it I will have done everything you have, and much, much more. And by the way, there is a drain at the battery compartment, at the bottom front corner of it. They can become plugged with debris. They're very easy to clean out. There are also several other drains that you need to check; four for the sunroof channel, two at the hatch latches, and several more along the bottom of the cowl.
Just subbed. Awesome video man, keep up the great work. I've always loved the look of these Porsches.
Great video, That’s good that you could do all the work yourself.
My grandfather bought one of these brand new when it first came out, now that you’ve replaced everything keep it as a weekend car.
Hey my very first car when i finished school ordered new ...... Enjoyed the video ...
I was so impressed to see a young guy take interest and do the mechanicals on a classic.
Keep the car, forget college. Car will be worth more.
Great insight, thanks!
Awesome video man
Very nice video. Thanks!
Great channel this was a great video but I feel like you still can’t convince me to buy one... and you made a lot of good points. Maybe I gotta get one to get it haha
Bought my '86 944 Lux a few months ago....had new front discs n pads and x4 new tyres, knew they all needed doing. But that's it!! It gets driven hard and zero probs so far. I ran an '86 924S for 2 years about 7 years ago and the only things that went was the alternator and it needed a new speedo unit. Otherwise was ultra reliable, it did get serviced when needed by a Porsche specialist every year but that was it. And I drove it like I stole it for 2 years!!!!!
Great video, but after all the work it is almost a daily lol. Honestly it's not too far off from being a daily. My 944 N/A is my daily and I usually don't have any problems with the new 86 besides the tac breaking over the weekend. But keep going with it and im sure that it will be a perfect car. New Fuel lines next and just keep up on checking levels are driving it and it should sort itself out. Keep making these great 944 videos. Love seeing them
hey nice seeing you here LB! binged your videos a while back and love the channel! i know i can't affors to buy/fix a 944 yet but a man can dream hah
sorry i mixed you up with Go big garage but I'm still giving a sub my dude! sorry for the mix up but i def wanna join the 944 game LOL
@@snoofayy6150 haha its ok thank you for the sub! If you want to join the 944 game then you're in the right place, Sirpalmtree runs a great channel and he's one of the guys that I love watching his videos as soon as they come out!
I have an 87 that's been well-taken care if and it's been fairly reliable! I recommend the latter 80s 944s.
You're fortunate you can do all the work yourself. Some of us can't. I have a mechanical mind but not the time or tools to do it all. Mechanics have to do the larger stuff I need done. I had a friend that bought a 1985 1/2 944 in 1993 and finally sold it a few years ago. We had a blast with that car and drove it everywhere.
Thanks for being honnest unlike the 944 fanatics in the comments. Looks and surely feels amazing, but looks like a money and time pit.
Just subscribed and my first car was an 87 model NA car until I got a Terminator Cobra. I'm now 31, and am looking for my exact 944 if possible. I owned the car for about three years and it was very reliable. You can daily them as long as you give it constant attention. Good Luck my friend!
Thanks! Good luck finding your 944 😁
@@QuickshiftCarsYou're welcome and I certainly appreciate it, those cars are amazing for their value. Unfortunately going up in price for nice examples since I owned mine. I would certainly restore mine back to daily use as much as possible.
Gotta feature the sound of the door opening and closing more. It's the best feature on the car.
might aswell buy one too ahah keep it up
I always love the 944 I was a kid when that car was being sold new
Here's an idea. Cut a piece of custom sponge and place in the well, ring it out regularly. 👍
Bought a 924S, FSH with 150000 miles from a specialist. 8000 miles so far - only thing I have replaced is the washer pump for 30 quid - it was on the way out when I bought it and took 5 minutes. Battery replaced with a Bosch one for 80 quid though this was more precautionary. First things you should check when looking at one of these marvellous cars is who is selling it and the service record. If these seem iffy then look for one that isn't.
I have an S2 and it is reliable and apart from the DME issue if you stay focused on the maintainance and buy a good one in the first place it's a car that can be your only car, Not practical? Fold the rear seats down and it is amazing how much you can get into the thing
If the AC isn't working, it can be fixed. The AC system isn't very complicated, especially on the early cars. I installed a new condenser, compressor, expansion valve, and rebuilt the two hoses up front that came off in the process of accessing the other stuff and my AC works great.
There is a drain hole for the battery side and the fuse box side. is back by the firewall by the fender. there is a drain hose that runs all the way to the bottom of the car.
I've had my '94 Mustang for about 6 months, it had more issues than that! Although, I guarantee it is WAY cheaper to buy parts for.
driving one for 7 years now(mostly weekend), didn't have all this repairs u have. It is quite reliable. But yeah sure its an older car, and some are badly mantained. U should keep it, great car, nice styling and getting worth more these days
Slow down, you have to replace the water pump and timing belt every few months? You sure about that?
That’s not true at all .
Yo your like me, I have a 944 here in Miami and it’s at Parkhus1 rn, I’m also going to college, this summer, FIU! Where you going?
Like all Porsches, you MUST stay ahead of the maintenance schedule. Change the timing belt at 35-40K miles, not the 50K recommended or you could lose an engine. If a part fails, find out why. I blew 2 water pumps in 2 years because of a $5 radiator cap not working correctly. Always find out the CAUSE of any failure. It may cost you a bit more in diagnostic time, but it will prevent a premature future failure of the same part.
As with anything routine maintenance I have had my 86 944 since well 1986, same issues power steering rack leaked and have replaced that , clutch , and water pump.
i’m a DSM guy (also i own a conquest TSI) i think i’m good at dealing with unreliable cars that i think look cool lol
My neighbor has a low mileage well maintained red 944 asking if I want it. I think I’ll buy it.
Good intel👍👍😎
I had a red one many years ago, watch out for the timing belt, mine broke, cost me an arm and a leg to fix everything that got broke. Then I sold it.
Do not sell that car! It has a Porsche emblem on the nose and will increase in value,forever. Get something normal and keep the 944 as a head-clearing car. And check the rear brake lines where they sit on the rear subframe and disolve.
I haven't officially decided to sell it, but I need a reliable daily and certainly can't afford two cars! I would likely spend more on maintenance than the car will ever gain in value anyway 🤷♀️
It's an 84 car. The 944's that have increased in value according to Hemming and Hagerty are 1983, 1986 NA 1991 S2 Porsche 944's. Wise to keep it, yet the values are not there as of yet!
A leaking ream main seal won't get to the clutch. The rear main seal is in front of the flywheel, which isolates it from the clutch. It's also not a reason to stay away from the car. It's just something that needs to be fixed. It would be a great time to install a new clutch, rebuild the torque tube, and replace the CV axles while you're at it.
So how much did you spend on this beauty?
I inherited a 1983 944 5-spd, and I found NO real paperwork on repairs. First thing I did is a major service: Timing and balance belt, water pump, all front seals, new alternator, new DSE relay, brake and coolant fluids, clutch adjustment, gas level sender…all BEFORE I drove it home. My 944 drives beautifully. Now 113,000 miles and no additional repairs. Cars NEED regular maintenance, which yours sounds like it didn’t get. This old mechanical Porsche is fun.
You're sposeda enjoy doing this stuff, that's kind of the point.
please make more 944 videos im about to buy one
I have a whole playlist about the 944, you can check it out here! th-cam.com/play/PLOMBwK2X6BKb5ukq4Z9nO4AK8phsikFzY.html
My old boss had a, 2.7 in zermatt silver
With the maroon and white pinstripe interior
It was 2 year old when he bought it
He done 100000 trouble free miles
Mostly maintenance items. My 10 year old Crossfire needs new bushings, ball joints and a tune up too. Used car struggles.
Did you swap the tach and speedo locations?
Just got gifted one. Doesnt run currently. Unsure If I want to take it on as a project, or scrap it.
Are parts readily available in the USA?
I like the video, but reliable is too general of a term. For a 30+ year old car, given it has never left you stranded, and that my 86' na 944 as well has never left me stranded in just about 11 months of ownership I would consider it reliable. I cannot speak to your car, but the repairs I have needed (new clutch, brake lines, cat) were all the original parts on the car from 86. An old car needing maintenance is not a sign of unreliability, it's quite the contrary as the majority of repairs are on 30 year old parts. It's a testament to the craftsmanship and build quality. That being said, if you buy and especially if you daily a 944, you should be ready to do work on the car.
Cool Hat What Brand is it?
Bro i live in safety harbor AND I HAVE A CAR CHANNEL Lets link up and chat im was thinking about getting a 944 or e30 i work at the oldsmar autozone. great vid
I imagine if you buy one that has been sitting for years and you all the sudden start driving it regularly, parts will fail. Especially if it wasn’t well maintained.
My 1988 944 was a lemon. Left me stranded numerous times.
Went bang I guess.rog.
Those are not indicators of unreliability, hydraulics should be rebuilt every twenty years on any car, along with all the rubber hoses. The bushes are to be expected after 30 years. These cars are actually pretty reliable, ie; motor internals transmission internals window regulators fans sensors and wiring. So yeah have to politely disagree with this opinion. Good Tube 👍🏼
what if you want one as a daily but you wont be going very far. like at most 10 miles.
HELPFUL CORRECTION: you HAVE to check for rust in the sides of the chassis...open the door...on the door sill you'll see a hole you can look through...you want to shine a light and look in there to see the condition of chassis that's hidden by the sideskirts...they DO rust and quite badly sometimes..you lose the car if it's too bad
How's the alarm, these car have been known for alarms problems.
I have the option to get one for $2000. Should I?
Are these good to engine swap? I feel like the car is great but the base version is heavily underpowered
Yeah, the stock powertrain is pretty hard to modify, and definitely underpowered! A lot of people do LS or 07K swaps.
Good luck kid
Any car of the same age will have the same issues as your 944, doesn't matter what manufacturer. At least the Porsche bodies are better built than American cars which will be rotten after 4-5 years.
Once brought back to proper care, the 944 will be very reliable.
Plenty of American classics still on the road man. I see more classic american cars then anything else. Lol
How much you want for it ?
Bought a 1987 brand new and was and has been the only "Lemon" I have ever owned. The problems were never ending, but the killer was (oil getting into coolant) in which Porsche rebuilt 3 times, after 3rd rebuild got rid of immediately. The other (among many) that was unbelievable was heater and fan would go on FULL BLAST 100% in the summer, lovely.
I found a 1986 944 non turbo, it has 89,000 miles on it and they want 10 grand for it. I can afford it so I was wondering if that’s a good deal
Beware, because the early 944's goes up to 99,999 max only and rolls back to zero, That could mean 189,000+ . Don't get fooled.
I’m looking into one of these. My 928 was a nightmare. This looks a bit more friendly.
I have a friend with a 928, he says maintenance is way worse. The 944 has half as many cylinders, so there's half as many parts to break 😁
Transmission is in the rear of the car motor is in the front so dropping the transmission to change the rear main seal on the motor wont work.....
If I were going to change the RMS, I would also change the clutch. Thus, I would drop the transaxle, the torque tube, and the clutch housing all at once. This would get me access to both.
You have to have mechanical sympathy with such an old car, this is an experience you can have with any 25+ year old vehicles
How much did you pay for it ? If you payed a $ 1000.00 , then you got a probaly got a 1000 dollar car .
Have to do a timing belt every few months could you be anymore misleading?
I had a 1986 944 that I got new and drove for 262,366 miles before it died. Religious about regular maintenance. Just loved the vehicle and I still see running examples now and then and it still looks great.
How did it die?
One important thing you didn't mention . How many miles has it got on it ? Sounds like a high , high, mileage car ,driven by someone with no money and poorly taken care of .
So you bought a neglected 35yo car and had to replace seals, hoses and a fuel pump?.....that is the definition of reliability!!!! Those parts lasted 35 years!!!!!....and how many miles?!?!?
Not a single item you mentioned is “unreliable”. At 35yrs old those items are simply maintenance items. Some of those leaks might not have existed if fluids were changed on a regular maintenance schedule too.
Been there doing that on an 85 1/2. I laughingly bitch how the West Germans couldn't make anything that can last 40 years on the road. Kevlar timing belt, balance belt, rollers, water pump, oil cooler seals, fuel pressure regulators, fuel pump and lines, crank position sensors and DME relay, all clutch hydraulics , rebuilt the brake calipers with Pagid pads, Bilstein B6 hd shocks, and new rear wheel bearings. I've got a new radiator and hoses along with a new alternator waiting to go in.
The car is an absolute blast to drive on the two lane mountain roads nearby and it draws comments weekly with notes and offers to buy every few months. I enjoy the time wrenching on the car and all told don't have a year's worth of Corolla payments invested. The last big project will be the clutch and torque tube. After that, I'd drive the car border to border in the mountain west with the rear seat folded down and the hatch filled with gear. Old school driving fun...
They are definitely a lot of fun! If I could afford more than one car, I would never sell mine 😀
Find a older craigslist Honda or Toyota for cash and hang in there with the 944. It can be done!
I owned three 944s and all were reliable. Your 1984 is older then you are and how many 1984 cars of any kind exist in your neighborhood now.
I started looking in to the 944, a doctor friend of mine wants me to find him one.
Is there anything good about these cars? I guess I can't figure out the attraction.. All I hear about is major problems. High expensive maintenance , Turtle slow ,the general appearance is mediocre I've always Tried to figure What makes these cars so great.!
Lars Bambi What people (including myself) love about them is the handling. Its weight distribution is 51% in the front, 49% in the back. The thing is on rails around turns. The whole car is designed to turn fast, not go straight fast
They are very reliable if maintained properly. That said, buy a well kept one, and not a dirt cheap one.
In word, are 944 reliable? In one YES, I have owned 3, 2 brand new, and one very used. The one that had was my abused orphan, the used 944. Some people should never have owned a 944. The problem was no reliable people and not the car ever other car the age of my 1997 944 could not have been back to be a daily driver!
There's a reason why plug wire separators exist
Maintenance like any normal car .
Timing belt and water pump every FEW MONTHS?!
Do you also say nine one one?
No
I still would keep the 944 as a daily and buy a beater car as a backup. I learned about that after getting my dad's 1986 Pontiac Trans Am WS6 and the upper coolant hose gave out pouring coolant on the driveway on the first test drive. That is what I did when I bought my 2002 BMW 325i E46 with 94k miles in case something broke on my 325i. European cars or anything older will break due to age, but it is worth fixing than paying a car payment on a new car for over $200 a month.
My 944 S doesn't even have power steering, One less thing to have to fix I guess. Lol
Any car you don't maintain and drive into the ground will not be dependable. I own a 47 year old Porsche that I'd drive it cross country tomorrow because I maintain it.
Bro you’re changing timing belts every few months??
Thats insanity. Id do it once a year and thats twice as often as they recommend
my '84 - 944 was a pile of crap too. As soon as one thing was fixed, another thing broke... it was constant. It left me stranded a couple times. it's in a junkyard now. I'll never buy another one.
friends ,84 has 300 000 plus miles..only thing besides adjusting valves..tires and brakes ..oil...leaks your wrong its yours..friend tracks his and autocross it
Maybe a Scion Tc as a replacement? Not the fastest car on the road but its a nice little car that has a manual option and will get you from point A to B. Don't know too much about reliability but I've seen used ones for less than 5K.
Don't get your hopes up, I'm not a big tC fan 🤔
Why does every 944 have a dash carpet,.. cracks ?
Yes, the company that made them sucks.
7? That quite short period of time 😮
Change the water pump every couple of months c'mon its not that bad!
College! hope you were smart enouh to make your mechanical skills a source of income.
A little extreme about a 30something year old car problems..