I'm planning on doing any work on the car myself... the MR2 loses some points because of how tight the engine compartment is. As for the 944... I don't know if I wanna pay for Porsche parts.

Now, the obligatory pics:

Modified by pumanchu at 5:23 PM 8-22-2003

944 Turbo (64%, 60 votes)

MR2 Turbo (35%, 33 votes)

Other (please specify) (0%, 0 votes)

Porsche: 1
Toyota: 0

go for the MR2 turbo, i don't want one and you won't be buying my future car

obin

944 Turbo
vs.
E36 M3
vs.
Turbo Minivan
vs.
Contour SVT
vs.
M Coupe

The battle of the Car Lounge darling cars

this is actually a pretty fair comparison. do drive both and find out which one you like the best handling wise stock. the SW20 can be a bit tricky, and i'm sure the porsche is more composed stock for stock... but the SW20 has a metric assload of aftermarket parts available in japan, and the 2nd gen 3sgte is a very very stout engine. if you blow your 2nd gen up, just pick up a 3rd gen 3sgte from an engine importer... how does 12's on the stock CT20B turbo and potential 500whp on stock internals grab you? it doesn't sound like you want a drag car, but considering you can pick up a nice condition sw20 for much cheaper then a 944, theres alot of money left over for coilovers and other chasis stiffening.

it just comes down to which ever you like best. i personally love both cars, and give the edge to the mr2 because of the cheap cost to get into the car.

GERMAN DASHES GO FASTER!

I own an NA 1993 MR2. I love it. I have also ridden in my friend's NA 1989 944. He loves it and I like it too.

Modified by foomanji at 11:16 AM 8-22-2003

Yes, I'm back

the MR2 turbo has one of those scary engine compartments. reminds me of a 996 twin turbo or a 914-6. you begin to wonder just how tiny the gnomes who put the whole thing together were.

the one thing i can add is that a co-worker here had an MR-2 and she basically said "every time you drop it off for a repair, you felt like you needed to pack the car full of cash."

if you can afford a Mitsubishi 3000GT, you can afford a 944 Turbo and more. not sure what the MR2 turbo is similar to (and don't tell me a Corolla because i won't believe it).

obin

I agree you should drive both but if you are looking for true balanced and performance car there are few cars better than a turbo 944. You can find them fairly reasonable considering the badge and all. Ask Obin he seems to know about the 951(944t) very well.

I agree with this. I think based on ease of repair alone, 944t wins. You can make any car fast with mods, so it's really a toss up, and both cars handle well. Though depending on the year MR2, I've seen a few reviews that put the MR2 turbo in the low 7 secs for 0-60. I beleive this is from a 93 R&T article. Anyway, I think if you are sticking stock for a while, the 944 is the way to go.

Just for S&G's you should call up some places that fix these cars and see what the going prices are to replace things like clutches in either car, or even simple tune-ups.

Since you're going to track it, go for the 951/952 (internal Porsche designation)...you won't be sorry you did. 952 is the 88 Turbo S or 89 Turbo; they made ~217HP (a little more than the 86-88 951).

Understatement of the century perhaps?

I can't recall if it's stock or not (paging Dr. Robinson), but I'm about 99.9999% sure there's one available

yes, thats a good thing about japanese cars, there are aftermarket parts for almost every model. but, imo, you just can't beat a porsche, espcially a 944 turbo. Its a good quality, for-the-love-of-driving car, i think. i was so excited when they started a new project in european car and it was a 944.

Oddfellows Local 726

yep, the 016R tranny is the best tranny Porsche ever made other than the G50. it is a limited slip

obin

insurance for our 924 was $143 for 6 months. for our Nissan it was $248 for 6 months. insurance for our 944 is $20 less than it was for our Scirocco 16V, and it's right about what it costs for our GTI.

gotta love allstate.

obin

A friend of mine owned an MR2 Turbo for several years. I've worked on it plenty of times with him and found that his engine is easier to work on than mine...much easier. Also, for modding, I think the MR2 engine (3S-GTE) is the better engine, hands down. The MR2s are pretty reliable, but they have their normal goofy Toyota electrical problems time to time. Parts for the MR2 are cheaper than the 944 Turbo and readily available. The aftermarket support for the MR2 is HUGE compared to the 944's market (I owned an online MR2 parts store for 3 years).

My vote, MR2 Turbo.

Yeah, but how much would it be for a turbo 944?

obin

You blow off car, just like I do, only I do it so that people don't buy the same kidn of car that I have.

But I'd have a VERY hard time with this choice, honestly. And I've owned (and loved) a 944.

The MR2 is a sexy car, has LOTS of performance potential, and mid-engine handling...whereas the 944 has perfect 50/50 weight distribution, the world's best, most responsive steering (no joke, many critics have proclaimed it so), and an amazingly durable and moddable drivetrain. It's also a sexy beast, especially with the right set of 17" wheels.

while i think both cars are a good choice, i'd have to pick the 944 and i'll explain why.

i've never driven a 944t but i have driven an MR2T.....and almost put myself into a tree !!! so points to the porsche only b/c i haven't driven one & it hasn't tried to kill me...yet

bill

urge to kill...RISING !!!

I love my car. I really do. I don't WANT to sell it, but right now, I have to for $ reasons. I plan on getting another 951 or maybe a 968 down the road when I'm back on stable ground again, with a primary reliable vehicle. People say the 944 is reliable...others like me say it isn't. Then again, all I have had are Hondas and a Nissan truck...which my 944 can't even compare in reliability to my previous vehicles. I think people make it out to be much more than it really is, especially when compared to today's current offerings. People also put a lot into it, because it is 'a Porsche'. To me, the name means just about nothing to me. It's the car that speaks for itself, not the name.

I'm curious about the problems you have with your 944. Are they the typical small problems that most euro cars seem to have (electrical, sensors, waterpumps) or are they big problems with the motor or tranny? Not to say that the small problems can't be pricey or annoying, I just want to put in prospective. Would you consider your example in good condition and well maintained for most of its life, or beaten to w/in an inch of its life by the po? How many miles?

Kierf is definitely not the only one who feels this way, I've known a few 944 owners who said the maintenance was insane, and thus got rid of the car. However, most of these people wanted a "porsh', and this is what they could afford.

Oh, and forgot to mention that the A/C doesn't work in my car and that the passenger side mirror fell off one day. The driver side mirror fell off, too...but I was able to save it and reattach it properly.

Edit: It's stuff like that I take into consideration. A properly designed car should not have the mirrors falling off, A/C breaking, rattling hatch, and **** like that. My '79 Prelude had working A/C, no strange rattles from the body panels. I abused my '79 Prelude. I changed the oil only twice in 2.5 years of owning, just kept adding more oil (slowly burned it) and the clutch slave cylinder went...that's it. The engine finally died at about 280,000 miles on it. That's a well built car.

Modified by Kierf - ¿§? at 5:56 PM 8-22-2003

Oddfellows Local 726

IF you can't... uh, look harder.