Why does the Porsche 944
 

not have a greater following? I know there are different variants such as the base, the S and the S2.

It seems the 911 and to a lesser extent the 914 and 928 seems to be more sought after as older cars. What is it with the 944? Have never driven one but was it unexciting and mechanically problematic? Your thoughts?

The 944 is a great car but it's not special or exotic like the air cooled 911 or 914. The 928's V8 makes it special.

It's a desirability thing.

I love them, but they are slow. The 2 turbo cars I had were 2 of my favs. I had a modded 86, and a bone stock turbo s.
Even the 16 valve cars are not really anything to write home about in the performance category.
I love the 968 . Everything a 944 should have been.
I would not be surprised to see them bring a premium some day. Most people do not even know what they are

No idea. I can honestly state that my 86 944 turbo was hands-down the best car that I ever owned. I have seen a few on BAT and other places being sold which seem to indicate their value is on the upswing.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1533737574.jpg

They suffer from the dreaded "not a 911" syndrome. They aren't fast by today's standards, and they aren't exotic or particularly rare like the 911, so they have a cult following, but they'll always be known as the Porsche that's not a 911.

That right there is one of my favorites. White turbo, on white fuchs, sweet! . Black would be the only one I would like more . I always thought the 86 turbo cars were special, because some came with fuchs . All the other 944 wheels were corny looking

I can only speak to NA cars but the few I've driven were more like driving a Buick than anything else. I'm sure the Turbo cars are completely different.

I always figured it was most people that "get into" a certain car model start reading about them, and find some horror stories about replacing a clutch, or the balance shaft maintenance. Much like the water cooled 911s little engine intermediate shaft issues. Deserved or not, the stories are there and many folks see it as a real issue.

+1 had an 86 black with lipstick red. Autothority chip, was a rocket ship. big mistake selling it

I loved mine and wish I had it back.
Best handling car I have ever driven one writer said "drives like it is on rails" and they do.
Mine was a"slow" NA but plenty fast to get me in trouble, more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow.
Their prices are going up, did I mention I wish I had kept mine?

Don't have time right now but be interesting to look up how my slow 1984 944 compares to 1984 NA 911.

For a 944 to be special - It has to be well set up!

My brother and his son bought a wrecked one that Jim at EASY had. They had a great time working together doing the clutch, timing belts, putting a fender on it, installing new seats and refinishing some wheels for it. My brother reports that it is an interesting car from an engineering standpoint and that their example drives nicely. I hope to get a chance to try it out in the coming weeks when I go visit them for Monterey car week.
The only other time I've had a chance to drive one was many years ago a friend let me try his Turbo. Off boost it reminded me a lot of my old BMW 325e as it had that big 4-cyl low end grunt. On boost it was pretty quick and fun to the point of I'd have a hard time keeping my foot out of it if I had one.

I drove a 1985.5 for 12 years and ended up selling it with 365,000 miles on it (no major engine work) to my mechanic. After driving a 911 for many years, the 944 appealed to me as a well balanced, fun machine, outstanding on long highway trips. It turned out it was just a great car. They have their quirks and you will pay for a decent 944 these days.

Bob
73.5T

Love my 951, and the driving dynamic is in some ways even better than my 911.

I'm an original owner of my 83. It's a 64K mile car. It is a great road car - nice looking too. It was a stretch on the budget back in 83 - If I have any regrets, I should have bit the bullet and bought the 911SC.

Base models just don't have enough power.

I don't have one but would love to get one.

I wonder if we put a mid 80 911 next to a mid 80's 944 and did a survey of non Porsche people which car they preferred, which one would win. I would take the 911 but not sure if it is because i like better or because i am suppose to like better. I driven some N/A's and Turbos (chipped) and remember thinking, I could get into this. Water Cooled 4 cylinders probably hurt the legacy. I have to think the 911 of the same period was not much faster so it probably comes down to the "not a 911' banter.

If maintained and cared for, 944s are great cars. Problem is that most folks don't maintain them very well since they are cheap. Like any Porsche, there are design and mechanical quirks but overall they are pretty well built. The biggest let down is the durability of the interior.

They aren't fast by current standards, but 0-60 in 8 sec and 130mph top speed was very good 35 years ago. The early 80s were are bad period for cars; the 944 was special in it's time.

I enjoy mine still. Just need to finish my wheel bearings/brakes refresh so I can get it back on the road.

I've driven a 944 as a daily driver for 16 years. They aren't fast. They aren't rare (although I haven't seen another one on the road in over a year). They aren't cheap to maintain. But they are fun to drive. And contrary to some opinions, speed does not necessarily equate to fun. At least in a 944. I mean, I drove a 964 for a month and still prefer my slowazz 944 over that 911 any day. But I know I'm in the minority there.

But the reason they aren't more popular is like MRM said. They aren't a 911. Everyone knows the shape of a 911 as a 'Porsh' and people pay a premium to be seen in that classic silhouette if for no other reason than to make it known that they have 'made it'. Yet no one will pay that premium for a car most people think is a Mazda or Nissan.

I always liked the early ones. They had that raw race car for the street look.
Deep wheels, box flared fenders

not integrate like the later cars.
The later cars looked to factory to be race cars for the street
-molded bumper
-flat (very little offset) wheels


I really enjoyed driving one especially on track, but was disappointed when the car I was planning to upgrade to could be so easily beaten in a straight line by the car I already had ( a 1977 datsun Z)

But, by todays standards both power and weight of the early cars aren't that far off a miata. Pretty similar territory

They are okay cars.

The problem for me was that the cars were a lot to sort through to get something that wasn't all that great. They are a pia to work on. Cooling systems need to be gone through. Clutches need to be replaced. Vacuum lines get pulled loose. The rear hatches pop open if the rear latches get worn/misaligned. They get leaks around the battery box. They are no fun to replace engine seals on (hence- leakyseals951). Timing belts need to be replaced on regular basis.

A NA was not fast. My girlfriend beat me off the line in her dodge neon once. The turbo has no real torque off the line either, well... until the turbo kicks in, and then it was all smiles!, but even then the engine has no 911 sound. I guess if you are into pop off valves it's cool, but it never had that soul.

My SC is not quite as powerful as my 951, but off the line torque is greater.

The few that I see on the road today are daily drivers. Mine was a DD, and it did okay once everything was gone through, but it was a lot to do (struts, bushings, engine, clutch, etc... etc....)

I always secretly wanted to mount a V8 in my turbo, and I am not even a v8 type of guy.

I was thinking the same thing. You get similar performance in a make that doesn't sound like $$$ for maintenance, whether true or not.

Personally, I would rather have a 944 Turbo than a Miata, unless it is a Flyin' Miata. That would be a tough choice. Both would be fun to drive.

If they put a straight six in the 944 like the beemers got, it'd be a great car.

I had a ‘84 for only a year (1989) and then traded it for my ‘77 911. I thought it was a great car, but too civilized- I yearned to have the crudness of a 911 again.

I would agree, smoother running engine as well.

However, how would it affect the length of the car?

What I enjoy about mine is that it isn't huge, and has a good tight turn radius.

I don't have to do three point turns in the 944, I just do a U turn.

I wondered the same thing, so I bought one a few years ago.

Mine was a VERY nice S2 version. Mechanically perfect, and cosmetically it looked like a brand new car.

That engine was plenty smooth, and plenty powerful. I had no complaints there. The brakes and handling were great.

And it was a very good looking car. Loved the box flares and the turbo bumper and rear underspoiler.

It was a good car, I had no real complaints (some parts of it were kind of finicky). But did I love it? No, can't say that I did.

I had it for around 3 years before I sold it. (I did sell it for more than double what I paid for it, so that was nice).

As a child of the 80s I'll always have a soft spot for them, though. I could even see buying another one some day, but, oddly, it would have to be an '83, with no power steering and with the manual, not power, sunroof. And it would have to be in decent driver condition, at a good price (like less than $5-6K).

As far as low price, I think that's mainly because they made a lot of them, a decent number are still on the road, and many of them have been neglected and need some work. Top 2% examples (like mine was) can get surprisingly strong numbers.

Also, I agree with all of that. In the end, it made it not worth it for me, and I decided to sell while the car was in 100% condition rather than wait for something to go wrong.

I must be driving the wrong Buicks.

I almost got one as a daily when I got the turbo Miata. Super low mile cream puff that would have needed a new clutch and timing belt right away due to age.

They did, it was called the datsun 240z ;)

For me I never really liked them. I thought they were just uninspired designs.

I wrecked my 83 and then got my 87 ,love it. I joke with car buddies that I’m a 944 guy poseing as a 911 guy.

I think the 944 would stand out more had Mazda not copied it and sold a gazillion RX7s. I LOVE the 968s!

The car I miss the most was my canary yellow ´76 924. I remember it with joy. But then I was 20 years old and came directly from my first car - a ´63 Chrysler Valiant. In comparison the 924 was a true sportscar.
The 944 was at that point beyond cool and financial reach.

As a long time owner of a 944 (1985.5) and driving it until it reached 365,000 miles I can attest to its weaknesses and strengths. Yes, I replaced the radiator, cooling fans, infamous engine mounts, tons of seals and gaskets, suspension, sun roof components and even the AC/Heat dash control unit, etc., but I never had to touch the engine or tranny save for a head gasket replacement and fluid changes. That four cylinder engine with its counter rotating balance system to smooth out vibration (thanks Lancaster system and the Mitsubishi Sterion) for lending its technology, was a big factor in performance and longevity. It was the weaker components like the oil cooler (gasket failure), fluidized motor mounts, shaky torque tube, belts, front engine seals for the myriad of rollers onboard, warping radiator expansion tank, A-Arms, sunroof system, etc, that made it a pain in the butt!!! Once repaired though, it could go forever.......

I love the 944.

I always liked them and always wanted one...particularly a 951. I also like the 968. I dunno, maybe because I cut my teeth on vintage VW, I just gravitate to
pre-996 911s? I'm just comfortable with air/oil cooled stuff. One day I think I will own a 951 with mods.

Had our cabriolet for about 12 or 13 years now and it still puts a smile on my face every time I drive it. No, it's not lightning fast but it's still a hoot to drive and handles great. http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1533823846.png

I like mine, wish I had the time to drive it more.

Heck, if I put about $15k in it, I bet I could get $10k for it.

You guys who say they are cheap need to pay more attention, a nice 951 or 968 is well over $20k and the S2 isn't far behind.

I had two 951s, and while I do love the '80s styling I never loved the cars. They just never felt special like a 911, too much like other 4-cylinder turbo cars of the era. The 951 is also a massive nightmare to work on.

I had an '85 back in the mid-'90s. I thought it was a great car.

When our previous Champ Car (aka Chump Car) vehicle blew it's engine for the second time, I tried to convince my race buddies to get a 944 (a la Cone Crushers if anyone is familiar with the Eastern Champ Car region) but they refused to drive that "Eurotrash crap". So we looked for a competitive American car. And looked. And looked. And ended up with a 1992 BMW 325is. ;)

I still think a 944 would be awesome.