Porsche16V944

I choose the c5 Z06 out of that list!!! 405HP with endless mods for half the price of Porsche mods for under $30,000

Van

IMHO, a 993, while very beautiful, is about the same vintage with the 951. I've driven them and been disappointed (in fact, I was looking at 993s before buying my 996).

And, IMHO, a 996 GT3 doesn't need any suspension to "just get in and drive" - even on the track. I'd say the 2 most rewarding street cars I've driven on the track - this is in completely stock trim - have been a 996 GT3 and a Lotus Exige S.

To the OP's comments, people buy ratty 924/944s because they are the cheapest Porsches they can afford. They want to buy the Porsche name and realize they can do that for under $1k. Realistically, most of those cars are junk and hardly worth being parts cars - and they drag the rest of the good cars down.

With the age of 944s, you don't buy one because you have $1,500 to spend on your first car and you and you need to get to work/school. You buy one because you want a project and something a little unique - maybe they remind you of your coming to age (is it a coincidence that I got my license in the '80s and I love 944s?); maybe you like the flexibility of a rather robust turbo engine; maybe you've had the pleasure of driving one on the track; maybe you're a sadist. Point is: these are not practical cars - in any circumstances! There are better track cars (though not much) and there are better forms of general transportation.

But when you get to open your garage and see this and your emotions all come tumbling out like a school girl's, then you know a 944 might be the right car for you.

odurandina

nice garage, Van.

Mike C.

Let's face it, the economics of owning one of these cars requires owner wrenching. Otherwise, it is far too easy to spend way more than the car is worth. As TD pointed out, wrenching all day can become less appealing as one gets older and has other interests. Also, if you're going to compare them to late model sports cars it's apples & oranges. We are talking about 20 year old (average) sports cars. You don't see them on the road all that much anymore (in the north east anyway) which, in my view, makes them more interesting. My 85 NA is still fun to drive and it has been a reliable car but I have owned it since 88 and the scheduled maintenance has always been kept up.

BlackOp

Yeah...I was thinking about this today. I have seen maybe eight N/A's, one 951, two 968s and one 928 since I bought mine 3 1/2 years ago. This is in a city of 8+ million. That is the one thing I take pride in...having something unique. I would miss that in a M3...

pettybird

It's definitely this formula:

bad starting point+doesn't know what they're getting into+not enough mechanical talent+parts sticker shock+unrealistic expectations.

Add in any kind of purchasing power to get something off of the aforementioned list, and the 944 is doomed. It's old, slow and quirky (and I say that in the nicest terms...I do like my cars a lot) and stuff breaks. If you're not prepared for that eventuality, it gets old, fast.

The 951 is a special case, and mine isn't going anywhere. Until I can afford a 996, that is.

odurandina

in Nov. '91 i got a 1987 944S. and this was quite a joy to drive until i blew it up in oct, 1994... the car had a slow oil leak and i got really busy for several weeks driving 150 miles each day from Austin to Burnet to work. i was also in quite a steamy romance at this time with one of the most beautiful women in Texas.... during this time, i kept getting gas and forgetting to check the oil. after several weeks of this sillyness, i took a few days off from work and set out after one weekend to drive out to Midland and stay with "Victoria," until what would be her birthday, and also to meet her family (as she had temporarily moved back to West Texas)....

around 11 am on Halloween Day, i hopped onto Ben White Blvd and state highway 290 to head through the Hill Country.... driving through Dripping Springs toward Johnson City, i again thought about the oil.... this time, i would fill up at a certain gas station just outside of Fredricksburg (which also happens to be the last gas before "Junction")where the stations begin to get really "sparse..." (Junction, Sonora, Ozona, etc) and this time, be SURE to check the oil.... i got the gas, but lovestruck "Dumbass" had forgotten once again, to check the oil. i proceeded to drive the remainder of the country highway at very high speed... and upon jumping on i-10, just outside of Kerrville, i hooked up with a Vette and we started some high-speed cruising at about 125~130 mph... about 20 miles down the road, and about 1 mile outside of Junction, i suddenly remembered i had forgotten to check the oil.... i looked at the guage and sure-enough, it was reading zero. i took my foot off the gas, put the car in neutral, and shut it off but, too late. after filling up with oil, i turned the car back on and there was an engine knock from a failed rod bearing.....

it was a few years later before i got my next P-car, (w/ 8 cylindars) which turned out to be an extremely expensive car, and i eventually sold that... about 3 years ago i picked up a really clean 968 which had been babied by the previous owner who got the car new at age 65. at age 77 he sold it to me. after driving the car about 40,000 miles i got the 100,000 mile service done. i've also done some upgrades and have had nothing but good fortunes with the car.

JohnKoaWood

Um.. I hate to say it, but I do all my own wrenching, with very few exceptions, and have WAY more into either car then they could sell for, but I wouldn't go so far as to say I have more in them then they are worth...

JohnKoaWood

Funny, I am considering keeping the 951, and selling the N/A to get a 996...

ZR8ED

I didn't buy my 944 as a performance machine. I bought mine simply for the driving pleasure of a fun, good looking retro 80's, great handling sporty convertable. Our streetracing laws have really taken the fun out of highpowered cars, and the fear of vehicle confiscation, loss of license, huge fines and possible jail time, and the presumption of guilt until proven inocent have just made it not worth the risk.

It's a bit odd how this thread has turned around and guys are admitting that they don't really want their 944, but would rather have something else. Its going to scare off the newbies.

pettybird

I like my 944's a lot, especially at their price point. Progress marches on at Porsche, though, and they make some REALLY nice stuff these days. They're great cars for what they are, but they are toys, and we always want newer, shinier ones!

JohnKoaWood

If I didnt love my 944 it would have been gone a long time ago, and it sure wouldn't be getting 2K in work right now...

BUT

I do have a life, and having it spend protracted amounts of time on stands waiting for outsourced parts or labor is becoming exhausting...

I am now into my 4th week of down time because of a leaking head gasket... I dont half *** it, and won't just slap it back together.. but at the same time, I am tired of working every weekend to try to ensure I can make it to the next weekend... it is old, and I believe it might be time to move on..

However time will tell, after this go around, there will not be a system I haven't rebuilt.. so it SHOULD be good for a very long time...

Van

LOL - they made REALLY nice stuff back in the day, too.

I was talking to my father about it - he has an early 80s jaguar... Every so often he thinks about getting rid of it, so he makes a list of the pros and cons. The con side is always about a page long and includes the price and availability of parts, the number of times it's needed a road-side fix, the fact that local mechanics won't touch it with a 10 foot pole, how he has to be careful where he parks it, always has to wash it off after it's been in the snow, etc.

The pro list usually has just 2 items: it's aesthetically beautiful; and when he drives it, he "feels like a king".

It's like the Mastercard ads - it provides something priceless that makes up for all of it's other misgivings.

944s are the same way. When you drive one, even a NA on the street, you not only feel cool, but you fell like race car performance is at your beck and call.

Arominus

I like my 924s, but i have been tempted to get a boxster at some point. That said i'm going through my current car and dealing with its age/mileage issues. I don't really feel the car is a lot worse for maintenance than other cars i've had. Its just got some parts that make me cringe when i see the price tag! I still buy them though, and my car keeps getting better and better.

J Berk

My first 944 was an 84 beater....sold it for the S2 I have now.

Bought the S2 from a lister who had several in various states of repair...mine ran and was in decent shape but needed lots of regular maint. work done and I was too smiten to know to ask for records.

I bought the car right...but spent 2x the purchase price to get it where I wanted it and was comfortable tracking it.

Now that that is done, it's very reliable and does not need a whole lot of attention for the amount of driving I do.

I have resisted doing much in the way of mods so that I keep a balance between street and track.

One day I'll get something else for the street (been looking at 996's casually but still a few years off)...and at that point I'll gut the S2 and turn it into a track car.

I have no regrets...I love the car...it's a blast to drive both on and off the street and at this point, other than the occasional electrical gremlin (mostly sunroof related) it is trouble-free.

Total investment in about 4 years is roughly $16k including purchase price.