[CatsEyes]

I have an '80 911 SC and an '86 N/A 944 (see sig below). I split my driving between the two of them, partly depending upon the purpose of the trip (as previous posters have pointed out, the 944 has much more cargo space), and partly simply on mood.

I live 1000m up in the Mountains to the west of Sydney, Australia, and have to drive long distances to work and back, to visit friends etc. I find both cars completely reliable and capable for this purpose - albeit that I spent a good couple of years fixing the 944's many PO-induced ailments before it did become reliable.

Much of my driving is through twisties, and I've come to enjoy both cars for different reasons in those places. The 944's handling is perfectly balanced and neutral; the 911's is of course rear-weighted and somewhat eccentric. But both handle superbly in their very different ways, in my view, and each has attributes that lift them above most of the folks who (all day, every day) seem to want to race me through those places.

Specifically, each accelerates reliably through the corners with much more confidence than most sports cars, old and new - even if the 911 is much harder work on the driver in those conditions than the 944. (The absence of power steering doesn't help!)

The 944 does feel somewhat fragile after the heft and build quality of the 911, though. And I feel guiltier about over-driving it. Also, regardless of those published figures, my (Euro spec) 911 SC is clearly much quicker than my (Euro spec) N/A 944.

Two very different cars: it's as if I have to re-learn each car after driving the other one. And yet there's something about the precision of steering and handling that makes them feel members of the same 'family'.

So much fun...