89magic98

You'd probably need limited slip / traction control standard.

Keep the rear two seats. Good for insurance purposes.

Also, keep the rear hatch - nice to have room for big stuff when you need it.

Also, a new 944 type model would need to still accomodate tall people, just like this one did. If you are taller than Gary Coleman, you're unlikely to be happy in a Boxter. I think a sunroof that retracts _into_ the body of the car wastes headroom, I think a piece of tinted glass that flipped up would be good enough.

Tom R.

Thank you Matt H. I've owned six RX7s. Two purchased new, one six months old, and a GSL-SE in 1996. When i had my 83 GSL my freind (who lived across the street) had an 84 ZX his dad had an 84 944 auto, and his mom had a 280SL among other cars. I spent a lot of seat time in all the cars.

The RX7 cost half as much to buy, and to insure (1500 yr vs 3000 yr. i know i priced it) as the 944. I was just out of college and able to afford a new RX7 while studying for the CPA. the RX7, and Zx cost us nothing to maintian, and i mean nothing. The name porsche we learned has the word poor in it for a reason.

im not gonna go into the driving styles of my buddy and me - two testosterone laded twenty somethings compared to his dad. guess which car was driven harder?

now to compare the 944 to the RX7. i owned a 1990 RX7 convertible at the same time i owned my 944 S2, and my 93 Legend Coupe (lets not forget my 68 firebird too). Argue what you want, but I drove three of the four cars in the same day more than once.

Build quality Acura, Mazda, Porsche, Pontiac
Reliability Acura & Mazda, pontiac, porsche
Comfort like seat quality, materials in interior, etc. Acura, Mazda, Porsche, Pontiac.
Perforance - straight line without flogging it Pontiac, Acura, Mazda & Porsche
Fun to drive Mazda & pontiac, porsche acura
Ejnoyable long drive Acura, mazda, porsche pontiac
The most important
Day to Day easiest to live with Acura& mazda, porsche, pontiac.

you are all allowed your opinion, but just like what i posted is my opinion they are opinions. just like the 89 Road & Track article that rated the 300ZX a little higher than the S2.

Given the choice between an NA and a GSL-SE in equally pristine condition, i would take the mazda in a minute. just a lot more fun to drive, and thats a solid axle car too.

Was the reason porsche almost went bankrupt in the 90s because the cars were too good? what was the reason?

'88-924S

remember that at the time the exchange rate was astronomical, Germany having a huge upperhand in the rate. I think that is one of the reasons for financial troubles, one of their biggest markets had to pay more dollars than comparable deustch(sp?) marks. I don't remember what the exchange rate was, maybe someone could chime in if they know.

Luis de Prat

Porsche could not compete labor hour to labor hour with the Japanese. That's why they brought them in to consult for them and now we have the Keizen-derived models that share so many parts, plasticky interiors, etc.

Mark Hubley

The last couple of posts (and I think some of the earlier ones) are right on about the Dollar/Deutschemark ratio. In the early '90s this ratio was very low. Combined with already high labor costs in Germany, Porsche found that prices of their cars in the US were getting way too high. I don't recall the actual numbers, but total Porsche sales in '92 were something like one-fourth of what they were in the mid '80s. Porsche was simply unprepared to deal with the recession that hit the US during the first Bush presidency.

Anyway, because of factors like this, you can't simply take the price of a 944 in 1990 and adjust for inflation. That doesn't come close to showing the whole story. The better way of looking at things, as many have already done, is to look at current competition.

Let's say a modern, 190 hp 4-cylinder 944 updated to todays standards. It simply has to go for less than a standard Boxster. In the high range of $3X,XXX.

A similarly updated 951, let's say with 270 hp. With a hardtop (no need for a cab with the Boxster out there?), a little less than a Boxster S.

Boxsters have sold well, and are still doing OK, so I think the comparison is appropriate. The idea that a slightly updated 944 would sell for over $60K is simply absurd. Inflation might put the price there, but nobody would buy it.

Matt H

Let's say a modern, 190 hp 4-cylinder 944 updated to todays standards. It simply has to go for less than a standard Boxster. In the high range of $3X,XXX.

At the end of the day this car doesnt get built, which is why this thread is pointless. If the car ever saw production it would have to have less power than the Boxster and the 911. Likely it would have to be a 3.0 or 3.1L there would only be a Turbo version and it would be in the 265HP range. If you add in the factors like having the Boxster, simply put they would never build it. The entirety of the thread is moot. Speculate all you want on price.
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jeeper31

Does anybody know what a 944 sold for in 1984?

Luis de Prat

MSRP was about US$18,500, but there were waiting lists for these cars and prices crept up.

Tom R.

hey, i fugured it out for you guys. why not just drew parallels to nissan.

in 89/90 the 300zx with 220 hp went for about 32k. today a 350zx with about 275 hp goes for about 32k.

guess that means the S2 that listed for abour 42k in 89 would list for about 42k in 03 with about 260 hp. just hope they could figure out a way to get a radio equal to what nissan offered in 90 for the 42k.

Mighty Shilling

there were waiting lists for the 944? no ****! that's cool...kinda

Tom R.

there were waiting lists in 83 and8 4 for the porsche and price gouging to match. there were waiting lists from 78-82 for the rx7 and price gouging to match. there were waiting lists in the early 70s for the 240z. i hear there are waiting lists for the GTO right now, and were for the crossfire a few weeks ago.

Mighty Shilling

aha. so it's really nothing special...I guess I'm just easily amused

Luis de Prat

Geez, Tom, can you flog the 944 any more? There really were waiting lists for these cars in 83 and 84. People loved the idea of buying a real Porsche for under US$20K, and many consumers put down a deposit and waited for delivery. It may have happened with other makes, but if you check back, the response to the 944 was the biggest ever for Porsche until the Boxster was released, 15 years later.

Tom R.

Luis,
how am i flogging the porsche? in 84 my buddys dad had to pay a lot more than sticker for his 944. he had to get the car in red instead of gold, get fuchs he didnt want, etc. because thats what the dealer told him he could get after waiting months.

the rx7 sold for about 25% over sticker in the first few years. mazda then put a spin in their ads claiming their cars were a better investment because it held a greater % of sticker than the z and some other competition.

i met a guy on 8th street in late 83, and he told me how the dealer flogged him on the sticker. I took my 85 rx7 to a friends lake house christmas day 84 and her dad drove my car, and if it had a back seat would have cancelled the order for his 944 (he had to replace his old 280z) and bought the rx7 because of the price gouging and the wait in 84.

in january 84 i bought a used 83 rx7 because of the wait. ten months later i bought a brand new 85 rx7 off the floor and got on trade what i paid for the 83.

re read what i wrote. we are saying the same thing.

the car with a list price of 18500 sold for 23000. people in 87 were getting what they paid for their 83s because the car practically doubled in price.

tifosiman

Right on, Luis.

Tifo