ibkevin

... I needed a springboard to get a 951...

cie_lab

I was bored one day, saw one on e-bay with no reserve. sniped it w/4 seconds left. Couldn't believe it.

that's the short story...

The real story is that I've always loved Porsches. Have a bookshelf full of books about them (mostly 911). Drove a 911 when I was 19 and was truly amazed. Figured 944/951 was affordable now so I decided to relive my childhood. Didn't want to mess with old air-cooled 911. Not yet anyway.

FRporscheman

Why a 944? Because I found one for $875, and I already had experience changing the clutch on my mom's 944 so I knew I could handle it. Sold it 2 years later for $3400 for a net loss of $300. I was very happy with that.

Besides, for this price range you're either looking at something boring like a saturn, something ugly like a volvo, something slow like a mercedes, or something ricey. Given a low budget, choosing a 944 means you're cool.

SD Porsche Fan

I sold my 280ZX the week we got married. Told my soon to be bride that I would own a sports car again someday and that there probably wouldn't be anything she could do to talk me out of it.

12 years later I saw an '83 944 for sale. Brought back a lot of memories from the 80s and my love of cars. Decided it was time. Shopped for 2 full years. Looked at Z3s, Miatas, 300ZXs, etc. The 944 I saw was still for sale and I had no idea what they were valued at. Thought that any Porsche must be expensive.

Couldn't get the 944 out of my mind so I started researching them. Everything I read told me about their balance, braking and, if well maintained, their reliability. Found Kevin Gross's web site and he directed me towards Rennlist. Posted a thread about my desire for a 944 or 951. A lister sent me a link to the PCA classifieds where my 951 was listed. I had it bought in 2 months! That was three years ago! These are great cars! I will own a newer Porsche someday but the 944 is something special!

Matt Sheppard

After owning north of seven 914's, I saw a white 944 pull into the shop I was working in that was for sale. It sold before I could get the $$ together, but sent me searching. I used to read the Porschelist in digest form for 914's and ported over to 944's - read all I could. Bought my first waterpumper, a 924S, for $1K and put another $4K into it selling it 3 years later for a $2K loss. Went to Canada on my honeymoon with that car!

I got a ride in a turbo and I was determined from then on that it was what I ultimately wanted. I had a few "opportunities" to buy some cheap 951's along the way, all of them tattered and leaky and bad ideas - really glad I looked the other way. I found a good 86 951 in San Diego for $3250 - rough body, salvaged and 270K miles but with 8" and 9" fuchs - really well maintained - bought it without a PPI. To this day it has been the most reliable 951 I have ever owned; truly a wonderful automobile, appearance aside. I parted it out but still have the motor from that car. I'm on my 4th 951 now and am looking forward to a 968 someday.

82-T/A

I got terribly drunk, and hopped on eBay one night...

The story unfolds here: 1984 Porsche 944


Todd,
2006 Pontiac Solstice
2004 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible
2002 Ford Crown Victoria LX-P74
1987 Pontiac Fiero SE / V6 (3.2)
1984 Porsche 944
1981 Pontiac Trans Am WS6 (Olds 455)
1973 Volkswagen Type-2 Transporter (1800cc)

Luis de Prat

Back in 1982 "Dr. Porsche invited me to test drive the newest Porsche." (A magazine ad that was printed at the time)

I didn't have the means to accept until 1994, but once I drove that 83 944 I knew it was the car I wanted.

ccaarmerciill

My first 944, found it in a want ad for sale for only $1,000... It was an 89 N/A beige exterior and burgandy inteior. When i stopped by to take a look I found it sitting in an old barn, with the passenger side window down and off the track, it sat for two years prior.. had a broken in half 924 GT front bumper dry rotted tires, dead battery. And a very gross and moldy interior with old food wrappers everywhere. With a little work and only about $2,000 spent over the course of that winter all the needed work done myself , I brought it back to being road worthy. Before I went to bootcamp i decided to sell it, I truley do miss her... despite the rust and 170,000 miles... somehow sold it for $3,000 < picture of it up at Lake George... looks similar to my early 944 eh??

mark_uss

i saw one when i was in high school was 16 yaers old..it was the first porsche i had ever seen...since the last years had pass 8 years ..and belive me i had never forget about my dream ...now i have the only 944 in town and it FEELS SO GOOOD... it a dream come true..

roman944

always wanted a 911, but they are a bit pricey, really want one from lmid 70's or '99

got a 944 because my cousin had one, I got to drive it a couple of times, and I loved how it handled, loved the ride, so I decided that some day I'll get one - that day came about 1.5 years later, and I've been a happy owner for the last 3 months now; I wanted a car on that I wanted - none of that "practical/not practical" bull****; I wanted a car I could modify, I wanted a coupe, manual, and RWD;

I was looking at either late 70's BMW 2002, or late 80's BMW 3-series coupe, a late 70's Datsun 280z, or a 944; up here I had very little luck finding a decent shaped car with an affordable price tag, and I've been eyeing this 944 for about 6 months untill I finally e-mailed the guy on craiglist, turned out he had 2 944's and both for sale, the blue and the red; blue one idled kind of funny, had a PS leak and a couple of other little things, the red one ran fine, had brand new wheels and tires, and NO PS - so that's what I went with;

as far as the year of the car, I told myself that this time I will buy what I want and how I want, and I'll keep this car untill forces of nature take it away from me, other then that, I'll just keep fixing it up/upgrading it, forever, so i decided to get a car that's the same age as me, and ended up buying this 1983 red 944 n/a 5spd - everything I wanted is here: A/C, 5spd, RWD, no PS, all POWER, removable roof, 2dr, 2str (pretty much), most of all, it's a Porsche

from this point on, I don't ever plan to get rid of it, and only add other cars to the stable; right now I've been trying to hunt down a 280z or a 3-series, but very little luck, looks like I'll have to travel far to get one for a decent price/condition, so maybe I'll buy another 944 come spring!

and I haven't forgotten the 911! I've seen '99-2000 go for just under $30k, so in next few years my plan is to finally get one! or if a good deal shows up on mid 70's 911 - undecided on what package I want - I'll do that instead, those are my most favorite cars ever!

Smoker324

What other mid-late 80's vehicle are worth fixing up?

I asked myself that question and considering cost of the exoctics -- the 944 is the only real choice...

-Dan C.

VanhireBoys

Why did I buy my 951...?
A friend had a 1990 LHD German Porsche 944 Turbo in Guards Red with Black leather. It was the 250bhp with LSD and this was 1994..... I never sat in anything like it ....! We went out on a wet night and it was unbelieveable.....! He got rid of it 6 weeks later... the headgasket and clutch were gone due to abuse....! After that I wanted one.....!

The local BMW dealer had an Almond Beige 951 for a number of years. When I started driving in 1991 I used to see it parked at the dealership gleaming. He sold it to his nephew who had it for 6 or 7 years and never used it. My brother saw it in the nephews shed and had to have it.... His missus fell pregnant and it had to go ... TO ME......! I had just bought a house and had cash saved to do it up... I bought the 951 7 years ago now and never regretted one minute.......!

billthe3

I wanted to get a fun to drive car because my dad was bitching about me being harsh with his 7 series. Wanted german because I have a general dislike of japanese imports and the car needed to handle as well as and be faster than my friends e36 m3. Worked for a year and a half and ended up buying one on ebay sight unseen, having never even touched a 944 or looked closely at one previous to my picking the car up.

alex

GPa Gary brought a 928S home when I was 4. Uncle Bret & Uncle Brad both had 944s when I was about 5. Uncle Bret then had a 928S/S4 (tail end body kit) when I was about 12/13. He also had a beat up 85.5 later on, and Uncle Cody (who is younger than I am) has a dark blue 928 GT.

Uncle Bret decided it was 'lame' that I wasn't going to have a car when I turned 16, so in exchange for driving my cousins to school (I was supposed to work for him also- he was an attorney, but not the way you think of attorneys), he surprised me with a beautiful white 84 944 w/ only 63,500 mi on it a couple months after I turned 16 (in 1996). Things ended up going sour (lost an engine) in that one a few years later with about 120k on it. It took about 6 months before I found my burgundy-ish 85.5. One of the aforementioned cousins insisted I sell it to him (I bought it from the worst Porsche mechanic ever) even though I knew it was on its last legs. He ran it out of oil 2 days later, never got paid.

I drove a 96 civic for a little while (stock except stereo) as I commuted back and forth to OC for school. Wife totaled it, shortly after graduation.

It was time for another car I enjoyed driving. Even my wife (who I've known since 10th grade) said that I belonged in a Porsche. So about a year ago I picked up a cheap hi mi 88. I had all kinds of visions as to what I was going to do with it, but I think for now I'll stick to getting the front end fixed up and steering/suspension unbent.

I hope my next one is either a nice late model 944 turbo (s or 89+) or a 968. Hell, if the right shark came along, like my uncles GT... I'd be game.

SwiftyZenBadd

I saw one when I was 16 and thought it was the shiznit! 7 years later my buddy drove one home to show his g/f, told her he was gonna buy it(joke). Then later in that week, him and I went and I traded this dude my car for the 944.