First, I also prefer the old dash (mine was a 1984), way more sports car like.

Second, sorry, I know this is a Porsche board and all... but I would not get a 944 for a DD.

A nice bland Asian economy car will cost less to buy and maintain and be ten times more comfortable... and the econobox is was less an magnet for the popo and thieves too.

I love the 944, one my favorite cars of all time... but sometimes a butter knife is better suited to the job than a scalpel.

YMMV

I've seen this a few times now; what do you all mean by the early dash is "more sports car like?"

The late dash is bland and boring IMO, it reminds me of my civic.

I have often thought about DD one of them. I dont have any cars anymore beside my 09 toyota tacoma and my 07 burb but have thought about a 944 as a sporty dd in the springs, summer, fall months. I can get really nice earlier ones for under 4 k around here. My uncle has a very nice 85 that I have considered as a DD. I am surprised to hear only about 22 MPG I would have thought better then that?

I can almost see that in a "it is a modern design" way, but IMO the early dash looks very dated and un-Porsche. Maybe the civic reminds you of the 944 instead ;) The later dash has a more consistent look to it.

Another thought to further confuse matters - you can find early Boxsters for under $10k without much trouble. Personally I think it's a better and more fun car for the same money.

Matt, I don't even come close to fitting in an early Boxster.... I tried... Plus, I have my two kids 50% of the time so I need something that can seat at least 3 (they are 10 and 7, so still small). Buying a pre-airbag 944 would make a lot of sense because then I can let one ride up front and one behind.

Thanks for all of the comments so far I do appreciate it.

Yes the "smart" thing to do would be to buy a foriegn or even American econobox, but we are all on a car related forum for a reason, I just don't think I could do it the boring bland car.....

Bill

I was going to post that I would have another 944 someday... and I might... however if I buy another Porsche it will probably be a Boxster or a 996...

And yes, IMHO the dash on the post 1985 944 looks like it could have been pulled out of Toyota or Nissan...

YMMV

Agree to disagree :D I love it but, yes it does feel too modern for me.

So I was a big 924S proponent when I owned mine and I'll give the reasoning-

The car is lighter than the 944- a good 150 lbs or so lighter than the late 80's 944's and on par with the early 83 944.

The motor is the same ~150 HP 8v as the early 944 with a few later engine details added.

The transaxle is the same as the 944 except 5th gear. In the 944's, 5th gear is a cruising gear. In the 924S, it is a shorter gear. Top speed of the 944 and the 924S is nearly the same , but the 944 is drag limited in 5th and the 924S matches the drag limit and the redline nearly perfectly. So in a 5th gear haul at 80+ MPH, the 924S will walk away from a 944. This is why the 944-spec class cars all try and find that 924S short 5th gear/gearbox. It makes the car far peppier on the highway too without the need to constantly be downshifting into 4th to get some pick-up.

The 924S makes less drag, helping the above as well.


The black rubber trim line going down the side of the car is easily removed with some goo gone and scraper, and really does a lot to update the look of the car by removing it.

"Late offset" wheels (lots of choices-boxster wheels look good on them) on early style suspension. Steel, cheap control arms up front.

The electronics are updated a bit over the early 944- it has the later style DME computer, but early style fuse box (if I remember correctly).

You can find them cheaper than 944's almost everywhere. For no difference in performance.

This was mine- I owned it for about 6 years. I sold it when I got my Boxster S, but I wish I hadn't have.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1366995561.jpg

I know I'm beating a dead horse... just don't see why you need/want a sports car to grind out 62 miles on the freeway... yes the 944 and 924S are cool cars... but for commuter duty I would rather have comfort over coolness.

But that is just me...

Buy a Mustang.

On a serious note, though, you can pick up a V6 '05-'08 model for under your price range of $8k. And that V6 has double the power of a 944; just sayin' ;) Oh, the back seat's a bit bigger for the kids, too and has shoulder harnesses, not just lap belts.

Totally understand, three kids is why I'm driving a four door sedan daily. The airbags can be easily removed from the 944, my 1988 951 had a Momo wheel and the airbag removed from the passenger side. In fact I would actually recommend it, 20+ year old gen 1 airbags are scary.

Wanting an interesting car is a curse, but dammit I can't drive an appliance. Life is too short........

To reiterate... I love the 944... but for a DD no so much... Like it or not you are going to be paying the "Porsche tax"...

An Asian car does not necessarily have to be boring (Subaru?)... for that matter a piratical car can be German too... Audi, VW, BMW

Man, you guys are all crazy. I DD an 87 944S never left me stranded so far, that's not to say it hasn't tried now and then... Puts a smile on my face everytime I drive it peppy enough to scoot around plenty of room in the hatch and very tossable.

Calling BS on the being more comfortable in a modern econobox. Mom's got an 06 civic and it is horribly uncomfortable, the seats are from the special agony line and the headrest is non adjustable. It juts so far forward that she has turned them around so they're non existent it's either whiplash or getting donkey punched. Girlfriends 06 camry has a terrible pedal position for anyone above 6' my ankle gets fatigued after 15 minutes of driving it not to mentioned that godawful auto trans in it.

At 6'4" I find the 944 way comfortable, awesome seats, awesome driving position and cheap enough to where I could buy 5 of my car for the one camry my gf has. Boxster's not a bad choice though if you can deal with being called a hairdresser :P

Let's face facts, if you want reliable and affordable you don't want ANY German car. With that said, I honestly don't see Porsche parts as any more expensive than any other German make. The cheapest coil pack that I've ever bought was for my Boxster at all of $30. You also get the benefit of a pretty big supply base of parts and the services of our host, which makes a really big difference.

You also have to consider the cost. $8k gets you a really nice well maintained 944, which is at the core a very simple and easy to maintain car for a DIY mechanic. I would venture a guess that a well kept 944 is equally reliable, if not more so, than an $8k BMW, Audi, or Mercedes.

I had my 924S at the same time as living with a few guys who daily drove BMW e36' M3's, 328i's, a mkII VW GTI, a mid-2000's Subaru WRX, an early 90's BMW 5-series, and a 2003 Ford Focus 3-door- and my 924S was by far the vehicle that spent the least amount of time being worked on in the garage.

I bought mine needing some small repairs, did them easily, drove it for 6 years doing basic preventative maintenance, and sold it for more than I paid for it plus the costs of the maintenance items. I owned it for 6 years and my only effective running costs were fuel and insurance.

If you are not afraid to turn a wrench and are willing to do preventative checks and maintenance, they are amazing to own.

Nice looking car... Were all late '80s 924S/944s Guards Red? Haha... here is mine:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1367024326.jpg

...and prior to that, I owned this one:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1367024457.jpg

Find one someone else has spent the money on making it reliable, or you'll bleed $$ for a while.

I love driving my '83 every day. A '5hit eating grin' appears ever time I turn the key.

$8K could buy a really nice 914...just sayin'.....