How about a Porsche 944?

[Ralphie]

So has anyone here ever owned one?

They have always caught my eye, but never paid much attention to them.

Then we moved, and I noticed a red one sitting dormant around the corner.

Then a week later, Keepingitclean picked up an 84 in his hometown that is outright gorgeous.

So I got intrigued, and thought that the one sitting dormant by me might make a good project.

I did some research out of boredom, and saw that this particular Porsche around the corner had been sitting since at least 2007. That is 10 years lol.

So I thought maybe they would let it for for a few hundred bucks, and id have a cool old car to restore.

Well long story short, its an automatic, so there went that. Also an up close inspection, wayyyyy too much work, when there are driveable ones all over my area for 3-9k.

So im about 5 yrs out from being in a position to buy one, but just wanted to see if anyone here had any input, good or bad.

I did reading, and I know Porsche gets a lot of flak.

The 80's 944, which was an inline 4, was about 130 HP I think at most.

The turbos were more, but also fetch way more than id want to spend.

So not the fastest, as im sure my Accord could beat it, but the handling and driving is supposed to be pretty sweet, and I just love 80's cars.

Also I see people swap LS1's into them, netting 350HP with no mods.

I thought an inline 6 would be better, as it would be a more modern power band, and not so gas hungry.

People really don't report a lot of problems with them, and they seem pretty reasonable to maintain.

almost perfect weight distribution.

I know clutch jobs are a pain in the ass, but how often do you do those? every 60k?

Just toying with ideas.

Some real clean examples in my area. PA, VA etc.

[CyborgGT]

Only you are going to know how much you want to take one on. Find a forum and lurk the hell out of it to get used to common problems and other complaints, project ideas, etc. I'm looking into picking up a 987.1 Cayman in about three years (I am not feeling another project on the level of the CB!), so I've done just that and made a hangout out of what I'm hearing is the premier Cayman/Boxster forum. Granted, it's a Cayman/Boxster "because you can't afford a 911," so they puff themselves up a bit and gloss over imperfections, but after a while you get used to the common base facts.

What flak are you hearing about Porsche, though? From what I've picked up, they seem to be built as well as Hondas. A couple quirks here and there, some blown out of proportion (*cough*IMS*cough*), but they generally sound like tanks. Parts prices at RockAuto are looking about the same as my Acura, too.

[deevergote]

The shop around the corner from me restores (lightly) and sells 944s. The owner knows quite a bit about them. They’re appreciating rapidly. Especially the turbos.

911 purists will always hate on anything that’s not a 911. Be prepared to hear “nice VW” from the snobs. But the 944 is a fantastic car. You will certainly encounter regular issues associated with old cars, regardless of build quality. It will be a bit more than your average tuner car, but they’re not terrible to maintain and repair. They’re quite tight to work on, though. Don’t expect a roomy “old car” engine bay!

You might also want to look at a 964 or 928. Or if you go newer, 996 or Cayman. Good examples of all should be in the sub-20k range. Drivers, not garage queens.

[AccordWarrior]

The shop around the corner from me restores (lightly) and sells 944s. The owner knows quite a bit about them. They’re appreciating rapidly. Especially the turbos.

911 purists will always hate on anything that’s not a 911. Be prepared to hear “nice VW” from the snobs. But the 944 is a fantastic car. You will certainly encounter regular issues associated with old cars, regardless of build quality. It will be a bit more than your average tuner car, but they’re not terrible to maintain and repair. They’re quite tight to work on, though. Don’t expect a roomy “old car” engine bay!

You might also want to look at a 964 or 928. Or if you go newer, 996 or Cayman. Good examples of all should be in the sub-20k range. Drivers, not garage queens.

The 964 is still an air cooled 911 and has been appreciating just as fast as the rest, unfortunately.

I keep going back and forth and back and forth with the 944. From some angles they look so, so good and others, not so much.

I waver between the 944 Turbo and the 968. The 968 with the right set of wheels is mouth watering. I had given it serious consideration before I bought the C5 but ultimately the targa won out.

[Ralphie]

The shop around the corner from me restores (lightly) and sells 944s. The owner knows quite a bit about them. They’re appreciating rapidly. Especially the turbos.

911 purists will always hate on anything that’s not a 911. Be prepared to hear “nice VW” from the snobs. But the 944 is a fantastic car. You will certainly encounter regular issues associated with old cars, regardless of build quality. It will be a bit more than your average tuner car, but they’re not terrible to maintain and repair. They’re quite tight to work on, though. Don’t expect a roomy “old car” engine bay!

You might also want to look at a 964 or 928. Or if you go newer, 996 or Cayman. Good examples of all should be in the sub-20k range. Drivers, not garage queens.

does this shop have a name?

Thats interesting, because I did not see any older Porsches for sale in South Jerzee when I was looking. Mostly PA/VA/MD and then NY and IL and MI

But the ones I did find, were good examples that ranged between $2000-9k.
Not bad!

As far as the 964 or 928, I cant get past the "bug eyes" headlight look. With the 944, the pop up headlights are always a big hit on any platform, and just add to the 80s look.

This is my #1-
Red with the black wheels with chrome lip.

If not red, then the brown believe it or not-


If neither of those could be found, black is always nice but harder to keep clean I think.

There is a nice blue as well.

Like cyborg said, parts are pretty on par with any Honda/Acura. I was pleasently surprised at how cheap some parts were.

I know the Turbos fetch way more. Ususally cant touch those for under 10k, but if im spending 10k, im going to get a low mileage S2000.

Im looking to spend between 3-5k, honestly. Good investment, but not so much money that if it was totalled the next day id be in a depression for 6 months.

Id be trying to find a good deal also so that I could save money for repairs, which even a well-maintained car will need at this age!

The only other option, which is totally different, but fits the 80's craving,

is a 87/88 Mazda RX7.

I still see one once in a while, and usually they're pretty clean. Even though they are very recognizable, im never 100% sure until im up on it.

[AccordWarrior]

The only other option, which is totally different, but fits the 80's craving,

is a 87/88 Mazda RX7.

I still see one once in a while, and usually they're pretty clean. Even though they are very recognizable, im never 100% sure until im up on it.

The 2G RX-7 was basically a Japanese re-imaging of the 924 / 944 so it makes perfect sense you'd want one.

[deevergote]

In some ways, I prefer the styling of the FC.
they’re rising in value too, though. FDs are reaching Supra values, so people are seeking out FCs. Seeing as many were beaten by rivers over the years, or just neglected beyond repair, they’re getting harder to find in worthwhile condition.
I know a shop that specializes in rx7s, too. lol

http://www.ebzzmotors.com/ Is the place that does the 944s. I don’t think they have any at the moment. Just normal used crap. But the owner is a 944 expert.

[Tippey764]

I owned one and actually just sold it. Mine was an 86 turbo. The car wasn't too hard to work on in some ways but other ways it was a bitch. Example, the timing belt wasn't too hard to do but the motor mounts were horrible. I really can't get comfortable in the car either, the driving position is really odd because your head is right at the top of the A pillar. Its an alright car but I would much rather be in a BMW of the same era.

[CyborgGT]

The 2G RX-7 was basically a Japanese re-imaging of the 924 / 944 so it makes perfect sense you'd want one.

Everything looked the same back then.