New Ride

That’s a non-turbo. 944’s are great cars, but you have to be really careful buying them. Stay away from the cheap deals unless you have someone who really knows what they’re looking at inspect it for you.

They’ve come down to the price range now where a lot of people buy them for cheap thinking “wow, I got a Porsche for $3000” only to realize how expensive parts/ labor are on them the first time they take it in for a timing belt change or new clutch. Consequently a lot of these cars have been driven into the ground by people who can’t afford to maintain them properly.

I can’t tell you how many I saw one of these come into the shop where I used to work with a huge list of problems that needed to be fixed. When faced with the estimate, the owners always said, “that’s more than I paid for the car” and walked out the door.

If you really want one, buy a really nice example that has all the maintainance records, especially timing/ balance shaft belts, and have a pre- purchase inspection performed by a tech that knows these cars. Clutch jobs are very expensive too, and they are difficult if not impossible to do without a lift.

I really like the 944 Turbos (951’s), and is what I would buy if looking for one (because the NA cars are just too slow for the $, and difficult to squeeze much extra power out of without expensive engine work).

Expect to pay at least 10,000 for a decent turbo that has been well cared for. Mods are easy to come by, but again nothing is cheap. The turbos can really haul with a few upgrades.