[dangerous]

Anyone that advises you to buy an early 944 is expressing personal preference. The technical refinement of the 944 occurred constantly and improvements were made every year. Unless you have a unique or specific objective for the car, you will be better off buying the newest and best maintained 944 within your budget.

One might ask "which is better, a well maintained early 944 or a neglected late 944?"

most likely the well maintained car is the better choice for most people. There are a lot of factors to weigh.

Some relevant factors relate to your expectations and abilities.

Do you work on your own car or take it to a mechanic?

Do you drive conservatively or are you a spirited driver?

What is your attitude toward maintenance? Do you live by the motto "if it isn't broken don't fix it"?

The odometer gear is plastic and breaks when the driver resets the trip meter while the car is moving. The repair is not terribly difficult but ignore the comment above about fixing a cracked dash at the same time. The instrument cluster can be removed in minutes. The dash removal is a lot more work and has nothing to do with removing the cluster.

I live in az and don't use the a/c but that's me. It puts drag on the engine and I don't like the way the car feels.

I know a quite knowledgable 944 mech who now works for lotus in San Antonio if you're interested.