Ok guys i want to know if you had the money would you buy a porsche 944 turbo or an e30 m3

E30 M3. I don't like the look of the 944.

jeeze, if you think the E30 M3 is $$ to maintain you don't want to know how much 944 parts cost.

"I'm going to have to go ahead and disagree with you there, yeah"
I have had an 86 944 and an 86 951 (944 turbo) and both were very reliable daily drivers, easy to work on, just change the oil regularly, waterpump and belts every 2 years and your good. I know guys with 160k miles 944turbos that have never had the head off the motor and still have all the original components such as turbo, tranny, etc. Either car is a tremendous buy for the money but on my 944 turbo I bought some chips and a modified banjo boost bolt and had 300hp for a few hundred bucks. Add a MAF upgrade kit for about $800 and an upgraded turbo for another $800 or less and you got a car that will walk away from modified E46 M3's, 911 turbos, vettes, etc. The brakes on the 86 944t were Brembo I believe and were the largest production vehicle brakes on any car until the 928 GTS came out in the early 90's and pad changes are easy to do.
I have been talking to Pablo since he started shopping for the current project 951 in European Car magazine and can provide you with allot of the same info on the 924/944/968 cars that I helped him out with.
I have a friend at work into E30's and he said I shouldn't consider an E30 M3 for a daily dependable driver, he said it requires a little more time/money in little fixes but I'm no expert on the E30 M3 so I don't know specifics. He mentioned the computer can go out, exploding brakes, valve adjustments, gasket replacements, air flow meter failing, and several other sensors and what not that he's had to do on his very well maintained 90k mile 88 or 89 M3 he's had for 2 years.

Just to kind of debate you here. The ECU shouldn't just die. The vibrations can crack some of the soldering, which just needs to be resoldered (this doesn't happen often at all, but it can happen). It can get water in it if the drains are plugged up from the car being left outside.

I've never heard of exploding brakes, he must have been driving on them with something very wrong. A 90k mile M3 is one that is just now starting to get all of the problems. Once those are fixed up, there shouldn't be anything unexpected. I've <i><b>never</b></i> been left stranded, and I've never had any problems except for a coolant tank that got old.

It really depends on what E30 M3 you are talking about. Some can be big money pits...

Originally posted by madsedan
"I'm going to have to go ahead and disagree with you there, yeah"
I have had an 86 944 and an 86 951 (944 turbo) and both were very reliable daily drivers, easy to work on, just change the oil regularly, waterpump and belts every 2 years and your good. I know guys with 160k miles 944turbos that have never had the head off the motor and still have all the original components such as turbo, tranny, etc. Either car is a tremendous buy for the money but on my 944 turbo I bought some chips and a modified banjo boost bolt and had 300hp for a few hundred bucks. Add a MAF upgrade kit for about $800 and an upgraded turbo for another $800 or less and you got a car that will walk away from modified E46 M3's, 911 turbos, vettes, etc. The brakes on the 86 944t were Brembo I believe and were the largest production vehicle brakes on any car until the 928 GTS came out in the early 90's and pad changes are easy to do.
I have been talking to Pablo since he started shopping for the current project 951 in European Car magazine and can provide you with allot of the same info on the 924/944/968 cars that I helped him out with.
I have a friend at work into E30's and he said I shouldn't consider an E30 M3 for a daily dependable driver, he said it requires a little more time/money in little fixes but I'm no expert on the E30 M3 so I don't know specifics. He mentioned the computer can go out, exploding brakes, valve adjustments, gasket replacements, air flow meter failing, and several other sensors and what not that he's had to do on his very well maintained 90k mile 88 or 89 M3 he's had for 2 years.

So........

A fully race prepped E30 M3 OR a mildly (but still going to the track) 993 C2S with mostly aesthetic mods, PSS9s and maybe the RoW gearing.

I'm guessing the C2S the way I like it would run me somewhere in the $50k but shouldn't be that much to maintain (I do most of the work myself).

An E30 M3 fully race prepped would probably run $35-$40k I'm guessing. Brakes, 2 sets of wheels/tyres, lightened, full cage, dash, wheel, seats, camera mounts, tuned n/a setup (no E36 M3 swap), et cetera plus all the $$ for seat time for a couple years.

I won't have to make this decision for another 20 payments so I've got some time. :)

I've also considered getting a C2 (instead of the widebody) and getting a 2002tii (there's on in my neighborhood that just sits) or something to setup for the track. That would be a much easier loss to deal with if something were to happen.

Discuss amongst yourselves. :)

just going by what I've heard madsedan, aren't clutches for the 944 a few thousand...just for the clutch?
plus I've also heard mixed reviews about the motor's dependability.

E30 M3, go-kartage...

I like BOTH. The Porsche is a faster track car, but the E30 M3 is an extremely capable track car that can carry 4 adults. ;)

I'm extremely biased, but you can't put the 944 turbo down when it comes to raw power and track prowess.

Im a fan of both machines.

if it was for more practicality, m3!! :D

I like both and actually test drove a 944t before I got my M3. They are not, by any stretch of the word 'easy' to work on. I've got a lot of experience under the hood and I did a clutch and oil pan re-seal job on my E30 in under 4 hours whereas just getting to the clutch on the 944 is a full day's work. The timing belt is another oddity on those, and you need a special tool to set the tension properly. Oh, and how about lowering the car...torsion bar rear suspension means it's guess and check to get your ride height where you want it. PITA.

Also, I didnt like the driving position on the 944 at all. The steering wheel is waaay too low, my knees hit it quite a bit and it's not adjustable.

They are reliable though as long as you take care of them as madsedan said.

Let me put it this way, a clutch on an N/A 944 is 11hours. A clutch on a 944T is 22 hours. 944's of any kind are a PITA to work on, I've watched my dad (a Porsche technician of 30 years) work on them and they are his "least favorite" to work on. That said, they are fast when set up (the turbo's and S2's, N/A 944's are dogs) and fun to drive. It's pretty much pick your poison.

I'd go with the M3 :D
-Ted

ive seen some sick 944's, but the body and NA motor of the m3 jsut appeal to me.

you could just add a turbo to the m3 and get a 9sec car
plus no pita timing belt to worry about
much better interior, exterior, and most of all
much better resale value
I'd say get the m3
Don't know if the 944t handles better but records show
the m3 dominating all tracks world wide at the time they were in production.