Faults:

I let the cam belt break, and had to rebuild the head. Owning a shop helped to keep this expense reasonable.

The guy I bought the car from had rebuilt the engine (for the same reason), he had lowered it, changed the shocks and maintained it in wonderful condition.

I had a 944 8 valve prior to this, and find the power very adequate. It's a great road car, wonderful on a day to day basis and very underrated if used car price is any indicator.

I had a 911s just prior to these two 944's, and think that the 944 is much easier to live with. It has a real heater, gets good mileage, and you don't need to worry about the rear end chasing you around curves.

General Comments:

This car is easily fast enough for me, and certainly outhandles anything else I have come up against on public streets - to the embarrassment of a few other drivers who thought they would show me how a "real" car handles - especially SUVs.

I will keep it until I find a 968 that is in as good a condition and reasonably priced - though I am amazed that Boxsters have fallen into the 8.5 to 11K price range.

These cars don't have the hand built feel that my 356 model Porsches had, but they are, once again, usable on a day to day basis with heaters, luggage space for more than a weekend, and the ability to stay up with today's traffic.

I assume the prices for used 944s will eventually follow the 914 and get into the 6 to 9K range. It's too bad so many are just being driven into the ground because they reasonable to buy, but expensive to maintain.

I have always driven Porsches, and these make me realize why - they're great.

Faults:

Ball joints are worn.

Suspension has loosened up a bit.

Shifter is loose.

I work at Midwest Eurosport, a race shop affiliated with Pca (Porsche Club of America), so it can be all fixed or replaced with race parts.

General Comments:

My 944 S is a rare S; it's the 2.7 liter engine vs the regular 2.5.

The car is slick, and many new OEM or aftermarket parts are available online, which helps for those who find a car with not repairable body work; you can get carbon fiber, fiberglass or aluminum pieces.

The seats are nice and sporty, but for racing I needed to put lighter seats in, so I've got the new Sparco Evo 2 seat in black and red.

Faults:

Timing belt and pulleys

Auxiliary Fan relay

Battery

Radio

Transmission Fluid

Odometer

Air Conditioning

Headlight Relay

Slave Cylinder.

General Comments:

The Car is a great handler, as well as having great power for a four cylinder. However as anyone driving a Porsche knows that the repairs are EXPENSIVE. I am a full time college student, and co mute to school everyday in this car. I have not had any internal engine problems what so ever, but too many "little" things have gone wrong. However this is a great car to drive, it gets many looks and a lot of thumbs up from other drivers. I had a magnaflow exhaust put on mine, and that really lets out a European howl when shes under acceleration. Over all it's a great car, but don't be shocked with the repair bills.

Faults:

For the short time I have owned this car nothing has gone wrong with it.

When I purchased the car I replaced the front rotors, parking brake cable and did oil/filter, and replaced the air filter. With safety and emissions tests it was just under $2000.00 CND. The parts are expensive and there isn't much of a discount to be gotten buying them online unless you're faced from buying it from a dealership. Labors rates for Porsche in Toronto are 117.00/hr plus tax. Independent Porsche garages, which are usually better than the dealership because they have worked on more 944s, charge around 100.00/hr plus tax.

I have receipts from when the last owner replaced the clutch and belts at 150,000km; it was around $3500.00. Replacing the windshield with antenna glass is between $600.00-$750.00 plus tax. Replacing and tensioning the timing belt, balance shaft belt and replacing the water pump, which should be done every 30,000-45,000 km (don't quote me on that) turns out a bill for around $1000.00.

Outside of regular maintenance, the car doesn’t really have problems and is very reliable.

General Comments:

The car is a Porsche through and through. Though it may be 20 years old, it performs competently with the sports cars of today. The acceleration is very brisk, but the take-offs are set back with modest turbo lag. Once in the power band, the engine performs beautifully, pulling the car effortlessly into triple digit speeds with pleasant ease.

The gearing is very tall, pleasant in many driving conditions, but requiring some mastery for peak performance. The clutch is firm and allows excellent control. The shift throws are very long, but the feeling is taught and precise. A 5 speed, but 5th is not an overdrive gear, but true additional ratio to extract only the most radical performance. Driving less than 180-200 km/h in 5th is underpowered and potentially harmful for the drive train. If one has the owners manual, the transmission chart shows how far 5th gear really is from 4th.

Fuel consumption is manageable if you drive at a steady pace. You won't. Though I've been told a stock 944t can run on 89 octane, I would recommend 91.

The handling is world class. Only the most nimble modern super cars will out handle a 944. The suspension is tuned to hold the road amazingly. Nice Z rated tires help to maximize potential. For the amazing handling, the car is surprisingly comfortable, and normal driving speeds (80km/h) feel slow. Steering is razor sharp and the feel is very positive.

The sound system is unimpressive, and the rear speakers cannot be changed without an unavoidable risk of cracking the interior moldings below the quarter glass. Don't put any stereo equipment in the rear fender wells; they collect water when it rains. There are drains in them for a reason.

The interior layout is comfortable and well thought out. The seats have good lateral hold. The steering wheel is not adjustable, and I’m not sure if it was an option or not.

The factory paint is a one stage finish. 3M chip protection is available for the fender arches, which are prone to chip. The nose is incredibly prone to stone chips... I reiterate; incredibly.

One of the best things about the 944 turbo is that, of all Porsches, it has the biggest tuner following. Well engineered performance upgrades are available in plenty.

Used parts are easy to come buy on online auction sites. Unless you're an extremely competent mechanic, don’t have any illusions that you'll work on this car yourself. Its very complicated. Wheels need a very rare bolt pattern that few companies make.