Why does the Porsche 944

[recycled sixtie]

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?

[sc_rufctr]

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.

[fastfredracing]

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

[Eric 951]

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.

[MRM]

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.

[fastfredracing]

Originally Posted by Eric 951

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.

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

[Shaun @ Tru6]

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.

[GH85Carrera]

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.

[Rtrorkt]

Originally Posted by Eric 951

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.

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

[scottmandue]

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.

[MBAtarga]

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

[Scott Douglas]

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.

[Scott Douglas]

[Sunroof]

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

[KevinTodd]

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

[jcommin]

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.

[HardDrive]

Base models just don't have enough power.

[DWBOX2000]

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.

[thamlin000]

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.

[drkshdw]

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.