It always depends. There are not many 951 (944T's) around that have less than 100ml on the clock.

944 engine(s) have a achilles heel - this is the bearing of crankshaft at cylinder 2. The oil pan design and all make it a weak spot. If you rebuild the engine - it's another case.

Even the stock 968's have it as they are based on S2's 3.0L. Only original 968 CS models have that fixed.

Even though 968 is said to be "totally" different car compared to 944 - there are so many things which are same. 968 was even called S3 before launch so it's very close to an S2. 968 CS is a bit different case but an S2 with MAF and LSD is not far behind.

951's have so much potential (because they are low-compression turbo engines) but they often lack reliability. If money would not be an object I'd go with low-mileage 968 CS.

 

from everything i can find, there is no difference in the engine on a club sport - i would be very interested to see anything you have indicating changes

there were some internal changes on the 968 engine though, to improve things a bit, after the first year run - the rods are different - not sure what other things they changed

 

My pick would be the 944S2 or 968. If you don't need to use the car as a daily driver, the M3 doesn't make sense - there's no need to compromise. Though the 951s are great cars (and great buys), I've never been a fan of forced induction, and the old turbos aren't as good as they are now. I've owned a 911, a 944, and a 928, and the 944 was my favorite Porsche ever, and that one was just a 150hp version. I'd love to get a black/black 968 coupe now, but my daily driver is a Z4MC and it seems redundant to have two cars with such similar profiles.

 

Street use or track use ?
1. If purely street car , M3.
2. More for track , 944T or 968...........
3. The 944 T modified will be the ultimate runner.....

 

i'd go with a 951, i use mine as a daily driver with autocross and track events at least once a month. As far as Reliability goes, my car has treated me great. Find one with around 100k miles + or - a few thousand, and make sure the car has all the maintenance records, and your good to go! my .2

- Steven

 

holy old threads batman. anyway...

if maintenance costs aren't a concern, i would go with the 951- it has the right shape, is fast, and you can squeeze lots more power out of it.

the M3 is a pretty reliable machine. it has a few weak points, but they have been addressed by the aftermarket. it has good power, excellent handling, excellent brakes, has another ten years of safety technology built into it (compared to the 951), and gets decent mileage. not as good looking or exclusive as the 951, though. if you really want to go nuts there are a few forced induction options for it (both turbo and supercharging).

 

968 all the way....Porsche need I say more.....My 968t cab turns more heads and is sick fast....Even stock it was alot of fun to drive....

 

As Luis knows, I've owned 2 E36 M3's and 2 944T's. They're both at the top of my list for "fun cars to drive on the cheap". Overall I'd go with the M3 as a DD, although some very minor problems were not cheap to fix (airbag light/sensor on the passenger seat was $800). The 944T's I had both had basic mods like a "chip", exhaust, etc. Basic goodies make the cars sick fast anywhere from 20mph on up.

That being said, I'm seriously considering a 968 as a weekend car which is why I'm filtering through this section of the Forum! I love the look of the 968, especially with just a nice set of wheels. The motor must be a better DD motor than the on/off switch that the 944T's have, although a 968 won't be near as quick as a chipped 944T. For $30k, or the price of a loaded Camry, you can have all 3!

 

For a daily driver definitely the M3. The 951 will be more fun but will be more expensive to maintain. The 968 would be cool, though, and I think they're pretty reliable.

 

For those that can afford to convert the 968 to a turbo 16v there is not a better or faster car for the money @ 1 bar it will spin the tires up to 100mph....Faster than most motorcycles....just yesterday a roasted 996TT...even built modestly you have more power then all the exotics

 

finally tracked down an odd issue and got a chance to drive my blue 968 - holy toledo it's quick - i have a manual trans E46 M3 cab and my normally aspirated 968 cab is quicker - granted it's not stock, and i've pulled a couple hundred pounds out of her, but it scoots - as nice as the E46 is to drive, it's just not as quick

i can't even imagine an E36 M3 being in the running

 

Moved from an E39 M5 to a 996tt and 968...

The 968 is a blast on the track

 

951! Best bang for the buck. Looking at cars that are 20 odd years old you are going to have maintenance issues with each. The 951 with a chip is a fun ride quicker than the others, and the 87 is a good year with a brake upgrade over 86. Had a 86 and a 89, great cars (yeh I'm biased)

 

968 for sure- i had a '94 guards red coupe as a DD for 3 years. loved every second i drove it. very reliable but when things need replacing it can be costly.

get an aftermarket warranty with it (i spent $3k on one and it saved me over $10k over the three years i had it). also, the clutch job is murder on the wallet so make sure you get one with a healthy clutch. GL with the search!