'How Not To Own A 944'
 

Regarding the latest Excellence article 'How Not To Own A 944' ? On the surface it appears to be a clear smack in the face of our beloved 944. Granted the author, Don Millano, came across a few of the worst nightmares we face as 944 owners. But read on and see that they were mostly products of neglect by the PO. And on top of that, you can't excepect to drive a car hard on a track and not come across problems. Any car, especially a porsche (any model) that's 20 years old is going to require money to maintain. Any thoughts..?

My thought is I really don't care what they think. I love my car(s) and have since I bought it. Whether they like it or not is their problem. Not everyone in the world can be smart.

I agree with you. But what's up with knocking the car right after showing the rising value of older models in their update. I realize this is trivial.... but it's just about February and my ride is tucked away in the garage... so i need something to get me in the mood.

I didn't find the article knocking the 944 at all. It was knocking the lack of a proper PPI before buying a used Porsche.

The article would have had the same message if the car was a 928, 911, 914 or even a Boxster. It just happened to be a 944 the author bought.

I found it humorous.

okay, journalism was obviously not my major. i think I see the irony in the title of the article now

Maybe the author was jealous we didn't extend the last invite to the PP 911/930/964 SoCal Locales.

"A book by its Cover".

Hopefully the value of well maintained 944's will continue to rise.

Then i'll only have invested twice as much as the car is worth.

Hear Hear! SmileWavy

If anyone, on a budget, had to sink as much money as he did in that 944, they would tend to be a little disgruntled.

The title is misleading, the article simply chronicles the problems and money put into the car. It's good to let people know about the 944 in this regard, in case you think it's cheap to repair and keep running. I love my 944, fortunately, it's been very dependable!

I wonder what a 944, say 1989, would sell for "new" in today's
dollars?

well, if you adjust the dollars, the prices are pretty similar to a Boxster's. No surprise there.

I know Don personally. As a friend, I also understand his humor. Perhaps that hint of sarcasm and irony didn't come across with your first read. Though he's had some setbacks, he has enjoyed the car - trust me.

He has owned many models of Porsche. And let's face it - our cars, if not cared for, tend to deteriorate substantially - probably more than some 911's and 914's.

Incidentally, in the head-on shot of the car, you can notice a red dot (run group color) and a tech sticker on the inside rearview mirror. The tech sticker was designed by and printed by yours truly. <-- does that make me almost famous?!? :eek:

-Z-man.

That and it shows he abusing the car more than using it :)

They're made to handle your everyday average autocross or track event... But without care they will disassemble before you can grab your metric wrench set.

Perhaps you missed the first article in the series: "How not to Buy a 944".

There will be more to follow...

:)

I read that article, as another poster noted, it's more a story about the lack of a good pre sale examination. Only an idiot and cheapskate would cut Porsche rotors. Don't ever feel slighted, the truth is the 944 is a venerable automobile that carves up corners like Christmas turkey. The uninformed public thinks the 944 is too old to compete, they make that assuption at their own peril, on twisty highways a 44 is a sharpened tool. Lastly, I now have a Boxster and I love it but the slander didn't end. Now it;s "well it's a 2.5 so it sucks". The Boxster isn't a real Porsche and doesn't trace to the 550 as stated. In short whatever model you have someone will throw stones at it...

i thought the article was well written and i have had many of the same problems w/ my car(s). Its hard to write an article about problem youve had or to look out for without making the car look bad. When i had my 914 i wrote an article for the local PCA bent pylon magazine. After naming off a list in detail of things to look for and be careful of, the article sounded more like a slam on 914's than anything. Fact being, i really liked my car, they all have downsides or problems, i would like to see any car that age tracked without having similar problems or more!

I think that if he was really unhappy with the car ,he would not have spent the money fixing the wrongs.

That 914 is living quite comfortably, by the way. :) And you're right that any well-thought-out article about what to look out for in a car will start to look like a slam on it.

Honestly though, I say it's all for the better since it ultimately discourages owners who don't have the inclination, time, and money to take care of the cars and helps to make sure that there are only well-cared-for ones out there.