A few years back I bought a collector car to drive from Connecticut to Monterey for car week. I was looking for something interesting, fun to drive, and reliable. I chose a Porsche 944. At this time, I had owned more than 25 Porsche 911s, as well as some 912s and a few 914s, but this was my first water-cooled front engine Porsche. The car was faultless. I drove to Omaha and met my friend Trent then we drove together the rest of the way to car week; it was an amazing time. During the week, the car was a great way to get around all the events. In many ways it was the most comfortable and easy to live with Porsche I had ever owned, and I wondered why it had taken so long to experience one of these cars, and I would own one again in a minute. The 944 is a true Porsche road car: is as fun to drive on a twisty road or a track as it is to use as a daily driver. The 944 as a model is reliable, simple to service yourself, has modern amenities such as a great AC system and comfortable seats, and is quite modern for a car built in the 1980s. If you add the Porsche Classic radio you even get full phone integration and the radio fits the look of the era of the 944 perfectly, making it a car that delivers both a modern and classic sports car experience all in one package.
The Pick of the Day is one of these great Porsches, a 1985 ½ Porsche 944 finished in Slate Grey Metallic with a beige leather interior.
This 944 is being offered by a dealer located in Palmetto, Florida and is a one owner original car that has covered a total of only 67,824 miles from new.
This 944 is a 1985 ½ , which was a mid-year redesign of the model that included a new dashboard, aluminum a-arms, redesigned rear trailing arms, spindles, transmission and mounts, belly pans, steering wheel height adjustment, and a fan thermometer switch. The seller states that the interior is in good overall shape with no rips or tears to the seats and an uncracked dash. The Slate Grey Metallic paint is also in great condition. According to the option tag on this 944, it is equipped with a raised leather steering wheel with a 380mm hub, power adjustable seats, a Blaupunkt Monterey radio (which is still present), front and rear sway bars, Fuchs alloys, body side molding, cruise control, electric hatch release, factory alarm, sunroof, and leather front seats with leatherette rear seats.
The three main service issues of the 944 are timing belt/water pump, motor mounts, and clutch replacement. The first two are not expensive to do and if they have not yet been done on this car, I would advise that you do so immediately. Budget around $1,200 for this unless you do it yourself and then the only cost is parts. The clutch is another matter entirely. They are not weak but if they are worn out this is a repair you likely need to get done at a shop, as you basically have to remove the transaxle to do it. With mileage this low it is likely still in good condition, but I would ask the dealer offering the car if it has been done. The seller did state that the car has recently received a new battery, the fuel tank dropped and cleaned, fuel lines cleaned, new fuel filter, and an oil change.
If I were buying another 944 this would fit the bill. It is unmodified with no cheap stereo or ugly rear aftermarket Porsche reflector, has low miles, is in original condition, and has its books, tools, and looks from the pictures to be completely rust free. From the description and photographs this looks as good as the example I bought a few years ago.
The asking price might seem a bit high but this fine car is truly an excellent example and is worth the $25,995 price.
To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.
Very nice!