9caregiver

I had a 350Z (manual) I sold last year to a guy I know. He called this summer and wanted to know if I wanted to buy it back. I told my 15 year old son who will be driving soon I can sell the 944 and buy the Z back and he said no thanks, I want the 944. I tried to explain to him the Z was more comfortable and just a better car in every way but he didn't care. Then I thought, I could have sold the 944 and kept the Z...

Todd951968

I'm not trying to **** off early Boxster and 996 fans but perhaps the 924/944/968 series will leapfrog these IMS-issue era cars in terms of old Porsches that people want to add to their collection? The IMS problems may or may not have been resolved but the cars still suffer in value from the reputation.

So, maybe someone with a newer Carrera, Cayman, Panamera, Cayenne, etc etc looks further back than the late 1990's to 2000's to find a used Porsche and discovers the trans-axle cars?

Porsche, with the SUVs and sedan have attracted new , non-traditional, Porsche owners who may not have been into Porsches before for whatever reason and now have piqued interest in getting an antique version.

AkechiMotors

This. The last generation to get drivers' licenses will be Y (Millenials' kids). Autonomous cars will be common in 10 years, and mandatory in 20. The only place a human will be allowed to drive a car in 2040 will be on a closed track.

I do think the 944 will find its place in Porsche's pantheon, and I'm actually a little surprised that the 928 is more appreciated, given that it's not nearly as attractive nor significantly more fun to drive. For me, the iconic '80's Porsche is the 944, and I'm not sure why it isn't spoken in the same breadth as the M3 or even the Quattro.

Otto Mechanic

Have I mentioned recently your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries?

Just checking...

odurandina

owning any Porsche is not uncomplicated or understated. but, you can convert a 996 nose to the 997 look for a reasonable cost. The ims is serviceable. these two conditions continue to make any good running 996 a reasonable bargain.

944 ownership is no easy or uncomplicated matter. 944s and 968s are extremely difficult and costly to tune. every challenge related to 944/968 ownership (including getting long-way down the road) understated.

jhowell371

I respectfully disagree with that statement.

Voith

Why would you want to change 996 nose to 997?

odonnell

x2. Quite the opposite. These cars are superficially thought of as high maintenance. Tuning them is pretty easy as far as suspension and the aftermarket ECU tunes. Even my NA runs like butter with a basic ECU intended for bikes/snowmobiles, on a homebrew tune.

StoogeMoe

I found that movie on YouTube. The 4.6 IMDB rating was quite generous. It was pretty awful. No wonder why I never heard of it. It probably had a budget of $4,000, of which Burgess Meredith got paid $3,900. I guess everything in the 80's wasn't cool, along with Jon Bon Jovi.

odurandina

because i'm unsentimental about some Porsche's.

i'd convert a 911 SC to a 993, and a 996 nose to 997 in a heartbeat.

a 996 has some distinct advantages over a 997 for less-affluent buyers!! i like those advantages. i also don't find the interior all that bad compared to a 997, (as so many do). ...then, i don't consider a 996 to be any type of special 911, so there's no reason to keep the horrid, dated nose, as many have expressed the desire to do.

a good number of 996's have received the conversion, and they end up looking great!

i also made a 968 look somewhat like 993 .....(especially when viewed starting at a distance coming at you).

not all agree with doing this type of stuff to Porsche's.

but some people do......

to some Porsche's that is.

we once posted photos of someone who had converted a 924 to a 968.....

it was an insane amount of work to say the least.

it turned out as not-only one of the weirdest looking bizarro-world cars,

but it made you ask what the hell was the point.

but the 968's and 996's are fine for screwing up royal.

i'd leave the 944's about the same.

odurandina

that's fantastic.

everyone deserves a good confabulation to make it through the day once in a while.

you're entitled (Holly Hunter voice) ....but it doesn't change that the average 944 is missing about 150~200 horsepowers.

of course i was talking about the "increasing HP" class of tuning....

sorry that i can't play infinite apologist to entry-level Porsche's. some people want to go fast. the suspension makes you want it all the more, and everyone knows it.... but, making a 944 go fast or very fast isn't uncomplicated, and never will be. the learning curve might be short for some, but not for the plain ol' oxygen breathing world at large.

a guy from these same forums posted his 944 LS1 launch down a farm road a few years ago. it was so insane, he had to remove it from the interwebs for fear the government might show up and vaporize him. ....that car was quiet too. smooth, and blisteringly fast. nothing close to the stereotype of some obnoxious frankensh_tPorsche people used to pontificate about. it was a reckoning. but it was also a complicated build.

we know the god damned suspension is otherworldly.

it's all the civilians think about when you're trying to pass them, saying;

"there goes another 944 with that utterly otherworldly suspension.

"i can't bear the thought of holding this stately automobile BACK another moment....

"i better clear out (of the way) so he can pass me."

tifosiman

We get it.

[broken record]
"944's suck
944's are slow
944's require too much maintenance
my modded 968 is the best
copy and paste"
[/broken record]

EDIT: Sorry, that sounds harsh, it was meant as more ribbing than bitching. Here, I'll add a smiley face to lessen the blow.

jhowell371

Well said.

mrgreenjeans

--- a total fallacy ---

how is it you dare to be mistakenly seen driving one ? Not everyone who meets you on the street know it's no longer a Porsche.

Only us.

( and why I continue to pursue and collect those great examples I find, of those which remain pure and unmolested. I have never found maintaining any of them a problem and have hopped in any and driven across country any where, any time. Currently I am seeking a low mileage 968 and an S2 Cab to round out the grouping.)

They are true joys.

If I want a Corvette experience, I drive one ( a certain '96 cpe. a favorite )

curtisr

If I were to offer a disparaging word it would be with regards to the lack of space under the hood but that would be it. Sure, there are a lot more cars with even more shoe-horned stuff beneath the bonnet but they tend to be out of my price range.