Who has a Porsche 944?
(2010-05-29 10:40:14) 1. Says: i want one but im afraid of the insurance. im 18 male (no tickets)2. Says: Chefshire,To be honest, the insurance will not be the difficult part of having a 944. The biggest part of a 944 is maintenance. However, before you read on, I'm 24 and pay about $50 a month for mine, clean record, no tickets. Then again that's a discounted rate with 2 other Porsches and motorcycles and a house insured with the same company, so that's cheap.. When I was your age, I was quoted about $150 a month for one, other companies quoted me $125, in that ballpark.. This will likely vary greatly depending on the state, the city you live in, and the numbers in your surrounding area for risk, so quotes vary constantly from place to place.
With that said.... if insurance is of great concern to you and you are trying to find a car that "Won't kill the pocket book" per month on insurance, the 944 is not for you, and not because of the insurance cost, but in maintenance... Let me explain.
I've got 3 Porsches. A 914, a 924, and a 944. The 944 is my daily. Out of all 3 of them, the 944 is the highest maintenance, most costly car that I own. Here are the reasons why:
The 944, unlike it's 924 brother - uses mostly Porsche parts. The 924 got away with lots of VW/Audi parts which were inexpensive to get and replace. The 944 was not the same case.
You have to do timing belts every 3 years or 40,000 miles. It's a 4 hour job to do yourself, and will cost you about $200 the first time around to get the specialty tools and belts. After that it's $100 to do it for the cost of the belt. If you can't do it yourself a dealer charges about $1500 to do it (no joke, don't believe me? Call a Porsche shop and ask for a quote on a timing belt job for a 944).
They are picky, and should really use oldschool dino oil due to the hydraulic lifters. If the hydraulic lifters are old and tiring, eventually they'll set you back $75 a lifter. Again, a Porsche OEM part.
The 944 also uses a torque tube. After about 100-120,000 miles, they start getting old and worn and will need replaced. This requires dropping your suspension, the brake lines, and pulling the torque tube out and doing it yourself, or sending them off for refurbishment. Again, you can expect the cost of what a timing belt job would be to do this, sometimes more.
Doing the clutch on a 944 is a ridiculous nightmare, I don't wish it upon anyone. And clutch kits are $500 for an "okay" one, and a good full kit, just an OEM one will set you back close to $1000, that's no joke.
Other maintenance items that are common....
- Master and slave cylinders that are aged and need replaced (replace them in pairs, not one, or one will blow prematurely from the extra pressure from the other... or replace the master, rebuild the slave)
- TT bearings (as mentioned)
- Timing belts (if not replaced, don't buy the car unless you know what you're doing or have the money to do it, it's an interference engine, your timing belt goes, your engine gets new valves!)
- Engine internals are costly - listen for ticking at startup, should go away withing minutes, if it doesn't, likely old worn lifters
- Wiring - fusebox - if the car was weathered and poorly taken care of with old wiring, the car is a nightmare to rewire and work on, and looking into a DME (equilvalent to a car's ECU) is like staring into the motherboard of the starship enterprise if you're new to the concept.
- SPARK PLUG WIRES - sounds like your every item till you price them. They are $100+ from an aftermarket company, and around $120 a set from Porsche. Go price normal spark plug wires for your every day car, they'll probably be $30, yes it's silly, but yes that's what they cost.
- AFM (Air flow meter) these COMMONLY go out with age on the 944 and wear down with time. They are what a modern car would call a "MAF (mass airflow sensor)" but far more primitive, and with time get tracks worn in them and cause the car to hesitage, lunge, and run like crap. A REFURB is $200, but an OEM new one will set you back close to $500.
The list goes on.
If you are worried about insurance prices on a 944, don't get it. I guarantee you that if the insurance rate is of concern, you will get yourself in over your head in maintenance costs within a few years at least. They are not cheap to maintain, contrary to popular belief. There was actually a time when the 944 EXCEEDED the 911 N/A models in maintenance costs in the 80s. Sound crazy? Well, you really have to enjoy these cars to justify the cost of maintenance.
I restore old Porsches for a living and have helped many friends purchase 944 models. They are WONDERFUL cars, I won't lie to you there. They are fun to drive, that is true as well. But in comparison to many other models? They are unjustifiably insane to maintain and can be a real headache.
If by any means I have gone off tangent, and this does not directly relate to your question then I apologize and wish you the best with the 944 you end up getting, and many happy miles in it :) They are truly great cars. (There is a reason I still maintain mine and fork out the cash to deal with it on a daily basis)3. Says: My brothers friend drives one. His dad owns a shop, they work on Porsche, BMW, Ferrari. He even owns a Ferrari (no joke).. so he's got maintenance covered.
idk how bad insurance is, but maintenance can be horrible.4. Says: Insurance on a Porsche 944 does not have to be bad because you don't have to try to insure the car itself, just limited liability on anyone you may hit.
That is because a Porsche 944 does not have that much value any more, and is fully depreciated.
There is no bluebook left to it.
And it is no more powerful than lots of pickup trucks these days.
It is just a little 4 cylinder.5. Says: Insurance will be the least of your problems. The car will bankrupt you. There's a reason kids drive around in sport compacts instead of old Porsches.6. Says: If you can mark it as historic it won't exceed $100. I have had mine since I was 16 now $19 I have a mercedes coupe as well and the 944 insurance is roughly $25 a month but I pay the premium on one the benz. So if its a primary vehicle and you don't have a lien it could be the cheapest car for you to buy really.7. Says: I would check out www.motorcarenthusiast.com, they are an online trading post for vintage, exotic and luxury automobiles.
As far as insurance goes, it's probably going to be pretty high. Most insurance doesn't become cost efficient until you reach your 5th or 7th year as a driver. Not having a loan on the car will also help. Tag: Who has a Porsche 944?