Parts are expensive, and they are really hard on front tires. There were some cooling system issues on certain years, but I can't recall exactly what it was about. Stay away from Turbo 944s. You will not find one with any piss left - they've all had it run out.

I saw one of these at the airport last week:

Although the 924 shares a berth with the 914 as the most embarrasing Porsche cars ever, I've always wanted a Martini 924.

944s are wonderful track cars, but if u want a turbo model, u will have to rebuild the turbo.  There are some in good shape, but most have been beaten to death

Warped heads, bad head gaskets, rust near the bottom of the wheelwells on the fenders if driven where they salt the roads.

Quoted: Although the 924 shares a berth with the 914 as the most embarrasing Porsche cars ever, I've always wanted a Martini 924.

I dunno, I'd kinda like to own a clean 914-6, vroom!

Quoted: Quoted: Although the 924 shares a berth with the 914 as the most embarrasing Porsche cars ever, I've always wanted a Martini 924. I dunno, I'd kinda like to own a clean 914-6, vroom!

914-6 doesn't count! If ever there was a better car purpose-built for autocross, I can't imagine what it could be!

<----- Envious.

Get one of these instead.  Both cars can be expensive to maintain, but the reliability of the 928
makes it more attractive.  Here is mine.....it's for sale if anyone is interested.  

Here are more pics of mine.    928 Pictures

If you really want to get an older Porsche, you need to spend some time on Rennlist




Under the hood.

For some reason the one I had (84 non-turbo) always love to dump oil into the cooling system, even after replacing the head gasket and having the head checked. It would do it at random. The car would suddenly lose oil pressure, I would pull over and a "chocolate milkshake" looking mixture would be pouring out of the top of the coolant reservoir.

I used to know a Sergeant with one. If I remember the tale of woe correctly they all need a new timing belt at 50,000 miles. This belt controls the valves too (If I have this right).

Well the car is in the 40,000s, she is driving along slowly in the city, the belt snaps and the engine is toast before she could turn it off. Totally toasted the engine.

So she bought a Trans AM and was much happier with it. Later I saw flood waters get into it though. Monsoons I tell ya.

Quoted: I used to know a Sergeant with one. If I remember the tale of woe correctly they all need a new timing belt at 50,000 miles. This belt controls the valves too (If I have this right). Well the car is in the 40,000s, she is driving along slowly in the city, the belt snaps and the engine is toast before she could turn it off. Totally toasted the engine. So she bought a Trans AM and was much happier with it. Later I saw flood waters get into it though. Monsoons I tell ya.

True, but the timing belt replacement is easily done yourself.  The parts cost a whopping $100, maybe.
Every 20k miles would be a good interval to replace.

Just because someone doesn't perform maintenance on their car doesn't mean the design is flawed.
My NSX has the same timing belt issue, as do a lot of cars.  It's called an interference engine where the
valves can hit the pistons if it gets out of time.   The belts need tensioning to make sure they don't slip.
It's not a flawed design, but you can't just ignore it.

FYI time is harder on that belt than miles.  You shouldn't go more than 4 years regardless of the miles.

Quoted: Hey Tex, I'll giva ya $3k for your 928

That's a good down payment

The 944's are nice, just be careful.   The selling price can turn from bargain to nightmare.

You need to buy a top condition model or none at all.   They are not fixer uppers, parts
will eat you alive.

Even then they are not that much.  My 928 would go for $20k maybe...... Good bargain
for a car with it's stats.....  They can be expensive to maintain, you'll need to learn how
to do it all yourself.

Here's my friends 1993 Porsche 968 Convertible.....its about the best handling car I have ever been in, and its over 10 years old!

Its not a 944.....but it seems like its based on a 944.  The previous car she had, was a 1986 944 Turbo.

Yes, I have one - I was able to pick up Samantha Baker and give her a birthday cake for her 16th birthday. Yes, I'm Jake Ryan.

Quoted: Yes, I have one - I was able to pick up Samantha Baker and give her a birthday cake for her 16th birthday. Yes, I'm Jake Ryan.

If you had one and the best you could pick up was Molly Ringwald, you have issues

I own two and I find them extremely fun cars to drive. When taken care of, they are reliable and fast. The problems most people have with them are that:

1. They are fairly inexpensive to buy. Most people that can afford to buy them can't afford to properly maintain them.
2. It's still a Porsche. This means that any labor and parts costs will be significantly higher than normal. This is directly related to issue 1.
3. It's a 20+ year old sports car that's probably lead a tough life. Things will need to be replaced at a fairly consistant rate. It is not a car that you buy and just drive. Expect constant maintainence to have consistant performance.

The cars themselves are not inherently bad. In fact, the 944 Turbo offers a hugh amount of bang for the buck comparing to modern cars. These cars are just much more sensitive to maintainence than most would expect. The people that mentioned that turbos are trouble, have probably seen abused turbos. Well cared for ones are a true joy to drive.

An 86-88 Turbo going for $8-12k would need little to no work(usually). Ones going for 6-8k usually have some problems. Below 6k and it's a project car.

I would suggest you check the forums at www.Rennlist.com if you want more information. (Just noticed someone else posted this as well. It's the AR15.com of Porsches.)

Edited to add: Link to my site with pictures: mywebpages.comcast.net/brutalracing/

It is true that cars from the southwest are more likely to have taken less abuse from the weather, but that should not stop you from looking in your own area. The bodies on 944s are all made of galvaized steel, and are highly resistant to rust. Finding an owner that has taken care of the car is more important than the location of the car. Plus, being 20+ years old, it can almost be assured that the car has not spent it's entire life in one area.

I really enjoy these cars, and would hate for you to put off your dreams of owning one because of what some people said on the internet. Go out and look for yourself at a bunch of cars. After the first few, you'll be able to easily pick out the good ones and the bad.

For a specfic list of things to look for/ask about:

1. Date of last timing belt change - Should be done every 3-5 years or 30-50k miles. Big $$ if it breaks as it can break valves.
2. Clutch - The stock clutch had a rubber center that would get old, break off, and spit pieces into the clutch. The newer replacement clutches are metal/spring centered and are much better. A clutch job is expensive(have to either pull the motor or trans), so this is an important issue to look at.
3. Low oil pressure / rod bearings - These cars have a problem with eating the Number 2 rod bearing. Low oil pressure could be a symptom of bad bearings. Ask if they're ever been replaced. When starting the car cold, the oil pressure should go up almost immediately to 5 bars. When warm and cruising/idling it should sit between 3-4. When warm and hard on the gas it should be between 4-5bars.
4. Turbo issues - I believe stock boost is set to 0.8 bars(12psi). The stock wastegate will most likely not hold that to redline. Boost should smoothly come on between 2700-3500rpms.

Minor Issues:
1. Sunroof doesn't open. There are plastic gears that work the electric sunroof. They are very easily stripped and many people don't replace them. It's an easy/cheap fix.
2. Heat constantly coming out of the footwells. Another pretty easy fix. The heater door has a small plastic clip that breaks. The door gets stuck open and heat always poors out.
3. Odometer broken - Similiar to the sunroof, the small plastic gears for the odometer/tripometer are easy to strip. This is a moderately easy fix. This could hide big problems as the true mileage of the car is unknown.
4. Sloppy shifter - The plastic bushing wears out, easy to replace.

Ask about aftermarket modifications. Some common mods are
1. New computer chips. There are chips for both the DME(main computer) and KLR(controls turbo only functions). Most are good, some are from long ago and may not be the best available. Chips on non-turbo cars are generally useless.
2. Exhaust - New cat-backs are good for power gains. The removal of the catalytic converter is also good, noting laws in your area.
3. Intake - The stock intake is a large plastic box with a snorkle to the fenderwell. Some choose to replace this with an cone filter in the engine bay. There are large arguements over which is better.
4. Turbo upgrades - More advanced mods are new turbos, new wastegates, or new blow off valves. Check out Rennlist for more of the advanced mods.

That's all I can think of right now. Good luck in the hunt. It may take awhile to find a good one, there are alot of poorly cared for 944s out there. But when you find the right one, you'll know.

Don't bother with the porche. Buy American, buy a 'vette!

Quoted: Don't bother with the porche. Buy American, buy a 'vette!

+1

Quoted: Don't bother with the porche. Buy American, buy a 'vette!

And then you'll have..........another raggedy assed vette....

Sheesh... there are enough of those nasty things around as it is, don't encourage
any more.

944 ... Allante ...

Add Buick Reatta, Alfa 164 and Merkur XR4Ti to the list and you've got most of the cars from the '80s that never lived up to their potential.

Quoted: I'm thinking about selling an unused toy or two and picking up one of these for fun,  Any issues I should be particularly aware of?

I have owned a bunch of them . The 944 is one of the best handling
cars ever made . because they are a true 50-50 weight distribution car .

Like any Porsche they have their little quirks , but the 944 is the easiest
to work on ( Access wise ) and the parts are readily available through
several specialty places that stock every single piece down to the
correct light bulbs .

Here are a couple I bought in the past 3 years




I sold the red one with the phone dial wheels last year , but I still
have the black one . Which was the better of the 2 .

If you really want one IM me .. we could talk

Expensive parts and tons of maintenance. Yes the parts are readily available but at a premuim. They are great cars though.

Just sold my '88 944 Turbo S - I would recommend that car to anyone who wants to take a car out on the track and learn how to drive fast.  Great 50/50 handling, bullet-proof engine (as long as you replace the water pump and timing belt every other year), and awesome pickup - all for around $10 - 12k.  It was a serious contender with the base 911 back in its day, and today it's just a great bargain - as long as you pay or learn how to do your own maintenance.

I have an 89 turbo with 80k miles. I traded a 90 944S2 that I bought new for it in 1992. They don't rust, don't eat front tires and the turbo is bulletproof, unlike the 924 turbo. I've seen two 944 turbos with original  turbos on them with 200k miles. These cars hold together very well for high mileage.

Mine has been modded to around 300hp. Fourth gear redlines at 155. Not sure about 5th.....

Only buy a turbo. Non turbos are dogs. S2s are fast, but not like a turbo.

Rennlist.com is a good mailing list to ask specific questions of owners.

Look for service records and have an inspection done. The price should reflect the entire condition of the car.  Frankly, almost all of the ones I see are abused, poorly maintained junk. The maintainance cost can be high, but not maintaining it costs even more. Frankly, the 944 has been cheaper to maintain than my two Mercedes. And better built.

Parts prices have come down alot since the cars are now old and there are fewer of them. Look at Performance Products. These cars are old now and there are newer and faster ones, but the performance is hard to beat for the money. They were far less of a bargain when new. My 90 944S2 stickered at 42k. The turbo was higher than that.

In sum, shop wisely and set a high standard for what you buy. Mine is a third car that gets maybe 1000 miles per year on it,  Still fun to drive and comparatively fast. It will probably be sold to pay for an M3 cabrio soon.

Good luck.