My mother had a couple of those cars as I was growing up. I forgot how ugly they were. She had one in silver then another in brown.

Wow the designs that American car makers got away with in those days...

 

No offense taken, but why did you get out of GTOs and high-dollar muscle cars to drive junk?

Also, my definition of junk is anything that can't reliably get from A to B. My car can go A to B at a bare minimum, so it has intrinsic value as transportation.

My car did cost $3000, and it needed a timing belt retension and a motor mount. I've never spent more than $300 on it (in parts, the 9201 tool cost more) at any one time, and the $300 was in preventative maintenance (ref sensors).

I defined it in my previous post as any low-end sports car sold against the 944. RX-7s, 300ZXs, etc. Even early C4 Vettes aren't really worth that much. I think it was just a low point in the auto industry, with low-tech computers and emissions controls. Cars from that era, as a whole, aren't desirable.

 

well nobody thought 1950 buick sedans would ever be worth **** - but a restored one now seems somewhat valuable - and with the amount of drivable 944's getting junked all the time I think its safe to say that it will be regarded as a classic in the long run. And it has much better lines and curves than the 914 ever did. unfortunately for u guys itll probably take too long to found out. im young and might live the 65 years to see it. : )

 

its sad to say but TOM R. is on the mark. the ONLY value our 944s have are the fact that for some, they are daily drivers and used as a tool (point a to B), for others, including myself, they are hobbies. Hobbies cost money and give you a reward of spending time and getting back something in return thats enjoyable. thats what the 944 means to me. It keeps from from drinking too much beer every weekend.

Ive owned my car for less than a year and POURED money into it, id venture to say, thousand, give or take. the car is worth SQUAT. maybe 3grand? its shiny, runs great, it cheers me up, makes me smile when im driving it. and thats the return i get. but really, were drivnig around cars that just arent worth a dime, and they arent worth the cost of the parts we put in them. But thats what a hobby is all about. enjoying YOURSELF. we do have a tight community here which was an added benefit of this hobby for me, because i do truely enjoy the community as much as i enjoy the car itself.

its sad to say, i love the looks of the car its too bad its not a classic. if it were, chances are i couldn't afford it. and its a bummer it'll never be a classic, just like that pacer...

 

Honestly, I don't really think a car is "junk" simply because it's not a 68 Ferrari 275 GTB. A $3,000 Saturn is also not "junk". I mean, I'm not a broke SOB, and I know everyone has a slightly different perception of reality... but I just don't see how someone could consider a running / driving car a piece of junk.



What I really tend to think about it is... I really don't think people "REALIZE" just how inexpensive a Porsche 944 is.

Seriously, think about it. I can't think of anyone who's ever felt that a Porsche (of any model) was a crappy car. Most people just don't ever consider the fact that a Porsche could be affordable. At my work, it came up that I own a Porsche, and everyone was like... "Oooh, ahhh..." and then I told them it was a 944, and that didn't seem to phase them one bit.

I just don't think that most people think to even LOOK for a Porsche for sale because of the caliber of vehicles that are normally associated with the brand.


Todd

 

I agree. It will never be a classic. However, VERY few Porsches (or other cars for that matter) are classics. In the long run, the 944 cars will appreciate as the numbers dwindle, as there is a (small) market for period cars. Even then, the values will just get a little better, I can’t see them appreciating in real value (and I mean the economic definition of real).

Someone over on the 964 forum said “New cars have warranties, old cars have enthusiasts” and I think that sums it up well. The above definition of these cars as a hobby is very fitting. To my way of thinking, I can’t understand why someone would NOT prefer a ~2 condition 951 over a new Civic for similar $, but that’s just it, my preferences are not typical/normal.

The parting of cars does not bother me. It is a purely economic inevitability. Nobody is parting truly pristine cars and those are the ones which may have some future value.

The shiny side of the coin here is that the current market situation has made it extremely reasonable for me to get into this hobby and enjoy one of the great pieces of “junk” of the 1980’s! (Not meant in a negative way Tom, I actually agree with everything you said here!)

 

Tom, I didnt know 928 prototypes went that cheap these days!

 

This is supposed to be a webpage full of enthusiasts and yet the majority would have no qualms parting out a perfectly good 944 just to make a quick buck. Absolutely disgusting. Please, sell your car to someone who appreciates it for what it is. I don’t care if a new civic can do 95% of what my 944 can do. I bought my 944 because I love the way it looks, feels, and drives. If you’re that insecure that you’re bothered by the fact that some kid in his riceboy clown car can beat you at a stoplight, it sounds like you own a 944 for the wrong reasons.

 

well said pcarfan!! thats really what it boils down to!

 

Who pissed in your cherios? By all means, if you want to take a loss when you decided to sell your car, please do so. If I had a car that I didnt think I could get my asking price for and knew I could sell an LSD trans for $1000, Sport Seats for $1000 and make another few thousand parting the rest out and come out $1000 ahead, I'd do it, every day or the week. No question. But you question my loyalty to the marque and to my car by saying I'm a cheap b**tard who would sell out to make a quick buck? Who the hell do you think you are? Your delusional if you think I'm going to lose money on a sale to keep one more 20 year old 944 on the road. There are thousands of them out there, it's helping the market, not hurting it.

 

I think some people here are buisness and economics majors. And others just dont look at things that way. Its a petty argument as to what the fate of the 944 is if you ask me.

 

I started another thread. https://rennlist.com/forums/924-931-944-951-968-forum/329708-anyone-near-me-thinking-of-parting-a-car.html
If someone near me is thinking of parting out a car, I'd like to propose a swap: my parts + ??? for your car.

 

If the riceboy in the ghetto'ed out Honda ever gets on my nerves... I've got my 81 TransAm with the Olds 455 cubic inch big block (550+ foot pounds of torque), or the Crown Victoria with too many modifications to list (Thinking about an Allen Supercharger as my next and final upgrade).

Anyway, I'm kind of a weirdo... I see cars as an artistic expression really... at least, a piece of art that's also functional. Like all art, some of it is just downright ugly, and some of it is timeless.

To me, the Porsche 944 body really is a timeless style. I don't really know of anyone that looks at a 944 and see's it as an 80s "cheese car". I don't know... I suppose that all I can do is do my part. There are those of us who are creators, and those of us who are destroyers. Our society needs both I suppose.


Todd,
2006 Pontiac Solstice
2002 Ford Crown Victoria LX-P74
1987 Pontiac Fiero SE / V6
1984 Porsche 944
1981 Pontiac TransAm WS6
1973 Volkswagen Type-2 Transporter

 

I dislike people who part the cars just because its stupid for anyone to expect anything involving cars to be a profitable situation. Cars are not an investment.

 

Parting cars can also be fun, just like putting one together.

and parting cars CAN be profitable, some people make a business out of it.

When a car has been wrecked beyond repair especially, because then its actually bringing some value to someone who gets to part it that it otherwise wouldnt have had.