If it wasn't already obvious, when my garage renovation included a dual 4-post lift, you knew the 4th spot in the garage was destined to be filled. I've been looking at cars for months now hopping all over the place from Lotus Elises, 70s era 240Zs, newer GT cars, and oddly (to some) the Porsche 944. I've always loved the look of these cars. The pop up headlights, boxy hips and 80s styling really resonated in some weird way.
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| 1991 Porsche 944 S2 |
I've seen some extremely clean ones being sold for nutty prices and some very questionable cheap ones that left a lot to be desired and everything in between. For me, buying and old car is very much about buying the owner and finding the right owner that shared my ownership philosophy can be tough. I happened to be looking at the PCA Mart when I stumbled across this 1991 944 S2 with 95K miles. It was listed as:
"Excellent driving S2 in pristine condition. Conti DWS06 tires, Konis, adjustable front spring perch w/200# front springs, M030 front & rear bars, SS brake lines, SS Dansk cat back exhaust, MOMO steering wheel, stock included, air bags disabled, AC converted to R134, blows cold, Hella H4 headlights on aux relays. All electrics & mechanical work. Clutch, flywheel & pressure plate replaced at 64,000 mi. Timing belts and rollers replaced at 85,000 mi. No cracks in dash or rips in seats. Carpets like new. Recent new front LCA's, CV joint assemblies. Car cover. Receipts for all work back to 2011. Original manuals in pouch. Spare Key. Porsche Certificate of Authenticity. CARFAX"
The car was clearly taken care of so I contacted the owner. He'd had the car for about a year and a half but the owner before him had it for 16 years. We talked about the car and the previous owner. You have to remember these cars were pretty unwanted cheap cars for a while so many were either neglected or just maintained at a bare minimum. The previous owner did everything I would've done including lots of pre-emptive maintenance and putting in a lot of money to making sure it always ran right. How someone treats a "cheap" car speaks volumes to me about how the car will be in general and that owner clearly loved this car. Nothing was left to chance. Anything and everything that needed to be done was either replaced or upgraded. This was a true turn key car.
The engine bay was immaculate but shy of concourse clean (great since I don't have to be super careful and worried all the time). Even the spare trunk location was just insanely clean. The undercarriage continued with the same story. This is the kind of car to get excited about. There were no cracks in the dash, no rips on the seats, the carpet was mint, heck even the clock actually works. I had the guy give me a few more pictures and walkthrough videos. We agreed on a price that was a bit less than asking but a fair deal for both of us and wired the money over.
Cold start and walkthrough (by previous owner)
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| 1991 Porsche 944 S2 a.k.a. Stewie |
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| Rennline ExactFit mount with MagSafe mount |
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| Taking a little break |
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| Last Buc-ee's in South Carolina |
We planned to stop in Fayetteville, North Carolina Saturday night and decided to make a final fuel stop at the last Buc-ee's in South Carolina on our way up. If you've never been, it needs to be on your list. This is beyond being a normal gas station, it's the best gas station ever with the most amazing food and the cleanest bathroom you've ever seen. Go watch some Youtube videos if you're curious. The next day, we finished our rather uneventful journey home and this 944 S2 which I've now dubbed as "Stewie" (S2WIE) officially joined the Steguis Motorsports fleet.
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| Stewie is home |
Today I also installed new 19" wiper blades all around so I'll have a better experience if I have to drive in the rain again.
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| Bosch MicroEDGE 40719A |
From the Porsche side of things, my fleet now includes an interesting story of the evolution of Porsche starting with the 1983 911SC that was supposed to be the final year of the 911 to be replaced with the new watercooled Porsche 928 "transaxle" car . The retirement of the 911 never happened and continues to this day. The 944 was created with fewer cylinders than the 928 and was made until in 1991 when the final iteration of the 944 line, the 944 S2, was released. The S2 largely retained the same body in the final years but had adopted the 944 Turbo bumpers, brakes and transmissions and got the 3.0L NA 4-cylinder, the largest displacement 4-cylinder engine of its time. The 1991 944 S2 in particular has more in common with the 968, the last of the transaxles that followed until 1995, than the earlier 944. The Boxster the took over in 1996 followed by the Cayman in 2005 became the mid-engine 911 alternative.
First Impressions
- This is a terrific car. It was everything the seller presented it to be and more. The car ran smoothly with no major issues during the entire journey.
- This car feels absolutely solid. It's a 32 year-old car but lacks any rattles or squeaks. It's in fact quieter and more comfortable than my 4 year old Mini Cooper S.
- You can feel the distinct balance offered by the front engine but rear transmission transaxle layout especially in the corners. There is terrific steering feel and feedback even with the hydraulic steering.
- Brakes are excellent at any speed
- This is probably my slowest car. At around 200hp at the crank, it only puts down probably 160 to the wheels and weighs as much as my Cayman so it's not winning any drag races, at least not in NA form. However, I can feel in the corners how well balanced this and it's confidence inspiring evening in torrential downpours.
- The cruise control is a bit temperamental. Sometimes it won't engage then it will again. Seems to be a common issue that I may or may address. Other than this road trip, I really don't use cruise control anyway.
- The H4 headlights are ok but certainly not the brightest. I've got an upgrade ready to install soon.
- The Sony radio from over 10 years ago is fine for basic bluetooth function and I'm glad we had decent audio on the drive home but I can't wait to put on my period correct looking Blaupunk Frankfurt to replace it.
- Clutch engagement is on the high side. It's not because of a worn clutch, apparently they're like this but there is some adjustment so I may try to have this engage a bit lower.
- The engine is pretty quick revving and I feel like it's got a slightly lightweight flywheel. The revs climb and drop pretty quickly when I clutch in and blip the throttle. Took a bit to get used to getting a proper rev match in.
- Kudos to whoever setup the suspension and aligned it. The ride is firm on the Koni yellows but comfortable and responsive and the car drives straight as an arrow even with no hands on the wheel.
- The 21 gallon fuel tank is insane and I got between 27-30mpg on the highway. We spent around $150 in fuel going from Orlando FL to North Jersey.
