Grand
After about 2000 miles, the engine blew.
Wow, what a car! Taught, comfy, and quick. Not difficult to look at, either.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 16th July, 2005
Exotic beauty for a fraction of the cost
Pasenger side Ball-Joint worn out, and needed to replace a complete Control-Arm as Porsche doesn't offer Ball Joint replacements.
Water Pump and thermostat were just replaced, very expensive to fix, but must be done to avoid engine damage.
Timing Belt replaced, timing belt must be replaced about every 30,000 miles to avoid severe engine damage.
Sun Roof leaking.
This car is seriously fast and the handling is just great.
When it's cleaned and waxed it gives an impression of a new car, and turns heads every time.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 17th March, 2005
Best used performance car for the money
Supposedly new water pump, replaced by previous owner, developed a leak shortly after I bought the car and needed replacement along with the (also new) timing belt which began to wear away due to improperly installed water pump. Resulted in a $1,500 expense I wasn't counting on so soon after purchase.
A/C blower motor only works on low or high, but is supposed to be a simple fix.
Second gear syncronizer is slow when cold so it will grind if shifts aren't slow until warm.
Power door locks don't work.
Car is awesome! It was very well maintained and original black paint and interior looks almost new brand new. Have all records since new.
Get a car with records so you can plan for maintenance accordingly. Its not cheap, but as long as you take care of it, it shouldn't be a nightmare. The cars run 200,000+ if properly maintained. Still, with turbo cars being at least 15 years old now, its probably better not to rely on them as your daily transportation.
Check motor oil regularly. My car has burned about 1 quart in 3,000 of hard driving.
Simple modifications of chips, exhaust, and air filter make noticable improvement in power. Probably adds easy 80 horsepower. And, there is potential for much more power.
Car is seriously fast; much faster than my 968, which I still have for direct comparison. Upgraded brake pads grab much better than 968's as well.
Extremely strong highway acceleration in any gear.
I've had the car on a race track where it simply blew by older mid 1980's 911's, 1990's Corvettes, and other cars. I've also owned a 1990's Pontiac Formula LT1. This car is much faster on the highway.
Stunning performance, pedigree, build quality, fit and finish, and value for the money.
Cars in good condition seem to hold or be increasing in value lately, as more people come to appreciate these great cars.
Its interesting that the addition of the Porsche SUV has forced some of the old Porsche 911 snobs come to accept "other Porsche models" as part of the family. The 944 series definitely belongs there with the other greats.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 8th December, 2004
I'm the original poster giving another follow up, 6 years since my last. The car now has 79k miles on it so I've driven a little less than 1k miles per year lately. I replaced the head gasket and motor mounts and replaced a fitting on the radiator that was leaking coolant. Also had the timing belt changed again during the head gasket change. This was a couple of thousand dollars in repairs over 6 years... but only covering 5 thousand miles or so. So the cost per year is not bad, but cost per miles can be high. It depends on how you use the car I suppose.
I still really love the car, though have thought of selling it from time to time. However, 944s seem to be having a resurgence in popularity... or at least in demand, as clean examples are going up in value.
4th Oct 2010, 18:56
I am the original poster; I now have 74k miles on the car and it has turned out to be very reliable, after the initial unplanned costs, which I cannot blame on the car I suppose. It has never let me down.
I've tracked it at DE events and it keeps with or is faster than the E46 M3s, 996s and more.
My friend has a 944 Turbo also and has not had nearly as much luck with reliability. His car is more modified. So, I would recommend getting a mostly stock example in excellent condition with records if you want to avoid having to sort out the car.