I have often wondered how the 944 would go with the Vq35 stuffed under it's hood
I have often wondered how the 944 would go with the Vq35 stuffed under it's hood
Yeah V8 swap was my original idea but I don't think I can make it work right now. I don't have the fab skills to make my own mounts and adaptors, and don't have $2150 for the Renegade kit.
So I went to see the blue '84 tonight, it was nicer than expected. Seems to run pretty well, the clutch is original but not making any clunking noise when shifting. The only other small issue that was not mentioned is that the windshield is coming apart, the glue in the center is turning white so the view out is a bit hazy.
You should be able to find the tools used. I'm sure someone else bought them for a one time job.
P71 wrote:m4ff3w wrote:Yeah, because I can really influence the entirety of Portland...P71 wrote: There's over a dozen sub-$2000 944's within 50 miles of me, yet they never sell...Maybe people are scared to buy them because others tell them [false] stories of $2000 for a t-belt & clutch job?
Not that you have influence over the entirety of Portland, but that "everybody" knows Porsche parts cost an arm and a leg.
If the windshield is the biggest of your concerns I say go for it. Glass can be replaced relatively inexpesively (insurance deductible?)
m4ff3w wrote:P71 wrote:Not that you have influence over the entirety of Portland, but that "everybody" knows Porsche parts cost an arm and a leg.m4ff3w wrote:Yeah, because I can really influence the entirety of Portland...P71 wrote: There's over a dozen sub-$2000 944's within 50 miles of me, yet they never sell...Maybe people are scared to buy them because others tell them [false] stories of $2000 for a t-belt & clutch job?
That's because they do.
P71 wrote:m4ff3w wrote:That's because they do.P71 wrote:Not that you have influence over the entirety of Portland, but that "everybody" knows Porsche parts cost an arm and a leg.m4ff3w wrote:Yeah, because I can really influence the entirety of Portland...P71 wrote: There's over a dozen sub-$2000 944's within 50 miles of me, yet they never sell...Maybe people are scared to buy them because others tell them [false] stories of $2000 for a t-belt & clutch job?
perhaps you just need to adjust your arm and leg pricing.
the cost of body parts isn't what it used to be. i hear livers and kidneys retain their value but require more maintenance.
The 944 sounds like a pretty good deal. Its a great driver's car even though it is a bit underpowered - but then again so are a lot of other cars this forum enjoys. 
AngryCorvair wrote:P71 wrote:perhaps you just need to adjust your arm and leg pricing.m4ff3w wrote:That's because they do.P71 wrote:Not that you have influence over the entirety of Portland, but that "everybody" knows Porsche parts cost an arm and a leg.m4ff3w wrote:Yeah, because I can really influence the entirety of Portland...P71 wrote: There's over a dozen sub-$2000 944's within 50 miles of me, yet they never sell...Maybe people are scared to buy them because others tell them [false] stories of $2000 for a t-belt & clutch job?
ORLY? All prices pulled from Rock Auto in the last 5 minutes, who is pretty much considered the cheapest source for quality parts. 1983 Porsche 944 2.5 vs. 1983 Mazda RX-7 12A. Both cars can be found for similar cost vs. condition and have similar performance, not to mention were head-to-head competitors both back in the day and still are in certain series.
Notice that you can pretty much buy every most expensive RX7 part for less than the cheapest 944 part. They are expensive cars. That's not opinion, that's not false, that not some intarwebz e-thuggerey, that's FACT.
Out.
Might as well go find a good looking crack addicted wh0re and enjoy the ride while it last, cause that is what the 944 is owning one of these things is like. There is nothing on that car that is not both a pain to fix and very expensive. Have a look at what is involved in a clutch change if you really like to be abused.
Other than that, they are great cars.
P71 wrote:AngryCorvair wrote:ORLY? All prices pulled from Rock Auto in the last 5 minutes, who is pretty much considered the cheapest source for quality parts. 1983 Porsche 944 2.5 vs. 1983 Mazda RX-7 12A. Both cars can be found for similar cost vs. condition and have similar performance, not to mention were head-to-head competitors both back in the day and still are in certain series. * Clutch Kit: 944= $575-$879, RX7=$126-$169 * Water Pump: 944=$219-$499, RX7=$24-$48 * Radiator: 944=$226-$492, RX7=$110-$192 * Alternator: 944=$181-$251, RX7=$60-68 * Starter: 944=$109-247, RX7=$71-$144 * Fuel Pump: 944=$157-253, RX7=$54-$148 * Fuel Filter: 944=$16-$29, RX7=$2-$3 * Distributor Cap: 944=$33-$55, RX7=$10-$28 Notice that you can pretty much buy every *most* expensive RX7 part for *less* than the *cheapest* 944 part. They are expensive cars. That's not opinion, that's not false, that not some intarwebz e-thuggerey, that's FACT. Out.P71 wrote:perhaps you just need to adjust your arm and leg pricing.m4ff3w wrote:That's because they do.P71 wrote:Not that you have influence over the entirety of Portland, but that "everybody" knows Porsche parts cost an arm and a leg.m4ff3w wrote:Yeah, because I can really influence the entirety of Portland...P71 wrote: There's over a dozen sub-$2000 944's within 50 miles of me, yet they never sell...Maybe people are scared to buy them because others tell them [false] stories of $2000 for a t-belt & clutch job?
single source for Parts? You gotta shop around. or whatever, how about you don't own one and shut up about them and we will leave you alone? Sound good?
Well I was fighting it out till the end but I just left the guy a message saying I'm going to pass. I will own one, just not this week.
This showed up at work today straight from the body shop, I've got a ton of work to do on it and I've accumulated 5 parts cars worth of junk for them. I need to finish a project before moving on.
EricM wrote: single source for Parts? You gotta shop around. or whatever, how about you don't own one and shut up about them and we will leave you alone? Sound good?
Rock auto has generally pretty decent prices. Even if you can shop around and find better deals, why would that be specific to just the Porsche side? I bet I could find somewhat better deals on the RX7 side too if I had to
Seems like a pretty solid way of comparing apples to apples to me. Even if the specific prices aren't the same, I bet the ratios between them hold up at least tolerable well.
But hey, keep up the personally attacking the guy instead of useful info. It really makes you guys seem right instead of him...
It sure seems like (some of) the Porsche guys doth protest just a bit too much, and that P71 is hitting closer to home than they care for.
^Not entirely. Some of the RX7 parts costs P71 listed above are not accurate at all and he is needlessly beating that dead horse while Eric is trying to keep the conversation more realistic. Its all good in my book so long as people give both sides to the story.
The 944 is a budget P car and a favorably priced sports car for us Grassroots types.
amg_rx7 wrote: ^Not entirely. Some of the RX7 parts costs P71 listed above are not accurate at all and he is needlessly beating that dead horse while Eric is trying to keep the conversation more realistic. Its all good in my book so long as people give both sides to the story. The 944 is a budget P car and a favorably priced sports car for us Grassroots types.
Seeing as he listed his source for them, which ones aren't accurate? If you know which #s seem wonky, well that should be easy enough... I still havne't gotten my hands on anything with a rotary in it yet, so have no grasp of rx-anything prices. But it doesn't seem to me like he cherry picked the parts he was looking for, it seemed to be a reasonable set as far as I could tell.
Rock auto does mess up their parts categorization at times, so I could see errors creeping in.
I agree about both sides. Something that telling the dissenting opinion to "shut up" does not accomplish. P71 seems to at least be trying to back up his claims. Something that most of the people piling on him don't seem to feel is worth their time/effort. It's apparently far easier for them to be insulting and not actually back up anything than it is for most of them to actually demonstrate why they are right.
A 944 is still on my short list of cars for the nearish future though...
Thank you keethrax.
amg_rx7: Prove the prices wrong.
EricM: Yeah, and I can shop around for cheaper RX7 prices too. I was comparing all parts from a single source. That shows that the 944 is an expensive car to maintain, even if you do all of the maintenance yourself. I'm sorry that that pisses you off enough to start hurling e-thuggery insults. You called me out and I backed it up, deal with it. P-Cars are always going to be expensive, you don't have to be an ass about it.
Run-Away: Damn man, that is a NICE Prelude! I don't even like FWD Honda's all that much but I would own that one! Details? 
Miata?
I can tell you that I just paid $450 for a 944 clutch kit made by Sachs, which is far superior to the oem rubber center clutch. This included the pressure plate, disc, throwout bearing, misc, spacers, retaining rings, etc. I also paid $89 for a water pump. Sure, it's still more expensive than the comparable RX-7 parts, but not as bad as what some might say - as long as you shop around I for one.
Working on my 944 is no worse than working on my F150. Maybe slightly more difficult to work on than my 2000 Miata was. It's about what appeals to you. If you like 944s and can afford slightly higher parts costs then go for it. If you are scared away and/or can't afford, then find something that floats your boat. There are plenty of good cars at decent prices out there.
I do have to disagree with some of the statements/generalizations that it's too pricey a car to maintain. I'm getting mine fixed up on a set budget (approx $2K including purchase of the car), and am so far well under that which I set for myself with the parts I've had to put into it (clutch, timing/balance belts, clutch slave cyl, etc.).
I like Porsches, so I'm a little defensive and biased here, but my very first car was an RX-7 and it wasn't exactly a peach to work on sometimes, and due to worn apex seals it never passed emissions inspection once and I had to get a waiver. Changing the timing belt on my miata was no picnic, either.
Pay me now or pay me later, we all end up forking it over at some point, no matter what you run.
1983 was the only manual steering 944. 1984 up are power steering cars.
Working on a 944 is no worse then working on a C5 or C6 Corvette or Supra - and easier then a 911/Boxster.
My F250s (99 & 96) , 97 Suburban, 88 Mustang CMC racecar and 95 Bronco are easier access to most items.
Good luck finding a cheap 968 engine or transaxle! If you do let me know..
What other LSD fit the 944? My 944S needs one - when I install 16 valve engine #3 or swap in a 5.3 Liter aluminum LS motor...
Audi V8 rear limited slip differential's apparently fit in the 924/944 Audi 016 transaxles.
P71 OK. If you insist. I didn't do any e-thuggery and I didn't call you out. If anything I see both sides of it and I think you're trying to hard to not be proven wrong. I think perhaps you are too sensitive?
The 2nd gen RX7 is a much fairer comparison to the 944 since the model lines overlapped directly. The 944 model year STARTED in 1983. The 1st gen RX7 STARTED in 1979 and ended in 1985.
RX7 fuel filter = $25. Not $2-3. http://rx7.com/store/rx7/fdengine_maintenance.html
RX7 clutch = $500 http://rx7.com/store/rx7/fddrivetrain_clutch.html
RX7 spark plugs = $10 EACH http://rx7.com/store/rx7/fdengine_maintenance.html
Upgraded RX7 fuel pump = $264 http://rx7.com/store/rx7/fdfuel.html
3rd gen RX7 alternator = $144.13 (Mazda Comp pricing so retail is more)
2nd gen RX7 alternator ranged from $122.92 to $388.75 depending on model
2nd and 3rd gen Starter = $98.95 (Mazda Comp pricing so retail is more)
3rd gen Water pump = $297.96 (Mazda Comp pricing so retail is more)
2nd gen Manual Trans Radiator = $272.48 (Mazda Comp pricing so retail is more)
stock 2nd gen RX7 clutch disc non-turbo = $51 Turbo = $126 stock 2nd gen RX7 pressure plate = $101 - $313 (Mazda Comp pricing so retail is more)
stock 3rd gen RX7 clutch disc = $126.89 (Mazda Comp pricing so retail is more) pressure plate seems like $288.
I can go on but not worth beating that dead horse... 
amg_rx7 wrote: P71 OK. If you insist. I didn't do any e-thuggery and I didn't call you out. If anything I see both sides of it and I think you're trying to hard to not be proven wrong. I think perhaps you are too sensitive?
???
Not quite sure what you think you've just demonstrated. But it wasn't much.
And you say P71's trying to hard.
Again:
He provided the source. As far as I can tell (and nobody has usefully disputed this) it's a pretty good baseline source.
You could of course find places selling parts for both cars that are cheaper and for both cars that are more expensive. You've demonstrated half of the latter, but so what? Do you really think that there's not a site where Porsche prices are higher that Rock-Auto? But Rock Auto has at least generally competitive prices and gives you as close to an apples to apples comparison as I think you're likely to find.
If the Rock Auto prices are incorrect, then he's wrong. If someone else has higher prices, that doesn't affect his claim in the slightest.
I don't think anyone is disputing that 944 parts are not the cheapest. But to say it would cost ~$2000 for a clutch & tbelt job; along with the general assumption that 944 parts are off the wall expensive, is being disputed.
m4ff3w wrote: I don't think anyone is disputing that 944 parts are not the cheapest. But to say it would cost ~$2000 for a clutch & tbelt job; along with the general assumption that 944 parts are off the wall expensive, is being disputed.
And that I'll solidly agree with. There was some (intentional or unintentional, I couldn't say) exaggeration in his earlier posts.
At this point I'm mainly concerning myself with the responses to his Rock Auto post, and the lack of useful contradiction from people trying to drown him out/tell him to shut up/whatever.
Guys, seriously.
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