1986 Porsche 944 User Reviews

My 4th Car — With a little regret I px`d my lovely Rover 800 for this Porsche 944. I had always dreamed of owning a Porsche, and the 944 was a quality entry level car. She was in good condition when I bought her, just some oxidisation on the roof and bonnet, which I got resprayed, I purchased a heater unit from Porsche, and replaced one of the fuel pipes, that`s all in four years. Due to an accident I could not use the car for around a year, and she waited patiently for me in the garage. When I eventually was okay to drive her, she stared first time. There was real sadness when I let her go.

The 944 Experience — the car was not made for city traffic some nice country roads worked on it and found out more than I needed. the 2.5 l was a chopped down 8 cylinder and they had a balance problem and they used a patent from Mitsubishi they used the silent shaft 4 cylinder on Chryslers mini vans before the had there own replacement. motor had some over engineering and a list of problems don't know if the balance shaft took away some power a lot of the maintenance was done by the to owner before me and that's the only reason I bought it I have seen them in need of everything I sold it to a father and son and they will take good care of it if you are looking for one get the 8 cylinder or the turbo and keep some cash on the side you will need it and I have a z28 with the tpi fuel injection system an it's a bosch design almost the same . iban

Primary Use: Sport/fun (spirited driving, track racing, off-roading, etc.)

Great Fun Car That Can Be Purchased For 1/10th Of Its Original Cost —

I bought this car about 2 years ago from a mechanic friend who had tried to restore her. He also had repainted it with a good respray job. Car hadn't been on the road for about 10 years so it naturally needed a lot of work once it was back on the road. After going through 2 other mechanics, it is now in very good mechanical shape. However, be very aware that you will need to do a fair amount of maintenance in the beginning if you restore one of these to get it in good shape. Most running around now have been neglected or not properly maintained. Find a mechanic who works on these regularly and has special knowledge of them. See if he has any customers with one that want to sell theirs. It will save you a lot of time, frustration and money to buy one that has been properly maintained. Most parts are reasonable but a few cost an arm and a leg. The car is just a blast to drive. That near 50-50 weight distribution really does make the car handle like no other I have ever driven. It isn't fast by today's standards (0-60 in 7.9) but you get nearly maximum torque per gear starting around 2,500 RPMs which makes it really fun to drop it down and get up and go. AC actually works in these (if you fix it properly). Parts are readily available from Bap GEON and numerous online speciality websites. For about $10,000, you should be able to find one in very good mechanical shape, repainted within the last 5 years and in very good to excellen cosmetic shape inside and out.. You can find them for a lot less but be prepared to rebuild the engine and spend thousands in parts as well as a paint job. The car gets GREAT gas mileage. On premium, I get about 28 mpg on the highway and 23 around town. If you have a lead foot, that will drop considerably. Running the AC also costs at least 2 mpg. The transmisison is in the back so the car handles great in snow even though it is rear wheel drive. I drive it as many days a week as I can. Once you get it back in order, it can be a good dependable commuter car. Do your research and take your time in finding one in good mechanical shape. All of these cars need maintenance. If you are looking at one, see how many of these big jobs have been done as each one is a pile of money. Top end engine rebuild. These cars tend to get leaky seals and worn rings after a 100,000 miles or so. Big money. $5000 to pay someone to do it. Fuel lines. You do not want a fuel leak and catch on fire. Not a costly one but necessary. Breaking system with new hard lines, rotors, pads, rebuild the calipers, plus new brake lines. $2000. Cooling and hvac. You need the car not to overheat and unless you live in a mild climate, you need ac. Big parts price tags. Radiator and condenser alone will run you $700 for parts. $2000 - $2500. Suspension. Old parts and bushings wear out. You'll need to go through and replace everything at some point. Assemblies, bushings, links, etc. Big money. $2500 for basic stuff and $5000 or more for track suspension. Clutch and transmission. Clutch kit is about $650 just for the parts. If the car you are looking at hasn't had many of these done, move on. Expect a car with these things done to cost more and even a lot more. The car may have a $6000 book value but more than $20,000 invested in it with these things done. As a result, pay more for one of these.

Primary Use: Sport/fun (spirited driving, track racing, off-roading, etc.)