Bill Underwood's Porsche 944 Site. Letters to the webmaster. Some of the interesting email this site generates, and my general responses.

http://944-world.com/letters.html/ Bill's Porsche 944 Site -- Letters Some of the Email this site generates... ...can be amusing, interesting, and even informative. Here is a sampling of some of the topics that arrive in my Inbox, and my general responses: "Hi, I'm 15 and I'm wondering is a Porsche 944 a good first car..." "I am about to purchase my first car, so I am 16. I really like the 944 but was wondering how reliable a, say 1987 944 S is in comparison to say a Toyota. I ask a Toyota because my Dad has one that has never needed anything, granted it only has 60,000 miles on it. To get to the point is a 944 an OK first car?" Wow. I'm gettin' old. My first car was a Metallic Green 1968 Mustang with a 289 CID V-8 engine. Put a K&N like air filter on it, a big Holly 850 double pumper, dual exhaust... Looking for that first car huh? And you're thinking about a 944? I was 29 when I got my first one, new, too. I was 39 when I totalled it.... Anyway, bottom line is this: a 944 is a great anytime car, so I suppose it's a terrific first car. All the girls at your High School will love it. Plus, after driving a 944, you can always move up to, oh, a Viper or Ferrari. It'll be a LOT harder going backward. You'll enjoy the higher insurance rates and maintenance costs that go with a Porsche early on in life. You got enough money saved up for college? Hmmm? Alright enough already; this is an easy answer. A Toyota will always be a TOYOTA. Simple, efficient, reliable and boring. My honest suggestion: learn to drive a Toyota first. Figure out bad shifting and braking and all of that before jumping into a performance sports car and causing yourself a more expensive maintenence situation. Once you have some time behind the wheel, get a 924 or a 944, or some other Porsche as your budget allows for outlay, insurance, and maintenance. I realize your parents might not think a Porsche is perhaps appropriate for you at your age. They might be right; this depends on your maturity and your dedication to maintaining such a car, and this often involves $$$. The 944's out there are not too expensive, but the upkeep can kill ya if you don't have a GOOD job. And you don't want to always be bugging mom and dad for loans. However, if can pull it off, I say GO FOR IT! "Can you tell me how to remove the rear speaker panels so I can install better speakers?" Sorry, I've never tried this. Try the 944 World Forum at Excite (which I moderate) or RennList. These forums are a good place to ask any 944 question you might have. If you own a Porsche and are not a member of these lists, you owe it to yourself to sign up for both. To be honest with you, I don't like loud booming music all the time in my car. I like to hear what it is doing, the motor noise, clutch sounds, tranny whine, all of that. You should consider driving without radio, CD or cassettes running now and then to get to know the various and intricate little noises your car makes. Often, a problem will be first detected with a new, or strange sound. I probably listen to the radio in only 20% of my driving time. "I saw the picture of your Porsche parked in the snow. How can you drive your Porsche in the snow?" Easy. I just get in and turn the key! When I lived in the Northeastern United States, I enjoyed my black/burgandy leather Porsche 944 a full 365 days a year. A little dirt, mud or snow has never stopped me from enjoying the car, ever. On glare ice, however, I called in and told work I'd be in late, after it melted! "I want to put a turbo on my NA 944..." Oh stop it already! By the time you're done you will have spent more money upgrading the car to handle the turbo's increased power such that you could have almost bought TWO 944 turbo's -- two Porsche 951's in other words! You have to upgrade brakes, suspension, tranny, cooling system, etc. If you have plenty of money to burn, have a good mechanic (or are one with nothing else to do) then go ahead. But it's not cost effective. "Hi I'm looking to buy my first 944. What are the common problems, and are there certain years to avoid, and what else should I look for?" I have a page of general "let's go looking" advice that covers much of this. "I want to make my 944 go faster. What can I do?" Not much unless you have a Turbo 944. In a non-turbo, you can do a little, like better exhaust, headers, cam, chip, etc., and I have done all of this. Read my page describing my current 944 and you'll see what I have done. You can squeeze more HP out of a Turbo 944 with mass airflow and fuel delivery modifications, and new computer chips. All it takes -- all it ever takes -- is money! "I'm looking for a chip for my NA 944. Do you know which one is best?" New computer chips don't do a lot in a non-turbo 944. They raise the rev limiter a little and advance spark above about 3500 RPM, but that's it. They are not a Holy Grail and your money is better spent upgrading the exhaust system. In a Turbo 944, chips help a lot more, especially in concert with other modifications. For a procedure on getting at, and replacing, your DME or the chip in it, see my page describing the DME removal procedure. "do u have any pictures of your wrecked 944 online??" No. Not inclined to do so. I might...someday... I just have to get them out of an ancient digital camera and post 'em. "Hi I found your site and it's been really helpful..." "Hey great site it has helped me answer many questions about the 944 when I went looking for one..." Thank you! I am glad it's helped some of you find a worthy 944. The site is a labor of love to an extent almost as much as I love the car! You are visitor to this page since 6 December 1998. Updated 8/January/1999 Back to: Bill's Porsche 944 World   Copyright (c) 1998 - 2000 by Bill Underwood. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Not affiliated with Porsche Cars North America or the guys in Stuttgart. Apple, Macintosh, Netscape and Porsche, and their venerable logos, are trademarks of their respective owners. Your mileage WILL vary. Don't lift in the corners. Always wear your seatbelt. Keep the power on when driving through mudslides (treat it like wet heavy snow!) If you pass a Sheriff and he's waving his radar gun at you wildly but seems too excited to turn the lights on, calmly wave back as you sail on by...