jhowell371

Most importantly timeless good looks, German engineering, superb build quality, the engine accessible and in the proper location. Many, many years ago I owned the original Turbocharged flat six rear engine car, a Corvair Spyder. I also had a Corvette at the same time. Being young and stupid I totaled the Corvette in bad front end collision I was glad the Corvette's frame and 327 were between me and the unmovable object. The Corvair's forward mounted gas tank may well have killed and cooked me. I still like Corvairs and am drawn to them at shows like a moth to a flame. just don't need another.

odurandina

That engine didn't burn oil. It leaked it.
Drove it from 17k to 116k always changing the oil. You could breathe from the exhaust.
It had a bad fan relay in the weeks before i blew it up.
i was too busy working even to have THAT replaced. It never overheated in any case.
i was 30 miles East of Fredricksburg, TX
Mental note: when i get to Fredricksburg to fill up, i gotta check the oil.
Forgot.
80 miles down the road past Kerrville, i was racing a Vette a few miles before Junction.
Looked down at the oil guage: reading zero.
let off the gas, put 'er in Neutral and shut off the car.
about 1/2 mile from Junction. Long walk. Filled it with oil.
turned it back on.
Knocking.
Halloween 1994. A ****ty late afternoon spent drinking shine under a strand of trees...
telling the rednecks: "If i had just remembered to check the oil at the last gasup."
i was thinking about a certain lady in Midland--instead.

Dan Martinic

It was time to replace the 1960 Beetle, so I went with one of their more complicated designs

PetePorsche

I was 19 and stupid, and had this paper route. One morning and saw this very ****ty old fainted red 85.5 944 on some guy's driveway while delivering the newspapers. I brought it up in a conversation with my mate in a bar while being totally pissed at 2 am. The next morning I get a call from said mate, and he tells me that the owner happens to be a friend of his boss, and that he was looking to sell it. So me being 19 and stupid thought it would be a cool car to own. So a few calls back and forth and I bought it for next to nothing. The real fun came when I had to get the belts done. I was thinking to myself: "How expensive could that possibly be?" Well I learned to work on the car myself after I got the receipt. And somehow I enjoy working on these over engineered machines so much that I now own 3 944's and a 968.

Tl;dr: I was 19, poor and stupid, thought it would be cool to own one and just did it.
I believe the belt receipt nearly got me hospitalized.

maspirito

I started out with a 1969 1600 BMW manage to put that into a tree. Then went to a Datsun 510, then to a Fiat 124, To a 356 T5 B That I paid $200 for that had been sitting on blocks for several years without a motor. Bought a new VW engine rebuilt the brakes and drove it for four years in veterinary school in italy.
Fast forward many years later after several 356s a 911 Carrera 1974, 1971 911 S, those are gone currently have a 18 GT 3, 1960 ROADSTER,
And last but not least a 944 tricked out for the track with a 525 hp LS three conversion.
Without a doubt the 944 is the most fun to drive on the track!

Swenny

I think that it was 1976 and this red sports car driven by a blond chick with big knockers about ran me over in the crosswalk. As I looked at the car driving by I saw "924" and I've been chasing her ever since.

ste1999

I bought my 968S about 15 years ago for use as my main car. I had an ‘87 944 Turbo at that time which was getting a little old for daily use and acquiring the ultimate development of that model line seemed the obvious and only way forwards under the circumstances. The car did not disappoint and the evolution through to the last 1995 model became immediately apparent. I bought it because it was simply the best in terms of engineering in that price range. The company trying to wrestle comparable handling from rear-engined Porsches, eventually preferred for marketing reasons, was amusing to watch. Inferior engineering for the sake of fashion. Now few outside our fraternity know just how good these cars were. My car took me to work for several years, ferried the kids etc. Sadly it eventually sat idle of the drive most of the time, once it got beyond reliable daily use. To cut a long story short I kept it just about running with minimal input, but after 25 years in the UK climate it had deteriorated badly. Fast forwards, 9 months work in the garage... Today, after months of engine and steering work, the new cambelt finally went back on. It’s sudenly just about possible to imagine it running again. Daily driver to restoration, who cares what it’s role is as long as it goes on, such engineering should be preserved.



Porsche 968S just after cambelt reinstall

UK_in_NY

Because I wanted something to mess around with from the 80's, and incredibly, my project 944 was cheaper than a C4 Corvette.
Plus I've always wanted one.