porsche 944 first car

hey im lookin around to see what my first car will be, i am looking at the porsche 944, i was wondering if it will make a good first car for a 16 year old i have been looking around ive went through the rx7 to expensive rotary engine very hard to work on, the 95 mr2 i found out its a VERY dangerous car to drive and pretty expensive to find parts, i would like to know if there is anything wrong with the 944 as a first car. is it easy to buy a new part for the engine go into pep boys or any of those places, and have them instal it or do i have to find a speacial mechanic to get it in, i would like to know if it is a safe car and easy to drive, ive learned how difficult the mr2 is to drive very easy to spin out and very tricky to drive. if there is any tips you can give me on buying a car or this car please help me thanks alot any replies help good or bad thanks alot

hey sry if this question comes up alot but please help me out, i am also lookin at the 924's i heard the 914's or good and cheap but auto trader dosent have them so ima have to look at like ebay motors, i want to know how much the insurance is on these cars cause my father says it will be atleast 150 a month when im 16 how much is labor on these cars and how hard is it to find someone to put hte parts in and how expensive is it to keep these cars in great shape i only need a nice car to drive to school in i dont need a street racin car i might hit the gas a few times but i dont really even need a turbo so please help me out thanks alot guys i appreciate all the replies i can get

Hey man, 944's are great cars at any age. As far as your first car, well that all depends on how much you want to spend and how much work you want to put into it. They do require a good amount of maintenance, it IS over 10 years old.

Do you know alot about cars? If not be sure to take someone with you to look at it that knows about cars. Also you should be sure to get a pre-purchase inspection as well.

You want to get a 944 in as BEST SHAPE AS POSSIBLE, even if it means spending more money. Spending more money on the initial purchase of a near-perfect 944 is much wiser than spending less money on a shitty 944 and having to sink a bunch of money into it that you won't ever see again when you try and re-sell it.

I just turned 16 and my dad bought me a 1984 944. The car runs great and has a new clutch and timing belts. I have driven the car for about 3 weeks and have had no problems with it. I would definitly buy a 944 if i was in your position

Id get a S2 as your first 944. Its got the same look as the turbo. I mean who doesnt want a 16V DOHC 3.0L L4? If you go with the S2 you wont have to worry about Turbo's dying on you and the car will have plenty of power. I wouldnt go for just a regualr 944. I had a 83' 944 as my first 944 and got bored with it after a couple weeks. Cars just to heavy for the amount of power it produced. They have supercharger kits for the 944 now so you could actuall supercharge the S2 which would be very nice.

I was in your position a year ago and the answer to your question is yes/no. The 944 is a great car but it’s really all about the car you find. Many of the 944 were bought by professionals in the 80’s (my dad owned one in 83) and were not taken care of like Porsche’s should have been. If you are looking at a base model 944 there are many things to be taking into consideration the number 1 rule of all in the 944 is the timing belt if that goes the car which is not worth a lot to begin with turns into a parts car unless you want to spend upwards of 2 grand in engine repairs. Even if the owner says its been re-placed make sure you have records of it and if not you must take it to a good mechanic and get it replaced (normally between a 300-500 dollar job) when you replace that you also replace the balance shaft belt and the rollers. The next step is the water pump that must be replaced I believe every 90 thousand miles most cars that are still running from the 83-86 era with over 100 miles have had this done but when/if you replace the belts you must have this checked. Also Tie rods get old on the pre 85.5 (or new dash) they were a 2 Piece design and much cheaper to replace. After the 85.5 model year they became a one piece and were significantly more expensive to replace. Another thing you have to take in mind is motor mounts these tend to go after 100K if they have not been replaced they are any where between 400-800 depending on where you get them done. If you buy a manual make sure the clutch has been replaced if it has not that is a $1500 job and very time consuming .Also all 944’s are prone to leaks at the hatch to after year of being slammed down by the rear spoiler to get a new hatch used is any where between $80 and $200 depending where you buy. You see every thing adds up on these cars. A $4500 can become an $8000 dollar car real quick. I was lucky I started looking for a car at 15 and right before my 16th after looking at 13 + cars I found one and great condition. As for insurance I pay $1800 for mine under my parents insurance. I know the turbo and S2’s look like a nice options but coming from a car family to be insured under for are 89 turbo would have been 3000 Grand a year plus repairs if I took over the car. By all means if you want to join the 944 club do it but just be careful there is a lot of crap out there that people want to unload. A good place to start looking in PCA (Porsche Club of America) they have many well kept cars at good prices. I was in your spot last year and I know how it feel if you have any questions you can IM me at AIM:BKfamily87. Good Luck

i would advise you to get a later 944. 86+

I have an original 1983 copenhagen blue that has been very well taken care of... My clutch just blew, and it is barly worth anything... i can't spend the money to fix it, so it's going on e-bay.......

I have been looking for a replacment and every almost porsche mechanic has told me to look for the later years. Prior to 85 the 944 is know for the differential leaking oil. also as the 944 evolved, it became more reliable and porsche fixed the things wrong with the 944 as it got older... I would also say go with the S S2 or turbo modle. I found the regular 944 with 142hp way too underpowered, although it was awsome to drive... the car is designed to be fast!!!