Guys- start buying 944s

[m962b]

Seriously. Here's why:

Valuewise, you get a lot of car for about $3,000. That's less than a nice stereo system, or a good set of race tires.

Plus, they are good cars if cared for the way that we prefer to care for our Porsches.

And, it will bring the price of sc's back to sub 16k.

The beauty of porsche is that it is a functional car that is attainable and bomb proof.

Price is set by us. The buyers. Let the speculators drown themselves in $45k sc and $55k 3.2s with over 150k miles.

Buy 944s. Great gas mileage. Porsche craftsmanship.
And a chance I can buy my absolute dream car.

Do it......please.

It's my last plea!

[Nick Triesch]

The regular 944 only had 150 H.P. The really nice 89 944S2 only had 162! To rebuild the motor cost more than the car is worth. Road and Track did a used car classic article on the 944 and the 928. Just not worth it except in only a few models. I loved these cars in the 80's. I wanted one. But there is a reason they cost so little today.

[Rapewta]

It is bad enough that since 1998 (actually way earlier) rear and mid engine porches became
water cooled. The 944 is a bargain but not a traditional design.
I like 'em. Just don't want one. The 911 is what most Porche lovers consider a Porsche.
I do think the 924/944/968/928/914 are all cool. If you can get one dirt cheap (They are Porsches) get one.

[Uncle Enzo]

Originally Posted by pmax

If you ever want an sc below 20k, now would be a good time before they are completely out of your reach.
They are still a good buy, both in terms of value and fun for the money !

Here's one at 16k you didn't buy.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-marketplace-discussion/830440-bargain-83-sc-coupe.html

so ..... enough with the whining.

I live in the area this car was being sold and another local fellow went to check it out and this is what he said

"Just saw this thread - I went to look at the car while it was listed. Not a deal, just a big project. The guy was a serious car guy with his own shop including paint booth in his house, restored and sold cars, and was still not interested in doing the work to finish it after having it for a long time.

Paint job(which he did not do) was a little rough. Engine had a wildly fluctuating idle, likely because it was missing an O2 sensor, and had some oldschool aftermarket auxiliary injector fuel management system that had been removed, but not entirely. Various parts were not put back together on the car, and it had not driven on public roads in 5 years (nor would he allow a full test drive). The part that really scared me off was that the entire underside of the engine was wet with oil, likely from multiple sources.

The only good bit was that it was a pretty solid chassis and a Euro model SC, but way too big of a project for $16k. "

You get what you pay for.

[SilberUrS6]

Originally Posted by Uncle Enzo

You get what you pay for.

While it may not be the same guy, pmax = PML.

[OK-944]

I wonder how many folks who consider the 911 to be "the only real Porsche" have actually had the pleasure of driving a decently maintained 944?

[hbueno]

Originally Posted by OK-944

I wonder how many folks who consider the 911 to be "the only real Porsche" have actually had the pleasure of driving a decently maintained 944?

My guess is none. Plenty of people love to spout their uninformed opinions in public

Hugo

[McLovin]

Originally Posted by Nick Triesch

The regular 944 only had 150 H.P. The really nice 89 944S2 only had 162! y.

Actually, the 944s2 has 208 HP. About the same powered to weight as a 911sc or carrera.

The biggest problem with the s2 is they are hard to find, esp in good condition. There were only a few thousand sent to the u.s.

With their Turbo body and brakes and 208 HP 3.0, they are a very different car than the early, 143 HP 944.

[ficke]

Originally Posted by OK-944

I wonder how many folks who consider the 911 to be "the only real Porsche" have actually had the pleasure of driving a decently maintained 944?

I have owned and enjoyed a 944.
It is a good car, like so many other good front engined water cooled cars such as made by nissan, toyota, BMW, Chevrolet, Ford, Afla, etc. and there's the rub it is not hugely different compared to other cars of the time.
A 911 has no peers and will be valued for that if nothing else.
A 944 is just another good car like so many others like it, made by so many other manufactures.
If a 944 had Toyota badging would you like it as much?
or is it because it is a affordable Porsche that it is desired?
If it cost as much as a 911 would you buy it over a 911?

[dienstuhr]

Originally Posted by m962b

Seriously. Here's why:

Valuewise, you get a lot of car for about $3,000. That's less than a nice stereo system, or a good set of race tires.

Plus, they are good cars if cared for the way that we prefer to care for our Porsches.

And, it will bring the price of sc's back to sub 16k.

The beauty of porsche is that it is a functional car that is attainable and bomb proof.

Price is set by us. The buyers. Let the speculators drown themselves in $45k sc and $55k 3.2s with over 150k miles.

Buy 944s. Great gas mileage. Porsche craftsmanship.
And a chance I can buy my absolute dream car.

Do it......please.

It's my last plea!

"Buy a 944 so I can afford a 911!!!"

Interesting economic theory!

d.

[christiandk]

Originally Posted by Nick Triesch

The regular 944 only had 150 H.P. The really nice 89 944S2 only had 162! To rebuild the motor cost more than the car is worth. Road and Track did a used car classic article on the 944 and the 928. Just not worth it except in only a few models. I loved these cars in the 80's. I wanted one. But there is a reason they cost so little today.

163 for a normal 2.5, 190 for the S and 211 for the S2. And then we have the 951. Having owned several I never cared much for the engine. It is rough and not happy to take revs.

The 928 is another story, though! My friend just stole a very nice puple (964 rs color) GT with sport seats and all....freaking cool car.

[christiandk]

<div class="pre-quote">
Quote de <strong>Uncle Enzo</strong>
</div>

<div class="post-quote">
<div style="font-style:italic"><br>
You get what you pay for.</div>
</div>While it may not be the same guy, pmax = PML.

Amen

[dad911]

Originally Posted by OK-944

I wonder how many folks who consider the 911 to be "the only real Porsche" have actually had the pleasure of driving a decently maintained 944?

Originally Posted by hbueno

My guess is none. Plenty of people love to spout their uninformed opinions in public

Hugo

I have owned street and tracked 'well maintained' 944, 944S, and 944turbo. Good cars, too expensive to maintain, and if the #2 bearing or head goes, it's not worth fixing. Maintenance is more expensive. I doubt I'd buy another.

Yes, a real porsche (because of the logo) but IMHO having owned them all, a boxster better bang for the buck, and a 911 is more of a 'real Porsche'.

More likely those spouting the virtues of a 944 have not owned or driven a well maintained 911.

[christiandk]

Boxster never have never will. Guess I am not man enough to drive a girls car that looks like a power boat. Looks like my brothers Sea Ray 240 shaggy cabin.

[Nick Triesch]

The 944 is a great handling car. Looks cool. Just cost too much to fix. Interesting what you say about the Boxster. It is one of the best handling cars in the world at any cost. I see you had a 924! Now that is a girls car! My 67 VW bug was faster than those cars!

[black_falcon]

944's are so cheap, the way I look at it, is that you get to drive a magnificent car and only have to worry about paying the cost of maintenance. No depreciation or huge initial investment to purchase.

Find a sorted car with the list of "gotchas" addressed and you'll have a car you can seriously rely on and will run 300-500k. Yes if maintained the motors and bodies are that good. Kind of like Porsche's version of the 80's diesel Mercedes.

I think the "too expensive to maintain" is a little sensationalized, mine has been very reliable outside preventive maintenance and the know weak spots, and cost no more for parts/labor than any other Mercedes/BMW/Audi that I've owned.

Build quality on par with my 964 and better than the Boxster. Driving a well kept example is an eye opener.

[Nick Triesch]

The 944's are so cheap because they are so bad. Did you ever notice most guys that had one installed a dash cover to hide the exploded dash. The dash would crack before your eyes! The interiors fell apart. German junk.

[McLovin]

They are interesting cars. I've had an early one, and currently have an S2.

They were, IMO, significantly improved over the years. The interior upgrade in '85.5 was huge. Both for style, and quality. I really dislike the early square interior, it's just too thin and cheap. But the later one is quite nice, even by modern car standards.

The S2 has enough power, it accelerates as quickly as a 911SC.

I've found that mechanically they are pretty solid. The injection system is the same Bosch Motronic system used on the 84-89 Carrera (and millions of other cars). Good, reliable system.

There only seem to be 2 "issues" with the 944, both of which are kind of a pain, but not huge, IMO.

The first is the clutch and torsion tube. The bearings in the torsion tube can go bad, and it's a bit of a chore to replace them. Related, the clutch takes more work than most to replace. But if you can change a 911 clutch, you can change a 94 clutch. If you took a weekend to replace the clutch, pull the torsion tube and have the bearings replaced, and put it back together, you'd be able to go 100,000+ miles without having to do it again.

The second are the big end rod bearings. I've never had an issue, but it does seem that if the engine has one weakness, it's the rod bearings. But, they seem to go 150K miles or more, sometimes a lot more, at least if the car has been maintained and not horribly abused.

And, if you wanted to be safe, you could drop the oil pan and change out the bearings on a Saturday, and be done with it.

It's like anything with cars, though. You have to want it. I know as a car crazed teen growing up in the 80s, I really, really wanted a 944.

And even today, I think the 944, esp. the Turbo/S2 bodied versions, is one of the best looking sports cars ever made. The small size, box flares, etc. look great to me.

[Matt Monson]

I owned a 924s. I call it a narrow body 944. I loved the balance of the and it was even fabulous in the snow. But I don't like the 944 enough that I would really consider buying another one.

Now a 968 or Mid to late 928 GT variant? I'd drive one of those and keep it around long term.

[black_falcon]

Originally Posted by Nick Triesch

The 944's are so cheap because they are so bad. Did you ever notice most guys that had one installed a dash cover to hide the exploded dash. The dash would crack before your eyes! The interiors fell apart. German junk.

Go park your 911 in the sun and the dash will do the same thing.