Can anyone give me a rough estimate of what a new, base model 944 would have cost in the USA in 1988?

I don't need to know the exact MSRP. Just a ballpark estimate.

 

I think in 1986 they were about twenty grand.

I have the receipt for my 1986 somewhere.

 

Thanks

 

That's about $46,000 in 2019 dollars.

 

Not what you asked but my 1986 928 cost over $50,000 when it was new. Whew! Makes the 944 look like one heck of a bargain.

 

That's about $116,000 in 2019 dollars. I always liked the 928's, but they were forever out of reach for me.

 

The window sticker MSRP for a 1986 944 in NY, USA was $24,500 + options you selected + vehicle prep and destination charges

 

I don't know about that.. I have a 1979 928 and parking it next to my 1987 924S (which is fairly close to the 944) - the two cars are worlds apart. The 928 makes the 924 seem like a basic stripped out go cart in comparison. I love both cars for what they are but one of them is 8 years older and has 16 way power adjustable seats and 4 zone climate control along with many other features that aren't standard even on 2019 cars.

One feels like a fun little sports car built on a shoe string budget and the other oozes luxury, performance and futuristic design.

 

My first reply of $20K was a little bit off!

Price was $26,300!

+ lotsa tax.

According to an online inflation calculator (and who knows how accurate they are)
"What cost $28,500 in 1986 would cost $65,860 in 2018."

 

My window sticker is $26K and change.

 

Your estimate for the 2018 price is a good one. I used the CPI-AUC for 2019 (about 255), divided by the 1986 figure of 110.

 

This thread has some good context. https://rennlist.com/forums/924-931-...-stickers.html

I believe the info listed in post #14 is for a base 944 in 1988 at $32,000. That sounds about right. The value of the dollar vs. the Deutsche Mark dropped pretty hard between 86 and 87 and is at least one of the drivers for the price hike. I'm just quoting round numbers, but it was somewhere in the neighborhood of 20%. My 87 turbo listed at around $47K, but then was discounted back down to around $39K. I have to imagine Porsche was having a hard time moving cars that cost 20% more one year than they did the year previous. The stock market here in the U.S had a huge correction in October 87 when the Dow lost nearly 20% of its value in one day!

 

Another interesting thing: $66,000 is close to the price of a new, base-model Cayman, Boxster, or Macan.

 

They weren't cheap. My 1992 968 stickered for $60,363. That's $111,000 today!

 

There is a reason the Japanese clobbered Porsche to the brink of extinction in the 90s. The value of the Mark was a big factor. Price a 300ZX compared to Jeff's 968. New technology v something that started life in 1977. The reality probably is the cars were deeply discounted to move them off the lot.

Where can we get a set of "handling bars"? Glad the salesman was up on technical terms.