1986 Porsche 944 Reviews, Pricing & Specs

Great performance and it ran great once you hit above 85mph. I loved cruising it down to LA/ Santa Barbara in this car. Fun car to drive but it's very low to a point where you feel like you are almost sitting on the ground. I mostly drove it on the weekends for fun. Not the most spacious car interior wise -- if you know how to keep it in top notch shape, this car is highly reliable.Mar 20, 2013

I test drove a 1985.5 944 while considering it's purchase. The car was a rock. I absolutely loved it. Entry/Exit is somewhat tough due to the very low seating position, but once in place, the seats are extremely supportive and comfortable. The engine leaves a bit to be desired, but is more than adequate for a 2600 pound car, returning 0-60 times of around 7.5 seconds. Where the car really won me over was with it's handling. It drives like it's on rails, at any speed. Braking is firm and responsive, direction changes are an exercise in wishing the wheel to turn, and the car almost reads your mind when you're driving it. In 1986, Car and Driver named the 1986 Porsche 944 the best handling car in the world, and I feel that it may still have a shot at that title, especially for the price that you can pick a great one out for.Apr 21, 2009

This to me is the best car in the world! the 944 is great and not just because its a Porsche everything from the motor to the window wipers work with super human strangth. I never had to remove the ice from my windows because the defrost and heater worked almost as fast, in the snow its still a rear wheel drive but the 50/50 weight makes it great in the snow I never got stuck even once. cant say that about my evo 8. plus I could push this car to get 37 mpg, and still have the power I needed to pass someone. Jun 14, 2008

I've owned this car since December of 2005. It's been tracked, it's been hit, it's been a rugged daily driver. I'm happy with it and wouldn't want anything else -- insurance is pretty cheap on account of it being over two decades old. To date, I've spent less than ten thousand dollars on the car -- and that number includes the 6100 initial purchase price, the 400 bucks to recharge the AC, the 700 bucks to fix everything from a hydroplaning accident that banged up the front pass. side pretty good, oil changes, etc etc. I could have spent $11,000 on a new Hyundai, but I didn't want to spend that much -- so I got a Porsche instead! Sure, there's some intricacies and unique stuff to the car that can be a bit of a pain every now and then -- Timing belts have to be changed religiously lest the interference engine explode on itself when the belt snaps and force a top end rebuild. Like most old cars, there's going to be stuff that needs sorted and refreshed -- rubber, seals, gaskets, etc -- but once you take care of those issues, you basically have a reliable car at your disposal. People knock the NA model in favor of the turbo variant, and while the 944 Turbo is much faster, the regular 944 can be just as maneuverable, if not more so than it's boosted bigger brother. On track days I've passed several turbos, even some Boxsters -- the best feeling I've had in my car was knowing I could do more with a less-powerful car than some folks were able to do with their $60k boxsters and $18k 951s. In addition to summer weather driving, my 944 has seen winter duty since the end of 2005, and there have been no problems to date. I purchased a set of nokian winter tires and haven't had any problems with driving in bad weather. The handling is exceptionally precise while remaining very forgiving.Apr 08, 2008